Review : The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa | Marriott Bonvoy

Looking for an all-inclusive hotel in the heart of nature? The Westin Reserva Conchal is an all-inclusive hotel under the Marriott Bonvoy banner in Costa Rica. Nestled between a beach and a lush tropical forest, this establishment offers a unique and relaxing experience for both families and couples. It’s also a prime location for golf enthusiasts.

The Westin Reserva Conchal can be booked with Marriott Bonvoy points. A night costs between 77,500 points in low season and 112,500 points in high season. Cash prices start at 493 USD (657 CAD) per night.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for free stays at over 8,000 hotels worldwide is to be a Marriott Bonvoy American Express* Cardholder (and/or Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express* Cardholder).

In addition to the great welcome bonus on both cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all purchases and 5 points per dollar at Marriott locations. And each year, you’ll earn a certificate for one free hotel night (35,000 point value) and 15 Elite nights toward your Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.

The Westin Reserva Conchal in Costa Rica is ideally located on the Pacific coast in the northwest of the country, offering guests privileged access to one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches, Playa Conchal, and a golf course reserved for hotel residents.

When you stay at the Westin Reserva Conchal, you’re not only surrounded by breathtaking scenery, but you can also enjoy close proximity to some of Costa Rica’s most iconic natural gems. Explore nearby nature reserves, discover active volcanoes or immerse yourself in the region’s unique biodiversity.

The Conchal Reserve is a hotel zone of only the Westin Reserva Conchal hotel and the W Costa Rica. From Daniel-Oduber-Quirós airport (Liberia), it took us an hour to reach the hotel.

Here is some information about the hotel:

Overlooking the resort, the open-plan reception offers a magnificent view of the golf course.

As soon as we arrived, we were picked up and directed to reception to check in, while the valet took care of our luggage.

While the receptionist completed some check-in formalities, a waiter came to offer us fresh fruit juices to refresh us. As the hotel is all-inclusive, breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as drinks and cocktails, are available on an all-you-can-eat basis.

If you’re used to staying in all-inclusive hotels, you won’t be surprised if you’re given a wristband to identify the type of service you’re entitled to. In fact, as Titanium-level members, we were awarded a silver bracelet, which gave us access to certain bars and restaurants reserved for premium members, the club lounge and cocktails with premium spirits. This privilege is also available to Platinum-level members. Alternatively, you can pay for the premium package or book a room in the Westin Club zone (adults only).

On the reception level is the concierge desk, should you wish to book excursions. However, I recommend that you book your excursions in advance with Viator. We wanted to book an excursion with Swiss Travel, the hotel’s partner, but as there weren’t enough participants, we had to pay the price of a private tour.

Also in the reception area, there’s a bar (very handy for a last cocktail while waiting for transport on the last day) and a clothing and souvenir store.

We stayed in a one-bedroom junior suite overlooking the resort for our first night.

The bedroom offers 50 m2 of space, with a lounge area. Please note that this room did not have a bathtub or desk. As the hotel was renovated in 2019, the rooms are in very good condition and very pleasant.

Each room has a mini bar, which is refilled daily free of charge. However, if you ask for the mini bar to be refilled more than once a day, you will be charged.

After our first night, we changed rooms to stay in the adults-only Westin Club zone. The Westin Club area is located in the center of the complex and features a pool and bar reserved for Westin Club guests.

Compared to our suite, the room is a little smaller, but was comfortable. It has a lounge area, and unlike the suite, we had a shower and bath.

The hotel boasts 9 themed restaurants and 5 bars, including one reserved for Westin Club residents.

You can enjoy all-inclusive meals in restaurants until 10 pm and in bars until 11 pm.

Some à la carte restaurants offer lobster (extra charge).

Room service is also available day and night.

We recommend that you book your restaurants on arrival using the hotel app. You can also view all menus from here.

Restaurants :

• Mitra Market – International buffet restaurant: Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., lunch from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Manglar: à la carte seafood restaurant open from 6 p.m.
• Bamboo: Asian à la carte restaurant open from 6 p.m.
• El Ranchito: Snack bar and barbecue open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Spiralu Trattoria: Italian restaurant open from 6 pm to 10 pm. Takeaway pizzas available from 12 pm to 6 pm.
• Faisanella: International à la carte restaurant, open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., also serves an à la carte breakfast for Westin Club residents.
• Caracola Poolside: International restaurant open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Cauri Lobby Bar & Bistro: This restaurant was closed during our stay.
• La Sabana: Steakhouse restaurant open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Bars :

• Bar Central (beach bar): open from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Triton Pool Bar: Main pool bar open to all from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Nautilus Bar Premium: Poolside bar open to Westin Club residents from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Bar Imperial: Open to all from 5 pm to 11 pm.
• Kayak Bar Premium: Bar reserved for guests with a premium room, or with Marriott Platinum and Superior status.

Breakfast is served at the Mitra Market restaurant. The restaurant’s extensive buffet offers a wide choice of stations. Every day, when the waiter seats you, he presents you with the day’s coffee. Unlike all-inclusives, the chefs of each station will personnally serve you.

Products are always well presented and refrigerated. There’s even a station for making your own squeezed orange juice.

The lounge is located in the Westin Club zone, as it is reserved exclusively for members in Club rooms or suites. In the afternoon, from 4 p.m. onwards, you can enjoy bites and cocktails.

Generally, check-in and check-out take place here if you’re staying in the Westin Club zone.

The hotel has two large swimming pools:

• Lagoon-style swimming pool (open to all)
• The Westin Club swimming pool (adults only)

The hotel’s well-kept gardens are lined with hammocks for a short break. It’s also not unusual to come across monkeys, iguanas and raccoons.

Telephone booths are available throughout the complex for contacting reception if necessary.

The beach is magnificent and very large. The hotel provides deckchairs and towels. The beach is directly accessible from the hotel. Please note that the beach is not supervised, but you can refer to the flag indicating swimming conditions. During our stay, on some days we noticed that there was a bit of current but this was not a problem.

Between the hotel and the beach is a small forest with vendors and masseuses. Impossible to miss, they’ll call out to you every time you pass by, which can get annoying in the long run. The vendors are independent of the hotel.

The fitness room is open 24 hours a day. The Westin chain is renowned for its Westin Workout Fitness Studio, and we weren’t disappointed. The room has all the equipment you need to work out, whether it’s for strength training or cardio. We had read that advance booking was required for access to the gym, but this is not the case.

The Heavenly Spa is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers a wide range of treatments. We did not go to the Spa during our stay. All available treatments can be found on the hotel’s mobile app.

The 18-hole golf course is open exclusively to resort guests and members of the Conchal Reserve community.

Designed with special attention to providing an unforgettable experience for children, the Westin Family is the ideal place where the youngest can explore, learn and have fun under the attentive supervision of their qualified team.

Non-motorized water sports are free for one hour. We took the opportunity to go paddleboarding every day, which was great fun.

There are 4 large tennis courts available to guests. To use the courts, please reserve 24 hours in advance. Pitches are available free of charge from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. From 7 pm to 10 pm, a fee of 10 USD will be charged.

The Westin is a hotel that perfectly meets the needs of families and couples alike. The hotel offers a program of activities for children and adults.

We had an excellent stay at this all-inclusive hotel. We appreciated the service of the staff, always smiling and ready to help. As for the food, we read some very bad reviews before we arrived, but we were pleasantly surprised because the food was good and well presented, and above all there was variety.

As we were traveling as a couple, we mainly spent time in the Westin Club area, which was very quiet and relaxing. The family zone was busier, but just as pleasant. So if you’re a couple looking for peace and quiet, I’d recommend the Westin Club zone.