Occidental Allegro Papagayo Hotel

Here are some of our thoughts from our 2 weeks stay at the Allegro Papagayo from Nov 9 to 22: - The most frustrating issue was Safety of goods. We used a safety deposit box and slowly noticed some amounts of money missing but couldn't figure out how as we had a room safe. The night before we left I we cleared out the safe and our Departure tax money was gone. Very noticeable considering I had folded it and set aside with our passports. So you may want to keep your money hidden in several spots throughout your room or keep with you in your pack when out of the room. We reported this to the manager however nothing was done. - $56 US departure tax - take aqua or beach shoes as the sand is hard and rough on your feet: the beach is rough (not raked or cleaned up so very natural and many thorns which really hurt) - bring LOTS and LOTS of bug spray. The resort is surrounding by jungle and many no see-ems but they leave a deadly welt and very itchy. The key time frame is close to 4pm just as the sun starts to set the bugs come alive. - bring after bite lotion and antihistamine - Bring kleenex as none was provided in the rooms - The resort is on a hill so bring only comfortable shoes as you may want to walk up and down to your room to get exercise, however there is a van that drives around all day to take guests to their rooms and to the reception which is at the top of the hill. There is a walking trail just past the beach volleyball court by building 15. The walk is nice and there are many monkeys to see and take photos of - once again you need to spray before going - Seafood night is Sunday. You can ask the chef to grill you some prawns or small lobster even though they serve it all together on a huge pan -Paella served on Thursday full of shrimp, lobster and lots of other fish - Go to the fun club beach which you must reserve through the men in the towel room. You can book for the week. I suggest going on the weekends as the local ticans come and take over the hotel. Go early so you can enjoy the walk along the beach but take sandals as the beach is crushed shells and coral . We snorkeled there but the visibility is only 15-20 feet. Saw spotted eagle ray, manta rays and lots of blow fish. No coral though even close to the rocks the view is limited. Warning though that there are jelly fish that pack a nice sting however it doesn't last long (10-15 minutes). Take towel with you. Snacks are provided and drinks. Bathroom on the beach are clean and plumbed - The Ticans get a special rate and cometo the hotel for the weekend in the hundreds. Last Saturday over 400 locals filed in. They have a beach party on Saturday so note this and which building you get. You do not want to be too close as the music is so loud and the base can be heard everywhere. Building 5,6,7 or 10,11,12 are good. We had #4 which was at the top and very quiet. Note: tourists are NOT invited to the beach party which is so dumb. We spoke to the management about the missed opportunity of joining the cultures together and allowing us to party and dance. Dancing is lacking except at the disco. - if you like to play billiards bring your own chalk as none was there - Take a big insulated water jug. We always do and get one filled with beer or favourite drink and the other with water. We drank a ton of water as the heat and humidity were hard to adjust to. They provided bottled water stations where you can fill up - get hielo at the bar - Spend a couple of Happy Hours up at the Reception bar. It closes at 5pm (another silly thing) so get there by 4:30 and load up with your drinks - sometimes the monkeys come out (5:30) and play in the trees. This is also a great place to see many birds, hummingbirds as well as meet other people. - The staff speak english and enjoy helping you learn spanish. The best line to know which I'll spell phonetically is: como say desay (how to you say) Especially for things like toothpick - The tours are expensive and crowded, so patience is required if this is how you want to see some of the sights. Another way is to hire a taxi . They will take you to any of the sights then you pay on your own for the tour. We rented a taxi and went to Rincon and did a 10km hike to the Blue Lake and La Cangrijo Waterfall. Amazing walk and experience. The falls and lake are worth the hike however it is a hilly climb especially on the return. Many howler monkeys and coatis (I think this is what they are called - a cross between and possum, anteater and raccoon) also the different vegetation in the jungle is worth the trip. - We rented a car and drove to Tamarindo which was another great experience. The roads are in need of alot of work. The potholes are everywhere just take it slow and do what the locals do - drive weaving through the holes using the entire road. Don't drive at night as no lights and the potholes could drown you. - Many things to see so plan ahead. We took the Frommer's Guide book (from the library) and planned from there. - We shopped in Liberia to get t-shirts and coffee. The Britt coffee is what they suggest to tourist however the locals all drink 1820. Stay away from shopping at the tourist shops as it is triple to cost. - Thursdays the local merchants set up stands in Pablo's Bar to sell all the wooden stuff and jewellry etc. The prices are good and the wood products are really nice. 1/2 the price of the gift shop at the resort. - Manager's meet and greet is Thursday Night either at Pablo's Bar or up at the Reception - finger foods served and of course liquor. - 1 US = 445-450 colones Playa coco is a little town and many folks said they ate a Louissianna Fish House for lobster dinner. Fabulous meal was everyone's comments. To take a taxi ($50 US for 4 people, $60 for 6) Overall the hotel was great - good food and a nice variety of dishes. Disappointments: Theft of money, Chaos that happens Friday Night to Sunday afternoon, volleyball court needs a ton of work

I have stayed at 10+ resorts in the Caribbean and Central America over the last several years and this resort was my least favorite. The main problem was the Papagaya allowing “locals” to come take over the resort on weekends. 300 to 400 guests would swarm in Friday through Sunday overwhelming all of the facilities. The “locals” at the resort were for the most part rude, pushy, unfriendly, and LOUD. None of the other guests from Europe or North America ever received even a friendly Hola from any of the “locals.” This is not a cultural issue since every person I crossed paths with from Costa Rica outside the resort was just fine. The food at the buffet and fine dining restaurant was good to very good. However, the other dining options during the afternoon at the pool snack bar and food at the private beach were horrible. The rooms are very small with walls so thin you can hear the television from the next room clear as a bell. The resort is also very isolated with a $50 round trip cab fare rate to get into the closest town. Before anyone writes that the reason I’m criticizing the “locals” who take over the resort on the weekends is because I am an ugly ethnocentric American, this is not the case. I have traveled all over the world and never had a problem with the local residents of any country I have ever visited. Drunk parents who allow their kids to constantly shoot the hardworking bartenders at the swim up bar with squirt guns have no class in any culture. You cannot be all things to all people and the Allegro Papagaya needs to decide if it wants to cater to people from Central America or North America/Europe. I love Costa Rica and will be back soon, just not at this resort.

We were visiting Nov 2 - Nov 9. Clean, attentive, fresh, merry. Great tours. ($extra). Take MEGA rainforest and full day snorkelling tours. Canopy rides are awsome. Beach club trips are excellent. You can go every day (included) by the boat to the wild beach with monkeys and good beach and bar/fresh fruits/snacks (included). Very quiate place. No electricity there. Clean, too. Nice staff. Overall 8 out of 10. 2 points lost due to: 1. hotel beach is not really a beach, more of just a shore with dark muddy sand. 2. They smoke too much in the billiards/disco bar. It just stinks. We would definitely come back.

Just returned from a trip here. We stayed here for 1 week, and while we were impressed with how beautiful the environment was we were a little disappointed with the Resort. Pros: -Great Pool -Swim-up Bar -Beautiful Views -Friendly Wait Service -Relaxing -Met a lot of very friendly and helpful fellow travelers Cons: -Beach was unimpressive -Disappointing Rooms -Tiring to go up and down a steep hill (from pool to room, or to main building) -Very poor administration -Food was poor I highly recommend visiting Costa Rica, but if you stay here just stay for a night or two. We stayed for a week and were happy to be home. When I go back I'd stay all over the place, and try to coordinate my hotel stays close to excursions. The Excursions Costa Rica offers are fabulous, but can be very far away and thus hard to get to. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

We just returned from Costa Rica after being there for a week. The Allegro was great. My husband & I were there with my Sister & hubby from Las Vegas for her birthday. It did rain a lot but didn't interfer with our plans. This is not a good time of the year for snorkling...too murky from the run off. As the other person mentioned, it's on a hill so it's a little challeging to get from place to place. The vans are there for you, tho. The food was great. We actually enjoyed the buffet better than the restaurant. The water in pool was perfect. We went over to the private beach & saw the monkeys. We hired a guide Maynor for 3 days. He was fabulous! He took us to places we would never go on our own. The roads were pretty bad...pot holes & washed out. Mayor cell#----------& hm #--------. I highly recommend him. Thank you for a great vacation..Sue

This is a very late review as I was at the Allegro Papagayo in late February 2004 - was just working on booking a trip and remembered that I wanted to send in a review. This resort was perfect!! It was impeccably clean, the food was good, and the staff was absolutely wonderful!! We had absolutely no issues checking in, our room was ready and waiting for us. The food was basically the same every day, but a fairly large variety. The theme nights were awesome - if my memory serves me it was Sunday night that was the seafood feast and I do mean FEAST!!! Lobster and jumbo prawns - FRESH!! There was not a cloud in the sky the whole time we were there and it was HOT! Remember not to try walking on the black sand beach without some kind of footwear. The water was cloudy so snorkelling wasn't very good. I had read a lot of review about bugs - I had a few bites but no one else in my group did. It is an isolated resort, but you make your own fun. You should take in some extras.....we did a tour to the Racon de la Veija (spelling?)....the canopy tour, horseback riding and the mountain spa.....I would definately recommend that to everyone. Also, you should try and rent a vehicle and head south to Tamarindo.....absolutely awesome beach with barely 10 people on it! If you do intend on renting a vehicle, make sure you do it well in advance of your trip, and if you can afford it, or split it with someone else, rent for the full week. They won't make much of an effort to get it to the resort if it's just for a day. Some of the finer details have escaped me, but I look back on that trip as one of the most relaxing ever. There were no complaints at all and nothing went wrong for us! I would definately go back!

This is a little late in coming since the report concerns a trip I took in late Spring. I will preface this by saying that I am an avid SCUBA diver, so I've travelled all over the Caribbean and in each case, there is always something that goes awry. You can either let it ruin your vacation or have fun because of/in spite of it. In the case of the Papagayo, I can truthfully say that everything was flawless. One of the things that has always bothered me about AIs is that sometimes the food sits too long at temperatures that are conducive to causing problems. However, I was happy to see that the food was turned over at a regular basis and there were people assigned to tend to the steamer tables. I also found the food to be varied, prepared well and very, very good. The Costa Rican work force is well-motivated and well-educated and it shows throughout. As for the room - ours was basic. A shower, a bed TV etc, all in good repair, all clean. Every room has a balcony with a view of the gulf that, in my case at least, was to die for. The same holds true for the grounds - they are impeccably groomed. Mind you, we were there at the end of Costa Rica's long dry season so it is even more to their credit that they were so lush. The pool was family friendly and had a shallow enclosed part for children along with a sloped, beach type entrance. The Allegro also has someone assigned to do nothing more than keep the pool clean. In this, he excels. Side notes (in no particular order) - This resort isn't on the ocean, it's on the gulf. The upside is water that in considerably calmer and warmer than an open beach. I dived in the Pacific side and it could be downright cold (and a little on the wild side). The Lobby Bar is gorgeous and a great place to while away a few hours with a book or new friends. The view and the breeze is unreal. One thing that may take people by suprise is that the resort is basically built into the side of the hill and this should be taken into account by people with health issues. Although they have regular van service make stops throughout, it may be taxing for some. Better to try and reserve a room on the pool level. As with many places in South America and the Caribbean - DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER!!! Further, don't get any water in your mouth in the shower and don't brush your teeth or rinse your brush with the tap. There are water pitchers provided in each room and water coolers outside out each building. Fill these up and you'll be fine. Finally, this is a Spanish speaking country and the staff does their best to accomodate English speakers. That being said, trying a few words in Spanish goes a long way in building a little goodwill. This was the best vacation I have ever taken and would stay tere again in a heartbeat.

We had a wonderful vacation at the Allegro Papagayo December/03. My husband, our two children, my uncle and myself planned this holiday. It ended up being my entire family, and a friend (20 people in total). My father has some health issues and we were worried about the resort being built on a cliff, however we were all given rooms on the first level closest to the pool so all we had to manage was a flight of stairs to get to most ammenities. There were shuttle buses readily available if you wanted to go to the lobby at the top of the hill. For those of us who wanted to walk off our meals, the hill was great. I am extremely picky when it comes to food but always managed to find something to eat. The private beech was wonderful -just make sure to book early. The rooms were small but clean - some A/C problems but otherwise fine. We ventured out a fair bit and would highly suggest taking in some of the sites. The canopy tour as arranged through the resort was awesome. We rented a vehicle and drove to the volcanoe and spent a day at the Tabaccon resort, which had awesome mineral pools - all varying in temperatures from quite cool to very hot. We enjoyed a coco loco in a coconut while in the pool - what a way to spend the day. All in all, there were little to no complaints from a group of 20, some of whom were very well traveled. We will return. The staff, particularly Diego and Kojak were wonderful. The beech is not white sand by any means but still clean - would highly recommend the private beech for a nice relaxing day.

My husband and I just returned from a week at the Allegro Papagayo on August 21. The resort is beautiful, the food is good, and the drinks are slow. BUT...if you are looking for an escape from children, this is NOT IT! All the entertainment is planned for and around Spanish speaking children! All the shows include child participation! If you have children you will love it. If not, you will be trapped with 50-75 Costa Rican children, most under the age of 8, and constantly in the peeool. The black beach was muddy and the water was brown. The Beach Club was really the high point of the resort. You must make a reservation early or walk up to the top of hill and take the free public bus to the beach. The resort doesn't tell you this, they just restrict access on pontoon boats, citing ecology. The rooms are small, but clean, and most have 2 double beds. If you want a view, you must be on the third floor. The gym was joke! Small, moldie with only two benches and some free weights. The stench came from the moldie wet suits stored in the room next door. If you are adventious...rent the best 4X4 you can afford and just drive around. Don't commit to one hotel for a week, the sights are too far apart and the roads are too bad to drive round trip in one day.

I stayed at this resort in June 2004. In a word, fabulous. This resort is amazing. The lobby is very pretty with a bar in it that closes at 5:00PM. We felt that this was a little early. As everyone has said this resort is built on a cliff. The shuttle is very quick and does not take long to catch it! The rooms were very nice as well, with 2 double bed. Room has shower only. All rooms face the bay. We were in building 3, the lower the building number, the higher that you are. We were at the top with a spectacular view from our balcony. There are 15 buildings total. I thought the food here was very good. We tried the steakhouse once, it was excellent! The buffet was also very good. Breakfast was my favorite. The drinks were some of the best that I have had at any AI. This was my 7th all inclusive. The bartenders were efficient. I would not call them fast. Sometimes there was a long wait at the swim-up bar. There are 4 bars in total including the swim-up and disco. The disco is open every nite. It was always fairly quiet. The beach here is black sand. It is very soft and looks pretty. At the private beach club the sand is more whitish. The beach club is a must see. The howler monkeys are everywhere. They are so cute. It is very quiet and relaxing at the beach club, with lots of hammocks. There is also a bar and snack bar here. Hello to Diego, who works at the beach club, say hi to him if you go there. He rocks. The shows were fantastic. With lots of audience participation, which I love. I won a medal and a t-shirt. Nice keepsakes! The staff is very friendly too, get to know them, its worth it. This resort is not close to any towns. We did go into Liberia, about 35 minutes away. Also we went to Coco Beach. This is a must see. It is so cool, and so cheap!! We bought tons of stuff for very little money. I bought beer at the supermarket for under $1CAD. Rum and cigars are also cheap here. We also did the Witches Rock canopy, not for the faint of heart. All in all Costa Rica is great. There is so much to explore here. Enjoy!! Cheers. Any questions please feel free to write me amanda_moshenko@yahoo.ca