Reserva Conchal, Santa Cruz

Just got back today, and can honestly say this resort was not worth the money. Bartenders were not friendly, room service never got the order right and the food was just ok. We met some people there who had opted for the royal service and had to change rooms three times because the ac didn't work, also were supposed to have a private bulter and never saw him once! Its an all inclusive resort but there was only one beer type no premium alcohol and if you wanted lobster or wine it was an addtional charge. I picked this hotel because we stayed in Paradisus in Punta Cana and it was wonderful. Sadly this one doesn't compare.

Front desk staff very un-accomodating. We missed our flight and missed 2 nights or the resort, we asked for a refund , partial or upgrade, but they denied us. They kept saying we have a nice room, they said the best they would do is move us to the second floor of the same building. All inclusive includes White-nosed Coati animals visiting your patio on a regular basis looking for food and deficating in the flower pots. We felt trapped in our rooms, could go on patio to relax. ASked to be moved, but staff kept saying we are in a nice room. They said we could move to second floor but never got back to us. Would not go back they seemed not to care if we did or not.

My intention is simply to give a realistic perspective on this resort as it seems most reviews and the hotel's website can be deceiving, both positively and negatively. The following is a list of the most important things that I felt were misleading and wish I knew before making this trip... - The hotel is NOT directly on the beach. You actually have to leave hotel grounds and travel across a small, wooded public area filled with slightly annoying vendors to reach the sandy beach. A convenience killer! - There isn't much wildlife on the grounds. Most of what makes Costa Rica so beautiful apparently is in other, more remote areas of the country. I see just as much wildlife in my backyard in Florida than there is at Paradisus - a few dull birds, some iguanas, and an occasional coati...WOW! - The food was OK...sometimes good and sometimes bad. It reminded me of being on a cruise. Keep your expectations low and you will be very happy. - Service again was OK...sometimes good and sometimes bad. This hotel has a reputation, apparently, for guests items being stolen. This is why you don't use the safe...it's like a giant bullseye to your loot for any staff member. Take your valuables with you or put them in a secret place in a suitcase or bag that would require a lot of digging to find. Once again, keep your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. Overall these may not be your top interests in picking this hotel but they were for me and my family. I think that when a hotel demands the prices that Paradisus does, they need to offer better service, amentities, and activities all-around. Almost any of the fun that one will have would need to come from outside excursions that can require up to 8 (roundtrip) hours of driving. And they're not cheap either!!! - The only excursions I found worth the money is the sunset and snorkeling cruise AND the Arenal volcano tour with hot springs visit!

My family and I have been to all the Paradisus hotels. The service was great and the staff couldn't have been nicer. The pool was very relaxing and you can sure get a great tan with the lovely weather. Although it is very warm there, there is always the bar, the shade under the huts, or the pool to cool you down. The resturaunts were very good and well prepared. Especailly our reoccurring waiter Antonio who couldn't have been kinder. The buffet breakfast was to die for. There are so many choices to chose from. Especially the freshly made omelets and the best waffle, pancake, and French toast maker Randal!! We looked forward to getting waffles every morning from Randal. We also did the zip line outside of the hotel which was a lot of fun. It was only a half-day trip so we were back in time to soak up the sun for the rest of the day. The house keeping service was great. Our house keeper Adriana always made little animals out of the towels everyday for us. One of the best Paradisus hotels there is. Definitely going back!

The resort was really nice. The food was just average. The pool is huge. I booked a fishing trip thru Hotelbeds, which is out of the resort. The trip was going to be a half of day. I asked them to pair me up with another couple if they could. They called me and said they could. The day to go fishing, we caught our ride, but the other couplemissed the ride. We were to split the cost of the boat, which was $200 each couple.They ended up charging me the full price of $400. I have a receipt for $200. They went back and charged my credit card again without my knowledge. Just a warning, do not use Hotelbeds for any excusion unless you plan on paying with cash. Over all, we liked the resort but not sure about some of their services. We have mixed emotions about it. Also seemed like everything would shut down early everynight as well.

I took my husband there for his birthday. We were impressed with the friendliness of the staff. Everyone was willing to be of assistance to us during our stay. The most enjoyable part was the choice of different restaurants. This was not your typical all-inclusive with a buffet. You could try Asian fusion, Italian, French, Pizza or the buffet. A bonus was the room service they offered. It was nice to order breakfast by room service and then to sit outside in the beautiful weather. We saw a lot of different wildlife which included monkeys, large lizzards, birds, and fish. I would highly recommend this place.

After booking this resort on a whim, we couldn't have been more delighted with the facility and the service. The resort was beautifully designed and well manicured, with all the necessary amenities. It wasn't "over done" with luxury, but wasn't dumpy ... rather, perfectly balanced. The service staff was tremendously friendly and helpful, the food was absolutely phenomenal and the atmosphere was relaxing and fun. We highly recommend spending the additional money for the Royal Service package; the additional services and amenities are well worth the money, particularly if traveling without children. We will definitely return to this resort and seek out other Sol Melia / Paradisus properties in other geographies.

My husband and I celebrated our 10yr anniversary here last February. We didn't expect to walk into paradise but we did! We had the time of our lives and enjoyed it so much that we are going back again this February (2008). Service was wonderful, food was delicious, beach was gorgeous. We have nothing bad to say about the resort. We didn't take advantage of everything included in the "all-inclusive" so will be doing that this year. We did take a full day excursion to the Arenal Volcano and were fortunate to see the very top. It was defintely the trip of a life time!

5 YEARS AGO IN FEBRUARY WE LEFT MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA AND LANDED IN PARADISE. STARTED IN LIBERIA SHORTLY TO GO THRU CUSTOMS. WENT BY BUS TO PARADISE. STILL CAN,T BELIEVE IT. WE (THREE COUPLES) HAD A GREAT TIME. THANKS.

I am costarican, and let me tell you that i was really dissapointed of this hotel, first of all, the service is different if you are a local or a foreign. That should not happen in a hotel that is 80% average occupied by ticos, at least last weekend. At check in I solicitated a room that is nearby the pool, because I have 2 sons, a 4 yr old and a 6 weeks old. This hotel is huge, 400+ rooms in separate villas of 8 rooms, the young guy in lobby gave me the second furthest room in the hotel, on the second floor, he said rooms were already assigned and could not help me, he did not tell me either that there is a family concierge, with a little bit of more money they can put you closer to the pool and enjoy extra kids service, like milk and cookies, sunlotion, kiddy robes, etc. amount that I would totally agree if I received the info, like the foreign people that was check'n in the day I checked out, they did received the extra info. The pool is huge, there is a petite wet bar on one end, and the towels are on the other end, they are really obsessed with the towels, $50 if you lose a towel, I thought that the loud colors, yellow lime and electric purple, were there to keep people from taking the towels home, apparently not. I do not know anybody that would think on keeping a hotel towel. Food from the buffet was merely average, lacked seafood and imagination, the food at the a la carte menu is excellent, at least Spices (asian). The one thing that made me write this review was the time I lost waiting. Waiting 20 minutes at the entrance of the pool for the transport vehicle that will take me to my room, or from the room to the restaurant, of course visiting first the lobby, because they have a "route" a have to stick to it, waiting 30 min in line at the buffet to be seated, waiting for the keys, waiting for towels in the bedroom, waiting in the morning to be 9 am so you can make reservations in a la carte restaurants The hotel is beautiful, very well kept and decorated, great pool, lots of ammenities, the all inclusive includes the mini bar, and the 24 hour room service, there are fruit smoothies at breakfast, and great show at night, but probably we will not be going back.