Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Occidental Allegro Papagayo Review

“Overall, I would recommend the Allegro Papagayo for a...”

Written on: 29/07/2004 by charlene13 (1 review written)

Good Points
Costa Rica is a wonderful and friendly country to visit! My husband and I with our 12 and 4 year old children had an adventurous but yet relaxing vacation. The staff at the Allegro Papagayo were very pleasant and tried their very best to make sure that our family had a good vacation. The Costa Rican people in general were friendly and educated (literacy rate of 96%}. We felt very comfortable renting a car and roaming the country side on our own. Food drinks, and fresh towels were always available. The beach club, which was a 10 min. ride by boat, was the best part of the resort. It was quiet and relaxing yet fun with things to do such as snorkelling, kayaking, and catching hermit crabs! The pool is also a big plus! It is very large with a swim-up bar and a child's area. I felt like this was a very safe and comfortable place to take my children. For us the bay location was good because the water was calm (no waves).

Bad Points
The meat in Costa Rica is tough and not very flavourful. As you drive through the country side, take a good look at the Costa Rican cows. They are skinny, so beef is not so good in this country. The rooms are small, and on a hill. So if you don't want to hike-up to your room, you must wait for the shuttle that comes around every 5-10 mins.

General Comments
Overall, I would recommend the Allegro Papagayo for a great family vacation. I would return to this resort. By American standards, it is about a 3 star resort. However, by Costa Rican standards, it is a 5 star. Many of the hotels in Costa Rica do not have a/c or hot water, but the Allegro did have all of the modern amenities such as a/c, hot water, cable TV, hair drier, and daily cleaning. If you just want to relax on the beach, Costa Rica is not the place for you. This country is a great place to go for adventure. I would recommend the super mega tour, which included a canopy tour, horse back riding through the rain forest, a water side down a rain forest mountain, and a mud bath with hot springs. If you have trouble walking, I would also not recommend Costa Rica. At the tours and the hotel, you will walk a lot (mostly up hill!). If you like wild life, you will love Costa Rica. While swimming, we saw different types of fish, a sea turtle, rays, crabs, and sand dollars. Big iguanias were every where, and monkeys even came down to the beach/pool area one day! Cows, chickens, goats, horses, and pigs roam free on the sides of the roads. The Allegro had a buffet style restaurant with daily themed dinners. Some of the food was very good; some of it wasn't that great. But you could always find something that you liked. The steak restaurant was very nice. I recommend the sword fish (the beef in Costa Rica is not so good). Before going to Costa Rica, do your homework. Make sure that this is what you want!