My boyfriend and I are First Club members of Occidental- we have been to 3 of their other properties in Aruba, Punta Cana and XCaret (all which were great with Aruba and Mexio being our favorites)- this one would be our least favorite...but not because it's bad, it just needs some improvements- which I think will come in the future according to the workers we spoke to. First, if you just are looking for an average place to get away and relax and not looking for a party place - then you will be just fine...here is my more in depth overview:

- The food and meals need to be improved, not a large selection but could be very difficult if you were a picky eater. I would recommend bringing some snacks with you in case you get hungry during the day or night. some chips etc. will help.

- If you go to the theme restaurants: We liked the Chilean Sea bass at the oriental. You just have to remember their version of Orietnal and Italian food is not like America's version, so don't have high expectations. If you like desserts- we only encountered a good one the entire trip- chocolate cake at the Italian- seriously- desserts are no good at any of the places BOO!

- Alcohol selections at all bars on the property were good- even some top shelf offerings for everyone. (Even if your not part of the First Club.

- Employee engagement- I felt the front desk folks when you walk in were not very observant kind of odd...they often seemed like they were too busy. BUT the bar employees were always nice. Servers in the restaurants were hit or miss. My biggest recommenation as I always recommend- bring a few singles and tip the good servers- they will go above and beyond for you the entire week! I know your at an all inlcusive- but if you can afford an all inclusive you can surely afford to bring a few singles to those that are good to you.

- First Club-the bar for members is nice- nothing amazing, but nice view and all top shelf liquor. We spent every night up there after dinner for martinis. they do have one computer with internet for members. Andrew is a nice guy that oversees Members Services and Juan the employee if very accomodating. Make sure you meet him- he makes you feel really welcome! If only they would train the other employees witht their same attitude and service it would make the place POP even more!

-Pool- not huge, but fine. Much to do at the pool- good activty staff.

- Room- we had a suite- it was small, simple, First Club members are given 4 bottles of spinning liquor. Has a patio with 2 chairs. I found that I had to use my bottle of OFF during the day because the small bugs here/there bite. The bed was fine- nothing spectacular. We did encouter 3 couples that were orginally in the hotel room and asked to be upgraded to the suite- most things we heard about the hotel room was they were really old. If you book the hotel room-you may want to confirm you will be a newer remodeled room. Also- don't leave anything sweet on the counter tops in your room and you will find that little bugs will appear- they like the sweet smell.,

-Remember your in Costa Rica- so you will encounter wildlife on the property- we saw coati, racoon, birds,wild dogs etc. It's not a bad thing- but you have to be the kind of person that likes the wild.

Beach- small- and not that nice-but PLEASE know we were here during rainy season so going to the beach was not always an option. We heard it's a nice beach when not rainy season.

Overall- fine place if you want to relax and discconnect from your ipad, iphone, lpatop etc. Bring a good book. snacks, playing cards and good company and you will enjoy! THIS IS NOT a place to go wild- lots of couples and honeymooners looking to relax and enjoy each other's company.It's a remote location with the closest town about 10 miles away. We did see alot of people renting cars- which I think I would recommend. Also, the place is all incline and stairs so bring good walking shoes! It's a workout!

Would we go back- if it was a good deal and cheap flight-sure. Would it be our first choice location of the Occidentals- no.

Again, no frills, and 3.5 because the sercive was good.

My best friend and I went here for 2 weeks. The only thing that made me stay for the 2 weeks was that it was paid for. In the first 2 days of being there we had to switch rooms 3 times. The first time the patio door did not lock, no hot water, and we asked for two double beds and got one large bed. So we switched rooms. The next room we got took 2 hours to get it. When we got there the curtains were literally falling off of the wall and was held up by barley anything. Finally the switched us again. When we got to our last room everything was fine but the tv did not work. We were so fed up from switching and getting the same problem. There were other guests there that had the same troubles as us. You would think they would check rooms before putting guests in there. Also you are in the middle of no where and the closest place to actually go is a 40 dollar cab ride. But on the plus side the staff is very friendly and understanding. They did give my friend and I free massages for all the problems that we had. Overall I had a good time because I was in Costa Rica but disappointed that we had so many issues with our rooms.