Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Trip Advisor My wife and I recently returned from an absolutely amazing trip to the Four Seasons at Papagyo Peninsula. We were celebrating my 50th birthday along with some time for us without our children. Papagayo Peninsula really delivers with its culture, cuisine, wildlife and people. The Four Seasons is in an area with several other high-end resorts as well. The Ritz Carlton Reserve is nearby. All the resorts are very private and secure. Below are some of the highlights from start to finish. Hopefully you’ll have a great time as we did. We’re already thinking about making a return trip and we heard this FS has the most repeat guests in their chain. For starters, this FS property, we were told, ranked number one globally last year in 2024. The staff really respects that. They treat you with impeccable precision. Anything you need, you get. I would download the Four Seasons app before you go and utilize that to look at all that it has to offer and when you get there you can chat with an agent at the resort property 24/7 through the chat text feature. There is a dedicated agent on it all the time. If you literally text them through the app that you need water, they will bring it right to you. We flew direct from Miami since we’re based in south Florida. Our flight was about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. We flew straight to Liberia. It’s about a 30 to 45 minute car ride in. I would recommend getting transportation service through your hotel where you are staying. There are a number of taxis and vans available outside the airport. But like any country, those options come with a lot of solicitation for sightseeing trips and a lot of questions about who we are meeting and if we are traveling alone etc. We paid $100 for a one way taxi (mini van). The driver was nice but we weren’t totally comfortable I will add. On our return when we left we set up a private SUV with the FS and it was $230 one way. It had WiFi in the vehicle and completely worth the extra money. The FS also had a higher end mini van for $170 one way. So that’s a cheaper option. The resorts lobby is open air. Your greeted with coconut drinks in a coconut shell. It’s very warm and friendly. They’ll sit you down and go over your reservations and go over your stay. The lodging comes with many options. I would recommend looking on their website. You can get full houses with plunge pools up the mountain or you can get a variety of hotel rooms. The rooms were very nice. We were upgraded to an oceanfront suite. The area is very natural with habitat and wildlife so the view was obstructed with trees but you’re with nature and you’re with the culture and you’re with the wildlife absorbing it all around so it was actually nice. Permanent screens are in front on the balconies to keep the wildlife from getting to your balcony and inside your room. Specifically, the monkeys were told that can get aggressive. Most if not all rooms will have a screen enclosure up the entire time that’s non-removable. I would check with reservations to go over the level of room you want and the specific views. The full houses carry and incredible unobstructed view but they come with a higher price that can be split with multiple families if you desire. The rooms are very nice and come with espresso machines for the morning which is really awesome. All your amenities are set up in the room and housekeeping comes twice a day and puts a very special touch on it. The beds were out of this world comfortable. Hearing the roar of the ocean outside was just magical. There are three pools. Two pools for families and one smaller pool for adults only. The adult pool you can swim in freely but if you have to pay for lounge chairs. They are $75 a piece. I didn’t quite understand that. Everywhere else the lounge chairs are free. The pools are within yards of each other so we ended up keeping our towels and belongings at one of the family pools and then walked into the adult pool to relax in the water. The resort has two beaches. One comes with a variety of water sports and activities. You’ll want to look at the app or the website before you go to get familiar with that. Everything from surfing to fishing is available even volcano helicopter tours. All lounge chairs at both beaches are free. Snorkeling gear and stand up paddle boarding are complementary to guests. The beach on the sunset side is more of a relaxation beach adjacent to Virador Beach club. The spa is amazing. My wife got a treatment. Several guests we spoke with got treatments as well and loved it. My wife’s deep tissue massage was one of the best she’s ever had if that’s any indication of its popularity. The best part about the spa, you can utilize their facility without having to get a treatment. That includes a steam room, a hot and cold plunge, showers and locker rooms. Again, you can utilize all that without having to get a treatment. I don’t think I’ve ever been at a resort where you can do that so it’s a huge plus for this resort. As for activities to do, I would recommend looking at the FS website or app and booking it through them. We did the Superman zip line and animal sanctuary tour for $1200. It was absolutely fantastic. You get your own private guide who begins with you at the resort. You take a boat from the FS about 40 minutes to a remote area where you’re picked up and taken to the zip line site. It’s so cool and adventurous and safe. The site is called Diamanté Eco Adventure Park. It houses the full zip line experience and animal sanctuary. It’s ranked one of the best in Costa Rica. Zip lines take you up extremely high. At the highest level you’ll travel a mile on one zip line at speeds up to 60 miles an hour. It’s a complete thrill. You do 4 to 5 zip lines and then you end at the animal sanctuary. It’s a wonderful habitat that really established the true essence and wildlife of Costa Rica. Your guide is with you the entire time giving you a lot of background. It’s a great educational experience. In total, it took about four hours from start to finish from when we were back at the hotel. Wear comfortable clothing and tennis shoes. The resort offers complementary mixology and coffee tastings. Their coffee is out of this world. It’s so good. All the tastings happen at La Reserva, which is right adjacent to Anejo. I’d do the mixology and one of the coffee tastings. Wil leads the coffee tastings. You will enjoy his education and then try some really solid coffees. He’s extremely knowledgeable. You’ll know how coffee in Costa came to be and which regions harvest the most. We also did sunrise meditation at the Shala. It’s a very tranquil mountaintop place for guests to enjoy. Yoga, sound and meditation are offered in there. It’s worth it. Meditation is complimentary. Each week the resort post its daily activities. Be sure to get that from the concierge. There’s also a display near Anejo. We never golfed but the course is really good and hard and has spectacular views which is also another excursion you can tour. We were told the course felt much hotter than the location of the resort. It’s not far at all from the property but something to keep in mind. We worked out everyday in the fitness center. It was really nice. They have a wide range of free weights and machines on two levels near the spa. We never made it to the teen center but it houses a basketball and pickleball court and games. The weather was rainy on the first day and then it was mostly sunny for the remainder of our trip. Again, we went in mid June. We went during the rainy season, but honestly, it didn’t impact us at all. Most days you’ll get sun and the last day it got really hot. We never really had an issue with mosquitoes. However, the bugs are there and you’ll want to protect yourself accordingly. They don’t have complementary mosquito spray so you will want to bring that with you in travel sizes. I would speak with the concierge before you go about your timing and the weather during that time so you can plan accordingly. There are multiple dining options. Again check The FS website or app and take a look at all the restaurants and the menus. Not every restaurant is open every night so be sure to get reservations ahead of time. It’s very easy to do through the resort. I highly recommend that. Bahia is where you’ll eat breakfast every day. The breakfasts are fantastic. You can choose from a full massive buffet for about $50 per person or order from the menu for half the cost. Bahia also serves a wonderful latin dinner menu. It was one of our favorites. And their drinks are really good. Pesce was good. It’s their Italian restaurant. The fish was ok. Pasta was very good. Probably our least favorite and most expensive. Service was ok surprisingly. We never made it to the steakhouse Nemare. Anejo is the main bar just below the lobby. They have a fantastic menu of tapas. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner. A very chill cool vibe and the drinks are really good. Virador Beach Club is their Mediterranean restaurant. The resort just launched a very cool Friday night party called Sol De Fuego. We went to their inaugural event. Every Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Virador Beach Club, you can enjoy beachside cocktails, curated bites and live music. You have to make reservations. The menu is solid but the music makes this party. The DJ is accompanied by Alejandro Molina, a really awesome saxophone player. He also serves as a hospitality attendant during the day servicing the pool and beach club. We met him the first day at the adult pool (which is adjacent to the beach club). He’s got a warm and friendly personality and always goes the extra mile to make sure you’re comfortable. I think people like this really set this Four Seasons apart. Another one was Lena Delouise, she’s the director of restaurants. We enjoyed complementary champagne, complementary gifts and extraordinary service from her during our stay, none of which we asked for. When you’re done, the complete experience really transforms your stay and makes it memorable. Dining. One thing to keep in mind, Costa Rica imposes a 13% government tax on every bill. Then resort adds a 10% gratuity on every bill. You can add more gratuity if you like but combined it adds $20-$30 for every bill you sign at the resort. They do take American dollars and credit. The bills are itemized in “Colon’s”, Costa Rican currency, so we had to convert it on our iPhones to properly add the total and make sure it was accurate. We did visit the Ritz Carlton Reserve near the FS for happy hour drinks at Ambar. It’s basically a teeehoise that has a cool bar perched in the trees with monkeys and and incredible sunset over the mountain. You have to make reservations but it’s absolutely gorgeous and stunning with likely the best sunset of our trip. I’d highly recommend that and you get to see another property as well. If you’re up for it, take the trail and walk through the forest adjacent to the hotel. The path is clearly marked from the map at the concierge desk. It’s about an hour walk and it’s not for the faint of heart. We got an incredible workout. You climb an extraordinary amount of steps up the mountain and to another side of it. You can choose your path to a nearby beach and/or choose another path to end on the other side of FS resort. You are literally walking inside the forest with nature and it’s really spectacular but it’s very, very hard. So bring some water and enjoy the heck out of it. Be prepared to see a lot of wildlife while you’re here. We had the amazing opportunity to see a colony of monkeys climbing through the trees as they made their way past Virador Beach Club. They were white faced monkeys, just enjoying some playful time in the morning as they made their way. About 25 were in this group, but it was just so cool to watch and experience wildlife in the raw. You feel one with nature when you’re here it’s a really cool. In closing, this FS resort really takes you full throttle into an immersive experience of culture, cuisine, people and wildlife. While we were there as a couple, we met some fantastic families who were enjoying their stay. You never really feel like you’re outnumbered one way or the other. It’s a perfect blend and makes for a really fun time. We hope your experience will be just like ours and perhaps you’ll be plotting your next vacation back to Papagayo Peninsula at the Four Seasons.

This was our second stay in this great resort. Since our last visit in 2019 the rooms were softly but nicely renovated. The food quality has slightly improved but still has potential for improvement especially compared to other upscale resorts we have visited during our Costa Rica vacation. This time our family of six stayed for eight nights and loved it. The resort is in a privileged location between two beautiful beaches which we loved. The staff are extremely friendly and service oriented We had an amazing experience from start to finish, Gabriel from Nomad Tours CR helped us organize everything including our airport transfers, and even transportation from Nayara to the Four Seasons, which made everything super easy and stress-free. We booked the Rainforest excursion with the option to go ziplining and hike to La Leona Waterfall — and wow, the waterfall was absolutely the highlight of our trip! The guides were fantastic, friendly knowledgeable, and fun. We highly recommend Nomad for anyone looking for reliable, personalized tours in Costa Rica. Five stars!

I had an amazing stay at the four seasons Costa Rica. Incredible architecture and such a lovely, nice, and welcoming staff. Exceeded my expectations.

Just wonderful! The joy of having TWO beaches to choose from was amazing! Took a drive to look at other beaches and found nothing to compare! Of course, the four seasons bed was its usual amazing self. This property is a little remote but they have great activities on site-a lot of them free. We loved snorkeling, nature walks, wine and rum tasting. Rented a golf cart and drove around the course even though we don’t golf. We went late in the day and the course was practically empty. The scenery was incredibly beautiful. Aside from the pasta at the Italian restaurant Pesce, which is elegant but very comfortable, we really liked watching the sunset at Anjou bar with Tapas. The bread at the beach club shouldn’t be missed! The staff, the staff, couldn’t be more wonderful. They taught us so much and provided lots of laughs while delivering their usual over the top service . We thought we might visit other properties on the peninsula but were so content we opted to stay on site most of the time.

My wife and I stayed the week of May 5th. What an experience. The resort is immaculate and breathtaking all at once. The property blends seamlessly with the peninsula. I was impressed with the staff’s knowledge and reverence concerning the environment and biodiversity of Papagayo and Costa Rica. We had several best in class meals and both of us went to the spa several times. Breakfast was on point. I ordered off the menu and tried the buffet once. Bahia and Nemare for dinner were both 10/10. The food and drink at the pools and the beach were perfect. Every staff interaction was excellent. The room was maintained impeccably and we really appreciated the small touches like lining up my wife’s many sandals at the end of every day or folding my sleep t-shirt and workout shorts that I had lazily tossed on a chair in the morning and sitting them folded at the base of my pillow. The attention to detail is stunning. The in room coffee maker with a selection from Britt was very good. The staff and all the interaction was very sincere and to a person they all remembered our name after 1 day of interaction. I would like to mention many that we had numerous interactions with… Alonso / pool, Javier/ Bahia, Leide/Bahia, Marbel/ Bahia, Rafaela/pool, Gil/Nemare, and Claudia and Desiree at the spa who both provided excellent massages. I think the stay can be summed up by tremendous sincerity and “attention to detail”, no detail is too small or insignificant that the staff and the leadership at the resort has not anticipated it. This is a special place and the team at the resort are special people.