El Mangroove, Autograph Collection in Sardinal, Costa Rica - reviews,open hours,photo spots,things to do

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Janine WilliamsJanine Williams

Modern, upscale boutique hotel with a new age atmosphere. Beautiful well manicured grounds, professional and pleasant staff who go out of their way to please guests. The three of us stayed in a queen nesto room — it felt a little cramped for us and lacked any real sense of privacy. Despite the fact that a 2 queen nesto room is designed to accommodate up to 4 people, we were charged an extra $30 per night for the third person (we didn’t seem to get anything extra for this extra charge except for a 3rd towel set for the shower). The bedroom is air conditioned inside a glassed door enclosure, but the sitting area is screened to permit an outdoor/ indoor experience. We are here during wet season so it can be stifling hot with high humidity. We found the beds to be very hard and uncomfortable. We asked staff for foam toppers to soften the beds but they had none. The sink was a weird design that was awkward and apparently difficult to clean. Although the room was cleaned each day, the toilet was never really cleaned from the outset as the back hinge area remained dirty. When we called about the hard beds, they really tried to help by putting about 5 soft blankets under the fitted sheets but, this offered limited pain relief. The hotel offers an extra all-inclusive (3 meals per day & drinks) package at $160 extra per person per night which we did not opt into as we felt the pricing was excessive and we intended to drive to local restaurants for a more cultural experience anyway. The breakfast buffet is decent at $20 per person and had a good variety. The lunch and dinner that we tried were good but also somewhat overpriced. Overall, the hotel is beautiful — interesting architecture and landscaping which could be very relaxing at times. Music does play constantly in the common areas. You can rent a private cabana tent on one side of the pool for an extra $100 a day. You can also walk down to a Bay Area beach which is quieter — there is no surf as it is more of an inlet beach. 15 minutes drive to Hermosa beach and 21 minute drive to Coco beach. Update: Tried to use the complimentary bikes today — the bikes are all the same and too tall for me at 5’4” — so braking is dangerous. The bike trails are full of sand pits that stop you cold. Motorized vehicles are allowed on the paths and even the beach area so it can be treacherous. I fell so it was not the peaceful relaxing experience I expected. Skinned my legs and cut my hand a bit too. Update: Found a huge scorpion carcass in our bathroom area the last day of our stay! I shudder to think it was in there while we were sleeping or showering 😳

Alexander FottaAlexander Fotta

We were really excited about our stay at the Mangrove Resort based on how beautiful it looked online, but unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to expectations. At best, the property felt like a refreshed Best Western — certainly not the five-star luxury resort it’s marketed to be. Housekeeping was inconsistent and intrusive: One day, they knocked on our door for service at 4:30 PM, right before dinner, saying it was the earliest they could clean. Another day, someone from the staff let themselves in unannounced to “check what model TV” we had, which felt like a major breach of privacy. The bug situation was overwhelming. From the moment we arrived, we were covered in bug bites despite using repellent. This alone made it hard to relax or enjoy time outdoors. Another major downside was the constant presence of airline crews, particularly flight attendants who seemed to use the resort as a layover party spot. I overheard that this is the closest hotel to the airport, which would explain why so many crews stay here. Unfortunately, many were loud and disruptive, drinking heavily in the pool and restaurant areas throughout the day and evening, which really diminished the relaxing atmosphere we had hoped for. As for amenities, they were pretty basic and not on par with a luxury resort. The hot water in our room didn’t work the first day, and every other day it took about 10-15 minutes to heat up — and even then, it never got truly hot. So much for being eco-friendly or conserving water. Dining was a mixed bag: We really enjoyed the main restaurant, which was open every night and served well-prepared meals at reasonable prices. However, the second restaurant — which advertises a Michelin-level experience — was a major letdown. Service was slow and disengaged, and the food tasted off; the burrata in particular was nearly inedible. While the resort has some redeeming qualities, the bug issue, lack of true luxury amenities, and disruptive environment from airline crews make it hard to justify the price or the five-star label. We wanted a peaceful escape, but sadly, this wasn’t it.

Jenny JinJenny Jin

I’ll preface this by saying we are picky frequent travelers, but we have never complained about a hotel to our Marriott concierge. We stayed here 3 nights for our honeymoon. Pros- beautiful pool and beach, gorgeous restaurants, good activities like coffee tasting and yoga. Breakfast brunch is good. The hotel gave us a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries for our honeymoon. Cons- we did not find our check in concierge friendly or welcoming… every hotel I’ve stayed in has 1-2 sentences about where the gym is, pool, hours, etc… there was none here. No idea if there even was a gym or pool! We got the sense our check in person was merely doing a painful job. Our room is smaller than our NYC bedroom and that is saying something!! Possibly 400sq ft? Who knew Costa Rica real estate was so limited in size? :D Room is incredibly basic and reminds me of a Sheraton. We have Marriott ambassador status/lifetime platinum, and this is probably the first time at a Marriott property that we were not upgraded to a suite or larger room since the hotel is full. We were also at the very farthest end of the hotel… understandable but given the size of the room, I would not stay here again. We got a cabana and got less than half the food that came with it. We eventually had to ask after 2h for the food and cocktail that came with it and the waiter apologized and said he didn’t know why his colleagues didn’t provide them. Safe had to be replaced and we were required to stay in the room for 2h during prime daylight hours while it was replaced. Kayaks are included but we were never allowed to use them due to wind, even though there was zero discernible wind half the days - very disappointing. Our pool waiter also told us one of the families there has already complained about their stay. The list goes on. After our Marriott concierge reached out to the hotel for us (again, we have never done this before), there was still zero acknowledgement.

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Reviews of El Mangroove, Autograph Collection

4.0

(673)

1.0

4y

El Mangroove has lost its groove. This hotel is not a luxury hotel and should aptly be rebranded as a 1-2 star hotel to avoid misleading potential guests.

Check-In

Check-in was an uncomfortable experience for me. I cannot recall a time when I was required to allow a hold that matched the daily rate and I travel quite a bit. Could've been that it's common in Costa Rica, but I wasn't sure so I protested a bit and had the amount reduced by $500.

The Rooms

The room was the most disappointing part of the stay at El Mangroove and was the first indication that this hotel was not a luxury hotel. Upon entering room 204 the moldy, musty smell almost knocked me on my back and I spent most of the night trying to find where it was coming from to try and eliminate it. Further inspection of the room revealed stained, moist bedding, a rust-stained toilet bowl, a stained and grungy-looking basin, a floor mat stuck to the concrete surface by a sticky substance beneath it, rusty hinges on the shower door, a grungy-looking shower drain cover, and to top it off, empty erectile disfunction pill packaging in one of the nightstand drawers. Clearly, room 204 was not properly cleaned prior to our arrival and I requested to be moved to another. Fortunately, room 104 didn't have that awful smell I encountered in room 204, but there were some identical shortcomings. Specifically, moist bedding, the rust-stained toilet bowl, a dirty, grungy basin, and the dirty, grungy shower drain cover. Additionally, I discovered that the entrance door to 104 didn't quite reach the floor, granting free passage into the living area of all the willing Costa Rican night crawlers. I ended up sharing the room with at least 2 geckos that were well fed by the insects that also made their way into 104.

Amenities - The Gym & Cruiser Bicycles

The condition of the machines in the gym revealed just how poorly managed this hotel is. The Treadmill that I visited the gym to use had a hole in the motor housing exposing the cylindrical roller that moves the belt, rust on parts of the metal surfaces, and a worn and mostly inoperable display. The Treadmill squeaked loudly when I figured out how to get it going but warmed up and quieted down after a few minutes, allowing me to complete my runs during my stay. The other machines also had very clear signs of wear and neglect. Later in the week I decided to use the available cruiser bicycles to ride to the next town over and visit the grocery store. Once again it became evident that management was doing a terrible job of maintaining the property's equipment. The chain on every bike was rusty and dirty, and the rubber handles were dirty and gross. Still, I decided to say a little prayer and head out on the road. Fortunately, there were no hardware failures on the road and I made it to my destination and back safely.

The People and The Food

The people and the food were the only good aspects of my 7 day stay. The staff was genuinely friendly and engaging and even recommended things to do off the property. They were willing to help with whatever they could and seemed to enjoy doing so. The food was also very good, though the menu never changed while we were there. I believe that the menu is fixed and that it has allowed the chef to consistently churn out flavorful dishes.

Conclusion

El Mangroove is a poorly managed property that has lost its groove and has no place being categorized as a luxury hotel. The dingy smells, dirty rooms, moist, stained bedding, neglected equipment, and the abundance of bugs and creatures that share the room with you, makes EL MANGROVE a more apt name for this 1-2...