We are a family of 5, so we had two rooms - one with 2 double beds for my teenagers and one with a king for my wife and I along with the pull out couch for my daughter. All was so comfortable and nice. The rooms were very nicely appointed, and we felt more than comfortable in the rooms. It would have been nice to have a door to the shower/bathroom area in the King room, but we managed just fine.

The resort was gorgeous. Beautiful rooms, well maintained facilities. We enjoyed the spa, pool, and beach very much. The beach is not huge, but more than sufficient. The pool was really fun for the whole family. My teens really enjoyed the activity center, and the guys that worked there were great at getting involved in the fun.

The food was great. From the room service to the restaurants, we were quite happy! Gained plenty of weight for sure. We preferred the latin restaurant best, but all were good.

When we first encountered the beach and the vendors waiting to pounce for excursions, massages, jet skis etc., I was concerned that this was going to be intrusive. Ultimately, it was low key, and we booked two excursions from Erik that were really great, and less expensive than the ones booked through the hotel.

If you go, my one suggestion is to bring cash for excursions and to have smaller bills (1s and 5s) for tipping. While inclusive, there were times when I would have liked to have left a few dollars for a tip, but couldn't get change in small dollar increments.

We were there 5 days...could have stayed an extra day or two and been thrilled.

Last, the staff was fantastic. Super friendly, and service was GREAT.

We only stayed here one night but wish we could have stayed longer. The resort is lovely and the service was great. We loved the beach-white course sand and clear water. The views from the beach are gorgeous. Food was nicely presented at buffet and we had a fabulous dinner at the Italian restaurant. Our children enjoyed room service while my husband and I had a night out on our own. Please note that you can't see the ocean from most of the rooms- the resort has greenery between buildings and the beach, but this creates a wonderful atmosphere. We saw 10 monkeys in the trees while we were on the beach- very fun. Also note, it's pretty quiet, not a lot going on at night, so I wouldn't recommend the resort to night owls.

After days and days of research my husband and I decided to book a regular room at the Westin. When we arrived to the resort we figured out that it wasn't good enough for us. The front door had a large gap above and the door seemed like it's not locking properly. Also, we were hoping for a separate shower, which some of the regular rooms have, but they were not able to find one that day. We did not like tub/shower combo. The room felt too dark. After 4 hours of talking to the assistant manager and checking different rooms in the royal section, we decided to upgrade to Royal Suite on the third floor. We paid additional $100/per night. Best spent money ever! Free wi-fi which worked great every time. Huge room with the jacuzzi on the patio. Our room was facing main road but we never heard any noise and the view was awesome. We used room service at least 6-7 times. The food was delicious and it took about 25-30 minutes to get it delivered to the room. Our concierges, John and David were awesome!
Our housekeeper Hilda did a great job every single day. The room was spotless and, if we needed something extra, we would leave a note and she would have it ready for us. At the end of our stay, she came to thank us for the tips and little gifts we left for her. I was so touched.
They made all restaurant reservations for us and we had no problem getting those, even for the same day. My favorite restaurant was French, Cauri. My husband really liked Meditera. We also tried Italian and the food was great. The service in all these restaurants was outstanding. Our hostesses remembered our last name after couple nights, amazing! Mitra buffet was good but we enjoyed it better for breakfasts and lunches then dinners.
We met many locals and really enjoyed talking to them. Don't be afraid to book your tour on the beach. We booked Buena Vista tour with Eric and it was awesome. Also, look for Dee on the beach. He works with different tour company. We booked a river cruise with him as well as a tour to see giant turtles nesting (must see, out of this world experience!). We also went for a golf course tour, do not miss it. You will see all kinds of birds and trees and some great views.
Go to the beach, look for Diane, she gives the best massages we've ever had (and we get massages all the time, here in US). I went to the spa for one hour massage. It cannot compare to Diane's massages. And she charges $20/hour.
At the Westin, we felt like we are the part of a big family. Costa Rican people are so nice!
If you care about details and like to be pampered, go for the Royal. It's worth it. The weather was great, no rain at all for the entire stay (11/10 - 11/21).

Stayed here over Thanksgiving with the wife and four kids. Kids range from 7 to 17. We took two adjoining suites; one with a king bed, one with two doubles.

The rooms were great. The only drawback being that the bathrooms don't have doors. There are frosted glass doors to give privacy for toilet and shower, but no door for the whole bathroom.

Service was top notch. Everyone there was, at the very least, polite. Most of the staff were amazingly nice and helpful. We had the Family Club service, which included a dedicated Concierge who helped with everything from dinner reservations, to planning excursions, to small room or amenity related requests. You also get a poolside area and pool attendant. You also get food poolside if you are part of this club.

They have shuttles running throughout the large property, so if you don't feel like walking, you can just hop on and enjoy a quick, smooth ride.

Pool is fantastic. Beach is just outside the resort. It is phenomenally beautiful.
You will see plenty of Iguanas and Coati's (Costa Rica's version of the Raccoon).

The food is generally very good, and in some cases excellent (Faisanella). The kids loved the buffett (Mitra). We also recomnend Caracola, which is poolside.

With a family of six, we could not fathom paying the resort to do our laundry. Based on TripAdvisor mention, I contacted Wash-A-Go-Go in nearby Huacas. $4/load. An extra dollar if they fold. What a deal! Rick and his wife are Americans. Very nice and helpful.