Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique evaluate

Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo has acquired appreciable consideration lately due to luxurious lodge choices that embody the 4 Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort and, as of February, Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

However lower than an hour’s drive round Culebra Bay, there is a new resort within the area able to vie for luxurious vacationers’ consideration. And the very best half? You should utilize Hilton Honors factors to e book it.

Perched atop a 300-foot cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique — featured on TPG’s listing of probably the most thrilling lodge openings of 2025 — brings the model’s signature class to Costa Rica’s lush Guanacaste area.

Here is a glance contained in the resort.

Associated: The perfect all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica for seashore visits or mountaineering journeys

First impressions

Pulling as much as the Waldorf Astoria, there are spectacular views in all places you flip. However the very best one is the panorama that greets company as they ascend the steps to the lodge foyer. A contemporary house with wooden paneling and floor-to-ceiling home windows offers method to an expansive, ocean-facing terrace that unmistakably alerts trip.

My husband and I had been greeted with chilly towels and peppermint lemonade, which I delivered to the terrace to admire the gorgeous surroundings. My 7-month-old daughter, in the meantime, acquired a stuffed sloth named Petronila, who was such successful that she joined us in all places we went all through the journey.

The rooms

The Waldorf Astoria boasts 148 visitor rooms and 40 suites, with upward of 20 room sorts to select from. Rooms are tastefully adorned in serene, impartial tones, permitting the ocean views to take middle stage. Pure supplies corresponding to rattan, wooden and stone seamlessly join the indoor and outside areas.

I stayed in an ocean-facing one-bedroom king suite with a plunge pool, which offered ample house, each indoor and outside, to unfold out. In the primary space, an expansive desk was an excellent spot for having fun with the in-room eating menu, and my newly cellular daughter used the plush lounge space for crawling observe.

Within the second room, a king-size mattress confronted floor-to-ceiling home windows and related to a spa-like toilet with a double vainness, a rainfall bathe and a separate water closet. The bed room additionally featured one other seating space, a desk and chair, and a station for complimentary espresso, tea and water.

The wraparound outside house offered a number of locations to loosen up, from a plunge pool to an outsized chaise lounge to an outside bathtub. From our balcony, we had placing views every morning of the solar rising over the ocean and the lodge’s cascading, multilevel swimming pools.

Eating at Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique

An emphasis on native, high-quality elements shines by means of throughout the property’s many eating ideas. Fish is bought from native fishermen, and wagyu cattle from a close-by farm are hand-selected by the lodge’s chef. The eye to element would not cease there: Each dish is flavored with salt domestically produced within the historical custom of the Indigenous Chorotega folks.

Tico Tica
This relaxed but refined restaurant is open all through the day however actually involves life at dinnertime, with a wide-ranging menu that spans pasta to seafood. My favourite dish was the humita ($18), a candy corn potage with melted cheese and smoked pepper sauce.

La Finca
The resort’s signature restaurant blends fashionable and conventional cuisines for an upscale eating expertise. I cherished the roasted artichoke with manchego and inexperienced plantain ($29) and the Rincon de la Vieja cocktail ($22), named for the close by volcano.

Peacock Alley
This signature bar seems in every Waldorf Astoria worldwide. Each small plate we tried right here was scrumptious, however the showstopper was the Chorotega cocktail ($20) made out of rum, corn liquor, espresso, vanilla and chocolate truffle.

Vida
Vida’s menu of pizzas, salads and sandwiches is finest loved from a pool chair overlooking the ocean. Do not skip the guacamole with inexperienced mango and cashews ($17).

Buena Nota Cafe
This cafe is a superb morning possibility if you don’t need a full breakfast. It serves specialty espresso and house-made pastries, together with pink guava rolls ($13) and golden mango eclairs ($14).

Copo y Cono
Seize a house-made ice cream, milkshake or paleta at this tiny store simply steps from the pool. I loved a cup of the Pura Vida chocolate topped with contemporary mango ($9).

The Terrace
With the very best sundown views on the property, The Terrace is simply the place to seize a cocktail or glass of Champagne earlier than dinner.

In-room eating
Room service is on the market 24/7, which got here in helpful earlier than our early-morning flight residence. We prescheduled breakfast burritos with beans, rice and plantains ($18) to reach in to-go bins so we might take them to the airport.

Facilities and repair

• Service: Employees members on the lodge had been a number of the nicest and warmest I’ve ever encountered, and so they went above and past to make sure we had all the pieces we wanted. For instance, they even helped us procure child components from a neighborhood retailer after we unexpectedly ran low.
• Private concierge: All company obtain a employees contact whom they’ll message by means of WhatsApp to e book actions, prepare transportation, make reservations and extra.
• Actions: The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique has an action-packed actions calendar, with complimentary choices starting from yoga to snorkeling to seashore video games.
• Pets: Pets of as much as 75 kilos are welcome on the property for a $250 nonrefundable charge.
• Swimming pools: The lodge is a pool lover’s dream, with eight ocean-facing swimming pools to select from and one other extra secluded possibility by the spa.
• Seaside: Loungers and daybeds abound on the resort’s stunning strip of seashore, which can be used for video games and actions.
• Health middle: The power is nicely outfitted with free weights and Technogym machines.
• Spa: The Waldorf Astoria Spa integrates elements and strategies utilized by the Chorotega folks into its massages, rituals and different remedies.
• Children and youths golf equipment: These no-fee golf equipment provide actions like seashore walks, bowling and treasure hunts for guests ages 4 to 12 and desk tennis tournaments, film nights and video video games for these ages 13 to 17.

Actions

There’s a lot to see within the Guanacaste area, particularly for nature lovers. Among the many highlights of our time in Costa Rica was a ship journey by means of the wetlands of the Tempisque River, organized by the lodge. We noticed monkeys, crocodiles, quite a few chicken species and bats in abundance.

However there are additionally plenty of methods to attach with nature and native tradition with out venturing removed from the lodge. A barista class guided by the lodge employees gave us an interesting introduction to varied roasting and brewing strategies and the position espresso performs in day by day life, and a morning guided kayak journey to a close-by seashore was a good way to discover the bay and its marine life.

Location and logistics

The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica sits about 18 miles west of Daniel Oduber Quirós Worldwide Airport (LIR) in Liberia, Costa Rica, which you’ll simply attain from U.S. cities together with Los Angeles, Charlotte, Atlanta, New York and Houston.

The drive from the airport takes about 40 minutes, however do not depend on ride-hailing apps. Whereas Uber is current within the area, there aren’t many drivers. As a substitute, you’ll be able to take a taxi (fares can fluctuate, however often fall between $60 and $100) or lease a automotive, as parking on the resort is free. The lodge additionally works with a luxurious automotive firm to supply upscale personal airport transfers, with an SUV trip costing $195 every manner.

What it prices to remain on the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica and easy methods to e book

The Waldorf Astoria model falls below the Hilton umbrella, that means you’ll be able to earn and redeem Hilton Honors factors for a keep. Normal room rewards at present begin at 120,000 factors per evening and are available between now and late December, when costs bounce for the vacations. Money costs between at times vary from $1,053 to $1,630 per evening.

When reserving the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica, you may need to use one of many bank cards that earn probably the most factors for Hilton stays, or one that gives automated Hilton Honors elite standing for value-added advantages. These embody:

• Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass® Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton motels, automated Gold elite standing and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing by means of the top of the subsequent calendar 12 months by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar 12 months.
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Enterprise Card: Earn 12 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton motels, automated Gold elite standing and the flexibility to improve to Diamond standing by means of the top of the subsequent calendar 12 months by spending $40,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar 12 months.
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Card: Earn 7 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton motels and automated Silver elite standing (with an improve to Gold by means of the top of the subsequent calendar 12 months whenever you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar 12 months).
• Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card: Earn 14 factors per greenback spent on eligible purchases at Hilton motels and automated Diamond elite standing.

The data for the Hilton Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

The lodge additionally participates in American Categorical Superb Lodges + Resorts. Those that have an eligible card, corresponding to The Platinum Card® from American Categorical or The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical, and e book by means of the FHR portal will internet perks like availability-based upgrades, day by day breakfast for 2 and an on-property credit score of as much as $100 to make use of in the course of the keep.

Accessibility

The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica has two room sorts with mobility and listening to entry — one with a king mattress, and one with two queens. Each are outfitted with roll-in showers and visible alarms and notification units.

The property additionally options a number of different accessible facilities, together with an accessible pool, train facility and assembly rooms. Service animals are welcome on the resort.

Backside line

The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica’s integration of native supplies, elements, customs and tradition grounds the resort within the Guanacaste area — and on the identical time, due to robust throughlines to the worldwide model, Waldorf Astoria followers will really feel at residence right here whether or not or not they’ve visited Costa Rica earlier than.

With snug lodging, nice meals, pleasant service and plentiful award availability, the lodge presents a incredible new possibility for Hilton loyalists trying to redeem their factors or free evening certificates for a high-value tropical getaway.

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