Two Costa Rica Hotels, Two Very Different Ways to Disappear

Costa Rica is one of those places people talk about as if they’ve discovered some secret, even though everyone already knows. The beaches are beautiful. The jungles are unreal. The food is fresh. The pace is slower, in exactly the way everyone claims they want their life to be, until they are back at airport security, answering emails.

Still, there is a reason people keep going.

For travelers who want Costa Rica without defaulting to one version of it, two Marriott Autograph Collection hotels offer a smart way to split the trip. Santa Lucia Jungle Hacienda in Costa Rica offers a jungle stay: green, quiet, and tucked near Carara National Park. El Mangroove takes things to the Gulf of Papagayo, where the days revolve around the water, the pool, and how long you can stretch lunch.

One is for the part of the trip where you want to feel far away. The other is for the part where you want to look good doing nothing.

Santa Lucia Jungle Hacienda, Costa Rica

Santa Lucia Jungle Hacienda is not the beachy Costa Rica trip people usually picture, and that is the point. Set in Tárcoles near Carara National Park, the hotel puts guests closer to the jungle side of the country, where the mornings are quieter, the views are greener, and the whole stay feels a little more removed from the usual resort circuit.

The property has 84 rooms, from Deluxe Kings to a Presidential Suite, with a hacienda-inspired look that feels comfortable without being too precious. It’s the resort where the room truly matters, but the real reason to be there is everything happening outside of it.

Meals stay connected to the setting. Casa del Río focuses on Costa Rican dishes and local ingredients, while Bambú Grill keeps things more relaxed with fresh plates and an open-air feel. There is also La Cantina for local drinks and snacks, plus La Chicha in the lobby for an easy drink before or after dinner.

The rest of the stay is simple in the best way. There is an outdoor infinity pool, Sukia Wellness for spa treatments, and a Kids & Teens Club for families. But Santa Lucia works because it does not overcomplicate the experience. It gives you the jungle, a good meal, a beautiful room, and enough space to really slow down.

El Mangroove, Costa Rica

El Mangroove is the other side of the trip.

Located on the Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste, the beachfront hotel is more coastal, more social, and more resort-minded. The property is all suites, with balconies, hammocks, spa-style bathrooms, and a setup that makes it very easy to cancel whatever ambitious excursion you thought you were going to do that afternoon.

For guests who want to do more than just rotate between the pool and the beach, El Mangroove offers two private tour boats, plus snorkeling, bike rentals, water activities, cabanas, outdoor pools, and Bearth Spa. It is an easy place to be lazy, but it doesn’t have to be a boring one!

The food also gives the stay some energy. Makoko serves Latin American cuisine featuring local ingredients and ocean views, while Matiss offers a more creative dining option at the property.

El Mangroove feels like the part of the Costa Rica trip where you unpack properly, order something cold, and truly immerse yourself in every part of your stay.

Why Do Both?

The best Costa Rica trip probably has both versions.

A few nights at Santa Lucia gives you the jungle, the quiet, the feeling of being somewhere a little more tucked away. A few nights at El Mangroove gives you the beach, the pool, the boat day, the slower dinners, and the vacation rhythm people usually chase in the first place.

For couples, it is an easy honeymoon setup. For families, it gives the trip range without making things complicated. For anyone who wants Costa Rica to feel like more than one pretty resort, it makes the whole trip more interesting.

Santa Lucia and El Mangroove are not trying to do the same thing, which is exactly why they work together. One gives you the green, tucked-away side of the country. The other gives you the sun, saltwater, and an easy coastal finish.

Costa Rica does not need much convincing. These two just give you a better way in.

For more on where to travel, visit atlantavue.com