14 February 2008
Costa Rica’s Occidental Grand Papagayo to Close?
Posted by Thomas under: Travel and Tourism .
The Allegro Papagayo has already been shut down by the public health authorities due to their mis-management of their waste facilities, and now the Hotel Occidental Grand Papagayo has been but under scrutiny for similar reasons.
Allegro Papagayo was closed a few weeks back after foul smells were being emitted from the resort. Authorities stepped to examine the hotel and the cause if the smells to discover that the hotel wasn’t managing their waste sufficiently by pumping it all out to see which was eventually polluting the ocean around and near the hotel.
But now the Grand Papagayo has also been linked to bad waste management. Essentially both the hotels are part of the same government tourism project which along with widespread media reports from the Tico Times, The Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor.com, has put the Grand Papagayo under the same microscope that the Allegro Papagayo was under.
Those who have trips planned to these two resorts in the coming months and who are concerned about the health and safety at these hotels should contact their travel agents as soon as possible for up to date information and any alternative travel arrangements.
Alternatively you can get in contact with Costa Rica Vacations or Costa Rica Holiday UK and they will help arrange that dream holiday that you had been planning for on 1-800-606-1860.
(4 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)
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17 Comments so far...
Eco Interactive Says:
15 February 2008 at 2:33 am.
I one level I am glad to see the Costa Rican government cracking down on this. On the other hand this hotel is a wonderful hotel for a Costa Rican family vacation.
Nate Says:
20 February 2008 at 7:55 am.
My family has just returned from Costa Rica (on Monday, Feb 18th) and we stayed at the hotel adjacent to this one, El Nakuti) and were told by the local sport centre club where we rented sea-doo tour that this resort is now owned by Marriott.
Ash Says:
21 February 2008 at 6:27 pm.
Its a horrible thing what the hotel was doing, we were just there for a family wedding in January and it was a wonderful vacation, its too bad what they were doing! Hopefully they can fix the problem asap… I also feel bad for all the hotel employees who depended heavily on their jobs in the hotel!
Heidi and bob Garnett Says:
27 February 2008 at 12:23 pm.
We stayed at the Grand Papagayo in December 2007 and had a theft from our room, an expensive camera and money, shortly after our bags were put in the room. Management accused us of losing the camera ourselves or making up stories. They degraded us, offered no help such as moving us to another room. It ruined our holiday there. My husband pointed out sewage seeping through the lawn on the way to the beach and we never went there after that. A three star hotel at the best pretending to be a five star. The rooms moldy and I came home with a cough I’m still battling. Don’t go there.
MidAmericanCoyote Says:
4 March 2008 at 3:15 pm.
We just returned from a week stay at the Occidental Grand. (This should not be rated 5 Star) I winessed official looking individuals surveying seepage along the beach, one of the seeps contained moss, which tells me that bacteria is feeding the moss. If Occidental condons the dumping of raw sewage into the ocean then we will never stay at another Occidental Resort!
Robert Says:
4 March 2008 at 10:54 pm.
Holy sh*t.
I hope an answer to this is found soon. If a company like Marriott is pulling crap like this, it needs to get viral on the net.
mike666 Says:
8 March 2008 at 1:59 pm.
we stayed at allegro papagayo last week of jan.08 and the sewage smell was terrible. all water turned off for 6 hours 1 day yet restaurants still open even though no water to wash and no toilets. wassick for a week after coming home. wife sick at hotel for 3 days. terrible vacation. do not go!!
Birtles Says:
1 June 2008 at 12:09 pm.
Just returned from the Allegro. Staff brilliant. Just would like to complain that the tour operator used in C Rica Hotel Beds are not doing their jobs properly. We returned from a trip to Nicaragua and had our souvenirs taken in error they did the decent thing and reported this and returned our belongings to the Rep or member of staff at the Grand and we also explained this the same dayat the Grand - but a week later nothing transpired. On meeting the couple in question at the airport back to the UK they were assured that they were given to the Rep to get back to our hotel. Even our Rep JB rang the office a week ago. It was not about the money just the fact that we had been to Nicaragua and will probably not get a chance again. A lesson for us in the future.
Ninja Says:
3 October 2008 at 6:20 pm.
We stayed at Occidental Grand Papagayo in September. It’s a beautiful resort. Too bad it is mismanaged. The resort in general was not very clean (ie: the sofas and cushions were filthy, there was mildew in our bathroom, the hallways/stairways were not mopped and the beach was smelly). I’m not surprised to hear about the bad waste management. I just wished I found this article before booking our trip to Occidental Grand Papagayo.
marsha early Says:
7 December 2008 at 9:19 am.
I just noticed that the Allegro Papagayo had been shut down last year for poor waste management. We are planning to stay there this month. Does anyone have an update
about that resort or what the outcome of the shutdown was?
K T Says:
17 December 2008 at 11:39 pm.
Marsha I am staying at the Allegro Papagayo soon as well. Have you heard any information regarding the shut down?
john ventris Says:
1 January 2009 at 11:21 am.
We are at the occidental grand papagayo now. Leaving tomorrow. Had computer and camera stolen from room. Hotel promised reimbursement. Staff very helpful and attentive. The attentive staff and the local beauty are the strong points. Room is average at best. No internet or blackberry service in room, tho promised. Wireless internet in lobby has worked fine most days (today it is down). Bathrooms moldy and room musty. Food average to excellent. It varies. We have noticed some areas of raw sewage leaking. Don’t know of anyone getting sick. We have had a nice time other than the theft.
Lucy Says:
14 January 2009 at 2:06 pm.
Hi John, we will have 4 couples staying at the Grand Feb 14-21st. We are in the Royal Club Rooms, what room are you in? Is there a particular building to stay in or request? Some of the reviews are ok and some are not. It was sold to us as a 4.5 star but doesn’t sound like it?
Lee Says:
1 February 2009 at 12:08 pm.
We have just returned from a stay at the Allegro Papagayo Jan 31 09. The rooms are modest, cleaning is not up to par, nor can you count on the maid leaving you coffee, cups, face cloths and once we had to share a bath towel. The smell of sewage is strong particularly in the evening down by the pool & buffet area. The black sand beach is not very nice at all and at times non existant depending on tides. This is not a swimming beach if you like more than two feet of water, it’s an extremely shallow bay and as several guests said who knows what runs into the bay from the hotel. The area above the actual beach where lounge chairs are placed is nothing but dirt & dust and everyone using this area suffers from bug bites. The area is infrequently raked by staff, but they shld remove dead branches from trees - two near misses by branches. The resort is built on a very steep hill and the hotel does provide rides from the restraunt area to the various units. These vehicles are emit so much exhaust its almost sickening in the heat of Costa Rica and beware these guys speed and you may have to jump out of the way if you have chosen to walk the hills. This resort is definately not handicapped friendly, beginning with three steep sets of stairs up to the road to rooms from the pool area. The nightly noise from a stage show is generally too loud and conflicts with the sometimes live entertainment in the bar area - then there are speakers pumping out even more music from speakers by the stairs and if you choose to sit around the pool in the evening - there is a fourth set of music coming from speakers set in fake rocks - what a racket. The pool seems to close around 7 PM and the jacuzzi is also closed in the evening which is about the only time you’d care to use it due to the heat of the day. Meals are almost the same day after day. Do you like rare pork, undercooked chicken then this is for you. The staff in the dining room is great, always a smile and great service. I would not recommend this resort.
Jennifer Says:
8 February 2009 at 4:01 pm.
Hi Lucy,
I’m concerned also. We are staying at the GP from the 12th to the 19th in the Royal Club rooms. I’ve been happy with Occidental in the past and I find that negative reviews are often from those who will find something negative even in heaven! However, I hope the sewage issue is resolved. Those blogs are from 2008.
tony lovell Says:
10 July 2009 at 10:36 pm.
we stayed at the grand in may 2008 and the allegro was shut down for the above. We had to change our rooms twice because of plumbing leaks. But found costa rica to be a great country for a holiday .. just got to make the most of what you got !
Jen Says:
13 July 2009 at 12:50 pm.
Hello,
We are staying at the Occidental Grand August 10th to 17th. After reading some reveiws we are getting a bit worried. Has anyone had any updates on these issues lately? Thanks,
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