I have traveled far and wide, staying in many beachfront resorts in different countries...nothing has even come close to the Playa Conchal. I do not have one single complaint about the trip--food was amazing, service was amazing, area was beautiful. Everything was perfect. Guests are housed in villas spread out over the vast hotel grounds, and taken to the main buildings via trams which come by every few minutes. I traveled with my family ranging in age from 5 to 74, and everyone had a wonderful time. There is something for everyone to do, my little sister (the 5 year old) went to a kid's club for a few hours during the day, my grandparents walked the beach and went into town for tours and excursions, and my cousins and I were at the swim up bar or "Fun Pub" (the hotel's own disco/casino). I would recommend this hotel to anyone, and I would go back again in a heartbeat.

My family and I have just returned from a weekend in paradise. This was our first visit to Costa Rica and to the Paradisus Playa Conchal. Arrange for a car service through the hotel prior to your arrival. The condition of the roads 15km outside of the airport is horrendous and will be a shock for first time visitors. One of our drivers called them "ecological roads". Email the hotel and they'll arrange it for you. The cost is $80.00 which they'll bill to your room and is really worth it.

What makes this resort so special is the attitude and energy of the staff. We paid the additional $150.00 per night for the Royal Service option and found that it added a nice touch to the experience. None of the suites have ocean views. The Royal Service suites, however, are located the closest to the restaurants, pool and Activity Center. During busy times of the year, I'd recommend you go with Royal Service. You have access to golf cart pick-up /transportation anywhere on the property instead of waiting at one of the bus stops; you have better control over your mealtimes, especially if you have younger children or need to make a tour and "yes", we had to make reservations for the more popular restaurants during our stay. If you tire of the food, take a trip over to a restaurant in Tamarindo by the name of Mar y Sol. It overlooks the ocean and they'll even send transportation for you! Fabulous meal with terrific views. Sit outside and get there early.

There are numerous activities and the staff will actively "round people up" to participate. My daughter and I were invited to a cooking class, water polo and salsa class while we lounged at the pool during our stay. There is an Internet cafe with desktops for your use or you can bring your laptop if you have wireless. Cell phone signals are sporadic. My husband had Blackberry cell phone service (T-Mobile carrier) for 3 out of 7 days, but never any email service. I'd definitely stay here again and use other Sol Melia properties.

We just returned from a week at the Paradisus Playa Conchal and wanted to share some of the highlights:

- the resort is terrific; although it was booked to capacity it is very well run and the layout was such that there did not seem to be many people there. It is truly a 5-star resort but is laid-back enough that you don't need to worry about dress codes, etc.
- the beach is beautiful and not at all crowded. It is made up of crushed shells and at times has some great waves to play in!
- the facilities at the hotel are excellent. We have 2 boys ages 5 and 7 yrs and there was plenty for us to do together. Make sure to rent a golf cart and go along the back 9 holes at about 5 pm to see incredible monkeys, birds and other animals if you are lucky;
- the food was generally very good, especially the Mitra buffet and Spices, the Asian restaurant. We are particular about food and the resort exceeded our expectations.
- the roads are horrible (be sure to bring Gravol, especially for the kids!) but that's part of the adventure. We did the Mega Combo Tour at the Rincon de la Vieja Park that included a canopy tour, horseback riding, water slide, mud baths and hot springs, and a wonderful Costa Rican lunch at the Buena Vista Lodge- highly recommended even with 2 little boys!
- the Costa Rican people are the nicest we've met anywhere and are one of the main reasons to visit Costa Rica
- the weather during the week we were there was hot (30 degrees C. or so) and sunny every day- bring lots of sunscreen!
- bugs were not generally a problem although you might want to consider bug spray if you are doing a canopy tour or other type of trip into the forests or river areas.
-although there is a Kids Club our boys didn't use it much as there were so many other things to do as a family that they preferred to be with us. They did however go kayaking one day with the staff and that was a big hit, especially when the kayak purposely tipped over!

We would definitely go back to the Paradisus again!

Spent a few days of President's Day week at Playa Conchal with my wife and two teens. High 90, low 70, dry heat with not a cloud in the sky. Spectacular white sand beach with clear blue water in the low 80's. The resort is gorgeous, well-maintained and extremely well run even though it was packed that weekend. The rooms are elegant, and spacious with two double beds. A few minor bathroom problems were dealt with quickly. The restaurants are hard to book and you have to line up at 8am until they take your name at 9 but it was worth it. The food was overall 5 star. The sunset cruise is nice. The golf course is nice but green fees, bag rental and golf gloves for two players was $450. They only have 3 computers with internet access for the entire resort but if you bring a laptop you can sit in front of the gym and catch a WiFi signal. Visit Parque Rincon de la Vieja two hours away. Yes, the roads in CR are a disaster but it's worth a trip. The Liberia airport is close but really third world with two hour waits in line. Overall I'd come back to this resort in a NY minute