My husband and I spent five nights at Nayara this November. It was our second visit and, if possible, even better than the first. It's an absolute oasis, where I unplug like nowhere I've ever been. The grounds are lush and gorgeous, but if anything sets Nayara apart from the crowd, it's the service. The staff - from resort manager Jorge to servers and porters - is simply impeccable. They're clearly invested in the success of the resort and take incredible pride in their jobs. (A special shout out to Juan Carlos and Keillor, both of whom demonstrated such care and good humor.)

I spent my birthday there, and with the volcano as backdrop and the staff spoiling me with a birthday cake, it was one of the best ever. (Keillor's pretending not to believe I am as old as I am didn't hurt a bit either.)

The place has changed since our last visit, most notably with the opening of the sushi restaurant on the property. In addition, the demographic seemed to skew younger than last time, but that may be the effect of going in the off-season when rates were a little lower. We were a little concerned it was becoming a bit more of a party place, but that didn't bear out.

There was construction going on while we were there, which put a bit of a dent in our solitude. However, Jorge was gracious and responsive about moving us to another casita further away from the noise. His commitment to guest satisfaction is unparalleled.

Speaking of construction, it looks like Nayara is undergoing a massive expansion - I believe it's doubling its current number of casitas (45, I think right now.) One of my favorite things about Nayara is that it never feels crowded, like some resorts. It was rare to find anyone else in the gorgeous jacuzzis and while the pool was sometimes busy, it was never so much so that it felt unappealing. In truth I'm a little concerned that a big increase in guest load will change all that, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

There's also a huge increase in price coming in 2013 - nearly 20% higher than at present. I'm worried that'll price it out of our range, when we would like to keep coming back for as long as we can. In fairness to Nayara, though, this still places them lower than some of the fancy resorts surrounding them, but it may be too rich for our blood.

Wow this place is amazing!! From the grounds, room, pool, spa, food and the hotel staff. It is simply amazing!!! We stayed 3 nights and it was not long enough. We are planning our next trip back to spend a whole week.

Nayara Hotel is a nice retreat. We were greeted upon arrival with cool clothes scented with vanilla and mint. Very refreshing. Check-in was easy and we arrived early and they were able to give us 1 of the 2 rooms then. They assisted us with tours. We enjoyed the pool bar some. The breakfast buffet in the morning was great! Only disasspointment was, we had requested a king bed at the time of reservations and we received a room with two doubles, but did not mention it as we arrived early. I was amazed on the amount of children staying there though, which I did not expect. I don't think it's appropriate for children to be in a pool where there is a swim up bar and patrons smoking. I would think families would enjoy a more kid friendly atmosphere, but that's just me.

I could not have imagined a better place to escape from Thanksgiving dysfunction. The property is absolutely gorgeous. It is lush landscape gives you the feeling you are actually in a jungle paradise. Each stateroom is privately situated within this tropical growth so you are enclosed by nature giving you perfect privacy to enjoy your outdoor jacuzzi. My favorite was the outdoor shower that I used every single day. We gave ourselves spa treatments that were just superb. The spa facilities are literally in the middle of the forest with open treatment rooms that just make the experience even better. All of the staff is very courteous, friendly and helpful. We had the breakfast buffet included as part of our package it did not regret it one bit since the Chef changed up the menu daily. Nayara has it all; truly number one. What a treat.