Located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the Andaz Papagayo is the perfect luxury beach resort if you’re looking for a relaxing vacation away from crowds. Between the comfortable air-conditioned rooms, private beach club, delicious on-site restaurants, and peaceful ambiance, you’re guaranteed to have a memorable stay.
My husband and I stayed at the Andaz Papagayo for 3 nights during our Costa Rica babymoon trip last December. We’re big outdoor adventurers and typically camp when we travel to save money, so staying at a luxury beach resort was a bit out of the ordinary for us. However, after our stay at the Andaz Papagayo I think we may start rethinking how we travel and start splurging on nice resorts more frequently!
This article shares everything you need to know about staying at the Andaz Papagayo, including my honest review of the resort. Spoiler: I would definitely stay here again!
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Complete Review of the Andaz Papagayo
Checking In
Before even getting to the resort you have to pass through a security booth in order to access the Papagayo Peninsula. From my understanding, you need to either have a lodging or dining reservation at the Andaz, Four Seasons, or Ritz Carlton, or be visiting one of the private residences on the peninsula in order to get through security.
Once you arrive at the Andaz Papagayo you’ll enter an architecturally stunning open air lobby to check-in. We were taken to a private room during the check-in process where we were provided with bottled water and information about what to expect during our stay.
After checking in we hopped in a golf cart and were taken to our room. You can call and have a golf cart come and take you between your room, the pools, restaurants, and other areas of the resort at any time during your stay.
Our Room
We originally booked a forest view room at the Andaz Papagayo, but were upgraded to a partial bay view shortly before our trip. The room was tastefully appointed and featured a large closet and storage area, a desk, a seating area in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window, and a very comfortable king sized bed. There was also a mini fridge that came stocked with complimentary waters and sodas (alcoholic drinks are charged), along with some Costa Rican snacks.
My favorite part of the room was the shower, which included a folding door that went out to the balcony overlooking the bay. The bathroom area also had a large vanity with two sinks, and a separate wet bath.
Costa Rica is quite humid (especially compared to the desert where we live!), but the room was perfectly temperature controlled. We were in one of the furthest buildings from the lobby, which was nice because it was quiet and gave us easy access to the gym.
Dining at the Andaz Papagayo
The Andaz Papagayo has 4 on-site restaurants to dine at. Ostra serves Southeast Asian inspired cuisine; Gaio is an Italian restaurant that also serves breakfast; Chao Pescao offers Latin American tapas, and the newest restaurant (which wasn’t open yet during our stay), Meso, serves Mediterranean cuisine. Reservations were recommended at all of the restaurants for dinner.
Since we spent 3 nights at the resort we dined at each of the 3 open restaurants for dinner during our stay. All of the food was fresh and delicious, but my personal favorite was Gaio (photos of my pasta and dessert are below).
In addition to the main restaurants there’s a coffee shop on site called Coffee & Vinyls, which serves traditional coffee drinks and pastries. You can also get lunch at Casa de Playa, which is located at the resort’s private beach club on Nacascolo Beach.
Be aware, the Andaz Papagayo is not an all-inclusive resort, and dining options on the Papagayo Peninsula outside of the resort are limited (they’re mostly at the other resorts) so make sure to leave room in your budget for food. My husband and I spent about $600 on food during our 3-night stay.
Activities at the Andaz Papagayo
The Andaz Papagayo has a number of activities on-site to keep you entertained during your stay. As you might imagine at a luxury beach resort, the main attractions are the beaches.
There are 2 beaches right at the resort where you can swim and do water activities, like kayaking, paddleboarding, and snorkeling (included with your stay). You can also take a short boat ride to Nacascolo Beach to hang out at the resort’s private beach club (there’s also an option to take a shuttle through the jungle if the boat isn’t running). There are also activities you can do for an additional fee, like jet ski rentals, surf lessons, and tours to nearby attractions.
If salt water isn’t your thing, the Andaz Papagayo also has 3 pools to choose from. Two of the pools are family friendly and the third is an adults only infinity pool. There’s also an additional pool at the resort’s private beach club.
One of my favorite amenities at the Andaz Papagayo was the outdoor gym. There’s a squat rack, TRX equipment, and free weights. I live in a dry climate, so it was fun to workout outside in the humidity and work up a sweat! There’s also a spa and indoor gym with cardio and weight machines and dumbbells.
Upon checking into the resort we were given a guide to different activities and tours you could take, along with the hiking and biking trails in the area. The guide didn’t indicate that you needed a guide to hike on the trails, but when we inquired about the best way to get to them we were told we needed to hire someone to take us. We’re very experienced hikers and I wish we knew that was the policy before we booked our stay (we would have made other plans for that day), but it’s understandable from a liability standpoint.
Even though we weren’t able to hike on our own, we got a great recommendation from a staff member to visit a nearby beach off of the Papagayo Peninsula for sunset. Since we rented a car for our trip it was easy to leave the resort and explore.
Final Thoughts on the Andaz Papagayo
All in all we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Andaz Papagayo. As I mentioned earlier, we typically don’t stay at luxury resorts, so this was quite the treat. The property was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and there were plenty of activities to keep our adventurous selves occupied while also finding time to relax!
FAQ: About Staying at the Andaz Papagayo
How much does it cost to stay at the Andaz Papagayo?
The price for a room at the Andaz Papagayo varies depending on the time of year that you travel and the type of room that you book. During our visit in December a basic forest view room was around $900/night and a partial bay view room was around $1,000/night (these are the 2 most basic room options at the Andaz Papagayo). At the time of this article in August 2026, basic rooms were going for $767/night. There are also suites, penthouses, and villas available, which come with a premium price.
We actually used Hyatt points to book our stay at the Andaz Papagayo. It cost us 40,000 points/night, which was a great points deal considering the average cost of a room.
Who is the Andaz Papagayo for?
Based on our experience I would say that the Andaz Papagayo is best for couples who are looking for a relaxing and romantic vacation, with opportunities to stay active.
The resort is family-friendly and there’s a kids club on site, but the overall vibe is very chill. The kids we saw during our stay looked like they were having fun (most kids were on the younger side), but I could see really active or older kids getting bored, especially during a longer stay unless you plan for off-site excursions.
When should you visit the Papagayo Peninsula?
The best time to visit the Papagayo Peninsula is during Costa Rica’s dry season between December-April. We visited in the beginning of December and lucked out with nice weather during our entire stay at the resort.
Where should you fly into to stay at the Andaz Papagayo?
Fly into Liberia, Costa Rica, which is only a 35 minute drive to the Papagayo Peninsula.
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