For Spring Break 2018, my family of four traveled to Costa Rica and spent one full week at the Andaz Papagayo. To read about why we chose Costa Rica with kids and booking logistics, visit Costa Rica With Kids (Part I): Why Costa Rica and Booking Logistics.
Our week long stay at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo involved significant beach time. Although some online reviewers have complained about the Andaz’s beach, the beach and Beach House ended up being perfect for our family.
The Beach:
The beach at the main resort is accessible via a steep set of stairs past the pool area. The beach itself is relatively small and includes a small, protected area, a rocky outcrop for snorkeling, and a launching area for water sports.
Although I had read many complains online about how the beach was a huge disappointment due to its size (and the black sand), it was perfect for us because my 3.5 year old could play in the water and even take part in a lot of the water sports. Indeed, while I didn’t feel comfortable taking my then 4.5 year old out on a paddle board in Maui, I had no qualms taking my current 3.5 year old out on a paddle board.
I also appreciated that the beach had a drinks cart and free water and sun block lotion. Paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling equipment were available for free, and you could also rent jet skis and water bikes. All told, the beach was the perfect place for us to spend a few hours every morning and then again in the afternoon. It was a short 5 minute walk from our hotel room and my preschooler absolutely loved it. Although there were no toys available for use (no beach toys or other beach items that little kids might want), we had packed our own bucket and shovel, so we simply brought those down to the beach and rinsed them off before returning to our room.
The Andaz Beach House:
As much as I enjoyed the beach because it suited our needs perfectly, the Andaz Beach House is probably one of my favorite places on earth. The Beach House is accessible only via shuttle bus / golf cart that runs continuously every 30 minutes between 10am and 5pm. It is a short 5 minute shuttle ride to the Papagayo Nature Center, where you transfer to a golf cart that takes you off road the rest of the way to the Beach House. Along the way, we caught a glimpse of the golf course.
As with the beach, the water at the Beach House was relatively mild, but it did have some waves, which provided more interest for my kids. On our first visit to the Beach House, the tide was high, so I was literally lounging in the water with a drink while my children played.
The Beach House offers a full menu of food and drinks and here, we had the best food and drinks during our entire stay at the Andaz.
My husband, in particular, loved the infused rum and I enjoyed many a Papagayo Margarita. My oldest tried a chocolate and vanilla shake, which was delicious.
If you don’t like to eat and drink in lounge chairs, there’s a covered dining area.
When the kids got tired of playing in the water, there was giant Jenga and also a bucket filled with sand toys at their disposal.
Overall, the Beach House gets a definite two thumbs up. We loved it so much we made a point of scrapping other activities to spend another afternoon at the Beach House following our initial visit.
Water Activities:
At both the beach and the Beach House, there are complimentary kayaks, paddle boards, and snorkeling equipment for use. Unfortunately, both my husband and I agreed that the limited availability was something that needed improvement. Each location stocks two paddle boards and a few kayaks. There was frequently a long wait for paddle boards and/or kayaks. In fact, one morning, I was at the beach for two hours with my youngest and saw a kayak class paddle off into the bay. The resort had transferred over extra kayaks to accommodate the large group (of maybe 8-10 kayakers), but the “instructor” did not have a kayak available, so he took one of the paddle boards. That left one paddle board on the beach for over an hour. It did not bother me, but there were quite a few grumbles on the beach. The resort should provide at least four paddle boards at each location, so that a couple or father/son/mother/daughter duo can paddle board at the same time, without facing a major wait.
On our first visit to the Beach House, the water equipment rental station was simply closed. There was nobody present the entire 2.5 hours we were there. This is definitely a staffing/equipment issue that needs to be addressed.
The resort also offered jet skis and water bikes for rental. We did not partake, but water bikes were $50 for 30 minutes, or $90 for one hour. Had my oldest been older, I would likely have rented a water bike.
The individuals working the equipment rental stations are all employed by Swiss Travel, which offers extra excursions. From day long bay cruises to surfing lessons, the bay is your oyster! My husband and oldest son decided to sign up for surfing lessons. The two hour beginning surfing lesson was just under $400 for the two of them, and they had an amazing time. A boat picked them up from the resort beach and took them over to Playa Iguana, where, evidently, there is just the right amount of waves for a not quite 9 year old to learn to surf for the first time. My husband reports that they had an amazing experience, and it was worth every penny, although he did find it to be somewhat of a hassle to set up – multiple emails and phone calls before they could confirm the time.
With regards to snorkeling, neither the beach nor the Beach House ended up being good snorkeling locations. The only semi-interesting snorkeling spot near the beach happened to have jellyfish and I had no interest in taking my children over there. In fact, at least two other little kids got stung one morning while we were on the beach, so I definitely stayed away following that. Without any coral and given the relatively calm waters, there was nothing that we could have seen while snorkeling that we could not see by just looking down in the water. This was fine by me, given that we had a not-quite 4 year old who was happy to just look at the puffer fish with his goggles.
The Papagayo Nature Center:
The transfer point from the shuttle bus to the golf cart is the Papagayo Nature Center, which happened to be open during one of our “layovers.” Although small, the Nature Center is essentially a collection of all different types of species of small animals on the Peninsula. In the few minutes we waited for an available golf cart, my kids enjoyed seeing the shed snake skins, seeds, branches, and other kinds of critters that were displayed on the table. The naturalist helpfully joked that the large snakeskin pictured below was found at the Andaz (or at least I hope he was joking!).
Although we did not have a chance to explore, there were also bikes available for use outside the Nature Center.
Final Thoughts:
I really loved the beach and the Beach House, and for people who are decidedly not beach people, we ended up having a great time. I loved that my kids could play in the water by themselves, and I did not have to be within arm’s reach the whole time. We never felt crowded, and service was impeccable (with the exception of the time closed equipment rental at the Beach House on our first visit).
My little one practiced using snorkeling gear and swimming, we built sand castles and experimented with kayaks and paddle boards, and thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks that we ordered at the Andaz Beach House (we did not have occasion to order drinks at the beach).
For a wrap up on our stay at the Andaz Papagayo, visit Costa Rica With Kids (Part V): The Andaz Papagayo Final Thoughts…
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