Sandos Papagayo Hotel

Jay Palmer

I just stayed at the Sandos Papagayo for 1 week and I'd like to share the good, bad and the shocking of my time there. The Good The hotel is in a great and quiet location with easy access to the promenade I never expect too much from a buffet, but I thought the food was excellent and exceeded my expectations. We were upgraded to a nicer room on check-in, with a balcony and sea view which was a very nice touch. The snack bar was also great, it has a great selection of food and also, beer, wine and soft drinks that you can pour yourself. The pool bar was rarely busy and when there was a queue, it was never too long to wait. Good proximity to some very nice beaches. The bad It would have been nice if at least one of the three pools were heated, obviously only for the cooler months The kids playground was very depressing and definitely needs updating. Some more pool activities for the kids would have also been good. I think the signage could be better, it's a large hotel and I found it difficult in the early days to navigate around the hotel. It was quite difficult to get a sunbed, even around 9am. The shocking I booked the hotel through Tui, I paid for a late check-out about 3 weeks before the holiday. On the day of check-out, I went to lunch around 12:00 and went back to the room at 1pm, my key card wouldn't work so I took the long walk to reception. I explained my card wasn't working and stated my room number, as soon as I finished telling the lady on reception, another lady interrupted (I think she was one of the managers) She said "Your card isn't working because check-out is a 12:00 (looking at me like I'm scum of the earth) I advised that I had paid for late check-out and she replied "oh really, was it yesterday? did you pay the hotel did you" (again, looking at me like I'm scum) I think she was making out I was lying. She went off to check if I had paid for a late check-out and a couple of minutes later another lady came over to me and asked how long I needed the room for. I asked if she had confirmed if I had paid for a late check-out and the lady confirmed that I had actually paid for a late check-out. I asked why the other lady was so rude to me and I said it was totally unnecessary; she apologised to me, I said it wasn't her fault and there's no need for her to apologise and I said the manager should apologise. The manager did apologise but it didn't feel sincere at all and said it was a problem with their system. It's a shame this happened because it was an hour before leaving the hotel and it kind of tarnishes the whole trip. If you'd like to confirm this, I stayed from the 13th - 20th April, Booked under Palmer and room A411. This 'manager' definitely needs some training in basic manners.

Magdalena Sobczyk

It was our second time in this beautiful hotel. Absolutely amazing entertainment, very clean ( our towels were changed every day). The food was good too and fresh, also the alcoholic drinks was properly made. Spa was included for people with all inclusive option. Perfect for cloudy days , after long day out. Our favourite bartender, which always welcome us with big smile made our day, he definitely should get a pay rise ! Definitely will recommend this hotel for everyone, either families or couples.

Zach the zebra

Absolutely beautiful location, right on the sea front. The food was delicious and the choice was incredible. The staff, particularly Zak and Helga were outstanding. They really added to our already wonderful holiday! The entertainment was fun and varied. The room was beautifully clean and spacious! Highly recommend!

Lisa Bosher

This is our 4th visit to Sandos Papagayo and I can't say enough how much my family and I enjoyed our most recent holiday last week. We have always enjoyed the fabulous location, vast mix of entertainment, choice of food, drink and comfort. However this holiday was extra special as it was our first all inclusive since our daughter's coeliac diagnosis. We have not confidently been able to eat out or stay away in hotels as her allergy to gluten is very severe and any cross contamination would make her extremely sick and ruin the whole week. The chefs and waiting staff were very accommodating and reassuring. When we first arrived at the hotel they took us around the whole restaurant and the GF food was clearly marked. She could also choose from a special menu and order all her meals in advance. It made mealtimes much more relaxing. The ice creams, slushies and pancakes in the snack bar were also available , which delighted her. She was not sick once and it really gave us a lot of confidence that her health was being taken seriously. Having this experience has been very beneficial to us as a family as we not feel we can travel to more hotels. We did a lot of research on coeliac safe hotels and Sandos was recommended , and I can add to that it was very safe, and would encourage more people to visit on that basis. Thank you so much for looking after us and our little girl. It meant so much to be able to have a special family holiday in the sunshine , in such a beautiful location. We had the best time. Thank you also to the entertainment staff who were very kind and friendly. We will be back to visit again for sure. 🥰

David Smith

Spent 10 days there from the beginning of January 2025. The food service and the location was perfect. Some really nice walking to be done and some really nice beaches to be found. The only negative point would be the entertainment started quite late. Even if you ate late, you’d still have to hang around while before it started. It felt like once you were getting into it, it was good night folks. Hope you had a good evening. I would go back there