Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5644 reviews

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  Amazing 🤩

  Just WOW! Let me start by saying I’ve stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, including Secrets Cancun—which I wouldn’t recommend. The food there was honestly disappointing, it was a joke. As a Mexican and a skilled home cook, I know what authentic Mexican food tastes like, and that wasn’t it. Because of that bad experience, I was very hesitant to try Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica. I wasn’t sure if the poor quality was a “Secrets” issue or something specific to Cancun. My expectations were low—but I’m so glad I gave this resort a chance! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. The food was outstanding (I didn’t try the buffet, I’m not a big fan of buffets or breakfast in general), and the staff were incredible: always cheerful, attentive, and helpful! A special thank you to Juan at the lobby, who went above and beyond from the very first day to help us with anything we needed. Everyone at the restaurants was kind and respectful, but the entire team at Sea Side Grill truly stood out. Their hospitality was next level—they honestly deserve a raise. Huge thanks to Randy, Thanya, Yesner, Fernando, Chef Gerardo, and Eli from transportation! Mil gracias! 🙏🏼 Pura Vida 💟 Will I come back? Absolutely, yes!

  Jun 30, 2025
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  Couples Anniversary Trip

  Secrets Review- We did private transportation to and from the airport and had zero complaints. On time, professional, etc. We arrived at the resort around noon and had lunch first and used the premium lounge while we waited for our room. Our room was not ready until about 2pm. We had a junior ocean front room at the top of the hill. It was definitely a hike up and down it. Shuttles are available, usually available pretty quickly. There was only a few times we had to wait more than 5-10 mins. The room was smaller than other resorts rooms we have gotten. No bathtub just a shower. It does have a mini bar but it seemed they did not stock it everyday. Housekeeping did a good job everyday. There was only one day where they tried to come at 3 and we had to turn them away since we just got back from an excursion. Room service was pretty timely. There was one day where it was late and our last day, they never showed up. Food though was delicious. I usually got an egg white omelette and my hubby got the pancakes or costa rican breakfast. I recommend leaving the curtains closed while out of the room. It can heat up during the day. We did decided to upgrade to the premium amenities. We used the premium lounge everyday and the bartender was fantastic. We were able to only get a cabana 2 out of our 7 day trip. And there was several days we couldn’t get a chair near the pool. If you don’t get down to the main pool by 9am to save your chairs, you most likely won’t get one. The restaurants were very good. Italian Portofina- being our favorite and we went twice. Men must wear long pants to eat inside. We ate inside one night at 5pm and had amazing service and food. The raviolis were the best thing we had at the resort. The chicken parmigiana and pesto pasta were great as well.The 2nd time we ate there outside and service was very slow but there was also a wedding going on that night. We also ate at the Japanese restaurant twice. Once at the hibachi grill and once outside. They are different menus and both were delicious. The hibachi chefs were entertaining and fun! Sushi was also very good. We ate at seaside once for breakfast and once for dinner. Service is a little slow at this restaurant but the breakfast was worth it and the white fish at dinner was 10/10. I recommend the white tortilla and energy test smoothie for breakfast. Finally, we ate at aqua for dinner one night. And service was very slow. We skipped desert because we waited so long and got ice cream at the coffee shop inside. The coffee shop also has some great ice boozy coffee options. We did eat lunch twice at the pool side bar. Pizza one day and a burger another. Perfect if you don’t want to wait at the restaurants or get out of the pool. We did the buffet once for a light brunch. There are limited options at the buffet which was fine since we really aren’t buffet people. I did enjoy the cheese tortilla that day. The bartenders were all fantastic and I recommend the dragonfruit martini or the espresso martini. We had a lot of fun at the night life activities. We played pool, did trivia, blackjack and Mexican lottery. There is a DJ or live music every night which was also fun if you like to dance. Jerick is amazing and very fun! The shows are typically resort shows and not as good as shows off of resorts. Two were hosted around the bar/pool areas and some are in the theater room. They also have a movie playing every night if you enjoy movie nights. The resort has TONS of activities for free and I was able to get a reservation for the paddle board, snorkeling and kayaking tour. The water was a little rough so take a Dramamine if you get sea sick. The also have water sports available if you are interested in that. We took a jet ski across the water and feed the monkeys. We really enjoyed that. The resort also has bracelet making classes and painting classes. We did not get a chance to do those things. I also did the yoga class several times throughout the week. It’s a basic yoga class but not crowded and perfect for starting off your day. The gym has basic cardio machines, free weights and a cable machine. Most days I had the gym to myself but it does start to get busy after 7am. The pool activities consist of water stretching, aqua fit, pool volleyball, pool basketball. There is a hiking trail and it is a beast but worth the view at the top! Wear bug spray. The beach is very quiet and has a few chairs to relax in. A few vendors are out there if you want to purchase any souvenirs. There was a small market that came every night as well if you don’t want to go off resort for shopping. We did buy a few things at the gift shop on items we forgot the bring (beach bag and water proof cellphone case). The spa had decent prices a resort spa. We did get a discount I think for being preferred. We got a couples massage and I got a facial. Both were very relaxing. There is a basic hot tub and sauna if you enjoy those amenities. The hot tub in the spas was extremely hot. Overall, we had a great time at this resort but I did expect a little bit more for the price that we paid. It would have been nice to have butler service that we usually receive at other secret resorts. I would give the resort 8/10

  Jun 29, 2025
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  Great Trip

  We had a great stay at Secrets. It was a stress-free environment with plenty to do right at the resort. The food was great, the service was outstanding, and we would book this resort again.

  Jun 28, 2025
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  Highly recommend

  Merrari and the activities team here are phenomenal! Beautiful resort and a perfect peaceful getaway! We saw a bunch of wildlife snorkeling right off the beach as well as around the resort!

  Jun 20, 2025
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  Great Spa Experience

  Ingrid did an OUTSTANDING job on the massage!! She was very friendly and!! welcoming, and she made me feel at ease enough to relax and enjoy the massage! My body was very tense, but she really worked it out and loosened my muscles! IHIGHLY recommend

  Jun 18, 2025