05/13/2026
I answer a lot of questions in social media for folks looking to travel to Costa Rica..
But I now have one for the long time Costa Rica travel community.
Does anyone remember the Condor Club?
We started offering Costa Rica back in 1992. At that time, there wasn’t a lot going on in Guanacaste.
But we kept hearing about The Condor Club. At the time, this was considered to be the Gold Standard of Costa Rica resort tourism.
But after a few years, newer properties were developed. This resort eventually disappeared from the conversation,
Fast forward a few years, and we were wandering the beaches in Guanacaste. We were seeking out new opportunities for our guests, and doing hotel site inspections.
We realized that we were near the famous Condo Club. So we went to check it out.
The first impression wasn’t at all favorable. There was a very old and beat up Chevy station wagon, just outside the gate. It was standing vertically on its tailgate, leaning on a power pole. Very odd. I wondered why, or how it even got that way.
We went through the gate to look at the rest of the property. We went to hotel reception. It was a newly renovated space, adjoining the restaurant and pool area.
The pool was perfect, and this building had a Million Dollar view of the coast. But there wasn’t a soul around. Anywhere. No employees, no guests, no guards. We called out, no one answered. It was pretty creepy.
There were some brochures on the counter, and I put a couple in my backpack.
We then walked the grounds, and looked at the cabins scattered onsite. These were a different story. They were outdated, and sadly in need of renovation. A look through the windows revealed old faux wood paneling, and there were "R rated" pin ups on the walls. Outdated fixtures and furniture. The doors into the bathroom were half "saloon style" doors. No privacy.
It looked like a brothel. We knew that we weren’t going to recommend this property. Plus, where were the people? We left.
When we looked at the brochure, we realized that the people in the pictures were not tourists.
The pictures of the newly renovated restaurant, showed the dining room packed with obviously local folks. Lots of kids too. They were dressed as if they were going to church. In their best clothes.
My guess is that they invited workman and staff families for lunch, and to take the brochure pics.
I see that there is now something called "Vista Condor Lodge". I looked at their website. It looks different. But it’s been almost 30 years. I checked the reviews. They were averaging four stars. But there were some very poor one star reviews. The rooms were referred to as rustic.
Is this the same place? I'm not looking to trash the place, or recommend it to my clients. It is just a very odd memory, and I'm looking for more updated information. Has anyone stayed there recently?
Thanks everyone!
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