Some resorts offer all-inclusive resort options, king beds, private villas and special amenities muy rico that are unavailable in a hotel for a beachfront room in Flamingo or Tamarindo, or other towns along Costa Rica's Gold Coast and the Gulf of Papagayo.
Playas del Coco, Cahuita, Puntarenas, Drake Bay -- luxurious resorts abound in these exclusive vacation spots. There are also several world class places in San Jose. But most new development and top end luxury resorts are going up in Papagayo, north of Flamingo in Guanacaste.
One of the intriguing characteristics of most resorts here is that few places have more than 20 rooms
(Some would call these "boutique hotels," etc.)
Only in the capital and at some of the big chains, such as the Marriott outside San Jose and the Four Seasons in Papagayo, will you catch sight of the large buildings that are common in other vacation destinations of the world.
Recommended Resorts.
Makanda by the Sea (Manuel Antonio)
El Parador (Manuel Antonio)
Marriott (San Jose Airport)
Flamingo Marina Resort
Punta Leona Beach Hotel (north of Jaco)
Hacienda Dorada (near Liberia)
Four Seasons (Papagayo)
An upscale resort called Gaia is doing a "soft opening" in the first half of 2006.
The next major resort here will be a JW Marriott, of which fewer than three dozen exist on the entire planet. It is planned to open in Playa Mansita, Guanacaste, in 2007.
