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The breathtaking view at the Ritz Carlton Reserve’s new Nekajui resort

I had quietly fantasized about going to Nekajui long before this trip was ever on the calendar. The photos are so beautiful that I think I was manifesting it without meaning to. I even included it in a blog post for anniversary trips last spring. Then, suddenly, my husband had a tiny window before starting his new job, I checked my Bonvoy points, and there it was: enough to make a last-minute getaway happen. So off we went.

Arrival

The courtyard at Nekajui

The arrival is charming and a little theatrical. You walk into a small casita meant to give you a sense of Costa Rican culture. From there you meet your manzu, which means friend in one of the local languages. It’s essentially a personal concierge or butler. Ours was Ozzy. He was warm, knowledgeable, and had spent ten years as a tour guide. You feel that right away.

Our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, so the timing of the tour didn’t perfectly match the heat and a sunscreen-needing seven-year-old. Not a big deal, just one of those travel moments where you wish the order were reversed. They did offer a little compensation for the delay, which was thoughtful. And credit to Ozzy for keeping everything moving and making us feel welcome while we waited.

We eventually changed into swimsuits, settled by the pool, and waited for the room.

Our Room

Ocean vista room at Nekajui Ritz Carlton Reserve

When the room was ready, I went up on my own to drop our things and take a few photos. We were in a two-queen Ocean Vista room. It was beautiful. Spacious in a way that felt intentional rather than grand for the sake of it. Each bed had its own chaise. The bathroom had double sinks, a rain shower, and a sculptural wooden soaking tub. The balcony was generously sized with a real table for four, plus a couch and coffee table, and enough space to actually use it.

Frette Robes correctly sized for everyone in my family

The textiles deserve their own paragraph. The bed linens are Frette, which already tells you a lot about the priorities here. They also stocked two robes correctly sized for each of us, all made by Frette, which is exactly the level of textile commitment I want from a property calling itself a Reserve. A lighter cotton and a cozier waffle for the grown ups, and smaller robes for my son so no one was swimming in fabric or left out of the ritual.

The view looked out over a flat green lawn with ocean and sunset beyond. One bragging right of Nekajui is that you can see the sunset year-round. At the Four Seasons, depending on the time of year, you get a pretty sky but not always a direct sunset. If those moments matter to you, Nekajui really delivers.

And as a travel advisor, I kept thinking about a young family I’m working with who need separate sleeping areas without booking a suite. The two-queen room Ocean vista works so well for that. You can put the kids to bed, close the curtains, and sit out on the balcony. The bathroom is enormous. You could put a crib in there and close the door. It’s one of the few setups where traveling with a baby feels almost civilized.

The Property

The main indoor common area at Nekajui that opens on both sides with a breeze blowing through

Once you’re through the casita, the resort opens up in a dramatic way. There’s a courtyard with a huge tree in the center and lanterns hanging from the branches. I walked in and immediately thought, this would be the most spectacular destination wedding venue. Apparently the resort agrees because they aren’t booking weddings until 2028. They want everything else fully settled first.

From the courtyard, you walk into an open-air bar with high ceilings and a framed view of the ocean. Beyond that is a perfectly flat lawn, which would make the most incredible ceremony space. Then come the pools. The main pool is the lively one and where everyone hung out the week we were there. Below it is an adults-only pool with a hot tub that, amusingly, nobody used.

A hanging bridge stretches across the property and brings you to the spa and some of the suites. The spa is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time. Huge views, a full hydrotherapy circuit, warm and regular pools, and on both the men’s and women’s sides there are saunas plus hot and cold plunges. It is absolutely a girls-trip-worthy spa.

The gym is open-air and much breezier than I expected. I thought it would feel like working out in a sauna, but with the water below and the fans overhead, it was surprisingly cool. The yoga studio next door is serene. I took an animal flow class with a teacher named Paz, who was wonderful. Even at midday, I cooled down by the end.

The Beach Club

The Beach Club at Nekajui with the funicular that bring you back up to the main resort area

One of my favorite features is the funicular down to the beach club. It’s steep and fun, and there’s also a staircase of about 300 steps that’s supposed to be great for spotting monkeys and birds. My son wanted to try it, and if we’d had one more day, we probably would have.

At the bottom you find the beach club, a restaurant, and a shaded stone pool. Some afternoons it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. The service was excellent.

The beach is tiny and beautiful. It disappears during high tide and reappears during low tide, which gives it a bit of magic. The sand is a soft mix of black and white from volcanic rock, so it looks marbled and slightly mysterious. When I first walked down, I turned to Jasper and said this looks like that Leonardo DiCaprio movie, The Beach (Minus the plot twists and luxurious resort). They set up loungers for you, and because the cove is so protected, the water stays calm.

Snorkeling was a highlight. It was my son’s first time. We practiced in the bathtub and then went out with Dylan from the Explorers Club. He was patient, calm, and clearly loves what he does. The equipment is great and you don’t need to swim far to see plenty. We spotted an eel and lots of fish. It’s not a Cayman-style reef, but definitely worth doing.

Dining and Design

Brisa, the Nekajui poolside restaurant at Dusk

The lighting and design at Nekajui might be my favorite part of the entire property. At Brisa, the poolside restaurant, the transition from sunset into evening is unreal. As the colors fade, the lights come on in a soft glow that almost matches the sky. We ate there twice and every dish was good. They were also very accommodating with my son, making him a cheese quesadilla that wasn’t on the menu.

There were a few tiny service hiccups, like the chocolate chip cookie that took so long we almost gave up. When it arrived, it was warm and freshly baked and delicious.

There’s a reservation-only bar that looks like the most stylish tree house, no kids allowed. And an omakase tasting menu at four hundred fifty dollars a person. Very much an anniversary or big-birthday kind of splurge.

I toured the suites, residences and the tree houses. The tree houses are cool in theory but a little tricky in practice. The living areas are open-air and the bedrooms can be tented and air-conditioned, which blocks the view and makes them dark, or left screened and breezy. I can see someone doing a night or two for the experience and spending the rest of the stay in a suite. And if I ever meet the family that wants exactly that, I will happily place them there.

The suites are stunning. One had a kids’ bunk room with wooden toys set out and felt so thoughtfully done that I immediately thought of several clients.

And I love how many activities are included on property. Yoga, the spa circuit, the beach club, snorkeling, wildlife spotting, cooking classes. It’s all easy to access without feeling overprogrammed.

The yoga studio at Nekajui

Final Thoughts

Nekajui is beautiful. Truly beautiful. The kind of beautiful where you could try to take a bad picture and you simply can’t. It’s the supermodel of resorts. There are no bad angles. Thoughtful design, warm people, incredible views, and a layout that feels both luxurious and relaxed.

It’s a place I’d send families who appreciate good design, couples who want calm without boredom, and anyone who enjoys a resort with both natural drama and a funicular — a combination I didn’t know I needed. A few small service bumps, yes, but this is very common in new resorts and I have full confidence that the service will match the design very soon. The experience as a whole was worth the trip and then some.

Ready for the ultimate Costa Rica experience?

You can book your stay at the new Nekajui Ritz-Carlton Reserve with Marriott STARS benefits at no extra cost to you. When you book through Sebastian Luxe Travel, you receive daily breakfast for two, a one hundred dollar resort credit, and a complimentary room upgrade when available, all while earning your full Bonvoy points and elite night credits.

If you want to learn more about how I work, you can always check my credentials and browse my Fora profile, my Virtuoso profile, or read recent client testimonials. When you are ready to start planning, I’d love to help you create your Costa Rica escape with Sebastian Luxe Travel.