Just got back from the Sol Papagayo, read all the reviews before we left, weren't expecting a whole lot, and I am NOT a picky person by any means I have stayed in other 2.5 to 3 star resorts and they were better than this place. The good things.... the rooms were nice and clean, the staff was extremely good, always willing to please. The food was flavourfull but repeticious, If you like vegetables and salad you were fine, but if your like my husband and need meat, well it's chicken everyday and the odd time you got beef and it was chewy. Buns were stale, and the only meat served at breakfast was cut up hot dogs.
The part that really got me was that the table cloths were only changed once, so you were eating on dirty ones, the cloth napkins were NOT replaced after they were used, but refolded and placed in new glasses. Ewwww. And I witnessed that at one point cutlery being dropped on the floor and then picked up and placed on the table. The beach sucked so we did the 10 min walk over to the occidental Grand and used their beach. Loved Costa Rica but would never go back to that resort, thankfully we met some great people. Oh and did I mention that the pillows were well used the fiber fill had broken up and they were lumpy and smelled, so you might want to bring your own.

We arrived at Sol Papagayo at 9:45 at night. The room was musty, toilet dirty, and sheets old and over used. Someone (a guest) was smoking pot on the lobby by the bar. By 10:00 everything was closed and I couldn't even get a soda. The operator does not answer the phone after 10:00. The food is the same everyday. We ended up looking for another hotel and managed to get accomodation at Condovac La Costa which included breakfast and was just down the road from Sol Papagayo. This place was $100.00 US cheaper than Sol Papagayo and had a full kitchen if you wanted to cook. For $35.00 each we could eat lunch and dinner at the restaurant and the food was excellent. We were able to book several tours with the money we saved by leaving Sol Papagayo.

Hey All... we appreciate a five star hotel just as much as anyone but the people that slam this property given the price, should not be taken too seriously in my opinion. Try the French Riviera next time!
The rooms and property are CLEAN, you can drink the water, the staff is great, the grounds and wildlife are fantastic, it`s safe with a guard at the gate, and the food is really not bad at all - MUCH, MUCH better than we were expecting given some of the previous reviews on this site! There was lots of beer and refreshments - never ran out!
My family and I would have stayed another week no problem. It`s quiet though, but as we went on four all-day tours ( we used Issys Tours - great ) throughout the week this quiet was a bonus and also allowed a comfortable base for our excursions in Costa Rica. The wildlife ( monkeys, birds, etc. ) was spectacular as we sat around the pool ( cleaned regularily when we were there ) and we had the feeling that you never really knew what was going to fly, swing or crawl by you! Keep your camera handy!
Now, there is also no doubt that this resort has seen better days. There are suites on the outer perimeter of the resort that are not being used and it does seem that the property is currently in some sort of transition state either with ownership or cash influx. One is reminded of a classic car that is in need of a new paint job - but its still a classic!.
This is a scenic, quiet, clean, comfortable property and certainly should be advertised as such. Surely there are travellers who these attributes are still perfectly suited to ( families, seniors, etc. ) especially given the attractive all-inclusive value price! Glad we went without a doubt!

We stayed the this resort from Jan. 7-14 and were very happy. For the price, it was great. It's right on the beach, nice pool and rooms. Staff was very helpful and friendly. The food was good, if you want 5 star food, then pay more money for that and stay somewhere else. I don't go away to Costa RIca for the food and I don't really care where I stay as long as it's clean....I'm there for the nature and the beauty and the warm weather....if you are picky and not easily pleased and like to complain, spend big bucks and stay at the four seasons....The staff was amazing, Graybin, the bartender was great and Jerhiah too and Juliana at the front desk....everyone was great! We loved JC, the hotel's tour guide (I would highly recommend booking tours through him instead of through Sunquest, nothing wrong with Sunquest, but JC gives you more for your money, takes you more places and it's a bit cheaper, and he's very professional, speaks great English and is a super fantastic, nice person.) It's great that the hotel has their own tour desk to book things...and prices are very reasonable. I would def. stay here again..