Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort — Hotel in Jacó

We stayed at the Marriot Los Suenos for 8 days. We splurged and got a two-room suite which was VERY nice. Not necessary (only two of us), as we learned during our stay, but we enjoyed having the extra room and two balconies. The resort itself is clean and well-staffed. Front desk always had several people working there and they were helpful and friendly. Honestly, there wasn’t one employee at the hotel who wasn’t extremely friendly. The open-air front lobby and terrace is massive and very comfortable. All the employees we interacted with spoke enough English to communicate very well with us Non-Spanish speaking guests. When we explained that we’d like to learn a few simple Spanish sentences, they were always happy to help and teach us.

The hotel has a little market and gift store on-site where you can get drinks, chips, have a sandwich made, get an ice-cream, etc. They have a spa on premises which we did not use.

We had breakfast each day at the Hacienda. They had a great continental breakfast that was included in our stay. Full breakfast menu was also available, and the buffet area was always kept very clean and stocked often. The fresh fruit bar was one of our favorites. Pastries were delicious, must have had 8 – 12 different ones to choose from every morning! Plenty of tables, we never had to wait to get seated.

The pool is beautiful. It is starting to show a bit of age with a few small tiles missing from the floor in some areas but all in all, they keep it looking great. The pool was clean and seating areas were always picked up by servers everywhere. They have rafts and noodles floating around for all to use if you wanted to. Not too many…just enough so you could grab a free one if it happened by. Very nice touch. The pool has a swim up bar, kids pool off to the side (also a kids sand play area just outside the pool), a family section with pool volleyball net. The pool winds and circles around, letting you float under the bridge walkways and private areas for sitting in the water in several areas. You can order drinks and food items pool side throughout the day and we never waited long to get someone’s attention. We ordered fish tacos by the pool one day and they were very good. Many chaise lounges either by the pool for facing the small beach. Never had a problem finding two chairs in the shade. The pool did not seem over-crowded at all. It is easy to find people to talk with - or not – depending on how you were feeling that day! They have several extra-large cabana type beds for reservation at about $100 per day. We did not rent one but they looked nice and we watched from our balcony several times as the employees cleaned and changed linens on them each evening. The hotel showed a poolside family friendly movie every night Monday – Friday from 6PM-8PM. Not many participated in that, but also a nice touch for families with kids. However, we noticed there were hardly any kids or families watching those movies. The movie did take away some of the enjoyment for adults who wanted to just sit by the pool and enjoy the long lasting sunsets. Towels during the day were never a problem to get, but if you go to the pool after sunset, best to plan ahead and grab towels before they close up that area and take them back to your room for later. The evening swims were fabulous. Water was warm, swim up bar was open and most nights there were less than 10 people in the pool after 8PM.

Be prepared, Iguanas are everywhere! They especially like the pool area, but you will see several Iguanas each time you are out on the grounds of the hotel. Never an issue, they were fun to see! The hotel offered an Iguana tour that went out along the hotel’s property and golf course. The employee who was our guide did a great job. We saw Iguanas, several toucans, scarlet macaws, among other birds I can’t even...

We recently returned from our second trip to the Los Sueños Marriott, and it solidified why this resort holds a special place in our hearts. While no place is perfect, the pros here definitely outweigh the cons, especially if you're a water lover like us!|The Highlights| * The Pool is Pure Perfection: This is, without a doubt, the star of the show and the primary reason we keep coming back. The sprawling, multi-faceted pool offers endless nooks and crannies to explore. We spent almost every waking moment immersed in its refreshing waters. Whether you crave sun-drenched spots or prefer the cool embrace of the shade, the pool delivers. During our "rainy" season visit, it felt like our own private oasis with virtually no crowds.| * Exceptional Staff: Every interaction we had with the staff was a pleasure. They were consistently friendly, professional, and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable.| * Upscale Location & Security: Los Sueños itself is a beautiful, upscale development that feels incredibly safe and well-maintained. We always felt secure during our stay.| * Delicious Dining: We were thoroughly impressed with all the food options. The breakfast buffet, in particular, was a standout and a fantastic way to start each day.| * Comfortable Accommodations: Our room offered a supremely comfortable bed and a well-appointed bathroom with an excellent shower – perfect for unwinding after a long day by the pool.| * Perfect "Rainy Season" Weather: Don't let the "rainy season" label deter you! We experienced perfect weather with minimal rain and, as a bonus, significantly fewer crowds, which enhanced the feeling of having the resort to ourselves.|Areas for Improvement| * Disappointing Beach: Unfortunately, the beach at Los Sueños is a major drawback. It's quite unappealing—rocky, muddy, and often littered. Don't expect a pristine stretch of sand for swimming or lounging.| * Premium Pricing: Be prepared for resort prices. In our opinion, many things are overpriced. For example, the breakfast buffet, while delicious, comes with a hefty price tag of over $40 per person.| * Window Woes: The single-pane windows and sliding glass doors in the rooms are a noticeable issue. They constantly accumulate condensation due to the humidity and offer poor sound insulation, meaning outside noise can easily filter in.| * Jaco's Lack of Charm: The nearby town of Jaco didn't leave a great impression. It feels a bit out of place next to the upscale Los Sueños, and we weren't overly impressed with its offerings.| * The Swim-Up Bar Dilemma: This was perhaps our biggest complaint, and it's a common one mentioned in other reviews: children at the swim-up bar. This area of the pool should ideally be designated for adults only. We often found it difficult to get a drink due to the sheer number of kids congregating at the bar. While we have children ourselves and love kids, there are certain spaces where they don't belong, especially when they're blocking paying adult customers from accessing the bar.|Despite a few minor frustrations, our second visit reinforced our love for the Los Sueños Marriott, primarily due to its incredible pool and fantastic staff. If a spectacular pool experience is high on your vacation priority list, this resort is definitely worth considering!|Have you experienced similar issues...

[ ] I have high expectations for Marriott, especially of resort status, and this was far from meeting those expectations especially for the cost of this hotel. We paid for the swim up room, which is exactly the same size and layout of the regular room but with access to the coldest and dirtiest pool on property and even worse, more direct access to ants. Despite being careful, keeping the door closed, keeping my feet off the ground when seated outside, I got two ant bites one day, one the next, and one the next. I was offered a dot of caladryl and they sprayed for ants, but it didn’t help. I am allergic and my foot was swollen so large I couldn’t wear shoes. The next day we informed the front desk again of the ants in the room, on the patio, and even on the breakfast baskets delivered to the room, and again I was offered a dot of caladryl. Possibly ointment in small packages for later use, offering to change the room because the hotel was practically empty, would have been more helpful. Maybe a deep clean/spray of the room. Anything. We ended up having to go into Jaco for access to a pharmacy with hydrocortisone so I didn’t have to call for first aid every time I needed it. We decided to get breakfast from the restaurant instead of delivered to the room due to ants on the basket but tried again for breakfast delivery the last day and surprise, more ants on the basket. Ants on the walkways, ants around the pool, obviously ants in the grass so don’t even try that - you can’t even set your drink down or lean your back on the edge to relax in the pool because…. Ants! Main pools included. Besides the ants, my other issue is that with the cost of the hotel I would expect more modern amenities. The gym has few machines and they are probably from 1990. Few tours and excursions are offered in June, especially to small groups, which I tried to find out via emailing the hotel prior to our arrival but didn’t receive a response. Food, drinks, and the spa are even more expensive than an American Marriott, which is outrageous. It was cheaper to take an Uber to the next city, eat, tip drivers, etc. than eat on property - especially considering food on property is subpar. Days we had breakfast in the dining room, the staff was almost reluctant to refill water or coffee, we had to ask several times to the point I wonder if it is not customary to refill. The only good thing about this hotel is that the staff is pretty friendly. A few one offs, but for the most part pretty friendly and nice. The nicest: breakfast delivery staff, housekeeping, la iguana tour guide. Amazing people. La Iguana tour was great with lots of wildlife, and free! Front desk and dining staff were fine but didn’t make my experience. I am overall disappointed and feel Marriott is taking advantage of people being relatively isolated from access to other hotels/dining/tours and charging far too much for what you receive. They offer “entertainment” which is a walk, yoga, aqua aerobics, but not what you’re you’d see at any other kind of resort with evening shows, etc. We don’t eat much and barely drink alcohol and it would have been a WAY better value to just go to an all inclusive in Guanacaste. I imagine they also would have taken care...