Inside the New Andaz Costa Rica Beach House
Our family of four recently kicked off the summer with a trip to the Andaz Costa Rica. This was a return trip to the resort for Josh and me, but the first trip to Costa Rica for our two girls. You can get a sneak preview of our time on the ground in Costa Rica in this post, but now it's time to dive into some of the specifics of our stay and the property The Andaz Costa Rica is one of the absolute best World of Hyatt redemption values in the world at just 15,000 points per night for a stay in a top-notch resort. Rates can easily creep into the $300 - $500 nightly range during peak times, but standard rooms remail just 15,000 points. Since it is a Category 4 property, you can even use a Category 1 - 4 award night that comes each year with the Hyatt Credit Card to cover part of your stay if you want to keep your points and cash tucked away for another day.
Inside the New Andaz Costa Rica Beach House
Something brand new to the Andaz Costa Rica since our trip last year is the opening of their very own Andaz Beach House. The onsite beach at the Andaz Costa Rica isn't the best as it is quite small and pretty densely populated with trees, so on our last visit, they had an arrangement that allowed guests to visit the nearby Prieta Beach Club on a shuttle at no charge.
Now instead of using the Prieta Beach Club as a second beach option, a shuttle bus plus short golf cart ride will take you on a 10 - 15 minute journey to their own private Andaz Beach House that is open from 10AM - 5PM daily. The new Andaz Beach House has a bar and covered area where you can enjoy lunch or snacks, as well as chairs and hammocks located under shade trees along the shore for relaxing.
The beach itself at the Andaz Beach House was clean, long, and home to very calm and relatively clear water that the girls enjoyed playing in. To be abundantly clear, this is not a Caribbean blue water beach by any stretch of the imagination. It is a is a fun spot to relax and play with your family for a few hours, but this is not the place that picturesque beach dreams are made of. In fact, as it is on the bay side, it feels more like a nice lake than anything else.
During our time at the Andaz Beach House, we loaded the kids up on a paddle board and paddled them out with goggles at the ready so they could stick their heads in the water and check out some of the marine life away from the shore. We were able to spot some various fish that kept them entertained for about half an hour.
In addition to the complimentary use of paddle boards, Andaz guests also have complimentary use of kayaks, water bikes, and snorkel equipment. There is motorized equipment such as jet skis available for a fee.
The Andaz Beach House offers outdoor massages on a massage table, with five-minute massage samples available at no charge. They also told us about a 20% discount at the Andaz Spa if we mentioned the Andaz Beach House when making our appointments. With two little kids along for the ride, we didn't try out any spa services on this visit.
Under the trees, they have some basic toys and games such as corn hole and Jenga available, along with complimentary water, sunscreen, and much-needed bug spray. Don't underestimate the value of included access to sunscreen and bug spray, as those things cost us a pretty penny when they were not readily available at the Westin Grand Cayman.
The outdoor shower, nice bathrooms, available flip-flops and ample towels were all touches that made the Andaz Beach House a welcoming and accessible place for families.
Dining at the Andaz Beach House
We heard multiple guests talking about how good the food was at the Andaz Beach House, so we were excited to enjoy a beachside lunch for ourselves. The food was indeed pretty good, though I didn't find it to be better or substantially different than the food at the resort which is also pretty darn solid.
On the Andaz Beach House lunch menu, you will find items such as:
- Spiced Shrimp Salad $15
- Shrimp Quesadilla $16
- Beach House Burger $19
- Spicy Pineapple Wings $16
- Kid Mini Cheese Burger $9
- Kid Grilled Cheese $9
- Kid Chicken Fingers $9
- Local Beer $6
My two year old was slightly disappointed in just how healthy the child's chicken finger meal turned out.
The smoothies, however, were a total hit with both girls and an easy way to get a bit of fruit mixed into their resort diet of cheeseburgers, chicken, muffins, and ice cream.
I was a fan of the 'Beach Cocktails' and 'Costa Rican Recipe' drinks that started at around $8 and would include ingredients such as honey water, mandarin juice, blackberries, rosemary, and of course various liquors.
There is 13% sales tax and 10% service charge added to the prices and of course you can charge the order to your room so you can earn as many Hyatt points as possible.
Andaz Beach House vs. Prieta Beach Club
The Andaz Costa Rica Beach House does not have a pool or a large enclosed area, which could present a problem during the rainy season downpours. While we very much enjoyed our afternoon at the Andaz Beach Club, the lack of a pool and the location on the bay as opposed to the ocean makes it somewhat of a downgrade from the Prieta Beach Club in my view. I would love to see a pool added at some point to the Andaz Beach Club as it is a great alternative to the beach, and would provide more entertainment options for the kids. I was told that a boat shuttle is in the works, so perhaps in the future, you can go from the shore of the resort to the shore of this Beach House without the bus shuttle to golf cart rides.
Mommy Points' Andaz Costa Rica Beach House Tips
- Shuttles leave from the Andaz resort to the Beach House every 30 minutes during the day, but they do fill up so make a reservation ahead of time.
- Children five and under eat for free at the Beach House and the Andaz resort, so don't try and make your little one share their meal since it is free to get their own.
- Be sure and look for wildlife on the short golf cart ride through the jungle to the Beach House as we spotted crab, termites, monkeys, birds, and more!
Has your family visited the Andaz Beach House and how do you think it stacks up to the nearby Prieta Beach Club?