Planet Hollywood Costa Rica Resort Review
Fun activities, good food, and one big hill
Planet Hollywood Costa Rica is a family friendly all inclusive resort located about 40 minutes from the Liberia airport. Join me on a resort tour:
Overall, I really liked the resort. One frustration was trying to figure out what was going on. The resort doesn't have an App so you have to reference the boards around the resort or on your TV. The activities don't always follow the schedule. We also had a policy change in the middle of our stay. For the first two days, we got up at 6 am to make dining reservations for all the restaurants. The third day, we were told only the Teppanyaki needed reservations. This meant you had to get to the restaurant as it opened or have an hour or so wait after the first group arrived around 6 pm.
Things you may like:
Active pool scene - The resort has two swim up bars and a very fun activities team. They hosted daily games. We had foam parties on Wednesday and Saturday.
It's HOT. If you are looking for hot weather with very little chance for rain in January - April, this is the location for you. No freezing cold pools here.
Dining - We enjoyed all the food. We thought the buffet had a lot of great options. We had good meals at all the a la carte restaurants. The food was delivered quickly and hot.
Evening entertainment - We thought the evening shows and live music were a lot of fun.
Rooms - Our room was large, modern, and well equipped.
Things you may not like:
The resort is built on a hill. This means walking up and down steep hills between your room, the main building, and the pool or taking a shuttle. The shuttles ran frequently, but you may have to take the long way if the shuttle has multiple stops.
The pool area felt understaffed. At RIU Palace, the swim up bar had at least 2 bartenders at all times. The swim up bars here usually only one. This made for long waits for drinks. This is compounded because only Star Class guests got service at their chairs. Everyone else had to head to the bar for a drink.
If you aren't Star Class, you may have a wait for dinner.
The beach - The beach is black sand so it gets hot, but the water is shallow at high tide so great for kids to swim. Just watch out for the small sting rays.
Lunch options poolside for vegetarians are limited to a veggie burger.
Tips:
The resort required at $350 hold at check in. We recommend bringing a credit card that does not charge a foreign transaction fee.
Take advantage of the activities. We enjoyed the Eco Walk to see the howler monkeys. Sign up for the classes and the kayak tour.
Take advantage of the OverTime Sports Pub. We checked in at the Steakhouse. The wait time was an hour. We headed down to the OverTime Sports Pub for a cocktail and an appetizer.
The beach is public so you'll be approached by gentlemen selling tours and a woman offering massages. I took advantage of the beachside massage. My masseuse did a terrific job.
Star Class may be worth it for the dining reservations. Most people didn't use the exclusive pool except to get drinks when the swim up bars were busy.