Margaritaville Beach Resort Playa Flamingo — Hotel in Cabo Velas

|We had an amazing time at The Margaritaville and it was much better than I expected on most things like the rooms, the pool, the beach, the food and the drink.|The buffet was small and limited, but there was always a good salad, chicken and beef loin on offer so you could make a nice plate.|We only ate at the buffet twice - the rest of the time we mixed between 5oclock Somewhere, Banana Waves menu and the pool bar - each had something slightly different plus the Italian which was lovely (and had exceptional service).|To be fair, the service everywhere was brilliant - the people in the pool bar worked their socks off and always had a smile on their face.  I loved that soft drinks didn't have to be in plastic cups and you'd get the bottle of Coke zero.  The cocktails were very strong and blew my head off, but that's probably because I'm a bit of a lightweight :)|We did eat local food but it wasn't really to our taste so the tex mex menu was great for us.  I did worry that the decent food from the menu may all be charged at a supplement, but there were only a couple of dishes that this applied to.  The Quesidillas and Nachos are some of the best I've had.  And my husband loved The Hangover Burger.  Breakfast nuffet was ok and the eggs and omelette were lovely but there was never any bacon.  I found out on our last morning that there's actually an a la carte breakfast menu with bacon, eggs benedict etc. ||We were booked a package through Tui as it worked out much cheaper than doing flights and accommodation separately, even with renting a car and doing a self-tour for 5 days. ||Check-in was a dream and the receptionist was welcoming and friendly, she knew we were tired so just gave us the detail we needed before we were taken with our bags to the room.|The room was lovely, bright and breezy and our balcony overlooked the small pool at the back where Oreo the Racoon spent a lot of time.  |We are used to big, sprawling all inclusive resorts with buffets that could fill a football pitch - this isn't one of those, but we found it much better.|I only smoke on holiday and should have done my research better as it's illegal to smoke on the hotel property and in national parks so if you're a smoker, beware however as the resort is so small it's a stones throw to the beach road where I met some lovely fellow smokers. |The only negative that I have is that on one smoke, gardners had like a snake catcher stick and a big black bin bag. I asked them what they were doing and they said that they were relocating the lizards, u asked to see in the bin bag and it had loads of them, all different sizes squirming around in there.  They said that they weren't going to kill them (which I thought was an odd thing to say) and they were relocating them literally 50 yards around the corner because they were ruining the plants.  I said that us tourists would probably prefer to watch the lizards than see a perfectly tended flower patch.  I'm also dubious about Oreo's family whereabouts as the official line is that they had all just upped and left him.  As we're from the UK, it was the first time we'd seen a racoon and we thought he was fab.  He sat like a dog beside the table waiting for treats but I understand that people with more experience of racoons were not as thrilled with his presence. ||The beach was lovely and we went swimming in the sea every day, you have to time it right as the waves can be really rough and knock you over - defo take off your hat and sunglasses,  there are some submerged rocks to the right so beware.  We also watched many glorious sunsets. ||We went to the night market which was ok and we went on a quad trip with Gerald, a guy from the gate.  Make sure you've checked the Tui trips tho as we paid for a private tour to go into the jungle and waterfalls as we didn't want to go to the beach.  We went to the beach and there was another couple with us.  Actually, it was a nice experience but not what we'd asked for or paid for.  Also it was 30 dollars more expensive than the Tui one, so don't just assume the guys at the gate are cheaper.|We rented a car from near the marina for 5 days, it was fine.  We were prepared for really difficult driving conditions but in the main it was fine, even at night - maybe we're just used to single lane tracks in the UK?  We went to La Fortuna and Monte Verde - it was breathtaking, we saw sloths, went ziplining, did the hanging bridges, waterfalls and so much more.|The world is too big to go back to the same place unless it's truly exceptional.  This is one of those places and I'd go back in a shot but unfortunately this was the last season for Tui and they have now withdrawn their flights and packages to Costa Rica.  We will definitely return though, at some point...

As a rule of thumb, I normally do not write reviews on places that I have vacationed at, however, I must make an exception to my own rule. We have traveled all over the world and I must say I have never in all our trips, have we ever been so spoiled as we have been at Margaritaville in Guanacaste Costa Rica! Let me start by saying that the staff at the front desk both morning and afternoon shift were so attentive to any and all our needs. Everyone always with a smile, professional and so respectful. It makes a big difference when you arrive to a hotel and you are greeted with such warmth, that you know it’s all going to be ok. The front desk staff was amazing and I appreciate all the hard work and professional towards all your guest. We then met Susy, the Tour Guide. We’ll talk about going above and beyond your job duties! She helped us with all our sightseeing questions, scheduled all our tours, and even assisted us with rescheduling one of our activities, we had to cancel something we had already paid for. It all worked out and we were able to go on another day… thank you Susy! If we asked to be pick up at a certain time and place, Susy would make it happen, so I am thankful for all her guidance and help figuring out what do and see while we were there. As for the cleanliness of the hotel and housekeeping. Well once again an amazing job! They clean and disinfect all the time, they even spray outside in the hallways to keep out the little critters. Although it’s an open hotel, they still managed to keep everything nice and clean. As for housekeeping, the girl in charge of our area was on it. The room was always cleaned very well and she stocked us up on anything we asked for! Great job housekeeping! This hotel offers four places to eat. Chill Bar that is poolside. You can order food from them and they will bring it to your table by the pool. The staff was amazing, always checking to see if we needed anything else. They even came by with coffee and pastries after we ate there delicious nachos! They were all so respectful and as always with a smile on their face. Then they have Caprichos, Italian Food. What can I say, I love me some Italian food, and theirs was amazing. The staff was so very polite and professional, but then again I would not of expected anything less. Happy Hour anybody? 5 o’clock Somewhere, is a great place to have some drinks or order food. Everything is delicious, and you have a great view of the ocean, it’s open so you can feel the cool breeze. They had a band play on Friday night, we thought that was very nice, it was also unexpected. Again the staff was amazing, professional and very respectful, attentive to our needs. Then we have Banana Wind! Inside outside seating, of course great food, but what was more then the food was the staff. They treated us like if we had been regular customers for years. Words cannot express how so very Professional, Kind, Respectful, Attentive and Warm the staff from both shifts were. I don’t know if anyone remembers the show Cheers. Well that’s exactly how we felt every time we went to eat there, welcomed. I must also mention the Chef from Banana Wind. One day we asked how they made their Oatmeal, it was just so good. Well the server said to wait one minute. We did and all of a sudden we had Chef Azofeifa at our table explaining how he made the Oatmeal, wait what, I know I couldn’t believe that he came to give us his recipe. He was such a nice person, and as always respectful and kind. How many places have you gone to around the world, where the Chef comes out to give you his recipe on something he made. Ok I know, your saying, well it was only Oatmeal, but he didn’t even have to come out to say anything, but yet he took the time to come and visit with us. Let me just add that the Beach is amazing, nice soft clean sand. The water is warm and the waves just the right size. Please remember, I do not write reviews, but I felt I just had to with this Hotel! If your ever going to Costa Rica, make sure to head to Margaritaville Beach Resort in Guanacaste....

Let me start by saying I typically don't write these things or find myself providing reviews. In this case, for Margaritaville Costa Rica, I had to. I just need to share how amazing the people at this resort are and how good of job they do on a daily basis to make it a special and memorable experience. There is the obvious of how nice the resort is and the amazing location in CR, but the real standout is the people.

This was my 2nd visit to the resort. The 1st was in Dec '18 and that visit was just as amazing and memorable. I didn't think it was possible, but our latest visit definitely matched, if not exceeded our last and it was all due to the staff. I could go on about how nice the resort is, how delicious the food is or how amazing the location is, but that is easy given the name and location. What I feel inclined to write about is the staff that keep this resort running day in and day out. We truly have the best memories and it is entirely due to everyone here that makes you feel like family. From the cleaning staff dealing with our sandy or confetti covered room each day, only to leave us a nice towel animal and flowers to show they care, to the kitchen staff that made all our delicious meals, cleaned up and all the other work involved. To the front desk who remembered many of our family from earlier and greeted as though we never left. There are a few people we spent more time with that we would like to acknowledge for their hard work and dedication.

Rosaura (events team) was amazing to deal with, helping pull together our dream wedding. Every piece came together, exceeding our expectations. We knew already and trusted her after seeing the incredible party organized over NYE. Her commitment and dedication to make it so special was over and above, she was always on and working hard to make things perfect. Thank you Rosaura.

Eduardo (Banana Wind rest.). We got to know him well on our last trip, to the point we requested he be part of our wedding. He very graciously helped out, and was busy all day setting up. He then worked the night, thru to take down and cleanup. His hard work and positive attitude made our trip another huge success.

Manuel, just an amazing attitude with energy to keep everyone going. We also requested his help, as he left a lasting impression from our last visit. He was the life of our party, worked all day, thru the night, only to be back at work for his normal shift the next morning. Dedication was unmatched.

Jaime, Janet and the Cappricios restaurant staff. Such caring and committed people. They truly went above and beyond for our group. For our first night, they prepared in advance and greeted each guest at the door. They knew we were celebrating something special and truly made us feel that way, setting off confetti, being very responsive to serve us all night while still managing others in the place (with the same level of service) and adding nice personal touches like special greetings on the plates. Come our wedding night, they went out of their way to congratulate us, only to then have us return to the restaurant when the events shut down to celebrate the remainder of the night. (Margaritaville shuts down the music and outdoor events at 10pm, as it tries to look after it's guests and cut back on the loud late night partying) Jaime, Janet and the staff at Cappricios thank you again for making those nights special and memorable, such kind hearted and genuine people that made the stay an incredible experience.

Just a few people that we had the pleasure of interacting with a little more than others, but all staff are incredible and clearly care about their guests and the experience they have. They make the difference and allow a place like this to stand out in our minds.

I can't wait to visit again and hope that others can learn to appreciate these people like we have. I am scared these types of reviews will bring more people to the place we love and make it more difficult for us in the future, but I just need to share as they deserve all the business and success...