Nice Resort. Too expensive. Mostly excellent service with exception of pool service which sucked bad. Sterile. Why go all the way to Costa Rica to stay at an American resort that is populated by Americans? I am not quite sure, but they again, American travelers are an odd bunch. Nothing to really do around there except go into Jaco which is den of drugs and prostitution. Talked to someone at the CR embassy and they said that 80% of the legal assistance calls they get from Americans are from Jaco. Much better places to stay - that are more authentic - than the Marriot

Loved the resot. the room was spacious and the bed very comfortable. All the restaurants were good (Except the buffet style hote restaurant which was crappy). the pool was wonderful and the service very impressive and friendly. HOWEVER, if you are going 4 fun there isnt any. After dinner and a few drinks in the bar there is NOTHING to do. there is a casino, however it was below average and full of hookers..nice!. :o)

There is no doubt that Costa Rica is a beautiful country and the people are equally nice. The hotel is a beautiful property-Spanish Hacienda- yet the rooms are average. They are, by all means, clean but nothing special. We were there during high season so our room rate was quite pricey-for the type of room. We stayed on the 4th floor, mountain view and unfortunately right above the entrance of the hotel it self. So starting at 5AM we could hear the vans and taxis coming and going. The food was quite good and not as expensive as some had mentioned here, we thought it was average priced by US standards. The service was good, not outstanding. The breakfast buffet was the way to go, food was very fresh and lavish with lots of fresh fruits. The pool was very nice and relaxing yet the servers took a long time to come around. Note that 10% tip is already added to your bill on all services. I wanted to try the Spa and due to the service through out the hotel being a little lax I decided to start with a manicure/pedicure before I comitted to an expensive service. I booked it for 2PM and Maria was waiting for me, she escorted me to her area which was separate from the spa itself. We started very well, she did a good job on my pedicure. I noticed, while I was getting my manicure, her schedule. Her next customer was due at 3:00 and we were running five minutes late. Next thing I know this guy (Spa Mgr?) knocks on the door and opens it. He's standing there with the next customer and proceeds to tell Maria that time is up and that her next customer was ready and proceeded to let her in! I was completely turned off by this. Lets not forget folks that $57 for a manicure/pedicure in Costa Rica probably buys groceries for an entire family. This is not how a Spa treatment is conducted. Nonetheless I did not schedule a treatment, neither did my husband who was looking forward to one.
In sumation , this place is just average and not worth the long trip and the money. My husband put it best: " It's a GUY place. Great fishing and golfing" The hotel does have great hand rolled cigars which a lot of the men and some women enjoyed at the end of the day over cocktails watching the sunset-nice :)
One more thing: The nearest town Jaco is a "surfer"town, it's fine for small gifts to take back home but other than that, no great shopping and the road and sidewalks are in bad shape. If you go, don't wear your nice shoes, wear your tennis shoes or flip flops.

We went to this resort on a company funded trip so the high point was that we weren't spending our own money. I will give the high points first. The resort is beautiful. The rooms are spacious and clean, the staff is friendly. All the resturaunts are great. The pool is wonderful, very relaxing. We tipped above what they charged us and were waited on hand and foot. We didn't golf but I understand the course was absolutely to die for.

Here are the drawbacks, and there are quite a few. If you like the white sandy beaches and the clear pristine water, you are going to the wrong place. The beach is black and ashy, the water is dark and grimy. We did not go onto the beach once the whole week, and there is no where I love more than a beach. The pool can get crowded b/c no one wants to go onto the beach. The food is really expensive, as are the drinks! We went into the casino almost every night b/c there is no bar or anything to do after dinner. The casino is ok, if you play blackjack you are in for a rude awakening. The way they deal cards is really strange and NO ONE won any money the whole week. There was nothing else to do so we all went there. There also is not a hot tub to be found and the bathtub was nothing to get excited about. The activites were a joke, nothing anyone wanted to participate in.

The closest town is Jaco, and its nasty. Some of the shops are nice, but it is dirty and smells awful. Take off your jewelry before you leave the hotel, b/c I was uncomfortable. The hotel suggested eating at El Pelicano. The food was excellent and very cheap. But its all open air and they speak very little English.

If you fish, you will love that part. We used Spanish Fly Charters and they were great. There were 4 boat loads of us and we all caught sail fish. That was a unique experience.

Getting there, its a 2 hour ride from the airport, if you get motion sickness you will be miserable. Its a very windy ride through some rough terrain. I enjoyed the view but it is a long ride!