Jul 23, 2017, 7:41 am
Last edit by: Songer5
crparadise.com is a good company to arrange transport to/from hotel, as well as tours. Hat tip to VickiSoCal (12/12/20 Update: I just called the number on their website and the phone number is disconnected. I used https://liberiaairportshuttle.com/ instead and was very happy with their communication/service/professionalism.)
JW Marriott Guanacaste, Costa Rica [Master Thread]
Mar 5, 2014, 4:19 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,815
Got back last week and had a wonderful time. We went on points and were upgraded to an ocean view room from garden view.
The resort is beautiful and the service is outstanding. Kudos to the manager and his entire staff.
Food is good. There are only 3 restaurants on site. The food is no more expensive than other Caribbean resorts. As a matter of fact I found the prices a little less as they already include taxes and service charge. The $16 Marriott burger is really $16. In Aruba and St Kitts you have to tack on the taxes and service charge. The restaurants will accommodate any special needs or diets.
There is Lola's and the beach club a short walk down the beach.
Be forewarned that you have to cross a section of volcanic rocks first which would make it difficult for young children or unsteady adults. I found it a nice change but no less expensive or better food. There is no additional charge for room service. We enjoyed breakfast on our balcony daily.
The pool was great. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas. The staff would come and adjust your umbrella according to the movement of the sun. The chairs had cushions with clean fitted covers and pillows. Unlike Aruba, you don't have to get down at 7:00 am to get seats.
The resort is isolated. If you want to explore I would suggest you rent a car for the week. Renting a car at the airport was only a little more than the round trip cab fare which cost me $170. Our driven stopped at the supermarket so we could pick up soda, fruit and snacks. The hotel is 1 hour and 15 minutes from LIR airport. The resort is very quiet. It is a very relaxing, stress free vacation. The spa was nice. I had a fabulous 60 minute coffee scrub/massage.
It was well worth the $90!
We would go back. The people are wonderful. They made you feel like valued welcome guests.
The resort is beautiful and the service is outstanding. Kudos to the manager and his entire staff.
Food is good. There are only 3 restaurants on site. The food is no more expensive than other Caribbean resorts. As a matter of fact I found the prices a little less as they already include taxes and service charge. The $16 Marriott burger is really $16. In Aruba and St Kitts you have to tack on the taxes and service charge. The restaurants will accommodate any special needs or diets.
There is Lola's and the beach club a short walk down the beach.
Be forewarned that you have to cross a section of volcanic rocks first which would make it difficult for young children or unsteady adults. I found it a nice change but no less expensive or better food. There is no additional charge for room service. We enjoyed breakfast on our balcony daily.
The pool was great. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas. The staff would come and adjust your umbrella according to the movement of the sun. The chairs had cushions with clean fitted covers and pillows. Unlike Aruba, you don't have to get down at 7:00 am to get seats.
The resort is isolated. If you want to explore I would suggest you rent a car for the week. Renting a car at the airport was only a little more than the round trip cab fare which cost me $170. Our driven stopped at the supermarket so we could pick up soda, fruit and snacks. The hotel is 1 hour and 15 minutes from LIR airport. The resort is very quiet. It is a very relaxing, stress free vacation. The spa was nice. I had a fabulous 60 minute coffee scrub/massage.
It was well worth the $90!
We would go back. The people are wonderful. They made you feel like valued welcome guests.
May 14, 2014, 9:42 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: ORD LAS HKG
Programs: Bonvoy LTT; IHG DiamondAmb; WoH Globalist; UA1K2MM; NationalEE; AvisPC; HertzPC
Posts: 703
Review of JW Marriott Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Has anyone rented a car at SJO and driven to this property? Is it an easy drive for a first-time visitor from the States? How long is the drive on a Saturday?
What upgrade do they offer to platinum members (e.g. from garden room)?
What upgrade do they offer to platinum members (e.g. from garden room)?
May 15, 2014, 7:07 am
#21
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 4,866
It's about an hours drive, very easy. As a Plat you should get at least an ocean/pool view room.
May 15, 2014, 8:18 am
#22
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,815
May 15, 2014, 8:45 am
#23
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: DFW,TX USA
Programs: Lifetime Platinum Marriott
Posts: 1,568
SJO is almost 4 hours away.
Not an easy drive if you are not used to the area.
Not sure about city, but roads are usually busy most days.
Not lots of traffic but buses and trucks tend to use whatever part of the road is best, so there are some fun adventures around bends and hills.
We bought map from NavSat and used in our GPS, makes things a little easier.
I would definitely try and fly into LIR, as it is an easy trip, less than an hour.
May 16, 2014, 9:53 pm
#24
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 19
I wanted to give my input - we absolutely loved this hotel.
We stayed on points in April 2013.
Flew into Liberia and rented a car.
The hotel is very remote, and the food and drinks are standard Marriott resort prices. Nothing more expensive than I've seen in Hawaii or at Vail at Marriott resorts.
We had a nice pool (distant ocean) view room.
Every morning we got a prime beach chair and the staff was wonderful. We usually ordered breakfast at the hotel via room service and enjoyed it on our balcony. Spent the day at the pool relaxing, ordered some drinks from the waitstaff but we also stopped at grocery stores with our rental car and picked up beer. There was a fridge in our room.
Every night we got ready and drove to Tamarindo (20-25 mins) to watch the sunset and have dinner. Loved all the beach front restaurants and food. Very affordable and relaxing.
I would not recommend this hotel unless you rent a car, as it is remote.
Very close to the Liberia hotel and the grounds, staff, rooms, and pool were beautiful.
The pool is an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and the view cannot be beat!
We stayed on points in April 2013.
Flew into Liberia and rented a car.
The hotel is very remote, and the food and drinks are standard Marriott resort prices. Nothing more expensive than I've seen in Hawaii or at Vail at Marriott resorts.
We had a nice pool (distant ocean) view room.
Every morning we got a prime beach chair and the staff was wonderful. We usually ordered breakfast at the hotel via room service and enjoyed it on our balcony. Spent the day at the pool relaxing, ordered some drinks from the waitstaff but we also stopped at grocery stores with our rental car and picked up beer. There was a fridge in our room.
Every night we got ready and drove to Tamarindo (20-25 mins) to watch the sunset and have dinner. Loved all the beach front restaurants and food. Very affordable and relaxing.
I would not recommend this hotel unless you rent a car, as it is remote.
Very close to the Liberia hotel and the grounds, staff, rooms, and pool were beautiful.
The pool is an infinity pool overlooking the ocean and the view cannot be beat!
Jul 27, 2014, 7:00 pm
#25
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 13
I just returned from the JWM. We arrived on Sunday and left on Friday. I've intentionally not reread the reviews so as not to bias my thoughts.
1. It is remote. I recommend renting a car. It was about a 20 minute drive to Tamarindo, but for most of the excursions we had rides from the hotel. It was nice having a car to get to other places.
2. The roads from Liberia to the hotel were mostly fine. Part of the roads after the turnoff to the JWM had pot holes, but after a time or two I was dodging them like a local. The cool thing is we saw iguanas and monkeys on the road to the JWM.
3. I thought the service at the JWM was better than other places in Costa Rica. It wasn't the USA, but it was above par for what I've experienced in Mexico, Panama or Peru.
4. The restaurants were good - not great. The breakfast buffet was a disappointment. For $30 per head, we tried it to get some local fare, but ended up only doing it one day. Every other day we ordered off the menu. We were traveling with two 18 year old boys who liked the steakhouse and compared it to any 4 star steakhouse in the Houston.
5. The drinks were expensive (typical for a resort - $9-12 each) but weak. We bought liquor and mixers on the way into town, so saved some $$ here.
6. We had an ocean view room on the first floor (#120). It was nice because we weren't going up and down, but the view would have been better on a higher floor. Also, when we went out our patio door we were about 30 yards from the beach and loungers, which was nice. We enjoyed our 'in room' drinks while on the beach.
7. The beach has rocks. Big rocks in the water (lava flow) and quite a few on the beach. It was OK to walk on the beach with no shoes but not really suitable for swimming. With the pool there, you don't need to.
8. Infinity pool -awesome!
9. Menu got old. For dinner there is a good selection but breakfast and lunch was a little thin.
10. Excursions: Zip lining was OK but not what I expected. ATV tour rocked. Sunset Tour was great - very relaxing but didn't see much.
We didn't use the spa. It looked like a spa. We did (my wife and I) go to a spa called Los Altos de Eros. It was amazing. 23 acres on top of a mountain (you need a car - it is really remote) but the most amazing spa experience ever. Couples massage in the jungle. Jacuzzi in the same setting. Then chef prepared dinner just for us. Words cannot describe.
Other than points and an upgrade to ocean view room, I didn't feel like Platinum bought me much.
I would happily stay there again. We stayed on points this time. But a friend rented a villa in Tamarindo (just happened to be there the same week we were) and loved being in town.
Bottom line: great experience.
1. It is remote. I recommend renting a car. It was about a 20 minute drive to Tamarindo, but for most of the excursions we had rides from the hotel. It was nice having a car to get to other places.
2. The roads from Liberia to the hotel were mostly fine. Part of the roads after the turnoff to the JWM had pot holes, but after a time or two I was dodging them like a local. The cool thing is we saw iguanas and monkeys on the road to the JWM.
3. I thought the service at the JWM was better than other places in Costa Rica. It wasn't the USA, but it was above par for what I've experienced in Mexico, Panama or Peru.
4. The restaurants were good - not great. The breakfast buffet was a disappointment. For $30 per head, we tried it to get some local fare, but ended up only doing it one day. Every other day we ordered off the menu. We were traveling with two 18 year old boys who liked the steakhouse and compared it to any 4 star steakhouse in the Houston.
5. The drinks were expensive (typical for a resort - $9-12 each) but weak. We bought liquor and mixers on the way into town, so saved some $$ here.
6. We had an ocean view room on the first floor (#120). It was nice because we weren't going up and down, but the view would have been better on a higher floor. Also, when we went out our patio door we were about 30 yards from the beach and loungers, which was nice. We enjoyed our 'in room' drinks while on the beach.
7. The beach has rocks. Big rocks in the water (lava flow) and quite a few on the beach. It was OK to walk on the beach with no shoes but not really suitable for swimming. With the pool there, you don't need to.
8. Infinity pool -awesome!
9. Menu got old. For dinner there is a good selection but breakfast and lunch was a little thin.
10. Excursions: Zip lining was OK but not what I expected. ATV tour rocked. Sunset Tour was great - very relaxing but didn't see much.
We didn't use the spa. It looked like a spa. We did (my wife and I) go to a spa called Los Altos de Eros. It was amazing. 23 acres on top of a mountain (you need a car - it is really remote) but the most amazing spa experience ever. Couples massage in the jungle. Jacuzzi in the same setting. Then chef prepared dinner just for us. Words cannot describe.
Other than points and an upgrade to ocean view room, I didn't feel like Platinum bought me much.
I would happily stay there again. We stayed on points this time. But a friend rented a villa in Tamarindo (just happened to be there the same week we were) and loved being in town.
Bottom line: great experience.
Dec 14, 2015, 8:04 pm
#28
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,815
It's been almost 2 years since I've been, but there was no resort fee then. We really enjoyed our stay. Service was terrific. Very relaxing. We enjoyed breakfast on our balcony every morning as no extra service charge for room service! Saving up our points for a trip back.
Jan 2, 2016, 9:13 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13
I stayed here last March, and headed back the first week in February on points. My wife and I loved it the first time we went, we had a vehicle which I think is crucial, a lot of the negative reviews I've read have been based on the remoteness and lack of activities, but there's plenty to do if you have a car. If you are worried about driving, the roads are fine particularly in the dry season.
I surfed down near Lola's every morning, and we ate there some as well as Beach Box which is very good for breakfast/lunch. We also loved Sabanero's on site, and found it reasonably priced.
There's no additional resort charges that I know of if staying on points. Far as upgrade, we were in a standard room I believe last time, any luck getting upgraded to oceanfront on a points stay in high season? Would it help to e-mail the hotel?
I surfed down near Lola's every morning, and we ate there some as well as Beach Box which is very good for breakfast/lunch. We also loved Sabanero's on site, and found it reasonably priced.
There's no additional resort charges that I know of if staying on points. Far as upgrade, we were in a standard room I believe last time, any luck getting upgraded to oceanfront on a points stay in high season? Would it help to e-mail the hotel?
Feb 14, 2017, 1:29 pm
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,909
How does JWM compare to Andaz? (family travel prospective is most useful)
Normally i would go for Andaz but i have travel package cert which i can perhaps upgrade to use at JWM - with a car we should be able to find enough to do for 6-7 days...
Normally i would go for Andaz but i have travel package cert which i can perhaps upgrade to use at JWM - with a car we should be able to find enough to do for 6-7 days...