Sometimes you need your adventure to be an unplug, you don’t need to think about which restaurant to go to or to which beach to visit. You just want to chill out in a hotel and relax as much as possible. This is where the all-inclusive hotels from Costa Rica appear in the scene!
All-inclusive hotels are just perfect for relaxing and not needing to think about anything, just enjoying the good food, the sunny days, and why not the spa as well?
Costa Rica has some good all-inclusive hotel options, (in a previous post I made a review of the Westin Conchal All Inclusive Hotel) most of them in the Pacific Coastline. I recently visited the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Guanacaste, so, in this article, I will show you and let you know everything you need to know to have yourself a great relaxing adventure in this all-inclusive hotel.
How to get there?
This resort is in Guanacaste Province, just 30 minutes away by car from Costa Rica’s second-biggest International Airport (Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia), so if you are planning just to visit the hotel (I would recommend otherwise) you should try flying directly to the mentioned airport in Liberia, rent a car there and drive to Planet Hollywood.
In case you fly to Costa Rica’s major airport in San José, you will be 4 hours away from the hotel and I would strongly recommend renting a car as well since isn’t possible to reach the hotel by public transportation. The views of the road that take you from San José to Puntarenas and then to Guanacaste are worth the journey.
If you have time, try visiting cool places like Ponderosa Adventure Park or Llanos de Cortes Waterfalls that are on the same road.
The All-Inclusive Hotel
Planet Hollywood’s deal is making you feel like a superstar, so once you get to the hotel, you will enter through a red carpet and the staff members that are around will start applauding as you enter the hotel lobby’s, soon after, you will get a welcome cocktail. In our case, we received a superb Gin Tonic with pitahaya (also called dragon fruit).
As you walk around the lobby, you will find in the walls, cool props from famous Hollywood movies, like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Field of Dreams, and more… The hotel is on a hill, so there are always mini cars the move you around, from the lobby to your room, pool area, or the other way around, but you can always walk everywhere since the distances inside the hotel aren’t long.
What to do in the hotel?
Once you settled down in your room, it’s time to enjoy the resort as much as possible! I spent most of my time in the beach area! The resort has a beach called Manzanillo Beach (don’t confuse this with the famous Manzanillo Beach in Limon) right in front of the hotel, this beach is inside of Bahia Culebra in the Papaya Peninsula so it looks like you are in a lake with almost no waves, this creates a very peaceful mood where you can relax even more.
The hotel has some really nice beach chairs, perfect for relaxing while you stay on the beach. Right next to these chairs there are some local women doing great massages (they offer a good deal, almost half price from what they charge you in Planet Hollywood). If you are in the mood for more recreational activities, the hotel has kayaks and paddleboards that you can rent and have an enjoyable time in the sea.
Right next to the hotel there is a more “virgin beach” named Iguanita Beach, this is in front of a national biodiversity refugee named Iguanita, where you can make hikes in specific trails and enjoy the flora and fauna from Guanacaste Province. You could visit this refugee by walking through the beach (it should take you around 40 minutes) but keep in mind the tides, usually, when the tide is high, go over some rocks in some parts of the way in order to reach Iguanita Beach.
Besides the beach, the hotel has a couple of big pools where you can surely spend some pleasant time, enjoy the pool bar as much as you want, that’s one of the perks of visiting an all-inclusive hotel after all. There is also a small pool for kids, with cool sliders and games where they can spend hours playing around.
During the night, I highly recommend going to the shows they have every night, when I went they had a Costa Rica typical songs and dances show really entertained!
How are the hotel’s restaurants?
After enjoying some time in Planet Hollywood’s facilities, it’s time to go ahead and check the hotel’s restaurants! Since you will probably be on vacation, we are going to skip the gym facilities section (there is a gym with literally all you need for a good workout) and start talking food!
The hotel has seven bars/restaurants so you will certainly find something you will like. There are three restaurants down the pool area and three restaurants and one bar up in the lobby building, which also has a small cafeteria where you can pick sandwiches and coffee to go. These are Planet Hollywood Restaurants:
- Guy’s! Burger Joint –> Burgers, fries (actually, fantastic fries!), nuggets, and more fast food.
- So Cal Gourmet Food Emporium –> Hotel’s buffet option, from salads to pizzas.
- East Sushi & Teppanyaki Bar –> Don’t miss the teppanyaki show nor the desserts!
- Sunset Strip Steakhouse & Grill –> Try the “Director’s Cut”.
- Blue Star Tex-Mex Cantina –> Tacos and brisket? Sign me in!
- Gusto Italian Trattoria –> The hotel’s “romantic restaurant” (Don’t propose here, come on, be more creative!).
- Overtime Sports Bar –> In case you don’t want to miss good football or basketball games!
Remember to book dinner early morning so you don’t have any issues!
Places to visit from Planet Hollywood Costa Rica?
Beaches:
As we mentioned before, Planet Hollywood’s beach is a nice black sand beach, but if you are in for the hunt for a more white sand beach, there are plenty of options near the All-Inclusive Resort you will be staying in. I fixed up a list of beautiful white sand beaches within less than 45 minutes drive so you can have a better adventure!
- Cabuyal beach (15min by car)
- Nacascolo beach (15min by car)
- Coco beach (42min by car)
- Calzon de Pobre beach (45min by car)
- Naranjo beach (Roca Bruja) (40min by car)
Non-beach activities:
In case you had enough of the beach (really?), or want to make the most out of your Costa Rican vacation, there are plenty of lovely places non-beach related that you can visit from your All-Inclusive Resort.
Santa Rosa and Rincon de la Vieja National offer the possibility of nice hikes. Oropéndula Waterfall is inside Rincon de la Vieja National Park and is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Costa Rica. Barra Honda National Park has some fantastic caverns that you need to explore!
- Santa Rosa National Park (40min by car)
- Barra Honda National Park (1:15min by car)
- Oropéndula Waterfall (1:15min by car)
- Rincon de la Vieja National Park (1:30min by car)
