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Hotel overview
The Occidental Papagayo – Adults-Only hotel is a fantastic adults-only experience in the Gulf of Papagayo on the stunning west coast of Costa Rica. Guests can enjoy both the comfort of the All Inclusive program and the exotic fauna in the vicinity. The hotel features spacious and bright rooms, designed with everything necessary for the enjoyment of guests in an adults-only environment. To enjoy the area of Guanacaste and Culebra Bay even more, there is nothing better than making the most of activities such as diving, cycling, guided tours, kayaks and many more options. You may also opt for the most reinvigorating relaxation and enjoy the fantastic pool and relax in its beautiful outdoor gardens. The hotel provides a magnificent culinary offering, including 2 international à la carte restaurants and a buffet with international food, as well as a snack bar and lobby bar with excellent views.
Property information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring break-free environment.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
7058 reviews
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Dec 05, 2023The Worst Vacation of My Life (I wish I was exaggerating)
I hope I never leave a vacation so utterly disappointed, angry, and stressed as I left Occidental Papagayo. I'm not sure why Occidental is on the title of this resort - this and many other resorts were bought by Barcelo and they don't seem to communicate with their third parties and leave the guests to pay the consequences. For the entirety of our stay here, we were treated horribly by every staff member. We have felt disrespected, extorted, judged, and devastated at the vacation we had. We arrived on a Saturday in December, having paid Occidental in July for 5 people for a week in 2 two bedroom suites. When we arrived we were treated like criminals because Occidental hadn't paid Barcelo. The resort refused to even look at our credit card records to show our full payment and agreement. Verbatim, the front desk woman Tatiana said "The problem isn't that you didn't pay, it's that Occidental hasn't paid us" - in what world is that the guests responsibility to ensure your third party pays you? How were we to know? Why is Occidental on the name of this resort? We were extorted another $700 before we could get to our rooms and we were to deal with the discrepancy on Monday. On Sunday, our party discussed with the weekend manager Sergio who was even more rude that Tatiana with no clear explanation why this was happening. The Occidental office was closed on Sunday so we again confirmed we would revisit on Monday. At 4pm on Sunday, coming back from the pool we discovered that we were locked out of our rooms with no notice and no explanation. We were angry and upset at this point and couldn't understand why Sergio had locked us out of our rooms and then left the premises. We were extorted another $700 before we could sleep in our rooms. For the rest of the trip, we were treated with complete disrespect, malice, and disdain. Every employee looks at you like a dollar sign and if you don't tip at every corner for every drink and meal, you are shunned and ignored. The main pool is so hot, there is no shade, no entertainment, and you have to put on shoes and a shirt to go inside to get a drink or walk up the 5 flights of stairs to the other bar. The swim-up bar is the most fun but it is extremely loud, erratic, and the bar smells disgusting and you can smell it from the lounge chairs. I didn't expect the food to be great but I also didn't expect every meal to make me nauseous. Only about a third of the food was edible and I saw moldy cheese used in taquitos and quesadillas. The beach is nice but it is a very shallow shore and fluctuates high and low tide drastically. At low tide, you can barely get in the water because the rocks are so sharp everywhere and at high tide you can't walk the beach or sit in beach chairs. The view over the ocean is gorgeous here. I have been to Costa Rica before and had such a beautiful time. The nature is breathtaking and the people are kind in Costa Rica. Just don't go to this resort. The best time we had was on an excursion to the national park, active volcano, waterfall, hot springs, and mud bath. Enjoy beautiful Costa Rica! Save yourself from this place!
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Dec 05, 2023Occidental Papagayo is amazing and we loved it!
This is our third trip to the Occidental Papagayo Costa Rica. We love this resort. The property is beautifully landscaped. There are a lot of stairs and hills, which can be a challenge for those with mobility issues, but we enjoy the bonus exercise. The activities staff are amazing and work really hard to keep us entertained. I do recommend the ocean kayak trip, the evening walk, bingo and archery but especially the daily aquafit classes!! Esther and Kendoly are fantastic instructors and make it so much fun! The food at main buffet is very good. I don’t know what they do to the potatoes to make them so delicious (if there is mash, get the mash and you won’t be disappointed!). The breads and the desserts are all ‘chefs kiss’ good. If there is pineapple/ginger juice, do try, it’s amazing. For the specialty restaurants, my fav is the Italian. But they are all good!! Edwin and Roy are wonderful waiters. All the staff, from the front desk to the bartenders to the cleaning staff are super friendly and helpful - all of them help make us have a wonderful holiday. Thank you! At the spa I got a magnificent massage from Lizeth and a most amazing manicure with gel nails from Dana. Also, shout-out to the team from On the Beach Tours (they have a station at the front entrance of the hotel). They offer all kinds of tours and are very knowledgeable about wildlife and volcanos and Costa Rica and speak excellent English. Love to Carlos and Marvin and Larry and JJ! Note - we are not really drinkers or disco people - but those at the pool with the pool bar and in the disco seem to have a really fun time. The beach is good, the water is warm and the waves are small, great for swimming! We will be back again and look forward to seeing all the amazing staff!!! Thank you to all of them for making yet another amazing holiday at the Occidental Papagayo.
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Dec 02, 2023Anniversary
Overall our stay was pleasant. Would we go back, not likely. The hotel overall is dated. The streets/pathways in the resort are in need of repair, very uneven. The beach was beautiful as was the weather. The bars and pools were good. Every day we left tips for the maids and yet one day we were left with only one towel, the front desk was quick to help out. You’re only permitted to have 2 beers in the room fridge, any more and we had to pay for them. The staff were nice and friendly. The food was average but plentiful.
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Dec 01, 2023Better than expected
I was skeptical based on some other reviews, but couldn’t beat the price so I went for it. I stayed for 5 nights, and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. All of the staff went above and beyond to take care of me during my stay. The food was better than I expected. Even the buffet was impressive. My expectations were low based on what others said, so I was very happy to have a much better experience. I would give it 5 stars had it not been for the ridiculous experience I had dealing with Barcello group before getting here. As long as you don’t have to deal with them it’s 5 stars.
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Nov 30, 2023
Bucket list Vacation
this was a bucket list vacation. The staff is extremly friendly, beach is clean and ocean was perfect. We will be back. Buffet could use a bit of a variety as well as the lunch bar by the pool. If your looking for a quiet resort this is a very good one