Both adults-only all-inclusives we confirmed in Costa Rica sit on one bay: the Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste, under an hour from Liberia airport. Book Secrets Papagayo for a beach resort with meals and drinks in the rate; Occidental Papagayo costs less. Would you rather have rainforest than a meal plan? Nayara Springs near Arenal gives every villa its own plunge pool fed by hot springs, and it's adults-only.
Booking for live prices · Review for our take
| Hotel | Rating | From/night | Area | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secrets Papagayo | Good | ~$413 | Playa Arenilla, Gulf of Papagayo | Best all-inclusive · on Playa Arenilla, 18+ | Review ↓ |
| Occidental Papagayo | Very good | ~$219 | Culebra Bay, Gulf of Papagayo | Best value all-inclusive · private beach, 18+ | Review ↓ |
| Nayara Springs | Exceptional | ~$984 | La Fortuna, Arenal | Best for rainforest luxury · hot-spring plunge pool in every villa | Review ↓ |
| Jardin del Eden | Excellent | ~$362 | Tamarindo, Guanacaste | Best for Tamarindo · beach garden on Tamarindo beach | Review ↓ |
| Issimo Suites | Excellent | ~$325 | Manuel Antonio | Best for Manuel Antonio · sea-view suites, 18+ | Review ↓ |
| Kura Boutique Hotel | Superb | ~$1,312 | Uvita, southern Pacific | Best for a splurge · sea-view rooms, breakfast included | Review ↓ |
| Hotel Banana Azul | Very good | ~$175 | Playa Negra, Puerto Viejo (Caribbean) | Best for the Caribbean coast · on Playa Negra, 18+ | Review ↓ |
Those are approximate nightly rates for two, before tax. The two Papagayo rates are all-inclusive, from a September green-season sample; the November dates we checked cost far more. All seven were selling rooms when we checked, and Booking.com's house rules bar children at every one. The adults-only resorts hub runs the same test elsewhere.
Which adults-only resort in Costa Rica should you book?
For an all-inclusive beach week, book Secrets Papagayo. It's on Playa Arenilla, and all meals and select drinks are in the rate. Check Secrets Papagayo availability – mid-December through April is the dry season, and the busiest.
On a budget? Book Occidental Papagayo, on the same gulf. Want the rainforest, not a buffet? Book Nayara Springs.
| Your trip | Book | Where | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-inclusive beach week | Secrets Papagayo | Gulf of Papagayo | Pricier than Occidental |
| All-inclusive for less | Occidental Papagayo | Gulf of Papagayo | Premium drinks need a Premium Level room |
| Rainforest and hot springs | Nayara Springs | La Fortuna | No beach; lunch and dinner extra |
| A surf town with nightlife | Jardin del Eden | Tamarindo | Boutique hotel, not a resort |
| Manuel Antonio's national park | Issimo Suites | Manuel Antonio | Small; no all-inclusive |
| A design splurge | Kura Boutique Hotel | Uvita | The highest rate on this list |
| The Caribbean side | Hotel Banana Azul | Puerto Viejo | Simple cabinas with fans |
The two adults-only all-inclusives, both on Papagayo
Guanacaste's Gulf of Papagayo is where Costa Rica's big all-inclusive resorts are. These two keep children out across the whole property.
Secrets Papagayo
The beach all-inclusive. Secrets Papagayo sits on Playa Arenilla, with 202 rooms and suites, each with a balcony or terrace. Hyatt's own page for the resort says it's adults-only, for guests 18 and over, and Booking.com's house rules allow no children.
On Booking.com's all-inclusive rate, all meals and select drinks are included. Secrets calls its plan Unlimited-Luxury.
Older guides may call it Hilton Papagayo. AMResorts converted that hotel into Secrets Papagayo in 2015.
From around $410 a night for two, all-inclusive, on our September sample. Book this one if you want a beach resort where you never reach for your wallet. Check Secrets Papagayo rates.
Occidental Papagayo
The value all-inclusive. Barceló says the minimum age to stay is 18. The hotel was formerly the Occidental Grand Papagayo.
It overlooks Culebra Bay from a hillside, with a private beach below. Barceló notes the beach is the one area without ramp access, which matters if steps are hard for you.
The all-inclusive covers:
- Two à la carte restaurants, a buffet, a snack bar and a lobby bar
- Two outdoor pools
Two things cost more. Spa entry is extra, and premium-brand drinks and a private lounge come only with a Premium Level room.
From around $220 a night for two, all-inclusive, on our September sample. Book this one if you want adults-only and all-inclusive at the lowest rate on this list. Check Occidental Papagayo rates.
The names that don't pass
- Azura Beach Resort (Sámara): sold on Expedia as an adults-only all-inclusive. We couldn't confirm its age rule on its own site or on Booking.com, so it isn't on our list.
- Riu Palace Costa Rica: RIU's own page advertises a kids' club. We found no adults-only RIU in Costa Rica.
- Planet Hollywood Costa Rica: all-inclusive, but Booking.com lists children of all ages as welcome.
Beyond the all-inclusives: kid-free hotels by region
Outside Papagayo, Costa Rica's adults-only stays are small hotels with no meal plan. Pick the region first, then the hotel.
Nayara Springs
The rainforest booking. Booking.com lists no children and a check-in age of 18. It's in the rainforest about 4.3 mi from La Fortuna.
The draw is the villa. Booking.com describes every suite with its own plunge pool fed by natural mineral hot springs, sold as the Springs Villas. There's a spa and a large outdoor pool too.
Breakfast is in the rate. Lunch and dinner cost extra.
From around $980 a night for two. Book this one if you want Arenal's hot springs in your own pool, with no children anywhere. Check Nayara Springs rates.
Jardin del Eden
The Tamarindo booking. Jardín del Edén is an adults-only boutique hotel with ocean views, a spa and a poolside restaurant. Booking.com's house rules allow no children.
The hotel keeps a private beach garden on Tamarindo beach, so you have your own spot on the sand.
From around $360 a night for two. Book this one if you want a surf town's bars and restaurants with a kid-free hotel to come back to. Check Jardin del Eden rates. For Tamarindo's family-friendly hotels on the sand, see beachfront resorts in Tamarindo.
Issimo Suites
The Manuel Antonio booking. Booking.com lists Issimo Suites as adults-only, with a check-in age of 18. Its suites include sea-view junior suites.
Manuel Antonio is the national park town on the central Pacific. Gaia Hotel & Reserve, also in Manuel Antonio, lists no children on Booking.com as well.
From around $325 a night for two. Book this one if Manuel Antonio's park and beaches are the point of the trip. We couldn't find Issimo on Expedia, so the link goes to Booking.com. Check Issimo Suites rates.
Kura Boutique Hotel
The splurge. Kura, a Cayuga Collection hotel in Uvita, offers adults-only accommodations per Booking.com, with an outdoor pool, a bar and room service.
The rooms we priced were sea-view doubles with a balcony, with breakfast included.
It's the highest rate on this list, from around $1,310 a night for two. Book this one if design and the view matter more than the price. Check Kura rates.
Hotel Banana Azul
The Caribbean-coast booking. Booking.com lists no children and a check-in age of 18. The hotel is on Playa Negra, about 1.6 mi from Puerto Viejo's town center.
There's an outdoor pool, a large garden and a restaurant. The rooms are cabinas with a fan and an outdoor seating area.
The lowest rate on this list: from around $175 a night for two. Book this one if you want the laid-back Caribbean side, close to the sand. Check Banana Azul rates.
Pacific or Caribbean?
Pick the Pacific for choice. Both all-inclusives, Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio and Uvita are all on that side, and Liberia airport puts you close to Papagayo.
Pick the Caribbean for a smaller scene. Adults-only supply there is thin; Banana Azul is the one we'd book.
Want a bigger adults-only all-inclusive choice than Papagayo's two? See Punta Cana or Cancun. Prefer a small kid-free hotel in the Caribbean? Puerto Rico has several in San Juan and on Vieques.
The short version
Secrets Papagayo is the adults-only all-inclusive we'd book first. Nayara Springs is the pick away from the beach.
All-inclusive: Secrets Papagayo. For less: Occidental Papagayo. Rainforest: Nayara Springs.
When to go
Mid-December through April is the dry season, with the highest rates. May through November is the green season: more rain, lower rates.
September and October are the wettest months on the Pacific side. If you book then, take a refundable rate.
Liberia airport (LIR) is under an hour from Papagayo. San José (SJO) is roughly three hours from Arenal and Manuel Antonio. For villas with a private pool across the country, see private pool villas in Costa Rica.
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Images: Federico Mata / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
