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JW Marriott Guanacaste, Costa Rica [Master Thread]

Old Jul 23, 2017, 7:41 am
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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.)

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JW Marriott Guanacaste, Costa Rica [Master Thread]

Old Dec 6, 2018, 10:22 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
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They should be including breakfast now for Platinums, with the new policy, right?
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Old Dec 20, 2018, 9:11 am
  #47  
 
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I have a stay starting on Saturday and was told no free breakfast of any kind for Platinums.
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Old Dec 20, 2018, 9:39 am
  #48  
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Originally Posted by daisydog123
I have a stay starting on Saturday and was told no free breakfast of any kind for Platinums.
You'd have to choose breakfast as your Platinum Arrival Gift option:

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant for member + 1 as a Platinum Elite welcome gift option (not in addition to it).

JW Marriott (resorts only)
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Old Dec 27, 2018, 5:31 pm
  #49  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Breakfast fo Plats here is actually a separate area from the restaurant where a full breakfast is served.

Last edited by N1Flyer; Dec 28, 2018 at 10:05 am
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Old Jan 3, 2019, 11:04 am
  #50  
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 6
Can you offer any insight as to what was included for the platinum breakfast, if that welcome amenity is selected? How does it compare to the full buffet? Thx
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Old Jan 3, 2019, 11:20 am
  #51  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 48
The platinum breakfast is a separate buffet and restaurant than the regular full buffet at the restaurant. The platinum buffet options included: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, rice and beans, fresh fruit, assorted pastries/bread, juice and coffee. They also had an omelet station. It is not quite as extensive as the regular buffet breakfast, but more than acceptable. It is served at the upstairs restaurant and you can sit outside and enjoy a nice view.
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Old Feb 23, 2019, 4:25 pm
  #52  
 
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I'll be flying into LIR and spending 5 nights here followed by 5 nights at the Andaz, and then 3 nights at Tabacon near Arenal, then to SJO and home.

I'd like a car for part of the time, to check out Tamarindo options for dinner. Not sure if I should rent from LIR or Tamarindo. It's about 1 hour 40 minute drive from LIR per google maps, and I'll be doing it at night.

If Tamarindo rental options are comparably priced, I might consider a transfer from LIR to the JW, and just rent locally for a few days, return the car in Tamarindo and get a transfer to the Andaz, and another to Tabacon.

I've drove before from LIR to the Andaz, but that is half the distance and was in daylight. How are the roads between LIR and the JW? Any comments on renting in Tamarindo (or through the hotel) vs. at LIR?

Thanks in advance!
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Old Apr 20, 2019, 12:46 pm
  #53  
 
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Has anyone stayed since the supposed resolution of the "no suite upgrade" issue?https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea...acaste-resort/
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Old May 27, 2019, 4:14 pm
  #54  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
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JW Marriott-Guanacaste Liberia Review

Just returned from this property after fully paying for a 5 night stay as a Platinum guest for our 20th wedding anniversary. I will share a few things below to help fellow flyer-talkers.

Transportation: We did not rent a car after reading the horrible road conditions from others.

Airport Transfers: The hotel is located about 1:15 hour away from the airport. We hired a transportation company (Liberia Airport Shuttle Service) for round trip private transfers for $80 each way. They were reliable and on-time.

Hotel Check-in: Arrived at the hotel around 3:30 pm. The person that handled our check in (Dennis) lacked basic customer service skills. He started his welcome by saying he would try to find us a pool view room since I was Platinum​​​​​​. He had an envelope filled with coupons to different events at the hotel which we did not use a single one. After listening for about 15 minutes, I told him that Marriott reservations told me hotel was basically empty and we would appreciate an ocean view room upgrade. After wasting another 10 minutes, I asked to speak with the GM. The GM seemed like a nice person and they found a partial ocean view (?) suite on the lowest floor.

The room: We couldnt see the ocean or the pool from anywhere in our room, instead there was a tiny spa and a grassy area outside. Went out to the patio to sit down on the lounger, noticed a black widow spider on the cushion! Asked for a room change on a higher floor, took them over 2 days to change our room with only 16% occupancy with a pool/distant ocean view. The second room shower was stuck in scolding hot setting, but was fixed to a semi-acceptable level on day 4.

The restaurants: They have 4 very expensive restaurants on the property, but only 2 open due to the rainy/low season. The breakfast was good, but dinners were average at best. Their catch of the day was red snapper every day for 5 nights. Our last night, the snapper was served barely lukewarm on a heated plate.. They obviously pre-cooked the fish and served after microwaving even though there was only 2 couples having dinner including us.. When mentioned, the chef came to the table and offered free desert which we declined. The service was very amateurish, most of the waiters lacked very basic skills.

Pool area: Hotel had a group of young employees from a company staying as a reward. They started drinking around 9am and were drunk and loud before noon invading our personal space, so we ended up moving around to find a semi quiet spot to relax. The pool staff couldnt care less and kept serving them alcohol even after I mentioned the issue.

The beach: cant swim, full of lava rocks and strong waves and rip currents. Nice to walk on, but be careful if you walk too far, as the high tide will prevent you from returning back to the hotel. Looked like a good place to surf about 2 miles to the south. But a surfer caught a baby salt water crocodile across the river opening. Obviously, they are common in the area and a couple of people were attacked by them in the last 3 years.

Overall, this hotel is very far from a typical JW Marriott I experienced all over the world. Even though Marriott reservations made a note about our wedding anniversary, there was absolutely nothing special done by the hotel. The service, room and food quality were well below average. The location is far from any civilization and the hotel takes advantage of it by overcharging for everything.

We will not be going back to this location again and will reconsider my loyalty to Marriott after this experience. Hope this review helps you all.
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Last edited by UADFW; May 28, 2019 at 7:45 am
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Old Jul 1, 2019, 4:54 am
  #55  
 
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I made a reservation here a few months back when no resort fee was being charged, which was a key factor in choosing this place over Los Suenos. I was just looking over my booking, and it looks like they now charge a resort fee, which has been added onto the price. I have my original email confirmation showing points only, but don't want to risk showing up and having to argue about it, prove myself, etc. because it seems like a recipe for getting bonvoyed. I'd rather just vote with my wallet and stay where the fees aren't being charged at all. Cancelled.

Last edited by Saidoh; Jul 1, 2019 at 5:35 am
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Old Jul 1, 2019, 6:57 am
  #56  
 
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Originally Posted by UADFW
Just returned from this property after fully paying for a 5 night stay as a Platinum guest for our 20th wedding anniversary. I will share a few things below to help fellow flyer-talkers.

Transportation: We did not rent a car after reading the horrible road conditions from others.

Airport Transfers: The hotel is located about 1:15 hour away from the airport. We hired a transportation company (Liberia Airport Shuttle Service) for round trip private transfers for $80 each way. They were reliable and on-time.

Hotel Check-in: Arrived at the hotel around 3:30 pm. The person that handled our check in (Dennis) lacked basic customer service skills. He started his welcome by saying he would try to find us a pool view room since I was Platinum​​​​​​. He had an envelope filled with coupons to different events at the hotel which we did not use a single one. After listening for about 15 minutes, I told him that Marriott reservations told me hotel was basically empty and we would appreciate an ocean view room upgrade. After wasting another 10 minutes, I asked to speak with the GM. The GM seemed like a nice person and they found a partial ocean view (?) suite on the lowest floor.

The room: We couldnt see the ocean or the pool from anywhere in our room, instead there was a tiny spa and a grassy area outside. Went out to the patio to sit down on the lounger, noticed a black widow spider on the cushion! Asked for a room change on a higher floor, took them over 2 days to change our room with only 16% occupancy with a pool/distant ocean view. The second room shower was stuck in scolding hot setting, but was fixed to a semi-acceptable level on day 4.

The restaurants: They have 4 very expensive restaurants on the property, but only 2 open due to the rainy/low season. The breakfast was good, but dinners were average at best. Their catch of the day was red snapper every day for 5 nights. Our last night, the snapper was served barely lukewarm on a heated plate.. They obviously pre-cooked the fish and served after microwaving even though there was only 2 couples having dinner including us.. When mentioned, the chef came to the table and offered free desert which we declined. The service was very amateurish, most of the waiters lacked very basic skills.

Pool area: Hotel had a group of young employees from a company staying as a reward. They started drinking around 9am and were drunk and loud before noon invading our personal space, so we ended up moving around to find a semi quiet spot to relax. The pool staff couldnt care less and kept serving them alcohol even after I mentioned the issue.

The beach: cant swim, full of lava rocks and strong waves and rip currents. Nice to walk on, but be careful if you walk too far, as the high tide will prevent you from returning back to the hotel. Looked like a good place to surf about 2 miles to the south. But a surfer caught a baby salt water crocodile across the river opening. Obviously, they are common in the area and a couple of people were attacked by them in the last 3 years.

Overall, this hotel is very far from a typical JW Marriott I experienced all over the world. Even though Marriott reservations made a note about our wedding anniversary, there was absolutely nothing special done by the hotel. The service, room and food quality were well below average. The location is far from any civilization and the hotel takes advantage of it by overcharging for everything.

We will not be going back to this location again and will reconsider my loyalty to Marriott after this experience. Hope this review helps you all.
Thank you for the review.

I must ask - how do you put up with all this BS? 2 days for a room change? 2 days to fix a shower issue?

I would have been down at the FD within an hour if it wasn't fixed. And they would be comping the nights it took them to either fix a maintenance issue or changing rooms as financial punishment for dragging their feet that long.

Simply unacceptable for any Marriott brand, let alone a JW.
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Old Oct 27, 2019, 9:24 am
  #57  
 
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Too bad about the poor recognition. I'm going over NYE.

I'm trying to decide whether to choose 5 SNAs or one free night when I hit 75 nights. Since my original 5 SNAs cleared already, I can't check. Anyone know whether real suites are offered here as part of SNAs? (I know the likelihood of clearing is low, but I might want to try anyway, given their rep of not doing other upgrades).
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Old Jan 12, 2020, 7:51 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Originally Posted by beachfan
Too bad about the poor recognition. I'm going over NYE.

I'm trying to decide whether to choose 5 SNAs or one free night when I hit 75 nights. Since my original 5 SNAs cleared already, I can't check. Anyone know whether real suites are offered here as part of SNAs? (I know the likelihood of clearing is low, but I might want to try anyway, given their rep of not doing other upgrades).
How was your stay? Did you use a SNA?
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 9:46 am
  #59  
 
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Originally Posted by azepine00
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...
Got back from 5 nights at both the Andaz and JW.

JW is much larger, more spread out, much less vertical. Pool is great, ability to take long walks on the beach is great. (Getting back at high tide wasn't an issue on the days we went, but that could vary by time of month). Sunsets are amazing.

Arrived on NYE and they didn't require us to attend the $225 beach party, we went to the bar and had burgers and watched from the terrace. Quite a spectacular, long display.

Hotel was totally full, and was told no upgrade. Garden view rooms were a good size. Although I requested the nicest room in my category via phone the morning of check in, I got what I though was one of the poorest rooms - a ground floor room with no privacy, and near a busy walkway. They said it was a better room because the terrace is bigger than the balcony, and perhaps they believed that. I got a room change the next day, to what was still a garden view but had a partial ocean view. If you are in a balcony Garden View room, request 4th floor or higher.

It was my wife's birthday and they did make the room up very festively.

I was told I had a choice of Platinum room for breakfast or regular buffet - I took the buffet each day so can't comment on the difference. There was a resort fee which included many activities (choose each one only once) - I didn't do any of them. Took the shuttle to Tamarindo one day, it was $12 one way , $20 return. A cab is now $35. No platinum discount that I was aware of.

No beach club was mentioned, I forgot Vickie SoCal's comments on that, would be disappointed if I missed it.

Had meals in Habanero, the burger bar, and the Italian restaurant. I found the fresh fish, which I had each meal other than the burger, to be excellent. Always corvina that week, but the different sauces made it nice. They only had fresh fish at the Italian restaurant on the menu for lunch - I had them hold a portion until dinner. Fresh vegetables were also good, normally I don't care for zucchini, but all the zucchini I had in Costa Rica was delicious.

I'd say that the food at the Andaz is a full step up in quality, especially breakfast. Andaz is extremely hilly, golf carts are easy to get. It's so hilly that I hurt my back midway in the stay (it acts up on steep slopes). Andaz has the more luxurious feeling (plus I confirmed a suite in advance using a Tier Suite Upgrade available to Hyatt Globs). Pool for a family is better at the Marriott. Andaz has an adults only pool, great for lap swimming as well as lounging.

No sunset view at Andaz, JW Marriott sunset view is awesome.

Tamarindo is a lively tourist beach town with a long beach great for walking at sunsets. Nothing equivalent near the Andaz.

If I was going only for 5 days (adult couple), I'd choose the Andaz. I enjoyed both places and would stay at both again if I was there for 10 days.

For families with young children in strollers, JW seemed better because of ease of getting around and big pool
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 11:39 pm
  #60  
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You should have seen Tamarindo in the 80s. One ok hotel, a little hole in the wall bakery, a couple cabinas, and a long bumpy dirt road. No bridge from San Jose. A long trip, but it was charming!
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