Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5950 reviews

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  Less Luxury, More Carnival Booze Cruise

  How is this place still open and labeled as luxury? We spent $5000 on Carnival Cruise-level booze cruise atmosphere with inedible food and food poisoning within 24 hours. We were greeted by a man that was our concierge . He told us to call him on his cell if we needed anything and to meet him here tomorrow to go over things. No number was exchanged. Weird, but okay.We saw champagne at the front but we’re not offered any. We loaded into a van to check in at the premier desk. In the premier club there was a little bit of food, a small bar with “upscale” drinks and a jar of trail mix. The “high end” bourbon on the car was Jim beam. You weren’t able to get bottle service to the room so I wouldn’t know what the wine list looked like. I was told it was because people party too loud in the room with bottles. We upgraded to an ocean front room. The room was to include chocolates and rum. Costa Rica is known for their chocolate, but peanut m&ms were the chocolates offered . It was so loud from drunken karaoke the first night that we couldn’t enjoy our beautiful patio and could hear it with all doors closed. After calling the desk to inquire, they said it will be over soon. It went until 10:30. The next day we had breakfast where we ordered fresh juice twice and it just never came. We also saw the remnants of movie night, a big screen tv set into the back of an SUV with four dining chairs set up to enjoy. They had also set up a Jumbotron and bleacher seating, obstructing the view of the beautiful ocean. Mind you, this is the main area, where all the restaurants and main bar is. There is no escaping the noise of the game while you eat dinner. Romantic luxury it was not. We then found our concierge, and thought he was going to sign us up for excursions. He asked us how our stay was and we explained that we had noise issues and were very nervous about the noise from the game late tonight. He apologized and then, for 30 minutes, tried to upsell us on a timeshare. He asked that we come back later for lunch to listen to another talk. At this point I was outraged. They do have a nice spa setup, but cars squeal tires and rev engines outside, not super relaxing for the massage. The quiet side of the resort is lovely to look at, and overall the resort is beautiful. But lunch there was inedible, and I ended up getting food poising from breakfast, so we had to leave less than 24 hours after arriving. Save your money and run somewhere else.

  Feb 10, 2026
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  The worst resort I’ve ever stayed in. Don’t bother.

  I wish I could give zero stars. Horrible food, service, experience and not worth staying at. My spouse is still sick from the poor quality food over 24 hours later after leaving and cannot eat anything without being ill. We checked out early and had to book another hotel for the remainder of our trip. Awful awful awful.

  Feb 09, 2026
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  Secrets Papagayo

  My husband and I just returned from a week at Secrets Papagayo. We have visited Costa Rica one other time and stayed at the Dreams. We are sad that Dreams is no longer part of the UVC collection. We love Costa Rica for its beauty and the people. Here is my review of Secrets: Our week was wonderful and we met many wonderful staff people. However the as one of the more expensive resorts in the UVC collection, there were many misses. The resort is built on a mountain with bungalows spread all around. There are many steep hills but van transports are readily available to move you from place to place. Our bungalow was in a perfect spot up on a high hill overlooking the bay with nothing in between us and the bay. The room was quite small but adequate. We always walked down to the main restaurant and pool area but called and rode back up. We never waited more than a couple of minutes for a shuttle and all of the gentlemen who drove the vans were so helpful and pleasant. Please tip them well as they are what makes this resort possible for anyone who is not perfectly fit. Our UVC rep Andriena was so sweet and pleasant. She made sure we had Bali beds reserved when and where we wanted them. Her smile is contagious!!! The main pool and restaurant area is busy. The resort has tags on the chairs reminding people they cannot reserve them which shut down the chair game. We always found a chair when we wanted one. I wish more resorts would do this. Pool and beach service is very poor. We found if you want drinks it is better to go to the swim up bar or bar by the barefoot grill if you want drinks. We were served a couple of times in the pool by a waiter but we usually had to get drinks ourselves. We had a Bali beds reserved between the main pool and beach one day and in 4.5 hours not once did a waiter show up. The main pool also gets loud with people and music in the afternoon so we preferred the quiet pool. However, in the Bali beds, pool chairs or pool at the quiet pool there was no wait service. You had to go to the bar at the Aqua restaurant if you wanted a drink. The other issue with the quiet pool is there are only ladders to get in and out. Very relaxing but not at all convenient. The quiet pool and Agua restaurant could be made into a preferred area if the fixed the pool entrance to steps and had bar service in and around the pool. It is a special spot but the resort fails to make it really special. Agua restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch and dinner on Tuesday evenings. It was one of the best dinners we had so really wonder why they are not open more nights. We visited the spa for relaxation massages. There is no hydrotherapy but they have separate dry saunas and whirlpools for men and women. We had great massages from Marcela and Lauren. As for restaurants, our favorite was besides Agua was Portifono for dinner. Service is a bit slow at all restaurants, we would usually get our starters pretty quickly but then it took a long time for mains. This was true of all restaurants. Our favorite server at the restaurant was Clara at Himatsu. The buffet was open a couple of evening but very limited in options. The food was very average at all restaurants. Nothing very amazing. The best thing about the food was it was always hot. We did order breakfast room service a couple of time for fruit and pasties and it was very quick. The best part of the resort is the Preferred Bar. Arturo in the morning was my absolute favorite at the resort. He made amazing Bloody Marys and was so helpful and diligent in all the work he did. William in the evening was also very good. He was a favorite of many and made amazing drinks!!! Arturo and William were the only reason that we would return to this resort. We had a wonderful week in Costa Rica mainly because of the people. We will return but probably not to Secrets.

  Feb 08, 2026
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  Amazing Stay at Secrets Papagayo, greatTours

  Our stay at Secrets Papagayo has been incredible from start to finish. The resort is beautifully set in nature, surrounded by lush tropical landscapes that create a calm and relaxing vibe throughout the property. The pools were never crowded and it was always easy to find a comfortable place to relax. Dining was also a highlight — service was smooth, and we enjoyed great variety without ever feeling rushed or having to wait. The Japanese restaurant quickly became our top choice. A friend who visited back in December recommended Chris for outdoor tours, and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. We booked a catamaran and snorkeling tour ahead of time, and once we arrived, we decided to add the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano tour. It was an unforgettable experience, we visited a stunning waterfall, swam in natural pools, and finished the day enjoying the hot springs and volcanic mud baths. We truly loved this resort and highly recommend both Secrets Papagayo and NextTripCR.com for tours. Thanks to everyone who made our stay so special!

  Feb 07, 2026
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  Boutique feel with impeccable service!

  This resort is amazing! It feels like a small boutique resort. The rooms are little private bungalows nestled on the hillside instead of a massive hotel with hallways of room after room. You would never guess it has the occupancy of a Secrets. The pools were chill and relaxed and oh so chic. The beaches are breathtaking with black sand and driftwood trees. The Seaside grill and Portofino Italian restaurant were better than high end restaurants at home. The staff was top notch and always “my pleasure” with every request and then often times went above and beyond! By the time we left we felt like we were leaving friends, like Christian at Seaside grill. He takes so much pride in being the manager, as if he owned the restaurant himself. He even refused our tips saying it brought him great joy to serve us. We will definitely be back again! Don’t let the terrain of the resort discourage you, there are vans to shuttle wherever you want to go on the property at a moments notice.

  Feb 04, 2026