Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

We came to lunch at this gorgeous property! We were escorted by golf cart to the valet parking Then a hotel staff gave us a wonderful tour of the grounds and history of the peninsula! The restaurant overlooking the bay was stunning with excellent food options We all agreed we would love to stay on the property next time we’re in Costa Rica

While I didn’t actually stay at this hotel, I visited several times while staying at another hotel on the Peninsula. The service here is exceptional. My husband forgot his contact solution and the only thing our hotel carried was eye drops which wasn’t going to work. While at dinner at a nearby restaurant we stopped into the Ritz to see if their store had any and they did not but a man who I assume to maybe a manager stopped us and asked if we were able to find what we were looking for and we explained the situation and he said he thought their spa may have some. He called down to the spa, confirmed they had some, and came back with a huge bottle of contact solution that he just gave to us. After that he offered us to stay for their complimentary happy hour. It was so lovely we ended up changing our reservations later in our trip to come back for a dinner at Puna where we once again experienced incredible service and great food. The next time we are in Costa Rica we will definitely be staying here!

We celebrated the last part of our honeymoon at this hotel and I genuinely don't have the vocabulary to describe the wonderfulness of our experience from the second we arrive on property until we relunctantly left for the airport. If you're wondering if the Ritz Carlton Reserve is anything special, I can confidently say it's a step above the rest. There isn't a single detail that isn't considered and the service was noticeably exceptional. We stay in hotels 120+ nights a year, across a wide range of exclusively Marriott properties all around the world, and this stood out above them all, truly. The staff made us feel like the most special people there in celebrating our honeymoon. I'm a platinum elite member, and my husband is an ambassador, and our room was upgraded tremendously. I had tears in my eyes. The property is stunning and the location is one of a kind. The downwashed lighting, the way it's built into nature, the hanging bridge connecting the rooms to the main buildings, just..fabulous. When we arrived, our Manu, Samuel, gave us a very detailed tour of the property and when he said to let him know if we needed anything, he meant it. He was kind, prompt, efficient, and just a lovely person to work with during our stay. What we loved was the small gestures that were so meaningful, without being extravagant. Niri was our favorite restaurant. The location was beautiful and both lunch and dinner knocked it out of the park. The Piri Piri Chicken is a dish I'll tell anyone about who will listen. And the coffee...just..wow. Also, the artichoke appetizer at Puna is a must-eat. Make sure you take advantage of all of the tours offered at the resort. We did the kayaking and snorkeled a few times. The guides are so worth it! They are very knowledgeable and really pleasant. They make the experiences great. This review doesn't quite do our experience justice. I've read some of the negative reviews for this place, and I can confidently say that we experienced none of that. This will be a place we return to and one we recommend to our friends.

This property is truly such a gem and a must visit. Everything from the hard product to the service, was amazing. For reference, I was at the property at the end of April and stayed in a ocean vista room in the 800 series. I'm a platinum elite member and unfortunately I was not upgraded despite being told that the property was at 30% - 40% capacity. Additionally, please keep in mind that I visited during the dry season which means the majority of the trees were bare and without leaves. If you would like the environment to be more lush, consider visiting from like June-ish - January-ish. When we arrived, we were greeted by Jeff the bellman and the some of the front office team. We then met our butler, Hansel, in the 'Casita' where he handled the check-in process. There isn't a formal check-in desk or anything, the Casita is kind of like a meeting point for arrivals, departures, tours, golf cart rides, etc. We were given a property tour, and I was just amazed at how beautiful the grounds were. Hansel then joined us on a golf cart to our room where he provided us with our room tour. Before he left, we exchanged numbers on whatsapp so we can communicate each other. He sent us the resort information as well as the weekly calendar of events & activities that guests can sign up for. There was a lot and all of them were complementary! Room: The room is not the largest I've stayed in but it was honestly perfect for a week. The ocean vista included a beautiful view with a balcony. It had ample space, as it contained a bed and a couch on the opposite ends. During the times I was in the room, I spent most of it on the balcony and saw a ton of wildlife. There were monkeys, coatimundis, deers, and a variety of birds just roaming around. The room itself was well stocked with your standard amenities. The non-alcoholic beverages in the mini-bar were complimentary and can be restocked once per day. Turndown service was always done while we were out and about or at dinner. I will say, at this level of a property, it's missing personal touches from the housekeeping team. Most luxury properties I've stayed at will tie up your charging cords, hang up or fold your clothes, leave hand written notes, towel art, etc. It really does elevate the guest experience and provides that extra level of service. We personally did not experience any of this during our stay. Dining: Cafe Rincon had some amazing coffee and ice cream. I would highly suggest the cookies & cream, coffee, and coconut flavors. Those were my favorites! I want to give a special shoutout to Lorenzo at the cafe who always took care of me and provided exceptional service. Costa Rican coffee is self explanatory. They also have an all day menu in case you want a quick bite. I've never had candied walnuts in a grilled cheese before but it was actually quite good! Breakfast at Mirador was by my absolute favorite. For $52, you may order anything from the menu and the breakfast bar is included. The bar includes fresh fruit, yogurt, meats & cheeses, pastries, bread, etc. The service there was spectacular and probably the best during our stay. All the ladies & gentlemen that served us were warm and friendly. I wish i remembered everyone's names! My partner tried the guava jam and fell in love with it. We asked one of the servers if it was possible to take some home and within 15-20 minutes, the chef prepared it fresh and bottled it up for us! Puna was our second favorite dining experience. Our server Ago(?) was awesome. Extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We talked about life in Costa Rica, tenure at the property, and places he's worked previously. Turns out, he used to work at the Four Seasons at Papagayo and so has a handful of other employees here! I believe he said he just started a month or two ago but it seemed like he really knew his way around the menu and drinks which i greatly appreciated. The clarified watermelon & pineapple mocktail he recommended was AMAZING. Brisa was great as well. Our server (I'm so sorry i forgot your name), who also just recently joined from Four Seasons, was amazing. She was very friendly and recognized us throughout the day whether we were at the pool or stopping by for a second dining experience. We were always seated close to the water where we enjoyed the sunset during our meals. Niri was the least favorite of our entire dining experiences. We stopped by for dinner and ordered a couple of items to share. The scallops with sheep cheese foam was not a great combo IMO and the paella was just ok. The saving grace was the tuna crudo. While the service was friendly, it was also very slow. We were asked if we would like to see the dessert menu after our meal and we said yes. But unfortunately we had to wait nearly 15 minutes to receive one. At one point the f&b manager(?) made eye contact, smiled, and just walked away. We just chalked it up to an off day. Cooper's Speakeasy was awesome! Very unique and special addition to the property. You'll need to find the entrance and the password! Talk to some of the employees and your Manzu! The chandelier was stunning and Luis(?) the bartender was great. In-room dining was great. Nothing out of the ordinary. Food arrived hot and on time. We did not get a chance to visit Ambar bar. Amenities & Activities: We received some cajetas de coco (coconut truffles) as a welcome amenity which was nice. During turn down service, we would receive water and orange dark chocolate at our bedside. There are 5(?) pools on the property but we spent most of our time at the main pool or the beach. The pool attendants were great and attentive. They made sure we had enough cold water and shade. Sunscreen was provided at different levels of SPF. There was also a tequila cart that arrives in the late afternoon if you want get a little spicy. The beach was beautiful. The sand was grey/black and the water was always at a perfect temperature. There were a lot of small crabs and hermit crabs running around which was cute. If you walk towards the end of the beach, there's a cool little cove. It's best to go in the morning when the tide is low and the waves aren't crashing as hard. You'll see a lot of jet skis, catamarans, and boats coming and going near the cove so just FYI. The beach attendants were great and took care of us. I saw some reviews saying that there weren't a lot of loungers or umbrellas. I can only agree to the umbrella part but there were plenty of loungers. They only had enough umbrellas for 10-15 loungers. It's not your traditional beach resort which is understandable. Before you head down to the beach, there's a Explore Papagayo booth where you're able to rent/use equipment. It's also the place where you meet for some of the complimentary activities such as sunset kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, etc. We did almost all the water activities and they were awesome. They give you a fresh coconut to drink when you complete an activity. You can also book guided group or private tours with the Explore Papagayo company at an additional cost. We booked the exploring the wilderness and snorkeling tours and they both ended up being private because nobody else joined. Our guide Christian was awesome and really knowledgeable. We saw an abundant of wildlife in both the jungle and the ocean. Highly recommend. The fitness center is located in the spa facilities and its well equipped. The treadmills are faced towards the ocean so you have a beautiful open air view. There are towels, water, and even coconuts to replenish those electrolytes! As mentioned previously, your Manzu will send you a calendar of the weekly complimentary activities you may sign up for. Most are on site at the property however, some will bring you offsite to the Papagayo Park which is a shared recreational facility on the peninsula. It houses a kids water park, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, skate park, basketball courts, yoga & pilates facilities, golf, etc. Equipment rentals are complimentary however lessons and clinics are available at an additional cost. The on site activities included ceviche classes, nature walks, coffee experience, rum tasting, and more. Value: I work in the industry so luckily I did not pay the full rate. At the time of writing this review, ADR for 1 night in a standard room is $2.1k which is not exactly inexpensive. In addition, there's a whopping $110 resort fee per night. If that's within your budget, I would strongly advise you to consider booking a few nights at Nekajui. If not, there is always the Andaz and Four Seasons. The food & beverage costs are similar to what you would expect if you lived in a HCOL city such as New York or California. For a sober party of 2, expect to spend around $110 for breakfast and about $200 - $250 for dinner depending on the restaurant. We didn't really eat lunch but we did order a few things to share by the pool and beach which can run you about $100ish. Overall: Nekajui is truly something special. It has everything you want and expect from a luxury property and more. Even though they’ve only been open for a little over a year, I have no doubt that they'll receive Forbes 5 star relatively quickly. I've been to various other luxury properties including Zadun, another Reserve property, and its not even close. Personally, Nekajui ranks number 1 on my list and I hope to return very soon. Pura Vida!

This resort exceeded my expectations in every possible way. I won this trip through work so I did not pay for it, full disclosure. The property is so beautiful. The staff is amazing, without being overbearing, and the food was so good. They have tons of activities- so the sunset kayak! So fun. Everywhere you turn, the place feels magical. We saw so many monkeys, beautiful birds and loved having our own plunge pool. We also enjoyed the spa which was beautiful and we had great massages. This place is so chill and relaxing. Worth every penny and more. I hope to go back one day!