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W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International, Inc., announced the opening of W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal, the first W hotel in the country. The highly anticipated opening of W Costa Rica brings an exciting new energy to the nation’s tropical hotel scene, offering guests and locals alike the chance to soak in the iconic W lifestyle. In addition to being the second W hotel to open in Central America this year (following W Panama), W Costa Rica is also the newest W Escape, the brand’s unique spin on the traditional resort experience – zip line and all.
W Costa Rica is located within a 2,300-acre nature reserve just minutes from Tamarindo, an internationally-renowned surf spot that has earned a reputation among amateur and professional wave enthusiasts. Nearby Playa Flamingo offers horseback riding, ATV and catamaran rides as well as fishing, snorkeling and jungle exploration by foot. In the dry season (December through April), Costa Rica is a must for nature-lovers who can witness majestic humpback whale migration and magical turtle nesting along the nearby beaches. Known as one of the happiest countries in the world, Costa Rica lives by the “pura vida” lifestyle, a carefree, optimistic approach to everyday pleasures.
W Costa Rica brings unexpected style to the serene, tropical paradise of Reserva Conchal. Designed by Mister Important Design alongside the renowned in-house design team at W Hotels and Ronald Zurcher Architects, W Costa Rica embraces its surroundings with interpretations of the natural beauty of nearby beaches and jungle. Elements of this breathtaking landscape as well as the deep historical roots of the region are embedded in every aspect of W Costa Rica as the hotel combines land and sea with culture and treasured history. Upon arrival, guests are ushered through an avenue of 2,000 Bursera Simaruba trees (or “Indios Desnudos”), a living fence traditionally grown by local farmers to pen in livestock. The brand’s signature “W” sign is a negative space among a bright red wall that wraps around the Wheels area (valet). The circular arrival area and signature W sign is inspired by the unmistakable red of bull fighting that can still be found during one of the country’s emblematic cultural activities held at “Plaza de Toros.” Although true to the Pura Vida spirit, bulls in the Costa Rican bullfighting tradition are not killed.
As guests approach the Living Room (the brand’s signature spin on the traditional hotel lobby), floor-to-ceiling stone and wooden panels line the walls of the artistically lit hallway, mimicking one of Costa Rica’s favorite instruments, the marimba. The indoor-outdoor Living Room immerses guests in the Guanacaste Forest with wooden structures towering above the outdoor areas, mirroring the shape of the province’s famous namesake trees.
The WET Deck (the W pool) honors the wheels of Costa Rica’s colorful “Carreta Tipica,” oxcarts that can be found across the country, with a mosaic interpretation of the mandala-like designs inlaid in the hot tub within the hotel’s sparkling pool and throughout the interiors of the curvaceous sunken Wet Bar.
Zona Azul Beach Club is the brand’s first on-site beach club located on one of the country’s rare white sand beaches, Playa Conchal. Can’t wait to hit the beach? Put your feet up, you’re in for a ride. W Costa Rica is giving guests a playfully social thrill – a soon-to-come zip line right from the hilltop Wet Deck to the surf side beach club. Talk about instant gratification. Guests can take the 10-minute stroll down to the shore, or opt in for a one-way ticket down to Zona Azul Beach Club.
Inspired by nearby Nicoya, one of only five places in the world where quality of life and happiness lead to an extraordinary number of centenarians, Zona Azul Beach Club is named for the world-famous “blue zone” that holds the key to longevity.
Guests can detox,retox and get social at AWAY Spa Bar, the first full-service bar located inside an AWAY Spa (the brand’s signature spa concept). The spa experience gets its own makeover at W Costa Rica as guests are offered group and semi-private treatments to mix and mingle while getting pampered, with or without a craft cocktail. Six private treatment rooms are modeled after butterfly cocoons, a design that pays homage to the country’s 1500+ species of butterflies, which make up approximately 18% of the world’s butterfly population.
