Andaz Costa Rica Resort in Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica tells you how many people each venue holds and little else. No entertainment curfew, no mandap specification, no open-flame policy for the havan, no baraat route or animal policy, and no named South Asian certification for its planners. Those absences are where this page spends most of its time, and the venue list follows once they are dealt with.
What is missing, and why it matters
Each of those gaps has a real answer. If the havan is part of your ceremony, the flame policy matters. If there is a baraat, the route and animal policy matter. Neither is published. We are not going to invent answers, and you should not accept guesses. Get every one in writing before you sign.
The curfew deserves the most attention, since it decides how your sangeet and reception can run. Ask for the cutoff per venue and per night, and what an extension costs. Resorts like this often end outdoor events earlier than indoor ones, so the reply may decide where the two late events go. A morning haldi or pithi at 10am never meets an evening noise rule. Whatever you book outdoors, write the named indoor backup into the same contract line as the venue.
The seven venues the resort does publish
Andaz Costa Rica Resort lists 7 wedding venues. El Jardín is the largest at 500 guests, and the smallest seats 30. Six spaces clear 150 guests, which gives the mehndi, sangeet, ceremony and reception a room each.
| Venue | Max capacity | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| El Jardín | 500 | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail |
| Andaz Beach House | 300 | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail |
| Rio Bhongo Pool | 200 | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail |
| Studio Garden | 200 | Wedding, Reception, Cocktail |
| Studio 1 | 200 | Reception, Cocktail |
| The Patio | 150 | Reception, Cocktail |
| Studio 2, 3 & 4 | 30 | Reception, Cocktail |
Fitting the weekend to the list
For a South Asian wedding this is a large property, so headcount rarely limits you. At 150 guests you can choose among 6 venues. At 300 and up, 2 spaces hold everyone, and El Jardín at 500 takes the reception so the family is not split across two rooms.
Studio 1 is a sensible size for a mehndi. For the sangeet, Studio Garden or something like it, because you need a dance floor and stage as well as seats. The ceremony is where a small number can be right. A mandap needs the correct setting and seating for those who stay for the rituals, and the 30-guest end of the table, Studio 2, 3 & 4, serves that. Smaller does not mean lesser here; it means the ritual gets a room sized to its guests.
Reading the quote
Two items push the final price up at every resort, and the package price covers neither. Vendors are the first. The package includes setup, ceremony structure, dinner and bar, but never the photographer, videographer, DJ, dhol player, dance floor or uplighting. If you bring your own, an outside vendor fee is charged in addition to the vendor’s bill. The second is guests who are not staying on site. We show published figures for both in what an all-inclusive wedding package does not include, and the comparison across resorts is in the true cost of a South Asian destination wedding.
At Andaz Costa Rica Resort, get four figures in writing: the entertainment curfew per venue, the outside vendor fee, the day pass rate and the legal ceremony fee. Quotes with all four can be compared fairly. Quotes with a package price alone are why two similar weddings land thousands apart. We make these requests as standard, and couples do not pay for our planning because the resorts do. Send us your dates and guest count and we will get them.
Sources
The resort’s own wedding venue information is the source of venue names and capacities, as published on our Andaz Costa Rica Resort listing. Where nothing is published, this page states that rather than adding an estimate.
Questions couples ask us
What size wedding fits at Andaz Costa Rica Resort?
Seven venues are published. The largest holds 500 guests and the smallest holds 30. Six spaces clear 150 guests, so the mehndi, sangeet, ceremony and reception can each have a room of their own.
Does Andaz Costa Rica Resort say anything about mandaps or baraats?
No. The resort gives venue names and capacities only. There is no mandap specification, no open-flame policy for the havan, and no baraat route or animal policy published. Ask for each in writing before you sign.
What does the package price leave out at Andaz Costa Rica Resort?
The photographer, videographer, DJ, dhol player, dance floor and uplighting sit outside the package. Bringing your own vendors adds an outside vendor fee on top of their bill. Ask for that fee, the day pass rate and the legal ceremony fee.
Still choosing a resort? See the best resorts for an Indian or South Asian destination wedding: all 30 we have vetted, ranked by their largest published room.
