West Playa Rajada 800, El Jobo 51001 Costa Rica
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About
#1 of 6 B&Bs / Inns in El Jobo
Location
4.4
Cleanliness
4.7
Service
4.7
Value
4.5
Recreo Resort, a 63-acre mountain and beach estate near Playa Rajada is just 1 hour and 30 minutes from Liberia airport. Choose from one of our private villas, all with private pools and ocean views. During the holidays,included in the price of the All-Inclusive package are airport transfers, a villa cook and housekeeper, all meals and beverages, concierge and all onsite activities including kayaking, tennis, mountain biking, hiking, snorkeling and a range of beach activities.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Beach
Tennis court
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Business Center with Internet Access
Wifi
Outdoor pool
Concierge
Laundry service
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Room features
Air conditioning
Room service
Kitchenette
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
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HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Location
Contact
West Playa Rajada 800, El Jobo 51001 Costa Rica
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We traveled to Costa Rica for the first time as two families with 5 children ages 2,7,8,10, and 17. Recreo was perfect for our 10 day stay. We stayed in Villa 4 which easily accommodated our large group. The location was beautiful. The property and private pool were very well maintained. The entire staff were the epitome of professional top class service; friendly and available but also unintrusive. The pool and residence were cleaned every morning during our stay. There were a lot of activities and adventures within driving distance, and David, the concierge, did a fantastic job arranging the details for all of our excursions. Multiple beaches were within a minute or two drive and Playa Rajada beach was within walking distance if you wanted. Beautiful country to enjoy, and a truly first class place to stay while you do it.…
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
We stayed at a villa, El Cielo Bonito, through Recreo with two other couples. Our house was huge and each couple had their own bathroom. Roomy living area and dining area for gathering and our favorite was the plunge pool overlooking the Pacific. The location has a lookout point for amazing views and sunsets, a tennis and basketball court and fitness facility for use. There are also a variety of items for use such as coolers, beach chairs, floaties, snorkel gear etc that you can checkout for no additional charge. Recreo helps you do it all. Our concierge, David, checked on us daily to answer questions, provide us with anything we needed, and helped us to book our excursions and any needed transportation. David was absolutely amazing - because of him we experienced some amazing adventures and he ensured that our stay was nothing short of spectacular. We did decide to book an in-house chef for the week, and this was the best decision! Only $200 per couple for the week for all cooked (and cleaned up) meals. Carlos was our chef - the food was amazing and he was so kind and helpful. The food at every meal was perfection and we did not go hungry!!…
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We really wanted to love this hotel. Dreams Las Mareas was the last stop of our honeymoon. I’m sad to say that due to the unfriendly staff and the fact that both my husband and I experienced bad stomach issues while staying here, we won’t be returning. The grounds are beautiful and the beach is lovely, but the food is average at best. There is a wide selection of different restaurants which is nice, but the quality of the food is quite poor. The staff do not seem happy to be there. Not a friendly atmosphere.
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Date of stay: August 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
We had the most amazing stay at Recreo! This was our first trip to Costa Rica. We rented the four bedroom villa (El Cielo Bonito) It was beautiful and charming. David the concierge, was extremely helpful and kind. The cooks, Sandra and Rosa prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. We loved all their wonderful meals. They definitely spoiled us. Everyone at Recreo was friendly, thoughtful and courteous. We saw the white face monkeys multiple times from the villa. The beach was not crowded and we spent many hours there. Our kids loved it! Everything exceeded our expectations. We were sad to leave. We hope to visit Recreo again.
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
We went with two families- 4 adults and 5 children ages 5,6, 8,8, 10. We had a very relaxing laid back overdue family vacation. Villa 7 was perfect for our crew. My husband and I had the 2nd story master suite. One of my favorite parts of the whole vacation was sleeping in the king bed without the AC while the warm breeze blew through the screen doors across my bed each night. Every morning we looked out to see blue skies and the gorgeous pacific ocean (bay like swimming). Our children loved the pool and our own little private beach- Playa Rajada we will miss you! Technically not private but it felt like that during the weekdays. We did a bunch of excursions that David, the concierge, organized and arranged for us. Our chef, Ernesto, was spectacular. We ate delicious homemade food and desserts so no extra pounds were gained. They had the house stocked with fresh groceries and alcohol which we arranged a couple weeks prior. We saw white face monkeys around our villa too- so very cool. All the staff at Recreo were super friendly and helpful. The people within the community that surrounds Recreo were very friendly and we felt very safe. If you are looking for a vacation that feels like you live locally, in luxury of course, and don't want to cook or clean this is for you. It's not a tourist type vacation but there is a near by all inclusive resort you could get a day pass to visit. We also rented a van from the airport and drove into la cruz for souvenirs and a local bite to eat. Guanacaste is so beautiful. Everywhere we drove mountains were in the background including volcanos and the beautiful pacific. We cant wait to go back.…
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Date of stay: January 2018Trip type: Traveled with family
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
My Husband and I had a one week getaway (from work, kids, and city life) and stayed in a villa at Recreo. We LOVED the house and the views. Each villa is so private on this mountain that is lush with flowering plants, trees and wild life. We had a views of the ocean from our bedroom and pool side. Everything was clean and well maintained. It felt like a very special place. We used the tennis courts twice and hiked up the mountain to watch the sunset. There is a great place at the top with view of the ocean and Nicaragua. We also had some great day trips: sport fishing with Ryan Lindy Day charters, mountain biking, Zip-lining & white water tubing at Hacienda Guachipelin, hiking at Rincon Valcano National Park (awesome), and snorkeling on local rocky reefs. Yes, we had a very active, relaxing, trip! David was our host at Recreo and he assisted us in booking all of our events. He was very informative and helpful. Eblin ws our chef and I got to practice lots of Spanish with him. He was a blast and he was a fantastic cook. Really enjoyed having a local to connect with and to learn more about Costa Rican culture with. I highly recommend Recreo. It is a great place to stay!…
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Date of stay: November 2017Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
Recreo is not a traditional resort; it is a collection of privately owned villas, some of which are available for rent. There is a tennis court, basketball court and a small gym with a few workout stations and a ping pong table. Tennis rackets, basketballs, etc are provided at the Welcome Center. There is also a mountaintop vista with a tiki bar structure, a small picnic table, and wi-fi that is nice for sunset watching. You can also see the windsurfers off Playa Copal from the mountaintop. Recreo is about 1 hour, 30 minutes drive north from the Liberia International airport (LIR), via La Cruz and El Jobo. A rental car is recommended, though it is possible to arrange airport transfers through Recreo, but the community is so spread out and hilly, that walking around is not really feasible. We were in Villa #7, which is a two story home with 4 bedrooms (1 downstairs and three upstairs) each with their own bathroom plus another half bath. Full kitchen, huge dining room table and large living room. There is also a wonderful wrap around balcony and stone deck with outside seating and a dip pool. The view is amazing, over the canopy of trees toward the ocean. The villa was clean and everything functional, though we were mystified by the numerous light switches that seemed to have no purpose. There is one TV in the living room with lots of cable channels. There is wi-fi, but it is not very robust - good enough to write an email or do some research, but not good enough to telework or play videos. There is also wi-fi at the mountaintop, which signal was a bit stronger. Pool/beach towels were provided. Bed and bath linens were soft and clean and plentiful. The master bedroom has a king size canopy bed and tons of windows. Each bedroom has its own air conditioning unit, but the other ares do not have A/C though there are ceiling fans as well as portable fans and huge screen doors to capture the breeze. We also hired a chef for the week, which includes the food and delivery. This was our first experience with having a chef. Ernesto is a great chef - with the exception of a mushroom sauce served on steak one night, we loved everything. Selections for supper included chicken breast, pork chops, steak, fettuccini bolognaise, and beef wraps. During the week, he also made a chocolate Bundt cake with marble icing and two wonderful flans. Though we could have also had a full lunch every day, we requested just fruit and salsa/chips (his homemade salsa was amazing). Breakfasts included scrambled or fried eggs, one morning an egg and potato casserole, and two mornings pancakes. He always had the coffee pot going as soon as he arrived and he was flexible on the times for the meals each day. If you don't hire a chef, there is a decent size market in La Cruz to buy your own food, but there are not many restaurants nearby - this is not a place to plan to eat out every meal. The Recreo staff were wonderful - Kristine provided us prompt and thorough pre-arrival information via email - including great directions from the airport, answers to our many questions, and information on tours/excursions. David at the resort was incredible - he warmly welcomed us even though we arrived later than expected, gave us a tour of the community, told us everything we needed to know about the Villa and area, brought us kayaks and lounge chairs to the beach, helped us arrange two excursions and checked in us everyday just to see if we needed anything. Maid service is available everyday, but we told David we only needed two days during our week stay. Every day, someone came to skim the pool. And, Ernesto was there all day, every day to not only prepare our meals, but he kept the kitchen clean and answered questions. The resort is on the road to Playa Rajada, which is a public beach with no facilities - about a 5 minute drive from Villa to beach. The beach is gorgeous - a crescent shaped, protected cove great for families with lots of shade trees along the sand line. The lady at the rental car desk told us it was her favorite beach. At each end are rocky areas fun to scramble over. It is like a postcard and very few people are there during the week. Weekends are a little busier with local families, but never feels crowded. During our stay, we did two excursions - one full day to Buena Vista Lodge & Adventure Center (a 1:40 drive from Recreo back towards Liberia) and one 5 hour sport fishing/snorkeling tour with Ryan Lindy Charters (a 15 minute drive to the public beach by Dreams Resort). Both were recommended by David and arranged for us by David and we enjoyed both of them. We caught Mahi Mahi and the crew filleted it for us on the boat and we took it home for Ernesto to cook for us. There are critters - ants, geckos, beetles, parrots, mosquitoes, butterflies, bees - we even had a scorpion and a snake visit the living room - this is the nature of the area. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to see any of the resident monkeys during our stay. Bottom line - if you want to experience a very private, non-touristy, beautiful area of Costa Rica and be able to relax and enjoy time with your companions, maybe take a couple of excursions and are not daunted by driving on curvy, unpaved, unlit roads, Recreo may be a good choice for you. If you need restaurants, nightlife, activities, oceanfront, hi speed wi-fi, etc - this is not a good choice for you.…
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Date of stay: November 2017Trip type: Traveled with family
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
We stayed in Villa 7 for the first week of May. The villa was BEAUTIFUL. The view from each room along with the pool area was breathtaking.Villa 7 was not apart of all all inclusive deal, but we emailed Kristine and our 7 day vacation was filled with the most amazing food made by our chef Sandra. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was prepared for us, everything was fresh and soooooooo yummy. They would even bring it down to the beach and set up a whole picnic for us table and all. Beach is about a 5 minute drive but is still pretty much on location. Every day we had the beach to ourselves. We want to give David the manger a HUGE thank you. David was one of the nicest men we have ever met. So kind and helpful for our entire trip. We highly recommend Recreo and would love to come back one day. If you are looking for a sit back, relax do nothing vacation this is it. The resort it self doesn't have any excursions but they are set up with them and will be able to make the reservations for you. Beautiful place and beautiful service.…
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Date of stay: May 2017Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Best Views, Great service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from recreo, General Manager at Recreo
Responded May 21, 2017
Hello Jeanette, Thank you so much for your kind words about recreo and our staff! We work very hard to ensure that our guests enjoy and relax themselves. We hope to see you and your family back at recreo in the near future!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Our villa was spectacular with beautiful views all around on the wrap around deck. We enjoyed fresh brewed coffee each morning over looking the ocean. It was hotter than h*ll but just the way we like it. The beach was beautiful and the water was very refreshing. We had our own private dipping pool as well which was a great bonus. The food was incredible. Our menu for the week consisted of mostly seafood and it was just to die for. Only bad thing was the horses were crazy. But other than that this place was A++
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Date of stay: February 2016Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
I've been to Costa Rica on several occasions with my family over the last 8 years and this trip was very disappointing. Recreo was NOT a luxury resort.... It wasn't even an average resort. We felt like we were tricked and were very disappointed in the whole experience. There are plenty of other places in Costa Rica to stay. Save your money and go elsewhere. Consider yourself warned.
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Date of stay: March 2015Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
$401 - $582 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
recreo hotel province of guanacaste
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of GuanacasteEl Jobo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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Claim Your ListingRECREO - Prices & Hotel Reviews (El Jobo, Costa Rica)
Frequently Asked Questions about Recreo
Which popular attractions are close to Recreo?
Nearby attractions include Playa Rajada (0.7 miles), ATVBeach (1.0 miles), and Playa Copal (4.3 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Recreo?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and a fitness center.
What are some restaurants close to Recreo?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Naked Indian Bar, Tatay Cafe Restaurante And Seafood, and Blue Dream Hotel.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Recreo?
Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness center during their stay.