Tag: resorts & hotels

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. 

The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo opened in late 2013 and over the past few years, I’ve read numerous online reviews about how magical the resort is as a couples and family destination. One of the biggest values to the resort is that even though rates for a standard room can be as high as $1,150 per night during heavy tourist season, the same room can be reserved for 15,000 Hyatt points (which we have in an abundance thanks to the 1:1 transfer ratio from Chase Ultimate Rewards).

Booking our Reward Stays:

After we made the decision to venture down to Costa Rica for our Spring Break 2018 trip, I jumped onto the Hyatt website where I was unable to reserve a suite (which goes for 24,000) due to lack of availability. I quickly decided that I would just go ahead and reserve two standard room for only 6,000 more points per night, thus giving us more flexibility given that we would be traveling with a newly potty trained 3.5 year old. Moreover, my husband is a Chase Hyatt card holder which comes with one free category 1-4 night per year, and we were thrilled that we were able to use the “free night” for one of our nights at the resort. All told, we stayed 14 nights (two rooms for seven days each) at the Andaz Papagayo at a cost of 195,000 points (one “free night” + 13 nights at 15,000 points per night). As an added bonus, the resort fee of $50/night is waived on award stays, and valet parking is complimentary, so I was excited that our accommodations would not cost us anything out of pocket.

As I mentioned before, I corresponded via email with the Concierge on numerous occasions between December 2017 and up to the week prior to our stay to inquire as to adjoining room availability and suite availability. Unfortunately, nothing opened up so we ended up in two separate, but next door king rooms. I was pleased at check in to learn that we were put on the third floor of Building 3, which provided us with a glorious view of the bay. Although some online reviews indicate that a third floor bay view room is an upgrade, it was not something we requested, and we were not informed that this was an upgrade. If this is important to you, be sure to check with Concierge prior to your visit.

I was pleased with the booking process and to be honest, I have never had more helpful Concierge at a hotel. Having experienced numerous hotel mix ups when booking multiple rooms and/or a combination of award/free/paid stays, I had low expectations and instructed my husband to arrive with hard copies of my email exchanges with the Concierge. I was thrilled (and relieved) to report that there was absolutely no issue with the rooms, and they had even set up a twin mattress in one of the rooms, as requested, so that our family of four could all sleep in one room.

The Accommodations:

Our bay view rooms were spacious and came equipped with everything we expected: bed, complimentary mini bar with non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, closet, sitting space, and patio. But, the definite high of the room was the amazing shower that opens up onto the patio and overlooks the bay.

The patio itself provided us with almost complete privacy, and I never felt uncomfortable or exposed when out on our patios. That said, I noticed, on one of our many walks down to the main dining area and the beach, that some of the patios are open and exposed to the public. My husband and I both noted separately that we greatly preferred the privacy afforded us on our patios and were grateful for our placement.

On the day of check in, we noticed that the air conditioning in one of our rooms was not working as well as it should. And, the mini bar was not keeping anything cold either. We called maintenance the next day, and they quickly sent some one over to address the issue, but I’ll be honest: that room never seemed to fully cool down and the fridge never really got cold. We ended up spending most of our time in the other room as a result.

The Grounds:

It’s clear no expense was spared in designing the grounds. The drive to the resort is lovely – with expansive grass and beautiful palms. There are a few security checkpoints you must pass through to enter the resort – it’s really nothing more than rolling down your window and informing the guard that you’re staying at the resort and providing your room number. By the end of our week long stay, they recognized us and our vehicle and would welcome us back on each return.

There are a number of signs directing traffic throughout the resort which serves as a handy spot for sunning reptiles.

The resort is built on a hillside so there is quite of bit of steep walking. Many reviews we read online suggested requesting a room in one of the lower buildings (Buildings 5/6/7 which are on the same level as Rio Bongo, the main restaurant) to eliminate having to walk up quite as many stairs. We honestly did not find the hills to be a challenge, and our 3.5 year old ran around the resort without any issues. There are numerous golf carts parked throughout the resort and plenty of employees who are always offering a ride to wherever we wanted to go. With the exception of when we checked out with all our luggage, however, we did not take any golf cart rides around the resort.

The Concierge:

The main lobby of the hotel was set up with numerous stands and clearly identifiable Andaz employees who were always willing to help or answer questions. As I mentioned earlier, I had a great experience corresponding with the Concierge and we even requested their help in setting up a service project with the kids (more on that later) to take place during our visit. Although there were always plenty of people willing to help in person, on a number of occasions, we had to call multiple times to reach a concierge by phone. Whether we needed to request that our car be brought up from valet, or call because of a maintenance issue (such as the AC in our room), both my husband and I experienced frustration when our calls when unanswered. On the day of our check out, we called four times before someone picked up the phone. I personally think four times is too many times to have to call to reach a live person.

The resort publishes a weekly newsletter (“Pura Vida News”), which contains the week’s schedule of activities and classes. Although the schedule can change, I compared a copy I received of the January 15-21, 2018 schedule with the April 2-8, 2018 schedule and confirmed that the activities generally stay relatively consistent (note the $1 price increase for kayaking and snorkeling lessons from January to April). Initially, I had planned to sign my husband and I up for both the Barista and Mixology courses, but after our relatively lackluster dining experiences, we decided to skip the classes.

Resort Dining:

The main area in which the Andaz disappointed was in dining. There are three restaurants: Rio Bongo, Ostra, Chao Pescao. Rio Bongo is centrally located on the resort and is where the breakfast, causal lunches and dinners take place. Chao Pescao is the mid-level restaurant, which the concierge described as “tapas, but in larger sizes.” Ostra is the resort’s signature restaurant.

We dined at Rio Bongo on a daily basis – every single morning for breakfast, twice for lunch, and once for dinner. We were given a choice of the full breakfast buffet (including hot and cold stations) for $32/person, the continental breakfast for $19, or ordering off the menu a la carte. Children 5 and under dine for free and children under 12 get 1/2 off the breakfast buffet price, so we did appreciate that.

The food was adequate, but not compelling. In fact, my husband and I both mutually agreed that the full breakfast buffet was simply too expensive for what they were offering (the hot station included made to order eggs, omelettes, and other pre-made food items.  It did not include any seafood or meat carving stations, like you might find at the Sunday Buffet Brunch at your local “fancy” hotel) and so we just ordered a la carte each day.  As we were staying there during the resort’s busy season, service was frequently an issue. The servers were all exceptionally friendly, but just overwhelmed. For instance, on least two occasions, the coffees/cappuccinos we ordered from the coffee bar were lukewarm by the time we received them.

Although we weren’t impressed by Rio Bongo, we did decide to try Chao Pescao on our second night at the resort. While the food was “fine,” at $30+ per entree, I expected more than just “fine.” Moreover, when the server came back and asked my husband how his $14 cocktail was, and my husband responded that it was “a bit too sweet,” the server’s only response was “oh, I’m sorry.” During the course of our stay, we ordered a handful of cocktails during lunch/dinner at Rio Bongo and Chao Pescao, and our mutual agreement was that the drinks were too sweet. Curiously, we did not have the same experience at the Beach House, where we loved our cocktails. In fact, the Papagayo Margarita may be one of the most lovely things I’ve ever touched my lips to.

At the end of the day, my husband and I both agreed that the food had to be either better or cheaper. Because of our mediocre experiences at Chao Pescao and Rio Bongo, we decided to forgo visiting Ostra, as we likely would have had to hire a babysitter for the evening in order to fully enjoy the experience. We weren’t confident that the resort could pull off a fine dining experience, so we simply decided to skip it.

I had high hopes for dining at the Andaz Papagayo, but it appears it has underwhelmed in the past. Dining is one of my favorite things about travel and vacation and if you feel the same, then I simply cannot recommend the Andaz Papagayo.

The Onda Spa:

Although our dining experiences were lackluster, the resort’s Onda Spa did not disappoint. A few days prior to our scheduled arrival date, we received an email from the Concierge, alerting us to special spa offerings. My husband encouraged me to go, and I decided to go ahead and book myself for the Women’s Day special – 45 minute massage, 45 minute body scrub, 30 minute mini summer facial for $180. The facility itself is gorgeous, with the main reception area set up and apart from the rest of the resort, with a gorgeous view of the entire area. As I completed check in, I was presented with a welcome cold chamomile tea and chilled towel with essential oils – both greatly appreciated as my body was having a difficult time adjusting to the hot weather.

After completing check in, I wandered down to the changing rooms, which were very well appointed.

I spent only a short time in the steam room before heading out to check out the Tranquility Pool. Although I did not get into the pool, I enjoyed watching the monkeys playing both around and in the water.

A short time later, I was taken back to one of the nine treatment rooms. I was blown away by how spacious and beautiful the individual treatment rooms were. Each room is equipped with two treatment beds that open out onto a porch, a soaking tub, an indoor shower, and an outside shower (yes, TWO showers). Although my husband is not a fan of spa visits, this would be a truly great way to spend an afternoon with your partner. My treatments started on time and ended on time and overall, I thought the experience was well worth the $180 + gratuity. Treatments scheduled and confirmed prior to arrival are eligible for a 20% discount per treatment (non-combinable with other promotions or packages), so if this is something you’re interested in, I highly recommend advance booking. You can cancel four hours prior to your scheduled appointment time (or the day prior if you have a morning appointment), so there’s really no harm in scheduling an appointment in advance for when you think you might be in the mood for a massage or other treatment.

Although I did not have the time to go back, the gym and steam rooms are always available for use for all visitors. My husband popped down to the gym at one point to check it out and reported that it was just like any other hotel gym – nothing special. I wish I had made the time to visit the steam room on at least one additional occasion, but alas, vacation is never long enough.

Cambi (The Kids’ Club):

Cambi, the Kids Club, was one of the many reasons why we chose to stay at the Andaz Papagayo. Cambi offers free enrollment for kids from 4 – 12 years old and is open from 8am – 4:30pm daily. As with the resort, there’s a weekly newsletter of activities.

We visited Cambi on the first full day of our stay and met the women working there. They were extremely nice and took the time to get to know our kids, while I completed the necessary paperwork so that my kids could go and play during our stay. We ended up enjoying our time on the beach so much that we did not go back to Cambi until the day of our departure, when we dropped our kids off for an hour so we could pack in peace.

Although enrollment is limited to children that are at least 4 years of age, parents are free to bring their younger children and spend time with them at Cambi. There was a room with soft pillows for napping and changing tables and other items were available for use.  Food is not provided, but you can order food ahead for delivery to Cambi.

The resort offers babysitting services for children from 12 months to 12 years old between the hours of 8am and 10pm (2 hr minimum required). Advance reservations are required, especially if you need care while Cambi is open (to ensure availability of sitters). The charge is $20/hr for 1-2 children, $40/hr for 3-4 children. Babysitting is also available after 10pm, but the price doubles.

Our stay happened to coincide with Easter, and the resort did offer a few additional activities for children at a fee.

Although I was intrigued by the Easter Sunday Cambi Night offering, I decided very quickly to skip the egg hunt. Honestly, the thought of paying $28 for my two kids to hunt for eggs seemed a bit obscene while staying at a resort that costs $500+/night.

Overall, I really appreciated that Cambi was an option, even though we did not end up taking advantage of it much, if at all. I wish the resort would extend the Cambi hours to 5:30pm or even 6pm, because it would give parents the option of taking the Mixology course (which begins at 4pm and ends at 5pm) or staying at the Andaz Beach house until the last shuttle at 5pm, without having to worry about returning back to Cambi for pick up. In fact, one of the reasons why we chose against taking the Mixology Course was that in addition to paying the $40/per person, we would have to arrange for childcare as Cambi closes at 4:30. I feel like staying open just one extra hour isn’t too much to ask, even if that means delaying opening until 9am.

Looking for more? Continue reading Costa Rica With Kids (Part IV): The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Review (The Andaz Beach House, the Andaz Beach & Water Activities)…