"Ok, so after spending 8 days here we can give a very thorough review and comparison to the W that we also stayed at nearby for 3 nights. The staff was amazing!!! Beware!!! The road is ridiculous into the property!! It is a dirt road that has random animals, atv’ers, parked card and other fun surprises. Apparently they are working on a permanent paved road but this one is definitely a problem. It almost made you not want to leave the property. It was exactly 42 min each way to Tamarindo. The grounds were not kept to the jw standard. The gardens were dry and overgrown, the pool chairs had bird poop all over them, and the staff only cleans up the pool area at the end of the day. All the food and drink cups sit out all day. In addition, the elevator had mold all around the top rim, and the food was sub par. We did the all inclusive so we ate everywhere. The best restaurant was the Azul restaurant by the beach. The pool was huge. My kids had a blast. The ocean has full on waves and rocks, so it can be dangerous. There are no water sports like the W has. Also, the JW is in a dry area, there was little go no wildlife (monkeys, bugs, frogs, etc), a plus for me! The W is in a mangrove so its crazy buggy and filled with howler monkeys, lizards, etc.
with all that being said the vibe at the JW was better. The W is built on a hillside and its a shlep everywhere and its not a hotel feel. We loved the W’s room (we had a suite with a jacuzzi outside) we would still choose the JW."