Punta Islita, Autograph Collection

Celebrating our 10-year anniversary in Costa Rica was an unforgettable blessing, and staying at Hotel Punta Islita made it truly magical. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles, “Pura Vida,” and an incredible level of care. The entire staff treats every guest with love and attention, going above and beyond to ensure your stay is comfortable and memorable. You even get the chance to meet the hotel manager and chef, who, like everyone else, are friendly and focused on making sure you have the best time possible. The hotel offers transportation to and from the airport, making travel stress-free, and a shuttle to the beach and the charming town of Islita ensures you can explore with ease. The beach is clean, stunning, and perfect for relaxation or adventure. Whether you want to sit back and enjoy a delicious drink while listening to the waves or dive into a wide range of activities, there’s something for everyone. The hotel provides incredible cultural experiences and fun activities, including ATV rides, turtle-watching, and more. You’ll be completely immersed in the beauty of Costa Rica’s nature. For relaxation, the spa is fantastic, with skilled massage therapists who will leave you feeling refreshed and pampered. Every aspect of this place feels safe and welcoming, from the lush surroundings to the friendly staff. And the food? Absolutely incredible! Every meal is fresh, authentic, and mouthwatering—worth every bite (even if it means gaining a few pounds). Whether you want an adventure-filled trip or a peaceful retreat by the beach, Hotel Punta Islita has it all. I highly recommend booking a trip to Costa Rica and staying here. It’s an experience you’ll never forget, and I’m already counting down the days until I can go back!

Punta Islita is a beautiful hotel perched up on large hill overlooking the ocean. There’s a lot of activities offered by the hotel which makes up for being in a secluded area. Unfortunately we didn’t see the wildlife we expected which were monkeys, the place was still teeming with many birds. The hotel did end up reversing a suite upgrade last minute on us and didn’t really make up for it in anyway which is disappointing and hardly acknowledged the problem. Also the rooms need a refresh as they are outdated for this price class of a hotel.

I have traveled worldwide for 70+ years and stayed at some of the finest resorts - and I have to say that Punta Islita now tops the list. EVERYTHING was truly five-star: ambience, food, service, rooms, views, activities. Absolutely ideal for a romantic vacation. We were there in "rainy season" so occupancy was low, but it's warm tropical rain that had little affect on our enjoyment of the resort. It is a little remote - a rough three hour drive from Liberia airport, or a local small plane hop (the better option) to an air strip a few miles from Punta Islita. I'm hoping to return!

The area is fantastic and pura vida but disappointing stay and it really could've and should've been better. The rooms need a major renovation and upgrade especially for this price point. I'm surprised Marriott considers this an "Autograph" property because it doesn't meet the standard especially since you expect everything to be in good working order. Let's start with the good: this property is in a stunning location with very nice vistas, pools, beach club and restaurants to enjoy all the nature has to offer. Because it's remote would advise getting transportation to/from airport if not renting a car. Love the focus on the environment with water bottle refilling station and natural materials throughout the resort with little use of plastic and other wasteful products. Alma Restaurant-serves breakfast and dinner. The food is good, fresh and reasonably priced with variety of beverages, appetizers, entrees and dessert. Aura Restaurant-perfect for lunch by the Pacific Ocean or snacks in addition to juices, healthy drinks and cocktails. Pools-very nice with easy access to showers, plenty of lounge chairs and a bar area. Shuttle-friendly drivers who will take you to the tiny "town" next door, down to the beach area or other sites anytime you want to go. They will also pick you up. The bad: The room. The bathroom was on par with a Motel 6 with chipped, faded tile, ancient faucet and showerhead with very little water pressure. The bed mattress was lumpy and the sofa also worn and uncomfortable. The door to our room broke and took an hour before maintenance guy could get access thru the bathroom window. The outside jacuzzi started gushing water onto the patio and maintenance guy saw it and never returned, it wound up having very little water so unusable. In room fridge didnt keep anything cold. Alma Restaurant-Highly inconsistent service , had some very friendly servers (Francisco, Diego, and Gerard) and some downright surly ones ("ready to order?! Room number?!" ) Be prepared to wait a long time for your food. drinks, and check with the exception of Aura Restaurant. Even though the most crowded was 10 tables max, breakfast always took 90 minutes. Dinner service also slow. The menu doesnt change so suggest going off property for some meals. Housekeeping-left dirty dishes and didn't leave clean glasses or water Front desk-friendly but not pro-active or solution oriented. There was a planned power outage that kept us out of our room from 8am-430pm with nowhere to be but outside without power. I understand that's not in the resort's control but they should've done something (even a room credit) since for 8.5 hours unable to use the room that was paid for. Also should've been warned at check in (not the night before) about the planned outage. Overall, with power outage, broken room door, malfunctioning jacuzzi and bathroom/room in need of major renovations, this was all something I've never experienced at a 4 or 5 star property and it's not s

It's been a few months since our magical visit to this amazing place and my wife and I are still in awe of our time there. The term "resort" doesn't even fit when I try to put a label on Punta Islita, Autograph Collection. Its an oasis where you can have an amazing time with tours on site, or simply rejuvenate your soul with the one you love which is what my wife and I chose to do. The view of the Pacific and surrounding jungle from the upper infinity pool is breathtaking. The walk to the lower pool was fun and different each time as it meandered between mango and papaya trees with parakeets in the branches and macaws flying overhead. The lower pool is a gorgeous resort unto itself and we enjoyed walking to the rock formation down the black beach during various tides. Our room had a plunge pool so every morning we had coffee in it while the clouds went through the valley to our left and we heard the distant call of howler monkeys. Even now I'm speechless to describe how surreal of an experience it was. On one such morning we even adjusted when we would retire because, if you allow it, this place will re-calibrate what's important in life. Amazing and healthy food, incredibly nice and kind people, and Joe was super helpful setting up tours and he really cared that we were having a nice time - even having a bottle of champagne delivered to our room for our anniversary. As another reviewer said, "just go," so just go and we'll see you there as we're planning our next visit already.