Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo on Credit Card Points!
Craving a relaxing, tropical destination on credit card points? Look no further than Costa Rica! With a little strategy and the right credit card points, you can cover both your flights (except taxes) and your hotel for a dream vacation getaway. In this post I'll show you how we traveled to Liberia, Costa Rica and stayed at the Andaz Papagayo for almost free!
Over 15 years ago I asked for a tropical honeymoon the winter after we got married. Well, needless to say, that honeymoon never happened. So, for our 15 year anniversary I made it happen thanks to points and miles.
We traveled from MSP to Liberia using AA miles then stayed at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort for four nights thanks to Hyatt points. We also used Hyatt points to cover our night before our flight out at Hyatt Regency Bloomington due to an early flight.
It was the perfect length of trip for a little getaway for Jason and I. Thanks to points and miles we saved over $6,000 on this trip! We had to cover taxes on our flights, which was $85.20 per roundtrip ticket. I also choose to upgrade our seats to ones with more leg room due to the fact Jason is a giant and appreciate this. Easy to do when you are saving so much on the rest of the trip!
How to Get to Liberia, Costa Rica
We fly from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) to Liberia Costa, Rica with a layover in Miami on American Airlines, then did the opposite on the way back. There was no direct flights available for us.
Each round trip flight was 35,500 AA miles plus taxes of $85.20. The retail value on that flight when I booked was $699, so just on flights alone we saved $1,400!
Other airlines that flight into Libera include Southwest, United, Alaska etc. It is a smaller airport with only 9 gates so it's easy to navigate!
Transportation
We booked a transfer prior to arrival using Maleku Tours. For the round trip transfer it was $180.00 plus we tipped.
There are a lot of different options for transferring to your resort! Some people also rent cars and I think it would be rather easy to navigate the area. They drive on the right hand side of the road, signs are in English etc.
Where we Stayed
The night before our flight we used Hyatt Points to stay at the Hyatt Regency in Bloomington. We paid 8,000 points for the night and the retail value would have been $144.
When we were in Costa Rica we stayed at the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort which is a highly rated and recommended hotel. We booked a King Forest View Room for 45,000 points per night. Cash price per night would have been about $1,300 per night. Trust me, I would have never paid cash to stay here!
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo is set on a hillside overlooking Culebra Bay, with beautiful water views across most of the property. It sits within a tropical dry forest, one of the largest in Central America, which changes with the seasons. Expect dry, earthy scenery in March and lush, green landscapes if you visit around October.
We experienced it the end of April and it was very brown so just be aware of that! The rainy season starts in May, so also beware of that. Plus, unbeknownst to me it is HOT there and about 90 degrees all year long.
The resort recently completed a major renovation in 2023, adding a new beach club called Casa de Playa with a pool and restaurant, plus updates to its dining. Even though it’s a large Hyatt property, it feels peaceful and surrounded by nature, with monkeys, birds, and iguanas often spotted around the grounds. It’s best suited for travelers looking to relax and enjoy good food, rather than a lively party atmosphere.
We stayed in building 7 and really enjoyed the location of this building. The resort is set into the side of a hill and is long and narrow with many hills to get from place to place. It is simple to use WhatsApp to request a golf cart from location to location.
On the resort there is a family style pool, adults only pool, beach area (very limited) and also a beach club that you can either take the shuttle via land or water to.
We took the boat to this beach club the first day and loved hanging out there. There was a ton of shade, chairs, swimming area, snorkeling equipment to use for free, cornhole boards plus a pool and restaurant. This area is lively and fun for adults and families.
The two swimming pools at the resort are long and narrow. The swimming area for families includes a few smaller pools. One with a zero depth entry pool for young children. We were there down the “off season” and never felt busy or a fight for chairs.
The adult quiet pool is on the other end of the resort and is long and narrow. Once again it overlooks the bay area, is peaceful and beautiful with attentive service. It is quiet so if you are looking for a more lively area I would got to the beach club or other pool area. The service at all locations was great.
There is also a spa on site, but we did not use it.
In the Papagayo Peninsula this is also Papagayo Park which includes tennis courts, pickle ball, waterslides, a kids water park and more. It is free to use for resort guests. If we had brought the kids with this would have been happening!
Dining
Each morning we started with breakfast served at Gaio. Our breakfast was covered due to my globalist status with Hyatt. You can also get free breakfast if you apply a Guest of Honor certificate to your reservation which is gifted to you by a person with Gloablist Status.
We stayed during the start of their “rainy season” the last week in April, although it only sprinkled for a few minutes one day. Due to this their restaurants were limited and only open certain nights.
The first night we enjoyed dinner at Chao Pescoa and it was our favorite! It is a tapas style restaurant with Latin America and the Caribbean flavors. We enjoyed being able to order several items with smaller portions to try new things.
During the day we ordered lunch and drinks from Casa de Playa which is the restaurant at the Beach Club along with Ostra when we were hanging out at the adult pool. The nachos from Ostra are spot on with a margarita!
We also enjoyed Gaio one night for dinner. They serve Italian fare during the night along with woodfired pizzas. I wish we would have tried a pizza instead of the pasta I got. Jason did enjoy is lasagna.
We went off-site on the Papagayo Peninsula two nights. The hotel shuttle took us to both locations and picked us up. It was super easy and convenient.
The first night we ate at the Dive Bar by the Marina. This is super casual with beautiful views of the marina. I highly recommend going here especially if you are looking for more “American” type fare.
The last night we were there we went to the Manglar at Prieta Beach Club for dinner. This is a private beach club until at 5:00 when anyone can book dinner reservations. We contacted the resort concierge and they arranged dinner for us at sunset. This is a higher end restaurant, but the sunset views are worth it alone!
Excursions
We only did one excursion while we were there, but there are tons of options. My biggest piece of advice is to pack a pair of water shoes to be able to do these. I did not and had to wear the complimentary flip flops that we had in our room. This also made the excursions we could pick from very limited. There are very limited options onsite to be able to purchase things you forgot!
We went on a jetksi tour and it was so awesome. I highly recommend. We booked it with Costa Rica Expedition Tours. We both rented a jetski, but you could do just one and ride behind. WE paid $200 per person or it was $235 for two people and one jetski.
They picked us up at 7:30 am on the beach at the Andaz which was super awesome. The tour included going to sea caves, mangrove, Monkey Head, and snorkeling (they brought snorkel gear). If you want to do the sea caves you need to do this tour right away in the morning while the tide is low or the late afternoon.
We had a blast. I was a little nervous, but they made it fun and most of all Jason enjoyed it since he was getting twitchy from relaxing for three days straight!
Credit Cards to Open to Travel for Almost Free!
If you do not have our FAVE beginner card make sure you have that first! This will help you achieve those free nights to stay at the Andaz Papagayo.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is our #1 card and the perfect card for beginners just getting started on their points-and-miles journey. Check out our full review of this card!
If you open this card you'd have enough to cover at least four nights which is more than enough for a long weekend visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards!
Already have that card? I would recommend the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Another option is Ink Business Cash® Credit Card which currently has an offer of 35,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional 40,000 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. This card is marketed as a cash-back card, but you’ll actually earn Ultimate Rewards® points. Pair it with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to open up the transfer partners. Wondering if you qualify for a business card we have an entire post about it!
These are flexible points that can be transferred from Chase to Hyatt and that makes them so valuable. Another option would be to open up a The World of Hyatt Credit Card with a standard welcome offer of 60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. This offer can vary.
Learn how to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards in to Hyatt in this article!
For flights we used American Airlines miles. You can sign up for Citi credit cards or American Airlines credit cards for those points.
The Wrap Up
We had a wonderful stay at the Andaz Papagayo and I'm so thankful for points and miles. There's nothing better than being able to enjoy a trip and knowing you don't have to cringe at the credit card statement when you get home! It's truly paradise and the perfect place to unwind and have a low key tropical vacation.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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