Just got back last night. Didn't use the onsite tour operator (Charlie's Adventures) because they are just an activities "pimp." They're not a dive operation. Don't know who they use, but we went with Rich Coast Divers out of Playa del Coco. Good, safe operation that we can recommend. But Coco, where many of the operators are, is about a 40 minute drive from the Allegro, so you'll need a car. More about that later...
The Allegro was OK. That's about the best we can say for them. Not as good as other Allegros we have been to. (BTW, we are owners in the Occidental system. Because of this, we're used to certain perks for owners, none of which were available or forthcoming at the Papagayo as they are supposed to be. "Sorry." OK. We'll deal without the extras. But we had a hard time even getting the basics...)
The food is passable, a few things really good and some really pretty awful. Breakfast is the best meal, clearly. Great made-to-order omelets.The hamburgers taste really funky, fries are always cold, and most food served isn't even slightly warm. I spoke to the GM about that when he came around to our table at one dinner, since I'm a chef and very concerned for food service safety and proper temperature maintenance There was some improvement after that, but still, they only lit one sterno pack under each steam table (they should use the two that are there.)
The beach was a huge disappointment, as it's so shallow for yards and yards out that it's only fit for wading, at best. The "private beach club" was a disaster. They ferry you out in a rusty tub that should have been painted about 20 years ago (or retired) to a "white sand beach" that's got tan sand for the first few feet. Then, you're on a chaise deep in a wooded, black sand beach, complete with mosquitos and biting ants. If you do this ($5 on Fri or Sat, free Sun-WEds, closed Thu) be sure to bring bug spray.
The clouds opened up and the wind kicked up about 2 hours into our stay there, so I got very cold, and then the engine on the floating tub couldn't be started. It turned over after about a half hour. The skiff they use to ferry you from the boat to the beach got stuck on a sand bar when the tide went out (we found that out first, before the engine wouldn't start) and it required every man who had come over to push-pull it off while one of the staff refused to help.Finally got back to the resort, too late for lunch. BTW, they serve two mainf dishes plus salad and fruit at the beach club, but there was not enough food to go around. We opened the displays to find empty hotel pans, with a few crumbs.
At the resort, drinks are watered way down and it's cheap, rot-gut stuff.
The worst part is that they don't handle anything. The resort is built on a VERY steep hillside, and there's supposed to be a shuttle that runs regularly, every 10 minutes. One night at dinner, I got sick, and we waited 45 minutes, retching in the bushes. It never came. We talked to a couple who had been waiting longer than we were, and who stayed after us, when we saw them at breakfast. They said it never came. I literally crawled up that hillside to our room, at the top row. Unfortunately, this was a pattern that was repeated several times during our 9 day stay. We would often see the shuttle parked by one of the buildings, the shuttle driver nowhere to be seen, for more than 10 minutes. Or it would sit up at the office. Then, when people were checking in, instead of having a different van for that, the shuttle would then be busy taking guests to their rooms. So too bad if you needed a ride up the steep grade. Too bad if you were barfing up a lung. You'd wait forever. And no one cares.
One very unlucky guy had a mishap his first day while walking to his room on that steep hill. He lost his balance and broke his ankle in 2 places and had to max out his credit card to have surgery to put pins in his bones. He stayed only another couple of days, miserable in the heat in a wheelchair (they finally brought him one after his first day on crutches trying to negotiate the stairs that you have to take to get to the pool/restaurant area.)
If you get rain, which in June you undoubtedly will, be VERY careful on those same stairs. They used smooth tile on the landings, which becomes a skating rink when wet. I very nearly ended up on my tailbone on at least 3 occasions. They also used that same smooth "artificial ice" in the outside halls of the hotel rooms. Baby steps when wet - don't end up like that poor guy in the wheelchair.
They have ice machines all around the property at every other building. But they were inevitably empty.
Our toliet clogged, so I called at 7 AM to have it fixed. We went out to dive and returned 7 hours later.SEVEN FREAKING HOURS! No one had even made an effort to fix it. I called again, this time pretty PO'ed. Good thing I speak Spanish. BTW, very few of the employees speak what you'd call proficient English. A few do, but even the front desk had a tough time communicating with my husband when I wasn't there. This incident represented a pattern of lack of caring. Requests were seldom accommodated without repeat trips up to the office. Forget calling on the phone, unless your Spanish is very proficient. Most US visitors do not speak fluent Spanish. We talked to many who just gave up having their requests taken care of.
They had failed to honor our request for a room with a king sized bed. So we asked to be moved. They said they couldn't the first day. Ditto for the second, but they PROMISED they'd have one the next day on the top floor (great view). ON the third, they called at 3:30 PM to tell us they had our rooms ready - on the second floor. When we complained, they said there were no king rooms in ANY building on the 3rd floor. ***?? So we asked them to have the bellboy there in 20 minutes. No way. In an hour, we called again, and were told they'd send one over. No way. So we finally moved ourselves after blowing most of the afternoon on it.
Unfortunately, we forgot to check the patio, where we had left my favorite swimsuit. When I discovered the mistake a couple of days later, I asked the front desk. They told me they'd get to housekeeping and track it down. No word, so I called, and all I got was "Sorry. No one saw your swimsuit." Since no one had checked into the room since we had been there, we asked to get the key to check ourselves. No go. They said they checked (since they didn't do one other thing they said they'd do all week, we doubt it) and that was that. No finding out who was the maid who cleaned the room and asking her, no nothing. So hasta la bye-bye to a very expensive, worn-once swimsuit.
A card of blister pack sleeping pills was lifted from our bathroom, as well.
When we wanted to go through the check out procedure and pay our bill early the morning we were to leave (only leaving the room keys in the room when we left) so that we wouldn't have to wait in the long line at the front desk and risk being late to the airport, we were told no, we couldn't check out until we actually deposted the room cards in their hot little fists. Unbelievable. So although we allowed extra time to check out, guess what? Line. And they take forever! They are so screwed up they told us we owed nothing - but we had a safety deposit box, for which they charge $2 a day. So we told them, and that took longer for them to correct their own mistake. But we didn't feel right cheating them, so we paid the price - several more minutes.
BTW, watch out if you rent a car. The price quoted was $199 with Thrifty for 9 days in a mid-size SUV. However, what they DON'T tell you is that they literally insist you have to take their insurance. If not, you'll end up dealing with the police (and they pretty much told us we'd be taken to jail until we paid cash for the car.) So that same SUV?? $600. Add another $100 for gas for the week. Obscene.
Oh - and forget the travelers checks. No one accepts them. And if you use your credit card, they sock you with a 5% charge for just about everything. Then, the credit card company adds another 3% for converting the charge from colones to dollars. So you have to literally bring a wheelbarrow-full of cash.
All in all, the Allegro Papagayo was a disappointment. Wish I could say better, since as an owner, this was very bad news, but I'm being honest. And I'm omitting about 20 more screw-ups that happened during the week, for the sake of brevity and not beating a dead horse. As I said, you can still have a good time, but I doubt that unless this is your first all-inclusive or foreign vacation, you'll be blown away.
The rooms are basic and comfortable enough, and our maid was very good. Staff is pleasant, but they are completely clueless and just don't care. WAY too many screw-ups. But if you can roll with the punches several times a day, you'll have a good time, anyway. We did. But I doubt we'll ever go back to CR. For a supposedly cheap country, it was one of our most expensive vacations in over 21 years of doing this.
So best advice? Half the clothes and twice the cash.
