At W Costa Rica, Savour and Relax in Eco-friendly Style

W Costa Rica is designed to put you at ease. Once you’ve arrived, you walk down a long tunnel lined with tiled walls the colour of wet sand dripping with water. The cascading sound eases you into the pleasant vibes of Central America’s standout destination, a country that is remarkable for its calmness and gentility given the mayhem that exists in the jurisdictions surrounding it. Given the political disruptions in the Western Hemisphere, it may not be a surprise that Canadians are venturing to Costa Rica in record numbers. According to the national newspaper, the Tico Times, official 2026 tourism statistics “show that from January through July arrivals from Canada are up 25.1% compared with the same seven months of 2025. No other country came close.”

In 2025, 242,970 Canadians visited the country and that figure is expected to top 300,000 for the first time this year. Those looking for a stay to remember will want to seriously consider the W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal, a luxury property that debuted in 2018. It shares a 2,300-acre gated resort space with the Westin Costa Rica — also a Marriott International properties. It has all the features guests would expect from a W hotel, including some glam touches and luxurious, ultra-comfortable quarters. What makes W Costa Rica distinct, though, is the carefully designed aesthetics. Originally owned by the corporation that made Costa Rica’s signature beer, Imperial, the hotel is the brainchild of magnate Carl Walter Steinvorth. The lobby bar’s walls and shelves are made from upcycled Imperial bottles. It’s among the many touches of local inspiration that can be found all around the property.

The bar itself is eye-catching and wondrous even before you realize it was made to resemble a guanacaste, the national tree of Costa Rica. Noted for branches that fan out like an umbrella and are filled with bushy leaves, the guanacaste is revered in part because its natural design provides the shade necessary to grow crops and cool temperatures. The forest of trees along the nation’s Pacific coastline is credited for helping to maintain Costa Rica’s rainforests and jungles, an important feature for both the quality of life for residents and the tourism industry that relies on environmental-focused adventures to attract foreign visitors.

Other elements of the hotel are made to resemble birds that flit around the terrace, often looking for easy-to-snag food (one boldly grabbed fried plantain off of my plate on my first morning). The tunnel at the entrance draws your eye, body, and spirit to the immaculate terrace, which overlooks the pool bar and hot tub. A wide set of steps leads you to the aquatic deck and the friendly staff eager to serve guests.

A Glam Beach Vacation in Central America

While you can easily make your way to the beach (it’s a five-minute walk from the hotel) or book a tour to explore the waters and forests of the Pacific coast, you can also simply relax at the property, which is what I did during my three-night stay. The hotel has enough programming to keep guests occupied and multiple restaurants and pool areas to keep you discovering something new during your stay.

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Among the highlights are the culinary program, which includes an outstanding cocktail menu and the opportunity to learn from the W Costa Rica expert team of mixologists. With the guidance of lead bartender Paul Vidal Wong, I learned how to make Blood and Sand, a cocktail featuring the national spirit of Costa Rica, sugarcane-based Cacique, and vermouth. A tasty and strong Corpse Reviver and the bar team’s take on a Margarita followed.

The lesson took place in the lower-level Latitud 10° Norte, the flagship restaurant at the W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal. Executive sous chef Paulo Cotrina says he wants it to be the best restaurant in the country. Latitud 10° Norte has some outstanding plates made with ingredients primarily from the Pacific coast. Fish is line caught and purchased daily from Cotrina’s local suppliers. Highlights of the tasting menu include a tomato soup with red curry and seafood, sea bass wrapped in plantain leaf, and a delectable chicken taco called a Gallito.

The resort’s largest dining outlet is Cocina de Mercado, inspired by the famous market in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. The restaurant features a large open kitchen, massive grill for preparing steaks, lobsters, and more, and a pleasant patio, where you can dine while looking out onto a forest of guanacaste trees and the inviting resort pool deck. Cocina de Mercado’s ceviche, served with plantain chips is addictive and could easily satisfy your lunchtime cravings on the daily.

“Costa Rica and Peru share the same ocean. They love fresh fish  and seafood. Which is what Peru is about on the coast. Here they like coconut so I made the leche de tigre with coconut and mango,” says Cotrina, who is from Peru and has worked in properties around the world.

Add another beach-side restaurant and a fun pool-side bar and the W has your culinary desires covered in one of the most beautiful and safest parts of Central America.

Golf and Spa in Costa Rica

The property also features the stunning AWAY Spa, with a spacious front lobby that immediately sets you at ease with its opulence, calming colours, and earthy walls. The spa offers a range of massage treatments and skin-care services, and also features hot tubs and relaxation zones. It’s an ideal way to spend a few hours after a walk along the beach or swim session in the pool.

For me, the spa helped my muscles recover after 18 holes on the 7,021-yard, par-71 golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II. The course is part of the Westin Costa Rica’s amenities but guests at the W can access it, as well. Along with ocean views, the course has a number of iguanas, one of which came close to disrupting my birdie putt, and vultures and other attention-grabbing birds to glimpse between shots.

The course itself isn’t difficult. Water hazards are few and sand bunkers tend to be out of direct line of the greens. The biggest challenges are the grassy trenches that separate the fairway from the greens on a few of the holes. I had to run down to hit a vertical shot up to the hill then amble back up slowly to finish my putts. Laying up rarely made more sense to me.

My stay at the resort ended on the bright couch in my room, where I sat staring out at the forest in front and the Pacific waters beyond it. I understood completely why so many of my fellow Canadians would choose Costa Rica for their sun vacay, and why many would want to come back after a stay at one of the finest hotels in Central America.

More About W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal

 

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Location: Reserva Conchal, Guanacaste Province, Santa Cruz, Costa Rica
Getting There: The closest airport is Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia (LIR airport code). From there, it’s an almost 90-minute drive to the resort. (Be prepared for long lines at the airport before you clear customs and immigration.) For Canadians, Air Canada and WestJet fly directly year-round from Toronto and Montreal, with seasonal direct flights available from Calgary and Vancouver.
Room Rates: A weekend night in December costs $553 USD (about $775 CAD), based on a recent search of the property’s booking engine.

Note: Vacay.ca is featuring destinations outside of Canada that our editors feel will appeal to travellers seeking to diversify their choices in the midst of ongoing tensions with the United States. In this article, Managing Editor Adrian Brijbassi features a luxury resort with much appeal. His visit was supported by the W Costa Rica and Marriott International. No organization reviewed the article before it was published.