We went to Playa Conchal to celebrate our 20th Wedding anniversary. The best decision we made. From the moment we arrived to the day we left, it was amazing. People are so friendly, inside and outside the resort. The resort atmosphere was great, the food choices excellent, the beach very private which we really enjoyed. The shows were lots of fun. We did the Volcano, rainforest and hot springs tour and it was definetely worth the full day trip. I am planning to go back next year and take the kids. Before I forget, you have to go eat at El Camaron Dorado (The golden shrimp), is it a great experience, amazing sunset and delicious food! Pura Vida!!!!

Everything is top-notch at this resort. Over the years we've stayed at around 15 all-inclusive's throughout the Carribean and Mexico and this was the best!

The food is very good - and they even have 24 hour room service and stock the Mini-Bar daily all included in the package. Horeseback riding was fantastic and included as well. The horses were exceptionally well behaved and responded to your commands.

You can always find something to complain about at any resort - but you have to be realistic about the fact that you are not in the United States.

The only real dissapointment for us was the Kids Club. They had so many options of things to do but never really opened them up to do such as the trampoline, rock climbing, or paintball tag. I am sure if we kept asking they would have opened them up but really our 4 kids (ages 10 - 1) were happy in the pool and swim up bar. They enjoyed ordering their virgin pina coladas and daquiries. While mom and dad ordered our own drinks.

The casino was fun and we actually won in the end. We played 5 nights and in the end won about $100. The professional dancers for the show at night were great. Select female Hotel staff babysit for $12 per hour.

We rented a car and drove to Arenal Volcano and stayed at the Observatory Lodge. The roads were pretty good really -they were built by the US Army Corp of Engineers 40 years ago. The Volcano was absolutely amazing with Lava and Molton Rocks spewing out all night long!

The Costa Rican people are so friendly and welcoming of tourists! I'd say probably the friendliest of the 35 or so countries we have visited.

The Canopy tour was amazing and the ATV tours were great.

Go and have a great time everyone! You will not be dissapointed with this great resort and it's great staff!

This was my second trip to Costa Rica. On my first visit I had rented a car, drove around the country, and enjoyed the beauty of the National Parks. For this trip, I had a long weekend and just wanted to relax. The Paradisus was just what I expected. It is a pleasant alternative to the Caribbean and Mexico if you are the type of traveler who enjoys all inclusive resorts. I would recommend this resort for families, or travelers who want a relaxing vacation with just a taste of what Costa Rica was to offer. Or if you are traveling around the rest of the country first, you might want to end here for a few days of swimming, over-eating, and sun.

If you are an adventure traveler, nature lover and explorer, you might very well hate this property. It is located in Guanacaste in the dry forests of the north. In my opinion, it is not the most beautiful area of the country. I saw much less wildlife (just a coati or two, parrots, howler monkeys) here than in any other part of the country. The resort is huge, in a gated community, and doesn't feel very Costa Rican.

It is a mega all inclusive (meals, drinks etc) resort with at least 7 restaurants to eat in. The food was not bad at all, especially in the Italian and Asian restaurants. I loved that they also included some opitional excursions such as the Monkey Park, sunset cruise, zip line over the pool, and horse back riding - all of which you must sign up for 2 days in advance. We took advantage of all of these free tours and they were alot of fun. The best thing at Paradisus was the pool (the largest in Central America), the large empty beach, and of course all the included frozen drinks. The pool however, was very noisy with techno music, kids playing, and intoxicated adults at the swim up bar.

The rooms are all suite and very large. They were 100% free of bugs, which is an amazing achievement in Central America. They also had very good air conditioning. They do this by having no screens in the rooms or windows that open. It is effective, yes, but you cannot listen to the birds chirping or waves crashing from your room taking away from a typical Costa Rican experience. It is a trade off. The beds and soft goods need replacing. They were not great.

They staff was friendly and the resort had plenty of activities. They make an attemp at nightlife with shows, and small disco. I never stayed up late enough to check it out, as I like to get up early and bird watch (it is a bit lame here - don't expect any toucans). There are many day trips you can take including Rincon de la Vieja and Arenal Volcanos, Palo Verde Natl park, and in the winter Playa Grande to see the turtles. Overall, it was a 4 star experience (above average) but not really deluxe. I am not sure why it is a Leading Hotel of World. Personally, I would not go back. I think you really miss the spirit of Costa Rica when you stay at a place like this. However, if you are going to relax and have fun....maybe an alternative to the Caribbean or Mexico...you should have a great time!

Being that Trip Advisor posts are what helped my boyfriend and I choose the Paradisus, we figured it was time to post about our most important decision... Royal Service... or "Regular Service"...

We stayed at the Paradisus in February of 2005. We contemplated the Royal Service very seriously. In the end we decided that the extra money we'd be spending on Royal Service would be almost enough for one us to travel back next year, so we opted out. We NEVER once regretted it. The Royal Service area by the pool always looked crowded... (please note...the Royal Service area of the pool is just that... an area by the pool... no golden paths, flowing fountains or beautiful people fanning you and feeding you grapes...just concrete with lounge chairs). Although we did not have a personal butler delivering drinks to us as they did in the Royal Service area, there were a few waiters that walked around and took orders and brought you drinks if you asked (they tended to be difficult to get a hold of...) Let's face it... to save $200 a day it's worth the short (VERY SHORT) walk or swim to the bar... you get the same pina colada either way...

As for restaurant reservations... it's all hype... we NEVER made a reservation and ate at the restaurant of our choice each night. Keep in mind, the hotel was completely sold out when we went, and we still were able to go as we pleased. We were only two people, so it may be more difficult for a larger family, but to wait on line at 7 in the morning for reservations just was not how my boyfriend and I decided to spend our trip.

The location of the Royal suites is nice... by far the closest to the pool and beach--we met a couple that opted for Royal service and while visiting their room we noticed they hardly even had a beach view... not to mention, our room was spacious as well and just as comfortable...

Location is NOT that important... our suite was literally just about as far as you could get from the pool/beach/restaurants/casino etc, and it was an 8 minute walk at most. We hardly even used the shuttle. Shuttles by the way were very available, and moved very quickly...

I can go on about how beautiful the beach was, the great food, great service etc... but you've heard all of that. I know a lot of people worry about the Royal Service because it really does sound rather decadent-- however, it just truly is not necessary at this hotel because "Regular Service" is fabulous...

For the record-- I am not against Royal Service at all, I'm just pretty sure that once you go to the Paradisus Playa Conchal, you will want to save as much money as possible to make sure you can go again and again!

Hope this helps someone!