Sandos Papagayo Hotel

Steve Armatage

In July 2024 my wife and I stayed at Sandos Papagayo on the Royal Elite basis, and had a front sea view room in block C. We were very happy with the room facilities and position, and the overall service, food and drinks at the hotel and gave a 5 star rating. We returned to the hotel in October 2025, with our daughter and son in law, to have a relaxing holiday before their baby is born at the beginning of 2026, and again booked the Royal Elite service. We were however disappointed to find one of the rooms was on floor 11 of G block, a side facing view of the sea, overlooking the noisy pools and not as advertised in the hotels own information "guaranteeing" a front sea view room. We raised this with reception, who stated that G block was part of the Royal Elite service, but after rejecting this, we were told that we could change rooms the following day to B block, a front facing room in a quieter part of the hotel. We had to live out of our suitcase on the first night and moved the following day. We also raised this with our Jet 2 rep, who spoke to management and she was told that floor 11 of G block was being used for Royal Elite, as that level had clear views of the sea, even though it was side facing, not front facing, as advertised in the hotels information sheet and as shown on the Sandos web page. I feel that the hotel and management have added part of G block to increase the Royal Elite capacity and extra income it brings, even though it does not have a guaranteed front facing view, and they are being disingenuous to their customers and letting themselves down as a 4 star hotel. The service in my opinion is poor and we shall not stay at this or any other Sandos resort in the future, as their guaranteed service is not met, it is misleading and disingenuous. We are totally disappointed, comparing the service we received on this visit, to that we received last year. The guaranteed service advertised is not met and this in my opinion should be reviewed or advertised honestly. Beware if you are paying extra for a Royal Elite room, as you may not get a front facing sea view as "guaranteed" We also experienced a leak from the air conditioning system and a maintenance engineer came very quickly to sort it, however we had the same issue a few days later, at 1.15am and when we called reception, they said they would send a security guard with a towel to catch the leaking water ! No one attended the following morning to fix the leak, so we again reported it to reception on check out. The hotel has great restaurants and bars, but is let down by management decisions and poor maintenance, with patio and wardrobe doors that stick and loose shower fittings etc.

Matt Plain

Very nice hotel, bit confusing to navigate at first. Not sure why all the serving staff are so unhappy and rude. Barely a smile, a hello or a thank you between them! Also hotel feels really understaffed. Rooms are big and spacious, well cleaned. Unfortunately the room I stayed in had a few niggles, gap in the floor between laminate in the toilet, no covers on the door handles. Just little niggles where it's not been finished properly! Massive pool areas, all poolside drink's are served in paper cups, so bring your own reusable if you don't like paper cups. Entertainment is mixed, 2 areas, one is usually a show the other is live music. Some of the musicians are good, others you can see why the do the hotel circuits! Seaview is a must, beautiful views from the room!

karen hathaway

Yes the bungalows are tired a lick of paint new footpaths and what a difference it would make The staff are excellent couldn’t do enough for you from maintenance housekeeping front desk manager staff in the restaurant staff in the bar in the kitchen Couldn’t thank all of them enough they made our holiday so very special. All the people that we met again as the return guests are plenty as the sandos Atlantic gardens has something very special going on can’t wait to go back again well have booked two more visits so looking forward to seeing all the fabulous staff and the wonderful area Atlantic gardens is in x

jane Price

Although there isn't alot around you 5 euros will get you to playa blanch in a taxi. This is the 2nd time we have been this year. The hotel has everything you need. We never left the hotel grounds this time to hot to walk about in it.would definitely recommend it for couples not a lot for children today. But the hotel it's self do have entertainment on at night. I will definitely be going back again. The food is fantastic so are the pools. Staff very friendly nothing is to much bother for them.

Lanilorac

We just returned from an unforgettable vacation at this spectacular hotel! The standout feature for us was undoubtedly the service; every single person we encountered radiated warmth and kindness, consistently going above and beyond to ensure our comfort. We truly felt like cherished guests in every aspect. For families, this place is a dream come true, brimming with a multitude of activities that kept our children engaged and smiling throughout our stay. They had an absolute blast! The accommodations were not only comfortable but also beautifully designed, providing a cozy retreat after our fun-filled days. As for the dining experience, it was a feast for the senses! The buffet offered an impressive array of delectable options that catered to every palate, ensuring that no one left the table without satisfied taste buds. We wholeheartedly recommend this hotel to anyone seeking a joyful and memorable getaway with loved ones.