We had a spa terrace casita on the second floor which had the best views of the ocean, pool and lush grounds. It was impeccably clean. Each spa terrace casita has an infinity hot tub on the terrace that overlooks the resort. It was great but little hot for us so we only plunged for about 15 minutes. A king bed with italian linens and by far the best bed we both have slept in. WOW! Bathroom was perfect - rainfall shower heads, soaking tub with candles and bath salts. Upon check in - you are welcomed with mango water and your own personal concierge. We gave our concierge 20 bux but did not see him the rest of the weekend. Fortunately, all of our dinner resv were already made in advance. The staff is very friendly, bi-lingual and extremely attentive. Top notch service. Poolside: you get a caddy of 6 cold Voss waters every hour, body mist, mini fresh fruit smoothies through out the day - yum! You are offered free mini massages - either neck or feet. Tips are encouraged and appreciated for this little perk. There are 4 or 5 pools on the resort. We lounged at the infinity 'adults' only pool ALL DAY. It was so peaceful and quiet. All of the guests were very friendly and we walked away with a few new budding friendships. In the room, you have a great mini bar -all of the coca-colas and bottled waters in the fridge are free and are replenished daily. Free coffee. Spa is beautiful and serene. Upon checking in at the spa - you choose your own fresh fruit smoothie - don't skip this. They are yummy and great for you! I had an incredible treatment - a clay detox wrap for 90 minutes. Ask for Brenda. She was amazing. We did not indulge in the steam or sauna. Both are outside with two plunge pools and a hot tub. They have a private women's lounge as well as co-ed lounge outside. You are surrounded by waterfalls and beautiful lush foliage. There were reviews on tripadvisor recently that shared that there was some theft in some guests rooms including clothing etc. - so we made sure all of our jewelry, iphones, passports etc were locked up. We had no problems and it did not seem like any of our belongings were rummaged through. The ocean is not recommended for swimming - but beautiful. There was rough surf on our stay so the sounds of the waves were loud and to me, peaceful :) There are plenty of chaise lounges on the beach and they also have cushy bed like chaises under thatched tents. Great! In the evenings, there is live music and fire pits are aglow everywhere. There is a small boutique with sunscreen, magazines and other toiletries but is mainly stocked with resort wear, which I did not find to be appealing and also I felt was very expensive. We purchased a small tube of SPF for 22 buckaroos - expected.

Only CON - the food was not great this time around. As a matter of fact, it was disappointing. Our best meal was at La Palapa - the other pool restaurant - casual but for four of us - total bill was 350. This included dessert, bottle of wine, 4 entrees, appetizers and two cocktails and bottled water. Order the steamed lime sea-bass. The breakfast was good, included in rate - you have a nice selection of french toast, eggs, fritatas, pancakes and it is all accompanied by fresh mango or berry juice, coffee and a tower of pastries and jam. Our fav was the lemon souffle pancakes with berries.  The infinity pool food was not good and as expected over priced. I hear all of the drinks were yummy. My gal pal raved over the goddess margaritas at 15 bucks a pop. I refrained from alcohol on the trip so I was not paying attention to the cost of the froofy drinks and dirty martinis flowing. But I hear they are all great. The dvd library was limited and the movies on demand selection consisted of Nancy Drew, December Boys and Transformers - that's it so that was a bummer. Wifi and cell service was shotty and lame. We did not really get any service in our room. I recommend this resort for everyone. Honeymooners, gal pals, baby moons and families. For kids - there is a game room with foos ball, air hockey and pool table and two kids pools. Some of the best places to dine outside of the resort are Edith's and The Trailer Park, however there are three Trailer Park restaurants and they all claim to be the "original" but the best one is the one that does not have the sign and has all the pretty lights indoors. FYI - very large portions here so consider sharing. Awesome lobster tails! There is a taxi mafia taking over the town so inquire about taxis and car shuttles when you are planning your trip. They will gauge you at the airport and you may not be getting into a safe and reliable taxi. The hotel can arrange a pick up (in an Escalade) but will charge you about 150 plus tax and gratuity but then can not offer you this same service back to the airport - we did not use this service. I had a good friend pick us up at the airport so we did not have to deal with all the shadiness of the taxi's etc. The hotel will, however call a reliable, trustworthy taxi to take you to the aiport. We shared one back with another couple in a large SUV and it was 70 incl tip. It was a comfortable ride and it is about 30 min to airport from Esperanza.

Esperanza is so beautiful, relaxing and continues to get rave accolades. My gal pal and I are already planning and plotting our return visit in Nov for her 4oth birthday. We can't wait!!!!!!!  Friends - hop on our coat tails! 

Date of stay: July 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Friends/Group)

Date of stay: May 2008
Purpose of stay: Leisure (With Partner)