Hotel Dengan bar di Guanacaste, Kosta Rika

Just returned from our stay at the Planet Hollywood and have mixed feelings.  There were some excellent aspects… but also a few areas for improvement!  Let’s start with the good stuff: Edu (bartender at the lobby bar) was a STAR.  Trust him to make your drinks, just tell him the flavor or preference for liquor) and he will spin you up something completely magical!! We LOVED spending our nights sitting at the bar watching Edu make peoples evenings.  We also loved the included watersports like paddleboarding and kayaking ( unfortunately the big water tricycle was out of order).  The Fuel Coffee bar is also a fabulous addition and great place to escape the heat for a cold coffee.  Now, the negatives - the front desk staff was pretty subpar and didn’t seem to communicate very well - one girl was actually very rude when I was trying to sort out a room situation and I wish I got her name.  The pool drinks are SO bad.  Not sure what type of bottom shelf alcohol they use at pool bar, but we tried so many different drinks and they were all disgusting.  The only thing somewhat drinkable was the Mojito.  I ended up switching to non-alcoholic drinks after day 1 and they were much better at the pool.  Did my real drinking at the lobby bar with Edu in the evenings.  Otherwise, the room was clean - resort was nice and entertainment was entertaining.  The food was decent but the buffet was SO hot and humid without any air conditioning. Overall, this was far from the best all inclusive experience I’ve had, but, we still made the most of it and had a nice time.

We had read many great reviews before booking this property, but were a little apprehensive about if it would live up to expectations. Oh yes it did! The staff are friendly, helpful and welcoming and the property is very well maintained. While lounging by the pool, expect a lizard or two and your morning alarm could be the howler monkeys. This property is centrally located allowing you easy access to the beach and town, but the gardens and pool offer pure tranquility. You can physically feel the energy change as you cross the road and walk up the path up from the beach back to your room. There are steps into reception, down to the pool, restaurant and into rooms, so consider this if not mobile. The breakfast buffet was delightful and the evening meal offered two starter, two main and one dessert option that varied each day. The room was big, comfortable, toiletries provided and strong Wi-Fi throughout, even on the beach. We thought this property was great value for money and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Room was clean, modern, comfortable. Service was really wonderful and enhanced our stay here - it makes such a difference when people are nice to you when you are away from home. There were plenty of excellent food choices for us (one of us being a vegetarian). The hotel has a ”normal” side with bars and poolside music, as well as a ”quiet” side near the spa without the music...so it was good to have the choice of vibe to sit in. Altogether its a really well run hotel: one we were pleased to have stayed in and one we would definitely return to.

We booked our last night in Costa Rica there to have an evening in the Casino and a nice buffet breakfast in the morning before heading to the airport. The hotel is beautiful and the pool area is gorgeous. The rooms were great.(except weirdly no faceclothes) However, the casino was closed and no mention of it upon booking and highly advertised as hotel and casino. And, the buffet breakfast consisted of cold eggs and a bunch of carbs. No meats. When asked if more eggs were coming staff just pointed at the cold ones in the near empty pan.

Perfect location for Liberia Airport with a free shuttle every 15 minutes. The hotel was spotless and had amazing facilities including an outdoor pool and gym. The rooms were spacious and very comfortable. Air con unit was very noisy and we did have to turn off but the room was cool enough anyway.

The Golden Palms resort in Papagoya is heavily. The staff are outstanding and kind. The pool is so clean and big. It’s so big it never feels crowded. The rooms were clean and had a mini fridge, which was great. We appreciated the complimentary breakfast but it would be nice if the menu varied from day to day. I highly recommend The Golden Palms resort. We’ve been there twice and will return again.