Papagayo Golden Palms Beachfront hotel — Hotel in Sardinal

My friend and I stayed here through a travel agent's recommendation. We trusted the agent, so we didn't look at the reviews prior to booking. I'm hoping you're doing this prior to booking to save the trouble we had. Some things to consider as you're determining if this is the right hotel for you:

Although the grounds around the 4 main buildings and lobby is beautiful, the overall hotel is very dated and very secluded from restaurants and places of interest. Be prepared to get a rental car, or else it will cost $20 to just get off the property and another $20 to come back - it doesn't matter if it's 1 kilometer away, or 5 kilometers.

Although the wait staff is good, the food is expensive ($18 for a basic hamburger, $20-26 for a salad or basic entree dish). It would have been great if they offered guac or salsa and chips. The desserts were of low quality. The bar is not staffed by a bartender. It puzzled me how there would be 1-3 tables with guests and yet it would take a long time to have one of the two servers to help or bring your check especially at night. Their free buffet in the morning was great and offered some good options (eggs, pancakes, meat option, rice/beans, cereal, toast, and an assortment of juices). It far surpassed what they offered on their normal menu.

The employees congregate a lot at the front desk. The front desk team is not super helpful and were in the back office a lot, or would need to go there to answer questions/get documents that were needed. We had a front desk employee who ordered us a taxi when we didn't ask for it - calling us 15 minutes after we had just asked how much one would cost. They talked to us about the Diamante Eco Adventure Park excursion they could book for us. When we decided to book it with them, they had a very hard time actually reserving it for us when it came to the details. They told us we had to go to the front gate as the excursion bus could not pick us up at the lobby - which was false per the same company that dropped us off at the lobby later that day. They told us we could go in the morning or in the afternoon - we chose the afternoon so we could sleep in. Our bus came at 1pm, but we got there around 1:40. We went on the excursion, but got there and were told that the park would be closing at 4pm and our bus back was scheduled to leave at 3:30pm, which was very frustrating. We had limited time to actually enjoy ourselves.

The room itself was incredibly dated. The beds were very basic and one of ours actually broke when one of us sat on it. When we pulled up the bedskirt, the beds had MANY stains on them. My friend had to sleep on a pull-out that night as the maintenance team had left for the day. I wanted to note here that the maintenance team is VERY hardworking at this hotel - they just left at 10pm. While we were waiting the next morning for the bed to be replaced, we took a walk through the property. It feels VERY deserted. The villas seem to be deserted and in various states of disrepair. There was one villa that was most certainly the storage of broken/extra pieces of furniture. A lot of the villas just have their doors open, which I would assume would welcome in various animals to continue to deteriorate the condition of these empty villas.

Perhaps one of the worst parts of our experience was that we did not have a full hot shower the entire time we were there. We had the maintenance team come to look at our shower twice because it's very sad when you have to cower in the corner of a shower on vacation. You have to apparently turn the knob in the wrong direction to get hot water. Keep in mind, that the hot water becomes scalding hot and if you move it, it will...

I’m not quite certain how to put into words just how incredible my stay at Papagayo Golden Palms was. From the moment I arrived until the moment I left, my experience far exceeded every expectation I had.

The property itself is absolutely beautiful—serene, peaceful, and surrounded by nature. The rooms are spacious, bright, incredibly comfortable, and immaculately maintained. Every corner of the hotel is thoughtfully kept and inviting. The pool and lounging areas offer the perfect balance of relaxation: calming music paired with the soothing sounds of birds, waves, and rustling trees. When the tide is low, you can walk along the gulf or even go for a light hike. When it’s high, you’ll get to enjoy the refreshing embrace of the ocean water. It’s a rare setting where you can witness iguanas sunbathing, colorful crabs scurrying about, fish swimming near the shore, and howler monkeys calling from the jungle behind the hotel—all part of an immersive experience that truly grounds you in nature.

The food? Absolutely delicious. Every meal I had was bursting with flavor and clearly prepared with great skill and care. The chef here is top tier! My only recommendation would be to add empanadas arregladas to the Snack menu :)

What made this trip unforgettable, though, was the people. I experienced the best customer service I’ve ever received on any trip I’ve taken. My heart was deeply touched by the kindness, warmth, and genuine care shown to me by Daniela, Harley, Sergio, Andrea, and Mauricio. These are not just staff—they are incredible humans who went above and beyond to make me feel cared for, seen, and welcomed. They were generous with their time, joyful in spirit, and a true pleasure to talk to. I felt embraced like family, and that’s something I’ll never forget.

I wholeheartedly recommend Papagayo Golden Palms to anyone looking for a place to relax, reconnect with nature, and be surrounded by people who make you feel at home. My stay here was filled with joy, peace, fun, and heartfelt kindness. I’m already dreaming of...

Solo trip over a long weekend, and Golden Palms was a great choice. Pros: Quiet. This could be because I went during low season, but I twice had the pool to myself in the morning and at night. There was no wait for food, and I had my pick of beach lounges. Everyone was SUPER friendly, but this is consistent in Costa Rica. Location is less than 30 minutes from the airport. Also, was closer to Nicaragua for my one day trip there. Rooms are exactly as pictured, and clean. Beds were made daily, with towels/robes refreshed daily. Food portions were satisfying. Property is beautiful upon arrival. I went on a number of tours, and multiple passengers from other hotels commented on how beautiful the property was. Price was more than fair for where i stayed and the service I received. If back in Papagayo, I'd stay here again, hands down. Security was checked every time I arrived or left the property.

Cons: Bugs/spiders in the bathroom. I actually didn't complain about this because it didn't bother me, but I can see how it would with other people. Pool needs cleaning multiple times a day, but wasn't. I'm weird - WEIRD about swimming in a pool with a lot of debris. I did it, but hated doing it. Restaurant food was ok. It definitely isn't varied. Over my four nights there I tried almost everything, I didn't hate anything. The pancakes I tried the morning I left were delicious, I'd recommend those. Because the restaurant food isn't exceptional, the location is sort of a negative as well because you're not near anything. You'll have to drive or take a very expensive taxi to eat at other locations.

All in all, I enjoyed my time there, and would not only stay again, but recommend it to others looking for an resonably priced...