Just back from our honeymoon, and can't say enough great things about the Hilton Papagayo. As an all-inclusive resort, they take care of everything. You can stay there a week and not have to break out any cash or credit cards even once. Only drawback is you're a little isolated from the rest of the beautiful country, so your options are to book a tour, an expensive bus ride into Coco Beach, or to rent a car. The room was clean and well appointed, and as an NFL fan deep into his fantasy season, I was able to catch some games on TV on Sunday. (They're Dolphins fans down there, who knew?) The view from just about every room is an unobstructed vista of the ocean, with maybe some birds in the foreground. Staff is friendly and eager to please, and able to acomodate any request I made, which was very helpful when my credit card landed under the floor of El Bocadillo. If you're an adventure traveller used to staying in hostels and beachside shacks, there's cheaper options out there for sure. If you want a truly relaxing vacation in a beautiful part of an exceptionally friendly country, I can't imagine anything better than the Hilton Papagayo.

Hilton Papagayo is a little piece of heaven on Earth. The location was secluded and beautiful and the all-inclusive resort gave us a peace of mind. Because it was a gift from my bf, I don’t know what the cost was but for me every minute of relaxation & adventures included was worth it. Even though there were times that fish didn't taste that great for dinner, there were so many varieties and choices to pick from. I greatly appreciated that those who worked at the resort would always greet in Spanish and based on your comfortably with the language would continue to speak Spanish with you or speak English. I had a great time on Bike riding outside of the resort with a tour guide & exfoliating and massage classes on the beach. Because of the time frame, I didn’t get an opportunity to snorkel which is included. The pools & the views on the resort property were phenomenal. The folks that worked at the resort were very kind to us and always greeted us. My only complaint was the prices on the tours through the Hilton that are available. The tour company is 3rd party vendor and the prices start at $75 per person and higher. If you can book tours before hand with a trusted source for cheaper, do it! Otherwise, the Palo National Verde Park & Liberia Shopping was a good all-day tour for about $85/person. Here is some quick tips: it will be a lot easier if you have cash & you research what the conversion is before you convert your US Dollars into Colones (500 Colones for $1) so you get your fair share. Majority of place will take US Dollars. Also if you can, buy souvenirs in Liberia rather than at the resort because you will save a lot more money. If you are flying into Liberia International Airport, it is a 20 minute ride to the resort and about a $50 taxi ride (all together for 2 ppl). There summer season begins in November which is 75-80 degrees F. Overall it is a charming place & look forward to going back!

I have to admit staying at the Hilton Papagayo was one of the most relaxing events of my life, made more so by the absolute heck I had to go through to get there. Thankfully I booked with Beach Bum vacation travel agency and my agent Kathy was able to work miracles. She stuck through when my flight was cancelled the day before my trip and actually found me a new flight to make sure I got to my Dad's wedding (@ the Hilton) on time. After that the vacation was perfect, beautiful beaches, great food, zip-lining through the trees and kayaking in the ocean. Overall it was the best weekend ever and I can't wait to book my next trip with them.

Overall, I was very pleased with the experience and would absolutely recommend it to others. I went with a friend, but it's better for couples and families. The hotel was clean, beautiful, and the staff was pleasant. The food could have been more abundant & tasty, but considering it was all-inclusive it was OK. The best meals we had were the breakfast buffet by the pool and dinners at El Bocadillo restaurant. The bars were OK, but the alcohol wasn't top shelf. Definitely try the mango mojito - it's delicious! Also, the empanadas at the bar are AMAZING! Two bartenders, Jose (Ritual bar) and Pablo (swimup pool bar), were especially amicable and helpful. Also, ask for Julio, one of the shuttle drivers on the hotel grounds. He's nice and helpful, and will show you the grounds in more detail if you want.

We saw iguanas, lizards, a humming bird, coatis, cats, blue birds, & many other animals on the hotel grounds. The hotel also has howler monkeys, although we didn't witness them (we did hear them though). The pool area was so nice, and the beach, although small, was really quite tranquil and beautiful with tons of sea life - what a treat!

I highly recommend taking advantage of taking a tour or two with Swiss Travel, which has a representative on the hotel premise, so that you can see the rain forest and more of the country. The hotel itself also offers free activities, such as a bike tour, kayak tour, exfoliation treatment & more.... you should definitely take advantage of some of those!

The only downside are the mosquitos (an't really help that) and that the spa was closed for renovations, so we couldn't experience that :(

One day we did opt to go to Coco Beach for a few hours... you can skip it. It's not ideal for catching rays, although the hills make a nice backdrop. The main street with shops is pretty seedy, although nobody bothers you. Instead, perhaps Hermosa Beach of Panama Beach would be nicer.

Also, just some things to keep in mind in Costa Rica: wear bug repellant, there wasn't a need for us to exchange our currency (most places accept $US), there is a $28 exit fee at the airport, the food at the airport is pretty expensive.

I can't wait to return to Costa Rica!!!