El Castillo Vacations from $384

Great staff, beach was beautiful, food was very good, although expensive. Resort is secluded. Grounds are a bit run down, especially the driveway and parking. A lot of bugs, especially ants and mosquitoes, even in the rooms.

Fantastic Eco Lodge with excellent food, many options for activities, and top of the line service. Highly recommend, especially for couples and romantic getaways.

An incredibly beautiful spot where one is completely ensconced in nature and the ocean. The staff are incredibly warm and friendly. Dining options were very good, with many local options.

We really enjoyed our two night stay at Barcelo Montelimar, primarily for its amazing setting and beach. The resort complex is large and spread out, but is walkable once you learn your way around. Our casita provide a good homebase for our stay, including a private porch with hammock and rocking chairs. Bathroom was basic but functional. Beds were comfortable. We didn't spend much time in the room other than to sleep. The all-inclusive food varied in quality and meal options seemed repetitive. We appreciated the table service. Beachfront was the focus for us--we loved the wide, sandy beach. The water was amazing-- mostly calm with waves large enough for excellent body-surfing without being too intimidating. Could've staying in the water all day. Gorgeous sunsets. Half hour horse rides on the beach for ten dollars. This is a very popular resort, and we would come back again.

Pros: beautiful property in the middle of the jungle, private beach, and delicious food at the restaurant. They were very kind to upgrade our room close to the beach. It was a beautiful 2-story villa with a kitchen, private pool, a balcony, and AC in the bedroom. Cons: lack of honesty and services Leading up to the trip, we received a few emails telling us about all the activities and services available in the resort. They offered complementary hiking and snorkeling, and we could pay for yoga classes, spa treatments, romantic packages, and activities such as surfing, hikes on Mombacho and Omepete island, etc. None of that was available once we got there. We asked the reception to book activities and they said they would call amd organize them. They never did. After a few days, we decided to book them ourselves through tour websites. We even asked them to call a nearby golfing course and they said they would. After 3 days, they said the golf course hadn't answered yet. My partner emailed the golf course and we got a response within 5 minutes. The staff at the reception were very kind, but not helpful and the lack of honestly from the management really disappointed us. The restaurant staff were always great and the service was excellent. The reception even gave us the wrong opening hours for the restaurant so we showed up late one evening. The staff were still there and were so extremely kind to prepare us a meal even after closing.