My Fiancee and myself wanted a quick holiday before the actual holidays and so we started to look at Central American and some potential Caribbean islands to visit. We landed on Costa Rica and because I had been there before but never to the Playa Flamingo/Tamarindo area we started to look around that side of the country. We decided we wanted and all inclusive so we didn't have to deal with meals or alcohol. We could just enjoy the trip, the country and the beach. When we did our search we found Margarittaville was one of the only all inclusive options around but also we thought had some other great benefits.

The property has a large pool with a swim up bar with some amazing bar tenders who greet you with a smile every time. And across the street is a great beach with a huge bay to snorkel and swim in. We preferred this beach much more than Tamarindo which we visited for a day. The drive to Tamarindo wasn't bad but we honestly didn't leave the resort of Playa Flamingo much.

The beach has people seeing services and excursions like any other touristy beach but the people were respectful and remembered you from the days before. So, they weren't bothering you constantly. The hotel well bring chairs out on the beach for you and Angel will bring your favorite cocktail to you on the beach.

We went scuba diving one day with Rocket Frog which has a dive shop on site. They were great to work with and we got to see some humpback whales playing and breaching on the way back to shore. Lucky us.

The food

Parking was free with your stay.

We recently stayed for a 3 nights stay on the all-inclusive package. We loved the location which has one the best beaches in Costa Rica right by the hotel.

We loved the pool area. The bar was great and we had snacks by the pool each day. The bartenders were all friendly and quick to notice when we needed something. The pool was great and the temperature was good, though was a little busy at times as the resort seemed full. Despite this, we will still able to social distance. The only downside is you need to have your towels on chairs by 6 am or all the best spots (ie with larger table/umbrella some shade) were already taken.

The beach is right across the road and we could get drinks and food served there. We used the hotels boogie boards a couple of times. The beach had great waves if you like that.

We just had a standard room, but it was clean and spacious with a fold out love-seat bed. Due to covid, there was no in room service unless requested. We did not need it during our stay. Beds were comfortable as was our room temperature with AC and a ceilings fan.

The staff was super friendly and helpful. In particular Jessica at the front desk was so nice and really helped us when we wanted to extend our stay for a night, as the resort was very full. She seemed genuinely interested each day whether we were comfortable and enjoying our stay.

For the all-inclusive, you could order off the menu at any of the restaurants or go to the buffet when it was available. It included food snacks from the pool menu. Breakfast was a buffet in the restaurant and had hot and cold foods. It was good.

As for COVID, we felt very safe at the resort. The pool chairs have been properly distanced, there are mask requirements and the restaurants require hand washing and a temperature check. We felt the resort is taking the virus seriously and has put in proper protocols to ensure guest and staff safety.

We would go back again as the experience was great!

I came to this hotel when it was a different chain and it was a completely different story. It was a clean place with good service, good food and an unbeatable location. The story today is the total opposite except for the location.

Pros: is right across one of the most beautiful beaches in CR, Flamingo Beach, which has one of the most amazing sunsets you will ever see. Parking is usually a nightmare, which is what you don’t have to go through staying at this hotel.

Cons: where do I start... I guess from the beginning. We arrived to the hotel on a Monday at around 2:30 pm. Check out is at 3 pm. The room was not ready until 3:35 pm, and we were not the only upset customers, there were many others waiting for their room.
The common areas are dirty, with trash in the floor and tables, it takes them too long to notice and clean. The music is loud and the sane songs repeat over and over again, if you were thinking relaxation go to the beach across the street. I ordered a smoothie that I could not drink due to the amount of sugar they put in it. It looks like they offer all inclusive service, I only paid for the room and thank God I did, cause the food is awful, and the reason I know is because breakfast was included with the room. There is a guy at 3 pm with a coffee station that goes around offering coffee, he literally screams the whole time he goes around, like if people could not see the coffee machine on the station. I felt like at a soccer game and not at a relaxing vacation...
We saw guests getting in the pool with their cloths on (a polo shirt or work out cloths) and even worse the next day they were wearing the same clothing and getting inside the pool again, nobody from staff said anything. I took a picture of it. You would thing is common sense to wear a bathing suit to get into a pool but not here... we also saw a woman nursing her baby inside the pool!! What if some of the liquids get into the pool??!!! I wanted to throw up when I saw that and of course I am not getting inside the pool. I don’t get why the hotel is full of people like this, it is not an expensive hotel but is not cheap either...
The rooms are nicely decorated but the pillows are huge and the mattress are suuuuper uncomfortable, you wake up with pain in your neck and back.

We are not coming back to this place which is a shame because the place has a wonderful location but it is really not worth.

If you want to relax and have a good time, eat decent food at a clean place and have a good sleep this is not the place for you.