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Choose Nekajui for a nature-led Papagayo stay: guided forest walks and wildlife tours complement time beside the Pacific, rather than replacing it.

What makes it special

Spanish and Sabanero influences shape the Guanacaste-inspired architecture, giving the accommodation a regional identity that extends beyond its tropical setting and ocean views.

Room to consider

If private swimming matters, confirm a plunge pool with your accommodation; terraces and balconies are widespread, but a pool is not universal.

Insider tip

Arrange your airport transfer before arrival; the resort does not provide a shuttle, and its listed alternative transportation requires a reservation.

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Free membership gives you access to preferred rates, exclusive benefits and current promotions for your stay.

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Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo

Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve looks over Playa Pochote and the Pacific from a bluff in Costa Rica's tropical dry forest. The coast is present in the view, but the elevated position gives the forest equal weight. Rooms open onto balconies and terraces, while paths lead between dining spaces, pools, Naku Spa and Niri Beach Club below. The contrast between canopy and water is what distinguishes this address from a conventional beachfront hotel.

Within the 1,400-acre Peninsula Papagayo community, Nekajui brings together hotel rooms, suites, treetop tents and villas with a separate collection of private residences. A Manzu host can help coordinate meals and activities around a stay. There is plenty to do, yet the property makes most sense for travelers who will give the terraces, dining and shoreline time of their own.

Ultra Luxury
4.9/5 78 Member Reviews 80% Upgrade Rate

Rooms

  • 107 107

Hotel Style

  • Charming Charming

Leisure

  • Fitness Fitness
  • Pool Pool
  • Spa Spa
  • Sauna Sauna

Experiences

  • Romantic Romantic
  • Adventure Adventure

Facilities

  • Connecting Rooms Connecting Rooms

Rooms & Suites at Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo

Ocean View Reserve Room
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Ocean View Reserve Room

840 sqft
From 1’798 USD

King rooms have a sofa and a chair with an ottoman, while Queen rooms have an oversized chair. Both layouts have a balcony and a...

Ocean View Vista Room
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Ocean View Vista Room

840 sqft
From 2’031 USD

The illustrated King room has a red bench at the foot of the bed, beside brown-and-pale geometric screens. A round table rests on thick curved...

Ocean Reserve Pool Room
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Ocean Reserve Pool Room

926 sqft
From 2’497 USD

An indoor sitting area has a sofa and a chair with an ottoman. In the bathroom, marble finishes surround a large tub and a separate...

Ocean Vista Pool Room
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Ocean Vista Pool Room

840 sqft
From 2’510 USD

The marble bathroom has a large bathtub and a separate shower, together with double vanities and a lighted make-up mirror. Robes are available after bathing....

Ocean Panorama Pool Room
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Ocean Panorama Pool Room

926 sqft
From 2’730 USD

The pictured room has red upholstered seating at the foot of the bed, with a grey throw and a pale rug with a rounded end....

Casona Ocean View Suite
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Casona Ocean View Suite

1,948 sqft
From 2’953 USD

In the illustrated living room, an L-shaped grey sofa carries cushions in pale shades and contrasting patterns. A dark-framed armchair stands beside low round tables....

Reserve Canopy Pool Suite
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Reserve Canopy Pool Suite

1,658 sqft
From 3’312 USD

In the pictured living room, a grey sectional sofa surrounds a dark oval coffee table. Green cushions sit beside pale patterned ones. A dark-framed armchair...

Ocean Reserve Terrace Suite
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Ocean Reserve Terrace Suite

1,658 sqft
From 3’428 USD

In the pictured bedroom, a brown upholstered headboard stands beneath a wavy patterned screen. Rounded bronze-coloured lights hang alongside it, with green beads decorating the...

Gran Casona Ocean View Suite
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Gran Casona Ocean View Suite

2,013 sqft
From 3’475 USD

Private elevator access leads to this elevated suite. The illustrated interior has a long rectangular brown dining table with woven chairs and pale seat cushions...

Ocean Vista Terrace Suite
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Ocean Vista Terrace Suite

1,658 sqft
From 3’544 USD

A separate living room is divided from the sleeping area by a privacy wall. The pictured lounge has grey sectional seating with green and pale...

2 Bedroom Ocean Vista Pool Suite
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2 Bedroom Ocean Vista Pool Suite

3,778 sqft
From 4’838 USD

Two full marble bathrooms and a guest half-bath serve the suite. Large tubs and separate showers accompany two washbasins and lighted make-up mirrors. The living...

2 Bedroom Ocean Vista Suite
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2 Bedroom Ocean Vista Suite

2,250 sqft
From 4’838 USD

The pictured bedroom has an orange-brown upholstered headboard, with green and brown leaf patterns on the wall behind it. Basket-shaped lamps hang from curved dark...

2 Bedroom Ocean View Treetop Family Tent
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2 Bedroom Ocean View Treetop Family Tent

2,713 sqft
From 4’838 USD

A privacy wall separates the sleeping space from a distinct living room. The pictured sitting area has pale-green L-shaped seating, with plain, striped and geometric-patterned...

4 Bedroom Ocean View Grand Pool Villa
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4 Bedroom Ocean View Grand Pool Villa

7,373 sqft
From 7’927 USD

Each bedroom has a private marble bathroom, and there are five bathrooms in the villa. Oversized tubs stand apart from the showers. Two washbasins, lighted...

4 Bedroom Nekajui Grand Pool Villa
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4 Bedroom Nekajui Grand Pool Villa

7,373 sqft
From 10’528 USD

The pictured living room has pale-grey sofas with orange and patterned cushions. The chairs contrast dark frames with pale woven seats. Rectangular brown coffee tables...

Peninsula Papagayo occupies Costa Rica's Guanacaste coast, where protected tropical dry forest meets bays and Pacific beaches. Nekajui sits above Playa Pochote rather than along a flat strip of sand. Reaching Niri Beach Club involves a descent from the resort's higher ground; a funicular connects the two levels. Guests seeking a room that opens directly onto the beach should understand this layout before choosing it. Those drawn to broad sea views and a hillside setting may find the separation part of the appeal.

The peninsula also has a marina, walking routes and an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course. Guided experiences range from nature walks in protected forest to time on the water. Nekajui works well as a base for these pursuits without feeling dependent on them. An afternoon can be spent between the infinity pool and the coast, or devoted to a longer outing before returning for dinner above the bay.

Guanacaste Airport near Liberia is the practical international arrival point; Marriott lists it about 35 kilometers from the resort. This is a contained coastal destination with room to explore, but it does not provide the street life or casual independent dining of a beach village. Families and couples can both settle in here, provided that a full-service resort is the trip they have in mind.

Marriott describes 107 hotel accommodations across rooms, suites and treetop tents. Its private residences are a distinct collection and should not be counted as ordinary hotel rooms. Entry categories include Ocean Reserve rooms with partial ocean views and Ocean Vista rooms with fuller sea outlooks. Balconies are common, but a private plunge pool requires choosing the appropriate category. An Ocean Vista Plunge room allows private pool time without moving to a large suite.

Higher suites bring more living space and outdoor room. The one-bedroom Canopy suite looks toward the forest, a useful reminder that not every memorable view here faces the water. Ocean-facing suites, including Casona and Gran Casona, make the Pacific more central. Two-bedroom options give families separate sleeping areas, while the Treetop Tent and Family Treetop Tent bring an open-air, canopy-level character to the range. Their terraces and plunge pools offer a different relationship with the setting from a conventional hotel room.

The three-bedroom Nekajui Villa and four-bedroom Grand Villa extend the choice for groups seeking private space within the resort. Separate residence and estate rentals add homes with kitchens, larger pools and multiple bedrooms. A family considering a week together will use a residence differently from a couple taking an ocean-view room. The extra living and dining areas matter when a group plans to spend time together at home, but residence inclusions should be confirmed for the specific booking rather than assumed for a hotel room.

Room selection deserves care because view, pool and layout change across categories. A partial-ocean Ocean Reserve room is not interchangeable with an Ocean Vista Plunge room; a treetop tent makes sense for a traveler drawn to the canopy; a multi-bedroom villa answers another need. The resort's geography is consistent, but the way a guest experiences it depends heavily on the accommodation chosen.

Puna gives Nekajui its principal dinner table, pairing Peruvian cooking under chef Diego Munoz's direction with ingredients from Costa Rica. Paruro, an intimate omakase experience inside Puna, takes an Asian-Peruvian route. At the other end of the resort's geography, Niri Beach Club serves Iberian-influenced dishes by the water. Moving between those two venues changes the atmosphere as much as the menu.

Cafe Rincon draws on Costa Rica's coffee and cacao traditions, while Brisa serves lighter food beside the pools. Mirador provides an ocean-view breakfast setting. For drinks, Casona Bar has a Latin and botanical focus, and Ambar is set among the treetops. This range matters on a stay of several nights: a beach lunch, a relaxed poolside meal and a longer dinner each belong to a different part of the property. Restaurant reservations and current availability deserve checking before travel.

Naku Spa & Wellness places treatment villas toward the ocean and builds its hydrothermal experience around contrast pools, sauna and steam. A movement studio and treatments using Costa Rican botanicals give the spa a connection to the landscape. It offers a substantial setting for a quieter day after golf, a forest walk or time on the water. The resort also has outdoor infinity and terrace pools, with another pool setting at Niri Beach Club.

Activity need not mean leaving the peninsula. Papagayo Explorers leads forest and water experiences, and the Ocean Course runs through wooded valleys and sea cliffs. Tennis and pickleball add familiar ways to stay active. Camp Nekajui is designed for children aged four to twelve, with nature, creative and science activities; it gives families an option beyond the pool and beach. A family can share this setting without following identical schedules every day.

Manzu hosting is useful when a stay has several moving parts: a dinner at Puna, a spa appointment, a day on the water or a family activity. It does not replace the need to choose the right room or pace, but it helps make the spread-out resort easier to navigate. The service fits a property whose experiences are distributed across bluff, forest and shoreline.

Nekajui suits travelers who want the Pacific coast without reducing the trip to a beach chair. The hillside outlook, dry forest, distinctive dining and Naku spa provide reasons to remain at the resort; golf, guided exploration and the marina extend the day beyond it. Couples may gravitate to a plunge-pool room or treetop tent, while families can look to two-bedroom suites, villas and residences for more space.

The practical trade-off is the terrain. The beach club is reached from above, and the resort spreads across a slope rather than gathering on level sand. For guests who prefer a walk-out beachfront room or an independent surf-town atmosphere, that distinction matters. Here, the most rewarding stay leaves room for both halves of Peninsula Papagayo: quiet above the trees and time beside the sea.

Why we love this hotel

Why we love this hotel

Puna combines Peruvian culinary heritage with Costa Rican ingredients, giving a resort dinner a distinct regional conversation rather than another international hotel menu.

Café Rincón connects a pause between outings to Costa Rica's coffee and cacao traditions through roasted-to-order brews and artisan chocolates.

Naku Spa places ocean-facing treatment villas alongside hydrotherapy pools and a movement studio, offering several ways to build a dedicated wellness day.

Location of RITZ CARLTON RESERVE NEKAJUI PEN PA

End of National Route 253, Peninsula Papagayo, Liberia, Guanacaste, Nacascolo, 50104, Costa Rica

Weather at Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo

Peninsula Papagayo

What to Know About Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo

Is Nekajui a Ritz-Carlton Reserve a good hotel?

Yes. Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is a top choice for travelers who want ultra-luxury on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. It suits guests who value ocean views, nature, refined dining, spa time, beach access, and a private Peninsula Papagayo setting.

Where is Nekajui a Ritz-Carlton Reserve located?

Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is located on Peninsula Papagayo in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The resort sits within a private coastal area with dry tropical forest, Pacific Ocean views, beaches, golf, and marina access.

How many rooms does Nekajui have?

Nekajui has 107 hotel accommodations across rooms, suites and treetop tents, alongside a separate collection of private residences. Many categories are designed around indoor-outdoor living, terraces, plunge pools, forest views, and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

What are the best rooms at Nekajui?

The best choice depends on your trip, but suites, treetop tents, residences, and the grand villa offer the most space. Couples may prefer a plunge-pool suite, while families and groups should look at residences or larger villa layouts.

Do rooms at Nekajui have private pools?

Some rooms, suites, tents, and residences at Nekajui include private plunge pools or larger outdoor pool areas. Book a specific pool category if private outdoor water space is important for your stay.

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