The Waldorf Astoria brand is undergoing quite an impressive expansion at the moment, with all kinds of new openings, from city hotels, to resorts. Today we’re seeing the opening of what’s probably one of the most anticipated new Waldorf Astoria resorts, which will no doubt prove to be a popular getaway for Hilton Honors members from the United States.
In this post:
Basics of the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Cacique
The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Cacique has opened as of April 22, 2025, after a significant delay. The property features 190 accommodations plus 41 residences. It’s located in Guanacaste, on a peninsula with unobstructed ocean views, just a short drive from Liberia International Airport (LIR).
The resort has all the amenities you’d expect, from a large, multi-level pool, to a spa and gym, to a variety of dining outlets. Dining outlets include La Finca (a signature restaurant serving local cuisine), Peacock Alley (the signature Waldorf Astoria bar), Tico Toca (the all-day international dining restaurant), Vida (the pool bar and restaurant), Buena Note Cafe (a cafe with grab & go options), and more.
Below you can find some (low quality) renderings of the new Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica.
I’m excited about the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica. Costa Rica is gorgeous, and this part of the country has beautiful nature, and lots to do if you’re looking for an active vacation.
This is in the same general area as the Peninsula Papagayo development, where you’ll find the Andaz and Four Seasons. It’s nice to see the opening of the Waldorf Astoria, as this should be the most luxurious points property in the region.
This is one of several exciting new Waldorf Astoria openings we’re seeing this year. For example, we’ve just seen the opening of the Waldorf Astoria Osaka, while the Waldorf Astoria New York will be opening in the coming months.
Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica rates & points requirements
What are rates at the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica like? If paying cash, rates vary seasonally, and seem to start around $1,500 per night, before taxes and fees (taxes and service charges total 25%). Rates only go up from there, and in peak season, you’ll pay well over $2,000 per night, before taxes and fees. I’m curious if the property can sustain these kinds of rates — after all, we’re not talking about a luxury safari lodge here with a handful of rooms, but rather a 190-room luxury factory (nice as it might be).
If you’re booking a cash rate here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hilton for Luxury program, so you can take advantage of extra perks through select travel advisors.
The good news is that you’re able to redeem Hilton Honors points at the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica. Rates start at 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night, and elite members get a fifth night free, lowering the average cost to 96,000 points per night. It goes without saying that redeeming points is a phenomenal value.
The “no blackout dates” policy on hotel redemptions used to mean something back in the day, when all standard rooms were actually made available for award redemptions. However, with hotels increasingly creating new sub-categories of standard rooms for the purposes of gaming redemptions, that greatly limits the usefulness (and this is something Hilton Honors is especially guilty of).
Bottom line
The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica has opened as of April 2025, and is a great new option for those looking for an easy luxury getaway from the United States. The resort looks gorgeous, and will probably be significantly nicer than the Andaz.
If you’re looking to redeem Hilton Honors points for a great getaway, award availability is actually quite decent, so this is a good time to lock something in.
What do you make of the new Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica?
I would not stay here because I like going to the beach. This province of Costa Rica (Guanacaste), is well known for frequent crocodile attacks, as well as occasional shark attacks and deadly snake bites. While crocodile attacks are most common in rivers, they also sometimes take place on the beaches and even in the surf zone. If you like the tropical scenery there are much better places to go for that (Hawaii, French Polynesia,...
I would not stay here because I like going to the beach. This province of Costa Rica (Guanacaste), is well known for frequent crocodile attacks, as well as occasional shark attacks and deadly snake bites. While crocodile attacks are most common in rivers, they also sometimes take place on the beaches and even in the surf zone. If you like the tropical scenery there are much better places to go for that (Hawaii, French Polynesia, Fiji, Mauritius, Seychelles, etc.), while if you like the best beaches then the eastern Caribbean, Greece, or the Maldives is the best option. Costa Rica's luxury hotels are overpriced in general given the safety risk in my opinion. The best way to see Costa Rica is to go on a carefully selected guided tour. Save the hotel points for luxury hotels in better spots.
This touches on a broader point that should be made. Resorts (as well as environmentalists) all around the world have a systematic incentive to downplay safety risks from wildlife because they are largely uncontrollable and demand will be reduced if guests have full information. Resorts in Thailand and the Philippines, for example, are notorious for underreporting and warning potential guests about the prevalence of deadly box jellies (which are especially common in the central parts of the Gulf of Thailand like Koh Samui, as well as in Luzon, Cebu, and Palawan in the Philippines). Many tourists are unaware that there are crocodiles on the lagoon side of the resorts in Cancun (as well as in nearly all of the western Caribbean and central America). The stingray tour operators in the Caribbean systematically downplay the risk of stingray attacks (which happen quite often on the tours). In addition to price and brand I encourage always checking the wildlife risk of any resort you consider visiting.
As someone who lived in Guanacaste for a few years I’d just like to add that this does feel a little like an overreaction compared to my lived experience there. By far the biggest problem you’re going to encounter is Costa Rican service levels. When looking at buying a house my mind was out at rest about crocodiles. I was simply told security cooked and ate the late one that tried to get into the...
As someone who lived in Guanacaste for a few years I’d just like to add that this does feel a little like an overreaction compared to my lived experience there. By far the biggest problem you’re going to encounter is Costa Rican service levels. When looking at buying a house my mind was out at rest about crocodiles. I was simply told security cooked and ate the late one that tried to get into the complex. Pura Vida. Several years in Costa Rica and some truly disturbing (as well as awe-inspiring) experiences with animals and I’m happy to report we are all alive and well.
There was the giant 18 foot snake outside our house, the dead three legged horse eaten over the course of a week, the inside of a howler monkeys torso and the time we got held at gun point by a drug gang after accidentally trespassing but that’s all part of the fun!
Ben - please review this. I cannot for a second fathom the service level to price ratio being remotely worth it. The whole area is for the mega wealthy (starter residences were $6mn when there whereas a 2 bed apartment in Tamarindo at the time could be had for 150k)… but it’s still Costa Rica. If you could do Global Airlines trip transiting eventually over to LIR and a stay here you’d make a decade long reader very happy!
It is not an overreaction. Two tourists were attacked in a single week last year. The crocodile population has increased rapidly over the last few years. Most tourists will not encounter a crocodile, but if you do it may be your last encounter. If you go to the CrocAttack website, which has a database on reported crocodilian attacks around the world you will notice an attack cluster in Guanacaste. Guanacaste has the highest density of...
It is not an overreaction. Two tourists were attacked in a single week last year. The crocodile population has increased rapidly over the last few years. Most tourists will not encounter a crocodile, but if you do it may be your last encounter. If you go to the CrocAttack website, which has a database on reported crocodilian attacks around the world you will notice an attack cluster in Guanacaste. Guanacaste has the highest density of crocodiles in all of Costa Rica. Some of these attacks have happened within mere miles of this new hotel. Keep in mind that this data is not even comprehensive, as attacks are chronically underreported (especially prior to the 2010s).
The situation has gotten so severe that the Costa Rican government is now even considering allowing hunting of crocodiles because they have started to lose their fear of humans and are becoming more aggressive. The national government's wildlife coordinator has specifically complained that tourism companies and cities in Costa Rica have been removing crocodile warning signs because of fears about a loss of tourism if they publicize the true risk.
Just stayed five minutes from there in an AirBNB. The grounds approaching the resort looked lovely. It was very unfortunate that construction blocked a road leading down that hill to a fantastic little beach nearby. The nearest town is Playa del Coco, filled with great little restaurants and bars. Lots of expats there, and plenty to do nearby. It’s hard to fathom paying several hundred $$ per night in taxes and fees alone, when the...
Just stayed five minutes from there in an AirBNB. The grounds approaching the resort looked lovely. It was very unfortunate that construction blocked a road leading down that hill to a fantastic little beach nearby. The nearest town is Playa del Coco, filled with great little restaurants and bars. Lots of expats there, and plenty to do nearby. It’s hard to fathom paying several hundred $$ per night in taxes and fees alone, when the same amount gets you very nice accommodations in town. But, to each his own. I suppose if you want pampering, Waldorf will deliver. They’d better, for what they’re charging.
You don't pay taxes and fees on Hilton award bookings
These rates shown are for rainy season. The remainder of the year shows pricing that is alarmingly high. $4k per night in April. Cost prohibitive.
The rates shown are for the low season. If you look at March 2026 the rates are 3+K or well over a million points per night. The hotel looks nice but not 3K per night nice…..wonder also about restaurant prices as one will likely be tied to them
Wiiiild
Just another reason to hold on to the Aspire (as if we needed more reasons). Good news indeed!