Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica, and Hotel Riu Guanacaste complete the five-star set. Margaritaville Playa Flamingo is four-star, so it is not here. Every resort on this list includes the meal plan. Luxury scores set the order.
October 2026 review: 5 open five-star resorts in Costa Rica, all of them open. Secrets Papagayo is the adults-only one. Sampled two-adult From rates ran from $234 to $1,904 a night, median $519. The Westin Reserva Conchal led the luxury scores. Hotel Riu Guanacaste sat at $234. Secrets Papagayo sat at $1,904. The table's From price is per person.
Quick facts
Counts and the price span use every resort that qualifies. The table uses the same order as the cards below. A missing price or feature reads Not listed.
- Qualifying resorts
- 5
- In this table
- 5
- Adults only
- 1
- All ages
- 4
- From price
- $117 to $952/night pp
| Rank | Resort | Area | Audience | Score | From | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Westin Reserva Conchal, an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa | Playa Conchal, Costa Rica | All ages | Not listed | From $512/night pp | Swim-up bar, 2 pools, 5 bars |
| 2 | Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica | Guanacaste, Costa Rica | Adults only | Not listed | From $952/night pp | Swim-up bar, 2 pools, 5 bars |
| 3 | Planet Hollywood Costa Rica by Royalton, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort | Culebra, Costa Rica | All ages | Not listed | From $260/night pp | Swim-up bar, 2 pools, 11 bars |
| 4 | Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica | Sardinal, Costa Rica | All ages | Not listed | From $168/night pp | Swim-up bar, Waterpark, 4 pools |
| 5 | Hotel Riu Guanacaste | Sardinal, Costa Rica | All ages | Not listed | From $117/night pp | Swim-up bar, Waterpark, 7 bars |
Chains on this list
Loyal to a brand, or curious how the rest of a chain stacks up? Each profile ranks every resort the chain runs.
Plan the trip
Picking the resort is half the work; our Costa Rica travel guide covers the rest: when to go, weather month by month, safety and entry requirements, and how the areas differ.
How this ranking works
Every list on this site uses the same resorts, with the all-inclusive fine print read so you don't have to. The order weighs verified guest ratings, what's genuinely included at the base rate, and how each property performs on the thing this list is about: here, costa rica five-star.
The seal next to a resort is its Palmprint: a 0 to 10 grade for how well it delivers on this list's promise, the same mark you'll find on its full profile. The details of what we weigh, and what disqualifies a resort outright, live in how we score. Lists are re-reviewed as ratings and policies change; this one was last checked October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Margaritaville not on the five-star list?
Margaritaville Beach Resort Playa Flamingo is four-star. It is on the Costa Rica list and the family list, and it sells the meal plan as an add-on. This page is five-star only.
Which five-star resort is closest to Liberia?
Secrets Papagayo, about 20 minutes from Liberia (LIR). Planet Hollywood and Hotel Riu Guanacaste are about 35 minutes. Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica is about 45. The Westin Reserva Conchal is about 75.
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