Overview
The adults-only, all-inclusive Occidental Papagayo, located on the stunning west coast of Costa Rica, features spacious and bright rooms. To enjoy the area of Guanacaste and Culebra Bay even more, there are activities such as cycling, guided tours, kayaks and more. Enjoy the pool and relax in beautiful outdoor gardens. The resort features two à la carte restaurants and buffet, as well as a snack bar and lobby bar with excellent views.
Check in
3 p.m.
Check out
12 p.m.
Rooms
163
Inclusions
Rooms
- 1 king bed, or 2 double beds
- Garden view or Pool view
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed, or 2 double beds
- Garden view or Pool view
- Minimum 1 adult, maximum 2 adults
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed, or 2 double beds
- Bay View
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed, or 2 double beds
- Bay View
- Minimum 1 adult, maximum 2 adults
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed
- Bay View
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed
- Bay View
- Minimum 1 adult, maximum 2 adults
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- Balcony
- Seating area
Luxury Premium Level includes:
- Private check-in
- Concierge service
- Nightly turndown service
- Superior bedding and pillows
- Bathrobe and slippers
- Etro toiletries
- Dinner in the room
- Minibar with water and beer restocked every day
- Private balcony
- 1 king bed
- Garden view
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- 1 king bed
- Garden view
- Minimum 1 adult, maximum 2 adults
- No more than 2 guests in the room
- Bathroom with tub and shower
- Jetted tub
Luxury Premium Level includes:
- Private check-in
- Concierge service
- Nightly turndown service
- Superior bedding and pillows
- Bathrobe and slippers
- Etro toiletries
- Dinner in the room
- Minibar with water and beer restocked every day
- Private balcony
Amenities
Hotel Exterior
Lobby Seating Area
Lobby Bar
Watersports
Fitness Centre
Spa
The Italian
The Oriental
Disco Bar
Disco
Meeting Facilities
Location
Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
A very bad experience
perryborenstein on Nov 23, 2024
The business model of all inclusive resorts is to ensure you use as few included resources as possible. That means food, bottled water, staff time, maintenance, did I mention food? Cold buffet with few choices, unresponsive management, many maintenance issues, carbon monoxide pouring out of all vehicles and golf carts used to navigate the large property.
A good resort that gets too many undeserved negative reviews
ronlk (Vancouver, Canada) on Nov 23, 2024
This resort’s 5 star (self) rating is in comparison to other Costa Rican resorts and is probably accurate. However, compared to American hotels, it would likely be a 4 star property. In my opinion, it earns that rating because it has 4 restaurants, 4 bars, 2 clean pools, a well-equipped gym, a spa, a very large and very beautiful beach-front location, transportation around the grounds, immaculate gardens, excellent service, and spacious, clean rooms. The main weakness is the activities program. The boss lady is personable and friendly but seems a bit slack and does not promote the program very well. She and her activity leaders usually show up late. There could be stretching and exercise classes indoors even when it rains but that doesn’t happen. Most of the equipment is cheap (eg. one beginners’ bow for a whole line of archers). Snorkelling is advertised as being included but when I asked the boss lady about it she replied, “We don’t have any snorkel equipment but I can get a friend to rent it to you.” On a sunny, dry morning, I asked her to confirm my bike tour that day and she said, “It’s cancelled because of the rain last week.” The daily activity listings are different between the website, the activities board in the towel area, and the sheet that the reception desk hands out. You never know what is actually going to be offered at what time, -- and cancellations seem to be the norm. Tripadvisor reviews of the Occidental Papagayo are mixed. Some reviews are accurate but others need correcting: 1) “The staff are grumpy and rude.” Wrong. For the 2 weeks we were at the resort everyone was unfailingly polite, friendly, and helpful. Perhaps we got that kind of service because we were always polite and friendly and tried to use a few Spanish phrases. Treating staff members like servants won’t get an enthusiastic response from them. The ones who speak good English are smart and well-educated and expect courtesy and respect from fellow countrymen as well as foreigners. 2) “There is too much walking uphill and you have to wait 30 minutes for a shuttle.” Wrong. The Premier buildings are, of course, at the top of the hill to allow for great ocean views. It's hard to understand why guests who chose those rooms would complain about long, steep walks when the locations of the view buildings are clearly shown in website photos and are mentioned in countless reviews. We never waited more than 3 minutes for a shuttle. If you’re in a standard (“deluxe”) room, use the shuttle road to walk to the restaurants and you won’t notice the elevation gain. 3) “The food is terrible and the buffet has few choices which are the same every night.” Wrong. The buffet has around a dozen hot choices every meal and features dishes from different Latin American countries each evening. There is also a good salad bar, lots of bread choices, and a dessert bar. I think what reviewers mean when they say the food is terrible, – is that it is not American food. They seem to forget they are in Costa Rica. The offerings are basic and local, and are fresh and well-cooked. But don’t expect to find sandwiches, bacon strips, hamburgers, or imported foods such as apples, pears, blueberries, nuts, craisins, cheeses, etc. Regarding specialty restaurants (Oriental and Italian): they are superb, – with large menus, sophisticated food choices, quiet music, great ambience, and excellent service. People whose favorite dinners include steak, fries, and tortilla chips may not like these restaurants. 4) “Wifi in rooms costs $45 USD per day”. Wrong. It’s now free. 5) “You have to book excursions with the on-site tour company (On The Beach Tours) because other companies are not allowed on the property.” Wrong. We booked all our tours with Native’s Way and they picked us up at the lobby. Just give your room number to the guest services person and she will phone to the gate keeper so your pickup van can come to the lobby door. 6) “There is only cold water in the shower.” Wrong. It’s the long stem of the tap that has to point left to get hot water. 7) “They charge fees to use the tennis court.” --- “You can only get one towel at the towel desk.” – “There is no AC in the restaurants.” “There is no poolside drink service.” Wrong X4. Overall, considering this resort is in a developing country, Occidental has done a commendable job of providing a quality vacation experience.
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