Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve: The Guide to Costa Rica's Peninsula Papagayo Retreat
Nekajui is the Ritz-Carlton Reserve on Peninsula Papagayo, in Guanacaste: 107 rooms above the Pacific, a short drive from Liberia airport. Here is where it is, what a Reserve means, who it suits and when to go.
- Location: Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, 9 miles (14 km) from Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR).
- 107 rooms, including Casona Suites, Treetop Tents and villas, with butler service.
- It is not all-inclusive: dining, from coffee rituals to modern Peruvian cuisine, is à la carte.
- Best months: December to April, the dry season; May to November is the green season, quieter and lusher.
The short answer
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is a 107-room resort on the protected land of Peninsula Papagayo, on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast, 9 miles (14 km) from Liberia airport. Its name comes from the Chorotega word for "lush garden". It suits couples and families who want Costa Rica's dry forest and Pacific sunsets with very little travel after landing: the transfer is about half an hour, with no domestic flight.
Where it is
Peninsula Papagayo is a private peninsula in Guanacaste, on the Gulf of Papagayo, with a marina, a golf course and long stretches of protected dry forest. Guests fly into Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, which has direct flights from many cities in the United States. Minutes from the resort is the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of tropical dry forest, volcanoes and nesting beaches for endangered sea turtles.
What a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is
Reserve is the smallest and rarest tier of Ritz-Carlton: a handful of properties around the world, each built around its setting, with fewer rooms and more personal service than a standard Ritz-Carlton. The collection includes Phulay Bay in Thailand, Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, Mandapa in Bali, Zadún in Los Cabos, Higashiyama Niseko Village in Japan, Rissai Valley in China and Nujuma in Saudi Arabia. Nekajui is the first in Central America.
Rooms, suites and treetop tents
All 107 rooms face the Pacific. The categories run from ocean-view rooms with a king bed or two queens and a sitting area to the Casona Suites, the Treetop Tents, raised into the forest canopy, and private villas with their own pools. Butler service comes with the room. Families should ask about connecting rooms; couples who want the most seclusion should look at the tents and the villas.
Dining
Nekajui is not an all-inclusive resort. Dining is à la carte and built around local ingredients: an artisanal coffee ritual in the morning, modern Peruvian cuisine, and private dinners in the treetops. Room service runs 24 hours.
Spa and wellness
The spa follows the rhythms of the land, with treatments rooted in the region's older ways of living, a sauna and a fitness center. It is a natural addition to a wellness-led trip; see our guide to wellness retreats in Costa Rica.
What to do
On the peninsula: golf, tennis, horseback riding, bicycles, and water sports on the gulf. Beyond it: the national parks of the conservation area, sea turtle beaches in season, the hot springs and volcano of Rincón de la Vieja, and sailing at sunset. There is a children's program and babysitting, so parents can have a day to themselves.
When to go
Guanacaste is the driest corner of Costa Rica. December to April is the dry season, with clear skies and the highest demand, especially at Christmas, New Year and Easter. May to November is the green season: afternoon showers, a forest that turns from gold to deep green, fewer guests and better availability. September and October are the wettest months. See our Costa Rica guide.
Who it is for
- Honeymooners who want a short transfer and a private pool. See a Costa Rica honeymoon.
- Families who want a children's program and connecting rooms. See Costa Rica for families.
- Travelers combining regions: Nekajui works well as the beach chapter after Arenal or Monteverde.
What it starts from
As a planning guide, we budget from around US$1,000 per person, per night for travel at this level in Costa Rica; the figure rises with suites, tents and villas, and in the festive weeks. Your advisor confirms the rate for your dates. Forest Travel's planning fee is US$250 per itinerary.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Start the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor your dates and who is traveling, and they will match the room, confirm your Virtuoso privileges and build the rest of Costa Rica around it. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
On Peninsula Papagayo in Guanacaste, on Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast. It is 9 miles (14 km) from Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, a transfer of about half an hour.
No. Nekajui is not an all-inclusive resort; dining is à la carte. When you book through a Virtuoso advisor, daily breakfast for two is among the privileges, confirmed for each booking.
Reserve is the brand's smallest and rarest tier: a handful of properties worldwide, each with fewer rooms, a design drawn from its setting and more personal service. Nekajui is the first Reserve in Central America.
107, all facing the Pacific, including Casona Suites, Treetop Tents and private villas. Butler service is included.
December to April, the dry season, for clear skies. May to November is the green season, with afternoon showers, a greener forest and fewer guests; September and October are the wettest months.
It comes from the Chorotega word for "lush garden". The Chorotega are the indigenous people of Guanacaste.
![Peninsula Papagayo bay at sunset, aerial view [j27:nk-hero]](https://d244q4odvshuum.cloudfront.net/media/images/j27-nk-hero-3477386e.2e16d0ba.format-jpeg.fill-768x432.jpg)
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