Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica

My husband and I recently spent three nights here during our honeymoon. Overall, the property is beautiful but everything is really concentrated in one central hub that makes it feel much smaller than other Secrets resorts we’ve been to. Given we were on our honeymoon, we appreciated the free champagne but the other free amenity they offered was a romantic breakfast in bed which was just normal room service. The pros - as mentioned the location is stunning. The beach is beautiful with the rocks adding to the views and the black sand beach is easy to get to from the hotel beach. The resort offers a wide variety of free activities, we enjoyed kayaking while we were there. The service was great - we were there over the holidays and everyone was so friendly and kind. Esteban and Alonso were the best bartenders and Erick was our favorite server at the Seaside grille. The food and drinks were solid. Nothing to write home about. For Christmas Eve, they did a big holiday show but you had to pay $200 extra for a special dinner that gave you front room access. They didn’t communicate what was going on that night well- only the buffet and Italian restaurant was open if you didn’t do the upgraded dinner. Thankfully we went to dinner early but many people were frustrated with how long the wait was for dinner given everything was closed. Would recommend they do a better job of communicating what the options are for holidays if they are going to close most of the options and cater mostly to those that choose to upgrade. Cons - when we first arrived, our room wasn’t ready and they just left our bags in the open for hours. It felt a little unsafe like someone could just walk up and grab them. The main pool is very activity heavy with music and dancing and the other was just far enough away that we stayed at the one. It got very repetitive by day 3. Also the shuttles didn’t seem that frequent so we just walked everywhere. The room was nicely done but the shower did not drain well. Standing water even over night. If you’re a beach person, beware that there are people selling activities and goods on the beach. All in all, we have high standards and enjoyed our stay but it wouldn’t be the first secrets I would recommend to someone.

The location is great. Our room was clean upon checkin with a beautiful view of the bay. Checkin was quick and easy. The staff were kind and friendly. The noise level where our room was located was quiet and peaceful. Food was delicious, especially the breakfast bar at the Market Place Cafe. Service at the places where we ate were good. We ate at the Italian and Seaside Grill. The pools were great at both places (relaxation and main). We did have to 'hunt' for a shaded lounges but for the most part the other guests were kind enough to share their umbrellas. I've heard rumors that other guests who have been there before reserved the cabanas before arriving for their stay. We didn't do any of the affiliated amstar tours but we did do the excursions with the companies that were there by the resort (another great review). We loved the swim up bar at the main pool. Fernando did a great job serving drinks. Kelyse who was new and still learning did a great job catering to our needs and always asked us if we needed anything. I wish I could remember the name of the driver who took us to our room the first night cause he used his card key to unlock our room since ours didn't work and he offered to wait after we went back to get the card keys activated. We absolutely loved the fact the resort was adult only. The value of the all inclusive resort is great. We did one of the little hikes around the resort. They do bus people around the resort alot. If you want to walk from one place to another you have to share the road with the vans. The place is walkable but just no sidewalks. Be prepared to hike up and down which was no issue for us but just fair warning to those who are not physically active.

Our stay at Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica was nothing short of incredible. From the moment we arrived, the experience felt warm, welcoming, and genuinely well cared for. The property itself is beautiful and expansive, with so much to explore that we honestly did not even get to see it all during our stay. The accommodations were excellent. We stayed in a bungalow, and everything from the cleanliness to the overall comfort was top tier. Our room attendant, O, took great care of us and made sure our space was consistently refreshed and comfortable. The food across the resort was consistently great, with plenty of variety and thoughtful presentation. One standout experience was dining at the Pan Asian restaurant, where our server tía Karla truly made the night special. She treated us like family and created a warm, comforting, and joyful experience that went far beyond typical service. Girls trips can bring out emotions, and her kindness and care were deeply appreciated. Getting around the property was easy thanks to the amazing drivers. The resort is large, and the transportation team made everything feel seamless. Papi Harold deserves a special mention. He helped us with our luggage upon arrival, brought us back to the main lobby when it was time to depart, and we saw him several times in between. He was always friendly, fun, and made every ride enjoyable. The overall atmosphere at Secrets Papagayo is peaceful, vibrant, and full of genuine hospitality. The staff across the property were kind, attentive, and consistently made us feel welcome. The people, the food, the environment, and the accommodations were all 10s across the board. We also appreciated having Nexus Tours conveniently located on site. While they are a separate company, their presence made transportation and excursion planning very easy. They handled our airport transfers and helped us book an incredible off site excursion. Jeremy on their team was communicative, organized, and easy to work with, which added to the ease of the overall experience. Costa Rica itself is stunning, and Secrets Papagayo is an amazing place to experience it. This resort delivered on every level, and I would absolutely return and recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, adults only, all inclusive escape. Shoutout to my travel advisor, Ta-Tanisha, owner of Officially Crowned Travel, who made this experience possible.

This was our first time at an all-inclusive so first time at a secrets. This reminded me of cruises i have been on. Very high quality service and decent entertainment and food. For me, the stars of this property are the friendly staff members. The rooms are average, the ac is problematic in them, you might come across an odd bug/critter in your room. The property is very large and built into a hillside so walking from different parts of it is a real workout. We stayed up on the hill in the 400 rooms and did actually walk up and down quite a few times but the shuttles are generally quick to respond to requests for rides if you don’t want to brave the steep hills. For walking between the spa side and the main pool area, walk along the beach for a shortcut. The food is ok. Very disappointed in the hibachi experience which we figured would be a highlight but it was not. The Italian restaurant was good as was the seaside grill. The Asian restaurant was better for non-hibachi meals. The buffet was adequate. Sometimes meals would take a long time and just about every meal so component was omitted or any substitutions had about a 50/50 chance of happening. Even with drinks, sometimes they wouldn’t come or would be a different drink altogether. The highlight for me was my first ever massage at the spa and it was very relaxing. We did the vacation club presentation for certificate for couples massage ($400 value) and I felt very relaxed after the massage. The resort has kayaks and paddle boards you can borrow for an hour and you can walk to a secluded beach to the north if you keep an eye on the tide, if it’s approaching high tide, there may not be any dry land between the resort beach and the one to the north. Snorkeling was decent off the beach to the left side. Higher tide is better. Overall, I’d rate this between 7 and 8 out of 10. Friendly staff, rooms with issues, average food, good drinks, decent entertainment, nice scenery.

Overselling specialty wine and events. We were preferred package and had to go to one small bar. It was great but… Himitsu was great. Great staff and food. Others, Portifinio seaside etc could have been better. Did one dinner buffet and the steak was leather. Be careful where they put you. We were on the back area and so far away we asked to be moved.

FRAUD WARNING: Credit Card skimming at Amstar office at the resort I am writing this as a warning to all guests at Secrets Papagayo. On January 15th, I used my physical card at the Amstar desk to pay for a $315 tour. On January 19th, conveniently right after I returned home from Costa Rica, my card was hit with fraudulent charges at Walmart.com. I used encrypted "Tap to Pay" (Apple Pay) for every other transaction during my trip. This was the ONLY time I swiped my physical card, and it led directly to fraud. The interaction with the agent was a massive red flag: After the first swipe for the charges for the tour that we booked, he claimed his screen was blank and it "failed." I showed him my bank app on my phone which clearly displayed a $315 "Pending" charge. He argued with me, insisting that "pending doesn't mean it went through, since you didn't get a notification" to force me into a second swipe. As someone who develops software for a living, it was clear to me that he is lying since a notification of transaction is a nice to have but in app activity is the source of truth. The rep suggested to swipe again and worst case is a second charge which he can always return if that happens. For the second swipe, he manually entered $630 into his machine. When I challenged the amount, he gave a vague answer about "testing the system." After the swipe, his machine suddenly displayed $315 as successful and my app didn't show a second charge. I assumed it was indeed a glitch due to high trust on agents sitting at the resort. I believe that first swipe was the real machine and second made up swipe was a skimmer that picked up the information. Nothing explains that entry of $630 for the second swipe but I guess that doesn't matter if that's not a legit swipe to begin with. It is clear the "system failure" was a social engineering tactic to capture my magnetic stripe data. Do not let them swipe your card. Stick to room charges or contactless tap-to-pay only. Be warned—they also offer a significantly lower price if you pay in cash. Do not do this. This is likely an off-books scam where your tour isn't officially registered, and it's a huge red flag for the integrity of the operation.

We were recommended this place by a Costco representative. After booking the trip without doing any research. We found out that the property located on the side of a mountain. There’s not much of area to walk from place to place. You have to take a shuttle. Some drivers can make the drive scary due to the roads are barely wide enough for a van to fit on and they drive fast. Food was very good at the Italian and Japanese restaurants. The buffet and other restaurants were ok. For being all inclusive the food and drinks were about 4 stars. The staff was in my opinion extremely nice. The rooms were ok. 2 rooms are set up like a duplex. We could hear our neighbors conversation at times. Early in am it was annoying. The pools were ok not enough lounge chairs to sit on and they weren’t busy. The sand on the beach was so soft. It wasn’t very clean, not a lot of seats on the beach. If it was windy the sand would blow in the wind. 40 minute ride from airport. I played golf at a nice golf course. 1 hour drive each way. Had to set up with a nice guy Richard. His vehicle was a P. O.S! I don’t think we will go back I know most of you would say it’s our own fault for no researching the place first. We trusted our Costco representative and didn’t want to pay the cancellation fees. All in all a relaxing week of mostly sitting around, drinking and eating. We got lucky and someone signed into prime video so I watched all of season 5 of Yellowstone. Almost all of the tv shows and movies in Spanish. Most of the staff speaks English pretty good.

We stayed at Secrets Papagayo and honestly had an amazing time! The food was way better than your typical resort buffet — every meal felt like something from a real restaurant, and the service was top notch. Everyone we met was friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely happy to make sure we were taken care of. Room service was also a highlight — fast, hot, and always delicious (and yes, we tested it more than once 😅). The resort itself is gorgeous and incredibly clean, with views that make you want to just stop and stare for a bit. The only “downside” — if you can call it that — is how spread out everything is. You’ll definitely get your steps in here, so pack comfy shoes or consider it your built-in gym time! There is a shuttle and most of the time it was super quick. The only time you might wait is around popular breakfast and dinner times. We went in the wet season so it rained almost the whole time but the resort is packed with things to do (rain on shine). Even if not, the drinks are strong and you are already wet in the pool. The staff was there to help us make the best of it. All in all, we loved it. Beautiful resort, fantastic food, great staff, and just the right mix of relaxation and adventure. We would definitely come back.