I recently spent 2 nights at the Andaz (a Hyatt property) on the Papagayo Peninsula of Costa Rica with my husband and 7 year old son. The resort is about 40 minutes from the Liberia Airport and shares some of the amenities and is in close proximity to the Four Seasons on the same Peninsula. The overall esthetic is “modern nature” with a sense of the local architecture blended into modern architecture. All of the rooms are set on a steep hillside set in the trees and overlooking the ocean. The rooms were very nicely finished with great linens, toiletries and amazing showers with doors that that opened up onto the trees and ocean. Every room also has a very nice balcony with day bed where you can see and hear the wildlife right outside your door, many monkeys and fantastic bird watching.
The pool is very attractive infinity like pool, although a tad busy during a school break week and I found that the sun goes down behind the hotel therefore limiting the amount of sun the pool area gets toward the end of the day. The hotel does offer the option of using a nearby beach club which is also used by the Four Seasons and Exclusive Resorts guests. The beach club has an amazing beach, pool and casual dining/bar. The ride to the beach club is roughly 15 minutes with free shuttles leaving on the hour and returning on the half hour. The beach club also offered a host of water sports which we did not take advantage of. While the location of the hotel may not be the best for late afternoon sunshine it was the perfect location for the most amazing sunrises and moon rises. We happened to be at the hotel during a full moon and WOW! The view of the moon rise from the hotel is spectacular.
We were very pleased with the food at Andaz…..breakfasts were amazing. The hotels has 3 restaurant options including their main restaurant (casual and family oriented) with a diverse menu and great quality. Their Tapas restaurant was a great experience and allowed us to sip drinks (great bartenders here) and pick away at a half dozen small plates of food. We did not get to the more elegant restaurant as we were only there 2 nights but heard good things from other guests. We found the food prices very reasonable for a resort type of hotel of this caliber. No sticker shock here….which is a nice change for a resort destination vacation.
There is zip lining nearby which, at $85 per person, represented great value for money with a great combination of thrills and an opportunity to see the flora and fauna up close. Our 7 year old loved it and he did most of the zip lines on his own. The surrounding area has a ton of eco touring available and we saw many families coming and going from what sounded like adventure filled days. If you are adventurous and inclined to be active this could be a great family or couples getaway. The resort is layed out well, has a good gym and spa and leaves you feeling like you did not spend a $million on a vacation. The Andaz is surely great value.
I would not recommend this resort for the elderly or individuals not prepared to walk up and down steep hills and stairways. Nor would I recommend this property for anyone seeking a “beach” destination as I would not recommend the beach at the hotel (however the beach at the beach club is very good). The Four Season Golf Course is also a 10 minute drive and accessible to Andaz guests.