Jeffrey T.
The hotel is starting to get a little tired and worn. The excercise room in particular was disappointing. Numerous machines were not working properly and there were a lot of signs of wear and tear in the room.
Find your place to stay
Margaritaville Beach Resort in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste, captures a playful rhythm inspired by Jimmy Buffett's tropical world. This four-star resort offers swimming pools, a swim-up bar, and ocean-facing dining, all just steps across a dirt road from the Blue Flag-designated Playa Flamingo. Guests can enjoy a range of daily activities, family amenities, and various room styles, making it ideal for both active stays and moments of relaxation.
A hammock, a cold fruit cocktail and an afternoon with nowhere else to be capture the spirit of Margaritaville Beach Resort. Inspired by Jimmy Buffett's tropical-sailor world, this four-star Playa Flamingo resort gives a Guanacaste beach stay a playful rhythm, with swimming pools, a swim-up bar and places to linger as the sun drops toward the Pacific.
The beach lies a few steps across a dirt road from the resort, with shade trees along the sand. Improved road access has opened up Playa Flamingo, where the quiet beachfront and developing town give you different sides of this Guanacaste setting to explore. Playa Flamingo holds a Blue Flag designation for its clean waters, beach and planned sustainability. Swimming and body surfing are among the ways to enjoy the water; plan water activities around the conditions during your stay.
Spend time on Playa Flamingo, then return to the pool or choose one of the changing daily activities. Beachfront yoga, aerobics, salsa dancing and guided eco-walks bring different ways to fill the hours; the program varies, so choose around what is happening during your stay.
The fitness center has modern workout machines, and the tennis courts are lighted at night. The Family Center adds pool tables, ping-pong, bingo and a movie theater, with a kids' pool and playground for younger travelers. The covered kids' pool provides shade, while kayaks, bicycles and boogie boards are available to rent for outings and beach play. On-site spa services can be purchased when a quieter afternoon appeals.
Offshore sportfishing and scuba diving are popular outings from Flamingo. Other nearby beaches have surf breaks, and Tamarindo brings a livelier evening option. During season, nesting leatherback turtles may be seen 12 miles away; plan any wildlife outing around timing rather than expecting it on every visit.
Banana Wind Restaurant serves locally sourced seafood and grass-fed beef, seasoned with fresh organic herbs and vegetables grown at the resort. Its open-air and air-conditioned dining areas face the ocean sunset. The Pizza Bistro brings Italian fare in the evening and coffee with fresh pastry in the morning; the 5 O'Clock Somewhere rooftop bar is another place to catch the sunset. At the pool, The License to Chill swim-up bar keeps a drink close to hand.
Meal plans range from no meals to all-inclusive, or breakfast only. Choose the plan that matches the way you want to eat and explore, and keep the all-inclusive activity terms with that booking:
If you have booked the all-inclusive plan, the resort provides boogie-boards complimentary for 2 hours per day. Kids age 6 -14 require parental supervision. With this plan, you can also use the rental bicycles for 2 hours per day. Kids ages 10 - 14 require adult supervision. Additionally, the all-inclusive plan includes popcorn and permissible drinks in the movie theatre.
A large conference room can accommodate a business retreat or beach wedding, letting a gathering share the resort’s coastal setting.
Light, airy rooms with tropical decor include air conditioning, cable television, a safe, mini-fridge and coffee maker. Family studios, bunk-bed junior suites, poolside rooms and suites give you different ways to arrange the stay. Kitchenettes, separate bedrooms, terraces and ocean views are category-specific; compare the room details for the features that matter to you.
Exclusive promo for PTW clients: 15% discount in Margaritaville Flamingo Beach Resort Spa. Restrictions apply: discount doesn’t apply to manicure, pedicure, or spa products. Discount is not combinable with other Spa promotions.
Between the beach, sunset dining and poolside activities, Margaritaville gives you plenty of reasons to leave an afternoon unplanned. Choose it when you want an active resort stay with space for those slower moments, too.
Central Guanacaste
Latitude: 10.438679; longitude: -85.792259
Pacific Trade Winds customer ratings and reviews.
Showing reviews 26–50 of 86.
Jeffrey T.
The hotel is starting to get a little tired and worn. The excercise room in particular was disappointing. Numerous machines were not working properly and there were a lot of signs of wear and tear in the room.
Kyla W.
I should have read the reviews closer as the racoons in the bar area were not impressive to us as we have them in our part of America and they can be mean so we were concerned and didn't care for them climbing on the tables. The staff seemed not concerned about this at all. We didn't receive the same warm and friendly service we had in La Fortuna. The resort was very americanized which we didn't really want but it was right on the ocean which was lovely.
Jaymes V.
It was a nice beach location and a very nice room. Unfortunately, the pool area and restaurants were very noisy with constant piped-in music. It was very hard to enjoy the beauty of the area, and even harder having a conversation without almost shouting. Some nights, there was a live band at the pool bar which was simply deafening throughout the facility. The “all-inclusive-all-the-alcohol-you-can-drink” option seemed very popular judging from the loud crowds camped out at the pool bars. Overall, not family friendly. Seems like a great location for people who just want a drinking vacation around loud music day and night. Too bad, as the facility is lovely and just feet away from a lovely beach.
Leta B.
Our room was beautiful
This lower rating has more to do with personal prefernce...not into the more "party" like scene. Loud band kept us from sleeping. Also, since we don't drink alochol, and this was an all-inclusive resort, I'm sure we were paying for it even though we didn't consume it.
Mark F.
We loved Margaritaville! The pool and beach were wonderful. The food and drinks were excellent. The staff fully embodied Pura Vida and were always friendly and helpful. The party they threw for the guests for New Year's Eve and fireworks were spectacular. The gentleman who took care of us every night at the Italian restaurant was all Pura Vida, just a wonderful man. The only downside was that while we were there, every night around 9 PM, a local entertainment club about a half mile away started playing dance music extremely loud, until between 2 and 3 AM. It was so loud you could feel the beats thumping through your body. Sleep was impossible. This affected all the rooms on the left side of the building facing out, or 25% of the rooms. We talked to the Margaritaville people, who said they were aware, as were the local authorities, but there was nothing they could do about it. It wasn't their fault, they did all they could to make our stay as pleasant as possible. But it did affect our stay.
Great hotel & staff
Ana V.
This all inclusive hotel was amazing. My most favorite of all. We were able to see whales from the 2nd floor restaurant facing the beach. Best experience ever!
Excellent value for money. Polite staff.
Veronica O.
Staff was ok, it was definitely a different vibe than Arenal. I felt we had to continue asking for menu's, refills, assistance. Not sure if I'm just comparing to Arenal where they were very attentive. Food (lunch/dinner) was delayed and no communication on what happened with order, food was overcooked/fried/dried. Breakfast was good.
Tina P.
This hotel was fine, comfortable enough for our family but I think we had a bit higher expectations based on what we had for accommodations in Arenal Springs. Our toilet broke several times and it was a bit small, but other than that the staff was amazing and location was great. Beautiful views for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Loved the pool and swimup bar and drinks. Overall this was good, just a little small and not as great as our previous hotel so we may have been spoiled by that before getting here.
Tryphina R.
The staff were wonderful and very helpful for helping me get my COVID testing done to get back home. The location was wonderful; for my birthday, I pretty much had the beach all to myself. The spa experience was really nice too. The one thing I did not enjoy was the food. Most of the meals were very plain-tasting.
Ketan K.
Good and perfect quiet resort on Playa Flamingo. Wish there were a little more options for vegetarian food but staff was helpful to fulfill our needs
John A.
Slightly cheesy, but in a good way. We all loved it. Right next to the beach. Best part was the ocean and boogie boarding and body surfing. The food was more than good enough. The pool was very nice. The rooms and staff very good.
Jill S.
This hotel looks much nicer online than in person. We waited to be served way too long several times during our meals. Our room was definitely older and dingy and we had no view outside other than a wall.
Jim L.
very clean. right on the incredibly nice beach - great sand, great waves (not for surfing though), not too many tour solicitors and not too aggressive, rooms were very nice, small almost private pool behind our room, staff was always helpful, friendly and accessible.
Emmanuel O.
I liked the hotel, and its closeness to the beach. The times for the resturaunts was a bit weird, but the food was good. It was more of an Americanized hotel experience which was good in some ways but also a bit less hospitable than Arenal. We enjoyed the beach and amenities. The room was nice, but we liked our Arenal room better. We also liked the game room, and ability to get our covid test at the hotel.
Clare B.
Check in took forever. Tables in 5 OClock bar weren’t cleared on a couple of occasions and one waiter was kind of rude when we started to clear ourselves so we could sit down. Need more shade by the pool. Everything else great.
Ernie W.
The Hotel Staff & Chief Personnel where great. The food was awesome and made fresh every day. The front desk staff answered all of questions on area that we where staying and the excursions that we wanted to take. The rooms where cleaned and the pool/hot tub where always keep clean comfortable to be in. . Thank You Jose for helping us have a great vacation in Costa Rica. We will be back. Thanks Ernie & Kristy from Austin, Tx.
Betsy S.
We were not told that room cleaning & new towels was only by request. The beach and sunsets are beautiful. Nice hotel and pool - more for a party crowd
Sándor B.
Terrible experience with many many issues at the hotel including cleanliness, covid safety, quality of rooms, facilities and food. Not recommended at all!
Colet S.
Food was not great, would not choose to do all-inclusive here again. It was a bit of a letdown after how amazing Arenal was. But still a nice hotel with a beautiful ocean view.
Scott W.
Food and drink was absolutely terrible. The staff was friendly but the place was 2-3 star at best. The only part of the trip we would change.
Zachary G.
The hotel is great; the only complaint was the abundance of wildlife in the eating areas, particularly the racoons that would come up to the table and be a meter away from me as I was eating.
Wayne C.
excellence service
Margaritaville Beach Resort offers Banana Wind Restaurant for locally sourced seafood and grass-fed beef with ocean sunset views, the Pizza Bistro for Italian fare and morning coffee, the 5 O'Clock Somewhere rooftop bar for sunset drinks, and The License to Chill swim-up bar by the pool.
The resort features a Family Center with pool tables, ping-pong, bingo, and a movie theater. For younger travelers, there's a covered kids' pool and a playground. Family studios and bunk-bed junior suites are also available to accommodate different family needs.
Guests can choose from several meal plans: no meals, breakfast only, or an all-inclusive option. The all-inclusive plan includes two hours daily of complimentary boogie boards and rental bicycles (with supervision for children), plus popcorn and permissible drinks in the movie theater.
The resort is located a few steps across a dirt road from Playa Flamingo, a Blue Flag-designated beach known for its clean waters. Guests can enjoy swimming and body surfing, with kayaks, bicycles, and boogie boards available for rent or complimentary with the all-inclusive plan. Beachfront yoga and guided eco-walks are also part of the changing daily activity program.
The people behind your vacation
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