JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa

Spent a full week at the JW Marriott and had a really great time with my family (wife and 2 girls 10&11). The hotel was really great when it comes to the pool, beach, staff, parking, and rooms. But really the only downside, is that even for a guy who does pretty darn good for himself, the food prices are just plain crazy, and the selection is very mediocre. $24 for a ham sandwich people, $26 burgers, $22 chicken strips, and if you want to eat at the italian buffet $50 a person for mediocre pasta and pizza...I heard the country can be expensive but its just kind of ridiculous.

Nice hotel for a family vacation. Pool and beach were great! Excursions were wonderful but expensive. The restaurants on property were not great and not of the quality you would expect in such a nice hotel.

JW Marriot is great for families but it depends on the room. With small kids one of the bigger suites is your only option. The staff at Marriot Guanacaste is great but the region is overpriced for the rest of the surroundings is still underdeveloped. Tamarindo is a surfers paradise but still a 20 minute ride from the resort.

Overal we loved our vacation. The staff was wonderful. They were great about giving information on the country and wanting to ensure that you were comfortable. I loved the grounds of the hotel it was very in keeping with natural look of the area. My only complaint would be the food offering. A bit high in price for a family and while the food was good not sure of it was in line with the price.

The JW Marriott is nicely done in terms of corporate vision, therefore all the hardware/grounds/facilities are great. However, the basic training for service is less than competent. The restaurants focus on "reservations" and "food allergies", when it takes forever to get seated, get drinks and food ordered. Food quality is mediocre. There is an automatic 10% service charge applied for all the dining when checking out at the hotel, which if we had known about we wouldn't have tipped at the end of the meals for very poor service. Room cleaning means your towels are replaced and bed is made, but the counter and floors in the bathroom are left as is, even when it's dirty. Access to the Beach Club is nice - Avellana Beach is basically your private beach area for the resort grounds. Very clean and family friendly. The hotel is nice, in spite of itself. However for a price point point-of-view, you are definitely not getting the service of JW Marriott.