El Nakuti Resort - Gulf of Papagayo

A discounted 14 night all-inclusive deal has just come up from the UK to 2* El Nakuti Resort, Panama Beach in the Gulf of Papagayo. I would welcome any comments on this particular hotel and the surrounding area.

As I see it the positives are as follows:-

The price for the package is less than the cost of a return scheduled flight to San Jose.

Guanacaste is good for the Nicaraguan border and on to places like Isla de Ometepe for independent side trips.

The negatives include extremely mixed reviews on Tripadvisor ranging from "flies...poor beach...poor buffets" etc" to some more positive ones. It seems the hotel closed in 2006 and reopened. There have been a few positive reviews more recently.

We are not fussy travellers and are used to backpacking, but don't want a sordid experience in a so-so area.

Comments please?

I don't know the hotel, but if its a really cheap deal go for it!
The best beach is next to Panama, Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste

gulf of papagayo has a lot of these all inclusives...went to one near there and did not like the beach...it is not like the ocean at all in the gulf...very little surf and grey sand..plus they tend to be far away from any kind of town so you are stuck going on tours to see anything....if it is that cheap i suggest you rent a car, and explore on your own....don't even stay there except for a few nights...i also found Papagayo my least favourite part of CR and I have travelled to both coasts several times....get out and explore as much as you can...otherwise you will just find yourself sitting by the pool and eating buffet food

I don't think you can lose if the deal costs less than the flights. As long as your expectations are low then you have a base to dump your clothes, recharge after the journey and start to explore!. The catch is that the package is in the "green" or low season and there will be plenty of rain so big hotels are hungry for business.
The good news is this also means there are hire car deals to be had and you won't need to pre-book any further accom as there will be plenty of choice. You are right, it is a good position from which to explore the Pacific coast. There is not much exploring in the Papagayo itself.

14 days in 1 place, a 2* hotel and all inclusive (Food will be soso) sounds like a recipe for bummer....you will be isolated in the NW of the country....

Ticotim said it!
Whats the point in traveling to a foreign country and staying in a foreign owned hotel with a load of gringos for 2 weeks??

" The price for the package is less than the cost of a returned scheduled flight to San Jose"

Well DUH !!!! Go for it. You dont have to stay there. Why would you pay more for a flight that doesn't include a hotel ? Am I reading this wrong?

AND with the British Pound so strong, book cheaper places- USD50 a night or less will get you a good room no worries!
Do you know First Choice now fly direct from Gatwick to LIBERIA AIRPORT
I met a Brit couple a few weeks ago here, can't remember the exact price but it was cheap and not stuck in the same place for 2 weeks!

Duh- Me

Yes, take the flight, check in and then hit the road...Jack! And dont come back!

Hi,

Ili was there for a long weekend 2 month's ago (special offer) and was disappointed about the place. It seems to her the sheets were not clean, the food was ok but not delicious and they didn't have a bar at all. The beach was a little bit dangerous because there were dangerous Manta's, the good thing the personal warned for this. So we don't recommend this place.

Have a nice time in Costa rica!!
jan & ili

no bar?
they wont be getting any Brits staying there then!

p.s: How are mantas dangerous?
i lived in that area for almost 3 years and NEVER saw a manta ANYWHERE near the shore!!

Mantas...wow....I wonder if they Migrate?

No Bar! The Britts would go nuts! :))))

You might be talking about rays that come close to shore and might be stepped on with a nasty sting...non?

I sense your Pride Boomer...

..I wear it like a badge..........

A big thank you to all those who helped with practical comments. As the world is our oyster in terms of destinations it's not a case of a straight choice between a discounted package and a scheduled flight to CR. I tried to get a third week which would have allowed much more scope for further travel. Not possible. We have a month to play with so it's likely we'll go for something different altogether.

Still. all info is grist to the travel mill so thanks again....

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>....I wear it like a badge.......... <hr></blockquote>

Right next to the badge that says ¡HABLO RACISMO! I presume?

Boomer1, maybe it boosts your sense of self-importance, but nothing positive flows from the kind of stereotypical bluster you spouted at #13.

FYI, on Tripadvisor the overwhelming majority of negative comments came from Canadians (not forgetting the Tico who described th place as Lo Peor de lo Peor. Some of the more positive comments tended to come from Brits.

Istanbul-

In my travels, where I have encountered Britts, and admired their travel history and sense of adventure, always has earned my respect in that regard.

As far as Britts and Booze, sorry to say, but the loudest and most obnoxious (more than Americans) are Britts (men) drinking like fishes from Bangkok to Burma, Chicago to Costa Rica, then the Aussies....

As far who is a bigger cheapskate, the Canadains or the Britts, I will leave that to you two to debate :)

Istanbull- don't play the "racist" card with me- thats just feeble. For a kick off I'm a Brit, the worst you could accuse me of is re-inforcing a stereotype. And its a sterotype I feel very confidant in supporting having had a hell of lot of hands on experience in the travel industry.
The key driver for volume package holidays in the UK is price. It is now and it has been for decades (looks like you were searching for a bargain n'est pas?).
UK package holidays have a reputation for the poorest quality in Europe but the companies struggle to raise the bar because Brits will not pay more. Brits insist on paying far less for their holidays than any other Europeans and do they moan?....read the TripAdvisor review that says her whole vacation at this resort was ruined by moaning Brits.
Get real.

What is 'feeble' is the shallow 're-inforcement of stereotypes' thinly veiled with humour. The fact that you are Brit makes no odds. Any other stereotypes you'd like to try your hand at? You know....Jews, Blacks, Gays? All the stuff about Brits buying holidays on price is irrelevant. True or not it's simply a touch of 'confirmation bias' on your part.

You made a positive contribution to the thread at #3. All I'm saying is that nothing positive comes from the kind of comments you made at #13. Seems I was right....

...wow, you really do need a holiday.
(If you can get one from yourself, all the better).

Whatever....

...oh, and you're wise to give Costa Rica a miss. You really wouldn't like it. (Costa Del Sol is nice this time of year though. Cheap too. Enjoy).

There is racism in Costa Rica too...

Josephinos dont like the Afro caribe

Ticos dont like the Nicas

and the Gringos are wearing out their welcome....unless you have money....

#23

A 'last word' freak as well, Boomer1? Flame away, idiot!

I want the last word....

BOOMER1 sinks to a new low.
Gets called a freak and an idiot by a rhubarb stalk that has to ask whether he should take a cheaper flight with free hotel, or a more expensive flight without.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Am I reading this wrong? <hr></blockquote>
YES!
<blockquote>Quote
<hr> a rhubarb stalk that has to ask whether he should take a cheaper flight with free hotel, or a more expensive flight without. <hr></blockquote>
WRONG!
or as you so eloquently put it Well DUH !!!!

#28 well if I'm wrong, what it is it then? ...Nevermind, take the more expensive flight

holds out olive branch

C'mon Boomer1, I acknowledged your helpful comment at #3, before you took off on your little tirade at #13.
As a Brit (clear from the OP) I took gentle umbrage at being bracketed with those comments. Maybe playing the racist card was a tad harsh, but when you choose to put your prejudices on publc display you walk a very fine line in my view.

holds out another olive branch

Scoot, if you actually read the whole thread you'd see what I mean. Decisions in life (even about cheap package holidays) are rarely about either/or - just as internet discourse in not a zero-sum game. This is something the hard-of-thinking sometimes have trouble grasping, I find. Well, you know what they say about quarreling on the internet...

Still it's always fun to visit a travel branch and to encounter the 'soi-disant' silverbacks of the local jungle who feel
compelled to step into the light and brachyate.

Granted, you both have a sense of humour so you have clearly graduated from a different Charm School from SideshowGoodtimeBob who no doubt would call me a 'bundle o' sticks' and rip out my guts with a hunting knife.

In fact, I reckon if I ever actually make it to CR we could probably share a couple of bottles of good rum before
skipping hand-in-hand through the sunlit uplands.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Cada loco en su tema.....

It's very easy to take something the wrong way when it's quickly typed up on the net. Have a great trip. I'd be happy to join you for a couple jugs of rum, but I have other plans after and wont be abled to make it for the hand-in-hand thing. BOOMER1 is surely available cause he doesn't have a real job.

Ticotim
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>As far as Britts and Booze, sorry to say, but the loudest and most obnoxious (more than Americans) are Britts (men) drinking like fishes from Bangkok to Burma, Chicago to Costa Rica, then the Aussies.<hr></blockquote>

That is a stereotype thats true in certain places, but the Brits outside of Corfu, Bangkok, Cyprus etc are cool!
Actually if we're going to get into the 'whose the worst travelers' well after Americans, I'd say Germans!
Boomer I think you been away from UK a long time, NONE of my boyfriends-Brit- pals have EVER been on a package holiday and wouldnt go on one for free!!

I dont have a racist bone in my body. That said....the absolute worst annoying and always demanding travellers are midgets..."with thier special needs".....ever notice how they always have thier noses in your "business". Second I would have to say travelling mimes. Always stuck in a box...just want to crank em upside the head.
Other than that, I'm a pretty calm dude

Hey! You saddos have been dissing one of the great travellers on TT! 'Bull is da man. Get wid da program.

accepts olive branch

pulls on Union Jack trunks and goes for swim

Do not forget your water wings....