Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique

It was a rocky beginning and end, but it is a beautiful resort, the included activities are great and we enjoyed all the food and drinks (except the teeny tiny coconut “welcome drink” that was about empty and they didn’t even offer us a bottle of water). Overall, we would go back. We arrived around 1pm, and as expected, our room was not ready. They held our luggage, told us to enjoy the property, and said a bellboy will “find you”(?) when it’s ready. We kept checking on our room and were frustrated it wasn’t ready until 4-4:30. Finally, the Hilton app notified me. I asked someone where the room was and used the digital key to let ourselves in. Soon the desk called, surprised, because they couldn’t find us. Although it’s nice using the property while we waited, we really just wanted to rest in the room. The whole arrival experience was very business-like, lacking warmth from the front desk staff and they should have set expectations much better about how long it would take. At the end, we got a 1-hour extension for “late checkout”. Unfortunately our keys all stopped working at checkout time. Just as we were so content with our stay, they drop the ball again! The stay itself was fabulous. We appreciated an amazing diamond upgrade to a huge suite with plunge pool and a little surprise birthday cake was set out. We got drinks and snacks in the Peacock Alley and bartender Gabriella was very sweet. We’re vegetarian, had pasta and salad in Tico Tica and it was good. The continental breakfast buffet has a lot of hot and cold items, includes mimosas and was better than expected. All the restaurants, bar, pool and room staff were very nice, helpful and friendly. They have some things to improve but we would return.

We recently returned from a three-night stay at the new Waldorf Astoria in Costa Rica. We booked this stay using Hilton Reward Nights and received an Oceanview King with large balcony room category. My husband and I try to take a couple of short getaways every year. We prefer staying at Waldorf Astoria properties, so we have grown accustomed to the high level of service, quality, and luxury for which the brand is known. Several months ago, we stayed at the WA Riviera Maya in Mexico. We went into this stay at the WA Costa Rica expecting to have a similar experience. Unfortunately, this resort fell far short. First, I will share the positives of our stay. The pools at the resort are beautiful and plentiful! They always seemed clean, and we had no trouble finding lounge chairs. Plenty of towels were available at the towel carts, along with drinking water, sunscreen, and aloe vera gel. We did not use the sunscreen or aloe, so I cannot comment on those, but I thought it was a nice touch that these were provided. The beach is nice – clear water, clean sand, and, at least while we were there, relatively calm surf. There is great snorkeling near the rocks on either side of the bay. The temperature was a bit chilly, but this is to be expected for the Pacific side. The resort should consider putting chairs on the beach. There is no way to really spend the day at the beach since there are no chairs and no shade available. The resort employees were friendly and eager to be of assistance….until there was a problem. Then, the attitude shifted (more on this later). We preferred walking around the resort, but there were always multiple, eager employees offering to transport us on a golf cart. The grounds are beautiful! I particularly loved the plumeria trees throughout the grounds and Birds of Paradise scattered throughout. I imagine in a year or so, the foliage will be even more plentiful and beautiful. The housekeeping service was incredibly thorough. Our room was always clean, and I appreciated the extra organizing/tidying done by the attendant. The fitness center is large with a variety of cardio machines, ample free weights, a squat rack, fixed weight machines, a cable machine station, and a functional fitness station. We ate breakfast in Tico Tica on the 1st and 3rd mornings of our stay, which was included due to our Diamond status. The choices were plentiful, and the fresh juices and mimosas were a nice addition. However, on day two, Tico Tica was closed for breakfast to accommodate Hilton employees who were at the resort. The resort made no mention of this to us when they told us when and where breakfast would be served. The breakfast was served that morning in La Finca from a limited, fixed menu. My husband and I both had to return our omelets due to the eggs being completely raw in the middle. The server’s attitude quickly declined when we brought this to his attention. The other food was decent, but the change in location and menu was disappointing. The resort is built on an area of multiple hills. I can imagine this was a challenge. One of the problems this creates is that none of the rooms have an unobstructed view – no matter where you are located, there is a building in your view. There is also an extreme lack of privacy. We did not touch our soaking tub because it was in plain sight of dozens of rooms and public areas (see photos). Also, though not a problem for us, I imagine people with mobility challenges feel frustrated at this resort. It is a maze of steps, steep paths, ramps, etc. While I think someone in a wheelchair could get around here, it would be incredibly difficult because of the layout of the resort. To be honest, we did not love the layout of the resort. The resort is lacking lounge spaces. There were not really any places to sit and relax in the evenings. The resort also lacked live music, which made the lack of lounge space a moot point. We ended up back in our room early each night and sitting on our balcony. The rooms are nice, but are missing a few touches we’ve come to expect at luxury resorts. They need auto window shades! I cannot understand why they used traditional curtains. The bathroom lighting is horrible, especially for skincare and applying makeup. Our bathroom had a large glass window behind the sink and a large, floor-to-ceiling window on the side. These were nice touches, but completely impractical given the room looked over a road and a service building. The windows also let in excessive heat, making the bathroom warm all the time, despite the room being cool. The food here was simply sub-par for WA resorts and was the biggest disappointment of our trip. We expected food to be similar to that of the WA in Mexico, yet, although it was similar in price (ie expensive), it fell far short in quality, presentation, flavor, and variety. As an example, I will include photos of poolside guacamole we ordered here in Costa Rica and poolside guacamole we ordered in Mexico. We ate dinner in Tico Tica on our second night at the resort. My husband ordered the tenderloin to be cooked medium. However, the middle was completely raw. By the time he was able to get the attention of our waiter, I was halfway through my meal, and he had finished his side. The waiter took the steak. Twenty-five minutes passed before the waiter returned with a new steak. I had been finished with my meal for a while and gone to the restroom, so my husband ate alone. We assumed we would be compensated at least a portion of the steak, but we were charged the full price. We brought this up to Guest Services; they told us they would look into it. We did not hear back, so we went to the front desk the next morning to ask for an update. Again, we were told they would look into it. Noone ever got back to us. When we checked out, the full charge was still there. We did not want to waste more time arguing over it, so we settled the bill and moved on. For a 5-star resort, we expected, first, not be served raw meat, but then to at least receive some form of compensation. Overall, there was nowhere on the resort that we really wanted to eat. Even Peacock Alley was disappointing compared to the Peacock Alley in Mexico. The menu was small and not nearly as exotic or interesting as that of the resort in Mexico. The presentation was ok, but not memorable. A warning of caution for anyone with asthma or other lung problems. We visited during the (very) dry season in the Guanacaste region. Everything was dead and brown. There were wildfires in the area, and smoke could be seen and smelled throughout our time there. As an asthmatic, this caused significant breathing problems for me on the first night we were there. We ended up staying in the room that evening as opposed to sitting on the balcony. I realize this is nothing the resort can control, but it is something to consider if you are planning a trip there. Would we visit WA Costa Rica again? Probably not. I would love to return to other areas of Costa Rica, but nothing is drawing me back to this resort. We will likely return to the WA Riviera Maya for our next short getaway.

Beautiful hotel with beautiful amenities. We had our own private pool in our room and the views are amazing. Staff is so friendly and helpful. 10/10 recommend your next vacation here!

A luxury adventure with a magnificent staff, we recently returned from our honeymoon and I can only say that we will not live something like this elsewhere again..., Adonay our butler did everything for us, the staff of the pools always very attentive and the services of golf cart always very attentive. Thank you very much Costa Rica and Waldorf Astoria and Adonay for this unforgettable experience.

Wonderful experience! 10/10