Andaz Peninsula Papagayo
Our Verdict
Nestled in a location where the Gulf of Papagayo meets the sapphire blue waters of Culebra Bay, the
Resort captures the native spirit of Costa Rica with its distinctive "Pura Vida" (pure life) philosophy. The dense tropical dry forest along with volcanic beaches makes the area ideal for both nature lovers and those seeking to relax.
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo is located 30 minutes from the Liberia Airport. When you arrive at the Andaz Peninsula Papgayo, one of the first things you’ll notice is the beautiful landscaping and distinct architecture. From the shell-shaped studios to the zero edged cascading pools, the hotel’s design is inspired by Costa Rica’s natural landscape. One of our favorite things about the resort is how it blends with the surrounding environment and truly makes you feel like you are in Costa Rica.
In typical Andaz fashion, the lobby is more of a lounge where you relax and are greeted with a drink while you are checked in.
The Peninsula Papagayo area has nice weather much of the year, but there are two distinct seasons. The dry season runs from December to April and is considered the best time of year to visit. The wet season runs from May to November with September and October being the wettest months.
The Room
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo has 153 guestrooms and suites. Each of the 153 rooms balance stylish contemporary design with touches of character which blend into the natural surroundings, with woven textiles, local solid woods and carved artifacts highlighting the rich Costa Rican aesthetic.
All guest rooms and suites have a spacious balcony with breathtaking bay and forest views. Our particular room was a King Bed Bay View room.
The room had Costa Rican inspired decor and furniture. The bedroom area is furnished with a king bed, two night stands, a dresser and a chair overlooking the floor to ceiling windows. Separating the bathroom from the bedroom is a desk with an adjacent complimentary mini-bar and built-in closet.
The bathroom had a toilet room, large vanity and beautiful stone lined shower which opened up to the outside patio.
And like most Andaz properties, the bathroom was stocked with Lather toiletries (our personal favorite).
And outside the shower the patio offered incredible views of the bay.
Dining
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo has three on-site restaurants. Rio Bhongo is open for breakfast (they put out an incredible breakfast buffet every morning), and for casual lunches and dinners. Ostra is more of an elegant restaurant with reservation required dinners. And Chao Pescao is a great spot for sunset cocktails and features sharing plates with a Latin-American influence.
We ate breakfast most mornings at Rio Bhongo. The breakfast buffet was just incredible and included fresh made to order eggs. Plus it had a large spread of locally inspired breakfast dishes like and plenty of fruit and pastry options. In addition when you have the buffet, you can order off the regular breakfast menu plus the buffet includes drinks off the barista menu.
We ordered the baked plantain two mornings and it was so savory and delicious. The plantain is baked with palmito cheese, and topped with cinnamon and is served with butter and maple syrup. Needless to say the buffet was filling enough that most days we just skipped lunch, or had a snack by the pool.
In addition to the three restaurants at the resort, the Andaz Papagayo has a fourth dining option at their off-site beach house. We had lunch one day at the beach house and the mango skirt steak tacos were incredible.
Amenities
The Andaz Papagayo has two swimming pool complexes. The first family pool area consists of three cascading pools including a zero-entry pool. The adult infinity pool is much more quiet plus is totally immersed in the forest, allowing you to completely relax.
The Onda Spa features 9 treatment rooms. Before your treatments, you'll enjoy an ancient tea overlooking the spectacular Culebra Bay.
Just around from the spa is the fitness center, small lounge and pool area and locker rooms and steam rooms. The fitness center had treadmills, elliptical machines, free weights and several weight machines. Overall we found the fitness center satisfactory enough to get a good workout in each day.
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo offers plenty to do in addition to their pools, fitness center and spa. On the beach at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo, you'll find complimentary stand-up-paddle boards, snorkeling equipment and kayaks. For a fee you can also rent jet skis and water bikes.
And while the beach at the resort itself isn't spectacular, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo does have an off site Beach House with lounge chairs, restaurant and much larger beach.
Plus the beach at the Andaz Beach House is amazing. And it's perfect for a long afternoon stroll.
And there's a good chance you'll see some of these guys at the Beach House.
The resort also publishes a weekly program of activities such as forest walks (look out for monkeys and iguanas), yoga, kayak tours and cooking classes.
We enjoyed participating in the barista class. And not only did we drink plenty of coffee but we also learned so much about the different coffee brewing methods.
Overall Impression
Where do we even begin? We absolutely loved the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo. The service was top notch. The resort was absolutely beautiful. And unlike other Costa Rican resorts, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo truly makes you feel like you are in Costa Rica. The amount of wildlife including iguanas, coatis and monkeys was truly spectacular.
But the staff is what truly makes the stay at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo incredible. Every single staff member we encountered was not only friendly but they practically treated us like family. We can't say enough how much we loved Costa Rica and the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo and would highly recommend a visit!
And in case we haven't sold you on Costa Rica yet, be sure to read our Top 5 Reasons to Visit Costa Rica.
