All-inclusive in Guanacaste isn't cheap, and the price gap between the most affordable resort on this list and the most expensive is enormous for seven properties less than two hours apart. To build this ranking we cross-checked guest ratings, review volume, and recent proof-of-life for every resort, and we ruled out the ones with a renovation still in progress, an all-inclusive plan that's optional, or a Tripadvisor listing crossed with a resort that's currently closed — a mix-up that's already tripped up more than one competing list covering these exact resorts. Here's what was left once we cut out the marketing.
Occidental Tamarindo
This is the most budget-friendly resort on the whole ranking, and also the one that puts you closest to real, everyday Costa Rica. It sits on Playa Langosta, just over a mile's walk from Tamarindo, the only town on this list with restaurants, bars, and shops. Right in front of the resort begins Las Baulas Marine National Park, where the eastern Pacific leatherback turtle nests between October and February — a species that's critically endangered. There's one decision you make before booking that almost nobody explains: which airport you fly into. From Liberia, you're here in about an hour; from San José, it's four and a half — a three-and-a-half-hour difference just for picking the wrong flight.
- Just over a mile's walk from downtown Tamarindo — the only town with real nightlife on this list
- Fronts Las Baulas Marine National Park, a leatherback turtle nesting site (October–February)
- From Liberia airport: about an hour. From San José: four and a half hours
- ⚠️ The lowest guest rating on the ranking — reviewers report extra charges for things they assumed were included
Check exactly what the plan covers before you book — that's the difference between this price tag and a surprise on your final bill.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESFrom the next one, you can't walk anywhere at all.
Occidental Papagayo
This adults-only resort looks out over the Gulf of Papagayo from Playa Hermosa, with three restaurants, two bars, and two pools, one of them built for silence. It's thirty minutes from Liberia airport, the closest on this whole list — land at noon, and by one you're already having lunch on property. But the moment you step through the door, the outside world ends: there's no town to walk to and no street with any life around the corner, and if you leave, you're leaving by car or on an organized excursion. For a couple looking for total disconnection, this is exactly what they came for; for someone who was planning to eat out one night, it's a problem they find out about too late.
- Thirty minutes from Liberia airport — the closest on this whole list
- 3 restaurants, 2 bars, and 2 pools, one of them built for silence
- Adults-only, overlooking the Gulf of Papagayo from Playa Hermosa
- ⚠️ No town or street life nearby — leaving the resort means a car or an organized excursion
Here, the resort isn't the base for your vacation — the resort is the whole vacation, and it's worth knowing that before you book, not on day one.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESBefore we keep going, a quick detour: here's what there is to do once you leave the resort.
Excursions in Guanacaste
Guanacaste doesn't end at the beach: active volcanoes, hot springs, and a river with a blue that looks almost fake are all less than two hours from any of these seven resorts.
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
Hiking, a waterfall, and hot springs at the base of an active volcano — 4.67/5 from 783 reviews.
Río Celeste & Sloth Sanctuary
A river with an impossible blue color, plus Llanos de Cortés waterfall and a sloth sanctuary — 4.62/5 from 1,175 reviews.
A sunset catamaran off Playa Flamingo, the hike to the hot springs at Rincón de la Vieja, and Río Celeste with its sloth sanctuary — all with resort pickup and free cancellation.
The next one's reviews are mixed up with those of a resort that's closed.
Azura Beach Resort
This is the smallest resort on the list, tucked at the end of a bay almost nobody associates with all-inclusive travel: Samara. Adults only, right on the beach, with the greenery reaching all the way into the rooms, and an all-inclusive plan its own listing calls premium. There's no entertainment staff, no stage, no schedule running from morning on — some guests pick it for exactly that reason, and others get bored by day three. It's the only resort on this whole ranking that feels like someone's personal property, not a thousand-room machine, and this year it won a Travellers' Choice award. The one thing worth thinking twice about is the two-hour drive from Liberia airport: it's the farthest of the seven.
- The smallest resort on the ranking — feels like someone's personal property, not a thousand-room machine
- Adults-only, right on the beach in Samara, with greenery reaching into the rooms
- 2026 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice award — 4.3/5 from 1,001 reviews
- ⚠️ The farthest of the seven: a two-hour drive from Liberia — fly early if you can
No entertainment staff, no stage: here, the only thing you hear is the ocean, and that splits opinion between guests who seek it out and guests who get bored.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESComparing bundled flight-and-resort packages can end up significantly cheaper than booking each one separately. Real-time pricing.
In the next one, two guests pay the same price and end up with completely different vacations.
Hotel Riu Guanacaste
Right next door is another Riu, the Riu Palace Costa Rica, closed for renovations until April 2027. They share a beach, they share a name, and booking sites mix them up constantly — make sure it says Riu Guanacaste, without the word Palace. Because this one is open, and its full renovation wrapped up in October 2025: 1,041 fully redesigned rooms, six pools — three of them with swim-up bars — eight rooms with direct access to a private pool, and new Asian, Mexican, Italian, and steakhouse restaurants. It's the family giant of this ranking, with its own water park and kids' club, thirty minutes from Liberia, in a resort that unveiled absolutely everything less than a year ago.
- Full renovation completed October 2025 — 1,041 fully redesigned rooms
- 6 pools, 3 with swim-up bars, and 8 rooms with direct access to a private pool
- New Asian, Mexican, Italian, and steakhouse restaurants, plus its own water park and kids' club
- ⚠️ Shares a beach and a name with the closed Riu Palace Costa Rica (until April 2027) — confirm it says "Guanacaste," not "Palace"
Its reviews show up mixed with the closed Riu Palace's on more than one platform — don't let those crossed ratings guide you.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESComparing bundled flight-and-resort packages can end up significantly cheaper than booking each one separately. Real-time pricing.
The next one has more reviews than any other all-inclusive in the country, and a two-tier system that decides which vacation you actually get.
Planet Hollywood Costa Rica by Royalton
Inside, there's a separate tier called Star Class, with its own lounge, its own pool, and its own reserved stretch of beach — and the most glowing reviews almost always come from guests staying in that category. This resort has more reviews than any other all-inclusive in the country: 9,131 of them, averaging 4.6. It's not new: it opened October 1, 2018, on Playa Manzanillo, on the Gulf of Papagayo, and only later picked up the Royalton brand and the Autograph Collection name. Today it's 292 suites, with the movie memorabilia that gave it its name scattered throughout the property. In the standard section, guests mention small portion sizes; in Star Class, nobody brings it up.
- 9,131 reviews averaging 4.6/5 — the most-reviewed all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica
- A separate Star Class tier: its own lounge, pool, and reserved stretch of beach
- 292 suites with movie memorabilia scattered throughout the resort, on Playa Manzanillo
- ⚠️ In the standard section, guests mention small portion sizes; in Star Class, nobody does
Here, more than anywhere else on this list, the category you book decides what vacation you actually get.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESThe next one costs far more than the exact same resort in Cancún.
Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica
In a comparable peak-season week, this resort costs several times more than the exact same brand, the exact same hotel group, in Cancún — and the Cancún property carries a better guest rating. That's the toll you pay for Costa Rica, and it's worth looking at head-on before you book, because what it delivers is also a step above the rest. This adults-only resort sits on Playa Arenilla with 202 suites, five restaurants, a café, and six bars, plus a preferred club for anyone who wants to go up a level. The service is the most praised on this whole ranking: this is the resort where guests come back and specifically write down the name of the waiter who served them. One detail the photos don't show: the resort is built into a hillside, that's how the chain itself describes it, and getting around depends on the internal shuttle.
- 202 suites, 5 restaurants, a café, and 6 bars, plus a preferred club with a higher tier
- The most praised service on the ranking — guests who write down the name of the waiter who served them
- Adults-only on Playa Arenilla, with reviews well above the rest of the list
- ⚠️ The resort is built into a hillside — getting around depends on the internal shuttle
Ask for a room up top. Those are the quietest, with the best views.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESWith your own car, you can explore Guanacaste and the surrounding area without relying on transfers. Booking ahead locks in the best rate.
The sand at number one isn't actually sand.
The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa
What you're walking on at its beach is millions of shells, crushed by the ocean over centuries, and they give the water that turquoise that looks retouched on a screen. Rising above it is the only resort on this ranking with the words "all-inclusive" built right into its official name, along with an eighteen-hole golf course and a spa: 406 rooms spread across a property of nearly 2,500 acres, an hour and a half from the airport. The chain itself markets it as an eco-refuge between forest and beach, and the numbers back it up: 7,953 reviews averaging 4.5. One tip that changes the whole stay: the most sought-after activities have limited daily slots — book them the morning you arrive, not the night before, and the resort opens up completely for you.
- The only resort on the ranking with "all-inclusive" in its official name, plus an 18-hole golf course and a spa
- 406 rooms across a property of nearly 2,500 acres between forest and beach
- 7,953 reviews averaging 4.5/5 — 2026 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice award
- The sand is millions of shells crushed by the ocean over centuries — that turquoise isn't retouched
- ⚠️ An hour and a half from the airport — one of the longer drives of the seven
The most sought-after activities have limited daily slots: book them the morning you arrive, not the night before.
CHECK RATES & PACKAGESPeak-season prices shift week to week. Booking ahead can make a real difference in what you end up paying per person.
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