El Mangroove, Autograph Collection

Limited neighborhood restaurants and hard to get an Uber. Slippery on the concrete around the pool. Otherwise everything spectacular.

My wife and I attempted to book a day pass at El Mangroove while staying at a neighboring resort, as we were interested in checking out what the property had to offer. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely frustrating from start to finish. We contacted the hotel via WhatsApp, where customer service directed us to send an email inquiry. We did so and never received a response. We then called the Marriott toll-free number, who told us to contact the hotel directly. When we called the hotel, we were told to call the concierge. Concierge forwarded us to another number, which turned out to be non-working. After multiple calls, emails, and messages, we were unable to get a simple answer or assistance regarding a day pass. The lack of coordination, follow-up, and basic communication was surprising and disappointing for a Marriott-affiliated property. Based solely on this experience, the customer service is extremely poor, and it ultimately discouraged us from visiting the resort at all.

We absolutely loved El Mangroove! It was perfectly located near the airport, and the property was gorgeous, impeccably clean, and beautifully maintained. The rooms were spacious and very comfortable. Everyone on staff was AMAZING—so friendly, welcoming, and genuinely kind. The restaurants on the property were very good, and there were also a few off-property dining options conveniently located near the hotel that we really enjoyed as well. We especially loved our concierge, Pablo, who helped us navigate and adjust our schedule on a daily basis. He was probably the most patient and kindest person we met during our stay. Just a heads-up—he will encourage you to try communicating in Spanish 😉 Thankfully, I knew a little and managed to hold my own! If you’re looking for a family-friendly, relaxing resort with excellent service, I highly recommend this property. 🌴 ✨

Fantastic stay at El Mangrove! The resort and amenities are amazing! Everyone was so friendly and went out of their way to make our stay perfect! Tracy, Juancarlos, William and Garant went above and beyond! Cannot recommend this hotel enough! We will be back!!

This hotel is overpriced and classless. The first night we arrived, we couldn't go swimming because the pool was absolutely filthy, filled with dirt and leaves. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days. Since we couldn't go swimming, we decided to order a drink at the bar. The bartender had his back turned to us the whole time. It took us 20 minutes just to get a cocktail with ONE other couple sitting at the bar. We got dinner at one of the restaurants and the food tasted like wet cardboard. After dinner, we wanted to get another round of cocktails at the bar, but the bar was entirely full with no seats open. We asked the hostess if there was anywhere else we could get a drink, and she said that was the only bar open in the entire hotel. We didn't realize it would be such a chore to simply enjoy our first night with a cocktail or glass of wine. Since we couldn't get a drink at the bar, we went back to the room and ordered room service for a bottle of Sauvignon blanc. After 45 minutes, we didn't receive the bottle. I called room service again asking for an update, and they mentioned it would be 10 more minutes. After 10 minutes, they called our room back and explained they did not have Sauvignon blanc and offered Pinot Grigio instead. This tells me that they were not even working on our room service order until I called back. We accepted the Pinot Grigio and 10 minutes later it's delivered WARM with a bucket of ice on the side?? Got it, so we have to put the wine on ice ourselves and wait another 2 hours to chill it. At this point it's already 9pm. We don't normally complain and I don't think I've ever written a negative review in my life, but needless to say I approached the front desk about our issues the following morning. They offered a $200 credit for F&B along with a free private cabana by the pool. A nice gesture, but arguably not enough to make up for our experience the first night considering the price of this hotel. But wait - it gets better. That day, we went to the cabana. We had a nice time, and the service was good. We had a waitress checking on us every 15 minutes. It seemed like the hotel took our complaints seriously. I tipped the waitress from my wallet sitting in the cabana. 30 minutes later, we head back to the room and immediately we realize my wallet is no longer in my girlfriend's purse. We rushed back to the cabana and the wallet was nowhere to be found. There was security patrolling the pool the entire time, but I suppose shame on me for bringing my wallet to a private pool?? We immediately let the hotel staff know and they said they'd be on the lookout. One day later, someone tried charging $2500 to an electronics store. But they claimed I probably lost my wallet... there was nobody else at that pool with access to the cabana other than hotel staff. Very sketchy stuff. Also forgot to mention - breakfast is NOT included, even after I expressed my concerns with our first night. This hotel is overpriced and has no idea how to treat guests. The service is awful, and the staff is shady. There are much better hotels to choose from (and probably less expensive) in Guanacaste. Our experience here was the worst hotel experience we've ever had. I'm so upset we spent so much money to stay at such an awful hotel. I highly recommend you look elsewhere if you're traveling to Costa Rica/Guanacaste.