El Mangroove

Mangroove Guanacaste Boutique Hotel - Marriott Autograph Collection -- Enjoy Group Hotels

The Mangroove hotel on Costa Rica's exclusive Papagayo Peninsula is beachside luxury at its best.

For us as a modern family, we found the rooms, the service and amenities to be exceptional. There is even a children's special play room area called the Guppies Club and well-thought-out healthy kid's menu.

Although we visited as a family, the Mangroove Guanacaste hotel is even better for young, honeymoon or Milenial couples to come and relax after their adventures in other parts of Costa Rica. Couples will love to take advantage of the upscale spa complete with beauty salon and excellent massage options.

When talking to the owners of Mangroove -- brothers Javier and Andres of Enjoy Group Hotels -- they said the one thing they want clients to go away remembering about their unique boutique hotel are the trees.

El Mangroove is in one of the most-perfect locations right on quiet Playa Panama, less than 30 minutes from Liberia (LIR) surrounded by tranquil mangroves and boasts some of the best sunsets in Costa Rica.

El Mangroove represents a whole new take on high-quality service in Guanacaste -- chic and hip without being pretentious. The owners have focused their service around four areas of hospitality: Wellness, Gastronomy, Relaxation, Active Lifestyles. El Mangroove recently became a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel so attention to detail is second nature for this Costa Rican brother team. 

The rooms have been perfectly planned with two separate room environments -- an inner section that is air conditioned with TV, high-end bedding and black-out shades. You will sleep better here than anywhere else on your trip!

One of our favorite features was the indoor-outdoor feel of the second part of the room. There is a living space with hammock and/or small sofa, rocking chair and great views of the garden.

The whole property is well-designed with easy access to the award-winning pool, two restaurants and bar area -- Matiss beach bar complete with its toe-digging sandy floor and Makoko for the finer things in life -- and an outdoor fire pit area which makes for great conversations with fellow travelers as you kick back and reflect on the easy going day you just had while listening to the beats of their in-house international DJ.

And let us tell you about the food... these guys are Gastronomic Experts! You'll probably want to save your appetite until you get to El Mangroove because the food here will knock your socks off. And what's nice is that the menu items are locally-sourced and relatively inexpensive for the high-quality meals that come out of that kitchen! 

The menu is varied from healthy and hardy sandwiches (LOVE the grilled cheese) to elegant cuts of beef and seafood -- definitely something for everyone and even the pickiest of children.

Plus the breakfast buffet is over the top with fresh fruits, healthy tropical smoothies, cheeses, breads, plus crowd-pleasing Costa Rican gallo pinto and your choice of eggs served up fresh from the on-hand chef. And I almost forgot to mention the homemade organic quinoa granola bars!

In addition, El Mangroove has all-inclusive options, plus your room is charged $20 per day for use of the on-site bikes and kayaks. Go out for a stroll on the bikes or go paddle around the calm waters of Playa Panama. There is always something fun to do or some hammock or poolside chair waiting for you to relax in at El Mangroove!

And when you come back to your room in the evening after dinner, turn-down service includes a taste of their own chocolates and sweet candies left on the pillows. Nice.