Costa Rica: It’s the land of Pura Vida. It’s the place for travelers to go when they seek a more adventurous trip full of verdant rainforests, gnarly beaches for surfing, and some more of the most incredible natural, tropical landscapes you’ll find in the Western Hemisphere. 

So, why would anyone want to marry in Costa Rica? In short, it’s the perfect place for couples to go when they want something other than the stereotypical “perfect wedding” and/or honeymoon. On this note, let’s head to Costa Rica and check out two hotels from a very familiar hospitality brand that let you celebrate your marriage in new and exciting ways. 

Who, What, and Where Are We Talking About?

As the world’s largest hotel company (by the number of available rooms), Marriott offers you a whole lot of options for exceptional destination weddings and honeymoon getaways. From iconic luxury hotels in perennially popular cities like Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, London, Tokyo, and Sydney, to expansive resorts at prime locations like Punta de Mita (Mexico), Muscat (Oman), and Phuket (Thailand), you might actually have a hard time seeing where you can’t book the wedding and/or honeymoon trip of your dreams with Marriott Bonvoy. 

Now, let’s zoom into Costa Rica. Earlier this summer, we had the great fortune of visiting two of Marriott’s Costa Rica properties: the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen near San José, and the Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort in Playa Herradura on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. While the Hacienda Belen was originally designed to cater more to business travelers, you will soon see how it can work for a romantic getaway. Meanwhile, Los Suenos is located right by one of the most uniquely scenic beaches that makes the perfect backdrop for a lovely wedding.

To gain even more insight into how these two Marriott hotels can potentially work for your special occasion, we spoke with Sarines Oliva, the Director of Marketing and Sales for both Marriott hotels.

Why Here? Why These Marriott Costa Rica Resorts? Let’s Start With Los Suenos.

Now, let’s address perhaps the most pressing question you probably have: Why here? Why Costa Rica? Specifically, why are these Marriott properties in Costa Rica?

Regarding Marriott’s oceanfront resort, Sarines Oliva explains, “Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort is the closest beach resort to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and offers a wealth of tours and activities within a 10-minute drive of the hotel.” She continues, “This is the perfect hotel for those who have always dreamt of their wedding with stunning ocean views, and the resort’s location within the rainforest ensures that guests will enjoy their encounters with wildlife during their stay including the scarlet macaws, sloths, toucans, iguanas, and monkeys. The lush mountains and beautiful ocean views are the perfect backdrop for your wedding photographs.”

Indeed, when you’re at Los Suenos, you feel like you’re staying in the middle of a beautiful rainforest that opens to the ocean because… Well, you are! At the resort, you can walk to the beach and enjoy incredible views of Herradura Bay, which gained its name because it’s largely shaped like a horseshoe. You’re also steps away from La Iguana Golf Club, a uniquely eco-friendly 18-hole championship golf course that lets you play in a spectacularly scenic rainforest environment. And whenever you want to sail away, the Los Sueños Marina is also right there.  

Just minutes away from the resort is Vista Los Sueños Adventure Park, an incredible rainforest park where you, your spouse-to-be, and your wedding guests can live out your ultimate fantasy with ATV jungle tours, zip lines, whitewater rafting, hiking trails, and expert-led Costa Rican chocolate tastings. Sure, these may not be your typical wedding/honeymoon activities. But if you really want to plan a different kind of destination wedding, Vista Los Sueños is chock full of outdoorsy fun. (And, if you opt for an ATV tour, look for the waterfall and swimming hole that are picture-perfect for photo-ops!)

Why Belen? Now, Let’s Take a Closer Look at the Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belen.

Los Suenos might seem like a more natural fit for a wedding and/or honeymoon trip, since it has such a beautiful beach right there. But if you want a location that places you even closer to all the action in and around Costa Rica’s capital city of San José, you might want to book a stay at the Hacienda. 

According to Sarines Oliva, “Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belen’s colonial architecture and coffee plantation set the mood for an authentic Costa Rican affair. The hotel features its very own wedding chapel. The large gardens with tropical flowers and breathtaking views of the Central Valley mountains are a highlight for those looking to host an outdoor ceremony or reception.” She also notes, “There are large ballrooms, as well as smaller meeting spaces, with windows overlooking the pools and gardens. Combining these fabulous venues with a team of professionals with over 20 years of experience, warm service, and outstanding food and beverage offerings, makes it the premier venue in the city for a memorable wedding.”

Indeed, this hotel has its own wedding chapel that regularly hosts Catholic ceremonies, but it can also be used for other religious (and non-religious) ceremonies. Meanwhile, its expansive grounds gives you plenty of space for an outdoor ceremony and/or other outdoor events. And with a great variety of on-site restaurants, an in-house coffee boutique (featuring the sustainable and fair-trade Organikos local brand), the full-service Kuö Spa and fitness center, and even a regular local artisan market, it’s hard to get bored at the Hacienda.

Even better, the Hacienda Belen places you a short drive away from some of Costa Rica’s top attractions. In addition to San José, the Hacienda Belen is a short(-ish) and scenic drive away from Poás Volcano National Park, a gorgeous forest park that’s anchored by an active 2,708-meter (or about 8,884-feet) tall volcano that you can look into from a secure platform. While on your way to or from Poás Volcano, you can stop at Hacienda Alsacia, which is Starbucks’ working coffee farm where you can see the entire coffee growing and roasting process, and where you can taste some great coffee drinks before they make their way to your local Starbucks cafe. 

Now, Let’s Talk Logistics.

Since Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belen and Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort host weddings and wedding-related events every week of the year, you’ll work with staff who have ample experience in making couples’ wedding dreams come true. The Hacienda Belen can handle parties of up to 1,000 guests for outdoor receptions and/or an indoor cocktail reception, and they can seat up to 540 guests for indoor dinner parties. Meanwhile at Los Suenos, they can handle parties of up to 300 guests for indoor dinners, and outdoor events that fit up to 500 guests. 

One nasty side effect of many weddings is the large carbon footprint and strain on the environment. But as part of Marriott’s company-wide sustainability campaign, these Costa Rica resorts go the distance to go green. As Sarines Oliva points out, “Both hotels have taken measures including the elimination of single-use plastics, recycling, and waste reduction, making it easier for events to be greener. The menus are crafted using local seasonal ingredients, and the hotel can also certify the wedding as a Green Event. Guests are also encouraged to offset their carbon footprint through the hotels’ partnership with Neutralflight, an organization that makes it easy to calculate your carbon footprint based on the flight information provided and helps you offset it.”

Shifting gears to a different kind of color discussion, Marriott’s Costa Rica properties can also handle a variety of requests for specialized, custom wedding celebrations. As Oliva recalls, “We hosted a large wedding where the bride had a very specific color palette and in order for the ballroom´s carpet to not clash with it, they had the entire ballroom covered with flooring and draped the walls with fabric to match her palette.” In addition, Oliva notes. “We have seen our meeting spaces transformed into a rainforest, a fairy wonderland, a Versailles-worthy wedding that covered the ballroom ceiling with chandeliers, and even a romantic carnival complete with a classic merry-go-round.”

And yes, they can even handle a wide variety of food requests, from vegan and paleo-friendly dishes to special family recipes. As Oliva states, “Perhaps one of the more difficult requests we receive is to incorporate grandmothers’ recipes into the menu, because our chefs have to recreate the recipe in a way that it will not only taste and look good, but also evoke childhood memories. Still, this tends to be one of the most satisfying requests for the culinary team. We appreciate it whenever the bride or groom gives our culinary team a heartfelt thank you after the event, for helping them feel like their grandmother was close to them in spirit through those wonderful memory-evoking menus.”

So, What’s the Experience Like?

You might assume that since the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen and the Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort are run by such a familiar multinational brand, that they might be “bland” and “predictable.” Yet from the moment you enter the lobby, you notice that these hotels are different. From the unique amenities you’ll spot in your room to the locally grown ingredients used in the restaurants, these Marriott properties feel right at home in Costa Rica.

As Sarines Oliva explains, when you plan your wedding here, you can expect authentic Costa Rican pura vida: “Pura vida is a way of life, it represents a wedding that is easygoing, full of details with meaning to the couple, colorful, warm and attentive service, bountiful food and beverage options, great music to dance all night long.”

To make your wedding celebration as easygoing for you as humanly possible, these Costa Rica Marriott properties can handle everything for you. According to Oliva, “VIP treatment starts with the pre-arrival experience offered by our Guest Experience Experts who will assist the couple in curating the activities that they are most interested in, offering great recommendations based on their interests, book restaurant reservations, assist with transportation arrangements and more.”

Whether you want an exhilarating ATV ride through the rainforest, a soothing couple’s spa day, an invigorating Costa Rican coffee tasting, and/or a relaxing sunset cruise, the Marriott team can help you check everything off your list. Or, as Oliva says, “For the wedding, the couple can expect to relax and enjoy as our team of experts ensure every detail is attended to and the couple’s vision comes to life.”

The Final Verdict

Again, the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen and the Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort are not the typical hotel resorts for the typical destination wedding and/or honeymoon trip. While you can order mai tais and/or piña coladas to sip by the pools, they’re not your stereotypical “tropical beach resorts.” And while Los Suenos does have its own beach, it’s not the kind of major resort beach where you constantly see big crowds on the sand “working” on their tans. 

With all that said, if you like the idea of spending your special trip riding through the rainforest, hiking to the rim of an active volcano, seeing where your favorite coffee is grown, and planting new trees to memorialize your love, then one or both of these resorts might be right for you and your upcoming trip. Especially if you prefer a more active trip that gets you out and about exploring one of the most naturally beautiful countries on earth, these Marriott properties are more than happy to help you stay booked and busy.

If all this sounds good to you, the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen and the Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort make it easy to start planning your wedding event(s) with them online. Then, get ready to watch your dreams come to life in true pura vida style. 

Andrew Davey is a writer who has spent a long time in “hard news” journalism, but who has also pursued interests in food and drinks, travel, entertainment, and wellness. Andrew particularly enjoys long walks along the beach, discovering new hiking trails, trying new restaurants, and discovering fun new places. https://linktr.ee/atdnext

*This article is not sponsored. Haymarket Wedding, LLC did not receive compensation from any corporation or individual. The views expressed are those of the author only.