The package was all inclusive but they're not including kids. This is a first time that all inclusive package included airline, room, but not food for kids. This is SCAM. There will be $49 additional charge per kid (under 12) per day. We have a total of 5 kids under 12 and 2 kids over 12. Our family have 2 kids so we ended up to pay about $700 more for 7 days. No wonder! There are not many kids staying at this place. The food wasn't that great. I would rate it between 2-2.5 out of 5. The place was boring.....There are very little activity at night and really nothing to do after 10 PM. It's summer time! Other places are crowded except this place. If you like to watch show and listen to LIVE band/music at night then this place is not for you. You don't have to take my words for it. Just ask the hotel to find out for yourself. The only good thing about this place is the service (very friendly).

We stay for a week in the beginning of July and loved it. We had a 400 room at the top of the hill with an amazing view of the bay and pool area. The room was clean and comfortable. Room service comes late in the day (3-4pm) but did a good job. We had ants in our room once when we left food out but they disappeared as soon as we stored it properly. The grounds are quite spread out so it is a good walk to get most places. The shuttles were running constantly though and we rarely waited more than 5 minutes for one and they would take you anywhere around the hotel.

As for the food and drinks. The food was good. The buffet always had a large selection. Some of the food was bland as some people have commented but you could always find something at the buffet that was great. The restaurants all had really good food. Our favorite was el bogadillo and it was the easiest to get reservations at. They said they recently changed the menu and it was great. And the service was hands down the best. The drinks were good though beer selection is limited to Imperial and costa Blanca.

As for service, everyone we interacted with spoke good English and with only a few exceptions were quick.

We did three tours. Two with the Swiss travel through the hotel and one with issy. Both were very professional and the guides spoke English well. Swiss is a more corporate operation and the groups are larger (10-20). Issys was smaller and more personal and we are really glad we went with them for the mega combo tour (ziplining, horseback riding, and hotsprings). We only had 4 people in our group so it was really personal. The issy rep said they usually don't put more than 6 in a group.

There isn't anything directly around the hotel so if you want to go explore outside the hotel you will need a car. We didn't mind that. It was only 25 minutes from the airport and most of the tours were 1.5 hour drives from the hotel. The weather was mostly cloudy since it was the rainy season. It generally didn't rain until after lunch. The last two days it was clear and sunny.

Overall we were impressed, the hotels grounds were beautiful and the staff were friendly. We would go again and recommend to our friends.

My family and I spent a week at the Hilton Papagayo Resort and we absolutely loved it! They always have something fun for you to do whether it's beach volleyball, dance lessons, an exfoliation class, or snorkeling. There is never a dull moment! The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. A few that stood out were Cristian, Imer, and Pablo. Cristian went snorkeling with our family and despite it being low tide was able to point out a wide variety of fish to our family and make it fun for all of us. He also makes playing giant jenga the most entertaining game ever. Imer is an amazing dancer and volleyball player. Despite having two left feet I was still able to learn the merengue thanks to his patience. Pablo makes the most delicious drinks alcoholic or not and I know that I wasn't the only one in my family that thought about sneaking him into my suitcase. My family was so pleased with our stay there, that not only are we definitely planning on going back but a few of us wouldn't mind relocating to this paradise permanently.

We stayed for 3 nights. Check in was slow, could have been so much better. The rooms were ready but they would not let you in until 3. The all inclusive drinks were watered down. They tasted good but you never felt the buzz. Wine was from Chili and just fair. Food was fair. Presentation was good and most of the time it was hot. Breakfast was good, lots of choices. Hotel lay out was beautiful and private but only for people who can do lots of stairs. Transports (necessary) were always just a minute away making everything very easy to get to. Really nice people driving the transports too. Our room was in a great location, we don't mind the steps but the room was in need of up dating. The sink was cracked and the tub had a hole in the surface. It smelled but you're at the beach, everything is damp and has an odor. We were so grateful our air conditioning worked, several other people we met did not but it was fixed the by the next day. Yes the beach is black, there are over 100 vocanoes in Costa Rica so you're going to have black sand. The wait staff was slow, slow to seat, slow to get the drinks and each course. No one really seemed to have that 'make them happy so they'll come back' attitude except one guy in El Bocadillio and the bar tenders who were really the only 5 stars. Happy people making beautiful drinks with all the pizzazz, very hard working. The best part of the whole place was their resident animals. A white nosed Coati lives in the rafters of the El Ritual bar and is so cool. They try to claim 5 star and maybe long ago they were. Not so anymore, lucky to be 3. There are other places to see in CR so we will not go back.