Avellanas Beach Vacations from $802

The resort property was beautiful and pretty well maintained, especially the pools. AND, the staff was very friendly. BUT, if you're going there for the "all inclusive" part of it, it's basically almost non existant. There are 2 bars, one swim up and one in the restaurant area and between the two, you might find 5 bottles of booze (and that's mostly really cheap stuff). The so called "nice" restaurant, Calibri, was not even open the whole time we were there (7 days). And, the food was not that great. We did, however eat breakfast there on most days, which was OK but most days they didn't have this or that, so you pretty much asked, "What don't they have today". There are, however, some great restaurants around the resort that we frequented. The "tram" as they called it, ran for the 1st three days, pretty regularly, BUT after that it must have broken down because it sat by the office and we were picked up by a white pickup truck that was pretty regular but .... I think for a family with kids, this might be a better option BUT, keep in mind, there is A LOT of walking up and down hills to get anywhere!!!

SuiTree was a wonderful place to stay for my first trip to Costa Rica. The reception on arrival was warm and welcoming. The room was exactly as pictured - no surprises and everything was in working order. The staff were excellent - every single person I interacted with was genuinely happy to be of service. Special mentions go to Grace, Carlos, and Johnny who made the experience exceptional! Since I traveled during the low season, the property was undergoing some renovations, but this was made known in advance of my travel. Also, with it being the low season for tourists - easily getting a table for breakfast and dinner and receiving such personal attention was very nice. Speaking of the restaurant, Taru, the food was phenomenal! I tried multiple different dishes over breakfasts and dinners and all were delicious. The only issue that I ran into was when taking an Uber, the maps for the drivers gave incorrect directions. I’ll mention that you can get transfers directly from the hotel, but I made a last-minute decision to go to the beach and used Uber instead. I approached Grace and explained the issue and she generously provided directions to the driver and made sure I knew the correct way to get back if the issue arose on return. Of note on Uber - it was very safe with both my drivers using trip recording for added security. For excursions, I used Wild Papagayo and highly recommend them. SuiTree delivered on being an excellent experience!

I stayed at Secrets Papagayo in October when the resort was at 60% capacity, so it was pleasantly relaxed and never felt overcrowded. I’d read complaints about the shuttles, and it’s true that the steep layout makes walking around difficult. However, I never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride, even at 1 a.m. The facilities were clean and well maintained, and my room’s AC worked great. As a former military guy, I’m pretty easy to please: give me a clean room and cold air, and I’m happy! Pool chairs were limited, but we always found somewhere to leave our belongings. It wasn’t always within sight, though cameras covered the main pool area. I could see seating being a bigger issue during peak season. The food was good across the buffet, sushi restaurant, Seaside Grill, and Italian restaurant. Seaside Grill offers different lunch and dinner menus. My only minor gripe was having to wear long pants at the Italian restaurant in Costa Rica’s heat and humidity. As a single 36-year-old guy, I noticed most guests were couples celebrating honeymoons, anniversaries, or simply relaxing. Despite reviews mentioning a party atmosphere, I found it laid-back, although the off-season may explain that. The staff were attentive and even remembered my name. Special recognition goes to Dalay from the entertainment team! She led daily activities with infectious energy and personality and was genuinely one of the highlights of my stay. Overall, a great experience. I’d happily return!

Excellent

We had a great week at Esh! The staff was very friendly and attentive. We loved the property and the pool. We made use of the sauna and cold plunge daily. We even saw monkeys while hanging out on the property. Yeh breakfast was delicious and plentiful keeping us full to start the day. Although the probably is a bit outside of town, the shuttle service is convenient to get to and from t e Esh to town.