Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5649 reviews

• 

  Pura Vida!!

  PURA VIDA!! We just got back from a stay at Secrets Papagayo. We have stayed at many Secrets resorts over the years and this was a truly different type of experience in an amazing way. The villas are immersed in nature as is the whole resort, It is a bit of steep walking but we easily did it without the need of the shuttles. Check in and check out were soooo quick and easy. Every staff person we encountered was extremely kind and helpful. We were able to keep our room very cool despite the humid temperatures outside. Saw lots of wildlife. It was a smaller resort and we liked that. The Amstar reps were very helpful regarding our transportation. The food was very good and the preferred lounge was nice. If you take a tour - the sunset catamaran and snorkel trip was great. We also took a tour with Frank the Tank and his staff were so kind and helpful. We will definitely be back!!

  Jul 05, 2025
• 

  Pura Vida! Good times with good people!

  Stayed in Preferred Club room 118 with two beds. Did not have unobstructed view of water but it was conveniently located near Preferred Club lounge and main area for dining and entertainment. Even though room was numbered on the ground level, there were still two sets of stairs to get from walkway to the room. Preferred Club food and drinks were much better than rest of resort. Excellent service at breakfast in Seaside Grill from GINA, Wilson, and Cristian (if I ever face a crocodile and survive, it will be because of the advice you gave me). Preferred Club bartenders William and Arturo were awesome. They were very kind to us and we enjoyed everything they made, especially William’s Guaro Sour. Club always having light bites like tasty salmon skewers was a nice touch. Outside the club, enjoyed bracelet making with Mariana and DJ at night. Our best dinner was Teppanyaki. Lots of food (we had salmon, steak, and chicken), very tasty, and Leonardo put on a good show. If excursions are your primary interest, this resort may not be the best location, as they are far away. I normally prefer beach over pool, but hearing of stingray and crocodile sightings kept me out of the bay. Still enjoyed walking on the black sand beach though. Party pool gets to be about 5’ deep, but depth is not marked. Never made it over to the spa side of the resort. Room for improvement when it comes to making reservations for anything. Being preferred club helped, but we still could not get desired dining or cabanas/daybeds for every day of our stay. Those things and activities should be in an app and open to booking in advance, and limits should be added. Understand that resort is small, so still won’t get everything you want, but I think those changes would improve the experience. Would be great for resort to add a grounds tour explaining flora and fauna. Saw mostly couples when we were there, but resort works for friend groups too, especially if you don’t mind sharing a bed (rooms with two beds are limited). For me, the people you travel with is ultimately what really makes the trip, and I was fortunate to be with a group of wonderful women!

  Jul 04, 2025
• 

  Ambience great, food not so much!

  Ambience great. Drinks pretty good. Excursions were fabulous. Pool areas were awesome. Food was way below average. No local food. Japanese restaurant was only one that was decent. Too spread out. Gotta get rides everywhere.

  Jul 03, 2025
• 

  Loved every second!

  Highly recommend! The resort was so nice! The food and drinks were excellent! Even during rainy season the weather was perfect most of the time- just humid. Rooms were cozy - views were great. Highly recommend the jet ski tour that is offered by a guy right near the beach. Bring bug spray and lots of sunscreen. Bring walking shoes the resort is VERY hilly! My husband and I easily walked the whole thing - most people took the shuttles which seemed to take way too long.

  Jul 02, 2025
• 

  Rio Celeste Waterfall and Rainforest Hike

  This tour was led by Esteban through AmStar and was a pretty good one! We had a chocolate and Coffee tasting at a plantation. It was neat to see the total process of Costa Rican Coffee and the work that goes into it. Sloth Land was next and it was THE HIT. We saw multiple sloths, spyder monkeys, toucans, parrots and much more. It was fantastic. We had lunch at a local restaurant where we pre-ordered our meal through Esteban. It was delicious as well. Last, we took a hike into a national park and saw the Rio Celeste Waterfall. Along the hike, we saw parrots, and a pit viper! It was a gorgeous, but wet, hike (you are in the rainforest. - a landslide knocked out a a part of the steps, so we couldn’t get down to the waterfall- but it was pretty nonetheless. Take hiking boots! Esteban was fantastic.

  Jul 01, 2025