Does anybody have any promo code for car rentals?

Advanced Purchase

Upgrades
 

We were at Hilton Papagayo in April this year, I'm Gold and got a great bungalow with Ocean View in the 200s area. This is particularly a nice side of the resort with some amazing views of the bay. We had no problem in getting our free upgrade, the staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating of our request. Overall we had a great time. Don't miss the jetski tour, awesome! :cool:

Thats great, but I saw some rates fo $69 for the Doubletree Puntaneras which is all inclusive. And if your a Diamond that means a suite and the premium liquor.

Nice deal
 

found a $79!! :) 7/21 - 7/26

Hilton Papagayo vacation
 

WOW $79 is a heck of a deal!! with these savings I can also go to Arenal for a couple of days.

Yes, flying to San Jose is cheaper than to Liberia. We stayed our first night at the Doubletree near the airport. They have some special rates too.
Then we drove all the way up to the volcanoes to finally get to Guanacaste.

Le bump. Has anyone anything further to report? I am thinking we might stay Dec 5 - 9 2009, going up from Puerto Caldera and then driving / van / etc. to San Jose (overnighting at the DoubleTree near the Juan Santamaria airport before flying home Thursday the 10th.)

Basically, we're looking at a laid back holiday after a 14 day cruise, with some possible diving and a day up at one of the parks for birds and wildlife. Your recommendations are welcome; it's too "green" (Tico for rainy) at that time to risk Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Arenal / Tabacón, etc.

My wife and I stayed at the Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa in Feb 2010. On the whole, it's an isolated, rustic resort. It's fine for laid-back tourists who enjoy quiet days by the pool or on the beach. Those looking for a central location, bustling activity, or high levels of service should look elsewhere.

Here's more detail:

The hotel is about 15 miles west from Liberia Airport (LIR) and 20 miles from the town of Liberia in Guanacaste Province, CR. The hotel is at the end of a road, built around a quiet beach cove. The next nearest towns and beaches are several miles away by car.

The resort is physically spread out around the hillside rising above the beach. Parking is only available at the front office. The hotel runs several motorized carts to take guests to rooms, some of which are a good distance away and may involve steep climbs.

My wife and I visited on an award stay. Thanks to diamond status, and with a little negotiating, the hotel upgraded us to an oceanfront bungalow. While our room was among those closest to the ocean, the term 'oceanfront' is a misnomer. The ocean was actually down a steep hill covered with vegetation, with no direct access. The hotel has NO rooms adjacent to the beach.

Our bungalow had a mini fridge, a semiprivate sink area, and a separate room for bath and toilet. The space was comfortable for the two of us but would be crowded with 3-4. The outdoor balcony was nice for enjoying evenings overlooking the bay.

The hotel has two swimming pools, the larger of which is near the bar and main restaurant. The smaller is adults-only and is adjacent to the spa. There is no hot tub.

You can walk down to the beach from either of the pool areas. The beach areas are small at high tide. At low tide, you can walk between the two areas as well as out along the shoals. As the hotel is on a protected bay, there are no waves. Between this and the poor sand quality I think many will find this hotel disappointing as a "beach" experience. But the water is clear and a watersports outfitter operates at the hotel, so snorkelers, divers, and jetskiers may be pleased.

Food in the restaurants was okay. The breakfast buffet had many options and was free as a diamond benefit. There was a dinner buffet as well, though we never chose to eat it. Food options were very limited late afternoon: the restaurants are all closed until 6 or 6:30pm, with only a small bar menu available. Bar service is very slow. To our disappointment, the menus were heavy on American and American-style foods. When we asked the front desk employees for local recommendations for "comida tipica" they pointed us to pizzerias and American sports bars in nearby towns.

The hotel offers a few organized activities each day. We skipped them, instead driving our rental car to visit some of the parks in Guanacaste. The hotel's location was poor for this -- it's in too remote of an area. Next time we visit the area, if we're looking to see a variety of sights we will stay elsewhere.

According to the Hilton website, this place is going back to being all inclusive as of May 1...

I'm planning a trip to Costa Rica in January anyone with a recent stay have anything to add about how they were greeted as a Diamond?

I'm choosing between this place and the DT Puntarenas resort. According to reviews, Diamonds are treated like royalty at the DT.

Thanks for the update! I've had my eye on this resort for a while now. I think it is number one on our "bucket list."

Hilton Papagayo - All-Inclusive
 

Looks like this resort is now offering the full inclusive experience again. :D
The new reward catgory 60,000 HHonors points for an all-inclusive night (room+meals+beverages+taxes) Has anybody been back to Hilton Papagayo since May 1st 2010?

Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica
 

We booked an award stay at this hotel prior to them going all inclusive. We received an email offering to sell us the inclusive upgrade for $280 per day, but declined as this seemed rather expensive.

Has anyone stayed there under similar circumstances? Just wondering how they might treat the "non-inclusive" guest

A quick search on 'papagayo' in this forum yields at least half a dozen threads about this property. That's too many to list here so I suggest you try the search yourself.

Have fun in CR!

You know Darth....I did the same search and came up with the same # of post that you did. However, I didn't see the answer to my question. This hotel went back to all-inclusive in May of this year, so the dates on most of those post make them somewhat irrelevant.