El Mangroove, Autograph Collection

Overall, we had a good stay and a nice family trip - nice location. There are a few things worth noting for future travelers so you can go in with the right expectations for the value paid and expected. The staff was friendly across the board, especially around the pool and in the restaurants. You can tell there are people working hard to create a good experience. We also appreciated how easy it was to find chairs by the pool, and the cabanas are well positioned, especially if you’re traveling with kids or want to stay close to the action. The setting itself is beautiful, and we loved seeing iguanas around the property in the mornings—a fun and memorable touch. There’s also a pool table that turned into a nightly family ritual for us, which we genuinely enjoyed. Check-in was mostly smooth. We arrived about two hours early and were able to get checked in, but our room wasn’t ready yet which we were prepared for. We asked if we could be notified when it was available so we could relax at the pool, but were told by the gentleman checking us in at the front desk he would be “too busy” to notify us and that we should come back around 3pm. That was a bit surprising, though we ended up getting a notification through the Marriott app anyway and it worked out fine. A few areas could use attention: • The pool was consistently cloudy, and had a lot of leaves and debris despite staff working hard to keep up with it (blowers and scoop nets) • The area around the pool was very slippery—there were caution signs and staff squeegeeing off and on, but we saw multiple people slip. Something as simple as adding discreet non-slip mats could make a big difference • In the room, the shower handle was not attached and had a visible gap in the wall, and the blackout curtain was off the rail. We made it work given how much we were out, and I shared this at checkout so it can be fixed • We placed our trash can outside one day to be emptied and it was taken and never returned, which was a bit odd but manageable since it was late in our stay For food, it was pretty typical of resort dining—good, but not standout. The passionfruit margarita was excellent, and there’s an off-menu black bread veggie burger that was good. For gluten-free travelers, they were accommodating and brought out small gluten-free bread options at breakfast, but no gluten-free pancakes or waffles, which is usually a standard offering at similar properties. None of these things ruined the trip—we had a nice, relaxing stay overall—but they are details you’d likely want to know when choosing a beachfront Marriott property. We enjoyed our time, appreciated the team, and made great family memories. That said, we would probably try a different property next time in the area.

The hotel is nicely appointed and in a secluded location. For the price point, is a great value for the area. One thing to note for the owners, the about 1/3 of the wait staff are working against what the others are trying to accomplish, which is good customer service. The staff at the Matiss bar poorly represent the business. You should spend extra attention to how this can be fixed.

There are things we enjoyed about this hotel (service was very friendly, the pool area was nice, the cabanas were great and activities were fun an not crazy cost prohibitive). And things we didn't love: tons of menu mistakes (especially at pool area), rooms were pretty small, food was okay but not great (and husband got sick on day one), beach area was crazy crowded (I think because of semana Santa),pre arranged shuttle from airport wasn't there when we arrived (and took 30 min to arrive), and communications with the hotel leading up to visit were hit or miss in terms of getting a reply.

This hotel is absolutely beautiful. The rooms, restaurants, and common areas are all very comfortable, well maintained, and designed to help you relax and enjoy every moment. One of my favorite parts of the experience was definitely the staff. Everyone was incredibly kind, welcoming, and always had a great attitude. They truly made us feel at home. We also want to say a big thank you to Gabriel from nomadtoursc for recommending some of the best experiences during our trip. We did the rainforest tour with hanging bridges, ATVs, and even a private catamaran for our whole family, everything was amazing and very well organized. I highly recommend Mangroove for anyone planning a vacation in Costa Rica. We had a fantastic time and would definitely come back!

Unfortunately, this hotel was the low point of our trip. We stayed for one night in between visits to two other properties. We arrived in the early afternoon and appreciated that the hotel honored our request for connecting rooms, which was essential since our two young kids were staying in a separate room. Shortly after arrival, we were picked up directly from the beach for a private boat charter we had arranged (with Captain Moises Contreras, found via TripAdvisor). That experience—fishing, snorkeling, a mangrove tour, and sunset—was one of the highlights of our entire trip. When we returned to the hotel around 6pm, we learned there was a large wedding taking place on the property (on a Monday night). Several restaurants were closed for the event, which wasn’t a major issue. However, after the ceremony, the music began and grew increasingly loud throughout the evening. Once back in our rooms, we realized we had been placed directly next to the wedding reception. What was frustrating is that the hotel never mentioned the event in advance—despite prior email communication about our room setup—or at check-in. I eventually reached out through the Marriott app and was told the music would continue until 10pm. It was extremely loud, and the room’s sliding doors did little to block the noise. Our kids typically go to sleep around 8pm, so this disrupted their routine and made for a difficult night. It would have been helpful if the hotel had proactively informed guests about a large event like this—especially one that impacts dining options and creates significant noise, particularly on a weekday. The front desk messaged that a manager would follow up with other affected guests and me, but I never received any outreach. I followed up again upon departure through the Marriott app and was told the same, yet a week later there has still been no communication. I even followed up with an email to their in-house reservations and concierge to make sure the manager had my information, but nobody has responded to any communication (other than during the wedding when they said the manager would be reaching ASAP). It would have been much better had they not set these expectations in advance and then never followed-up... seems like they dont care. Fortunately, this was only a one-night stay. Had we stayed longer, we would have been much more disappointed—not just by the disruption, but also by the overall experience and lack of follow-through. This stood in contrast to the consistently positive experiences I’ve had with Marriott and the Autograph Collection. I would not stay at El Mangroove again and would suggest other travelers to look at other options (or at least make sure there are no events/weddings happening at the hotel during their stay since they are so disruptive to the other guests).