A luxury resort on Guanacaste’s Papagayo Peninsula has received the Michelin Guide’s highest hotel distinction, making it the only property in the Americas to reach the top tier this year. Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, was promoted from two to three Michelin Keys in the guide’s 2026 hotel selection, announced last week.
Only 18 hotels worldwide earned the top distinction for the first time, and Nekajui was the lone new addition from anywhere in the Americas. The promotion gives Costa Rica two Three-Key hotels. Nayara Springs in La Fortuna de San Carlos already holds the top rating, according to the guide’s listings.
Michelin singled out Costa Rica as a highlight of its 2026 selection for North and Central America and the Caribbean. Beyond Nekajui’s promotion, the country added four new One-Key hotels and three new Two-Key hotels. Costa Rica now has 23 Key hotels, according to the guide, compared with five each in Belize and Guatemala, four in Panama, two in Honduras and one in Nicaragua. That puts the country ahead of the rest of Central America combined.
Nekajui sits within Peninsula Papagayo, an area of about 567 hectares (1,400 acres) of tropical forest and beaches. Michelin’s inspectors describe a central lodge surrounded by rooms, suites and villas, some of them reached by a wooden suspension bridge that spans a ravine. The peninsula already had Michelin recognition before this year’s promotion. The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo holds two Keys, and the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo holds one, according to the guide.
The Michelin Keys were introduced in 2024 as the hotel counterpart to the Michelin Stars awarded to restaurants, and properties are assessed through anonymous inspections. The Keys recognize what the guide considers the most outstanding hotels within its broader selection of more than 9,000 properties.
This year’s edition added 470 hotels across 79 destinations, bringing the worldwide total to 2,832 Key hotels. Of those, 155 hold three Keys, 657 hold two and 2,020 hold one. Costa Rica’s Two-Key hotels are spread across very different landscapes. They include Pacuare Lodge on the Pacuare River, El Silencio Lodge & Spa in Bajos del Toro, Rancho Pacifico in Uvita, Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas and Rio Perdido in Guanacaste, along with Nayara Gardens and Nayara Tented Camp in La Fortuna.
The One-Key list stretches from the southern Caribbean to the Osa Peninsula. It includes Hotel Aguas Claras in Puerto Viejo, Lapa Rios in Puerto Jiménez, Kura Boutique Hotel in Uvita, Origins Luxury Lodge and Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel in Bijagua, and The Retreat Costa Rica in Atenas.
The Nicoya Peninsula stands out in the lower tiers. Nosara accounts for four One-Key hotels, Silvestre Nosara, Tierra Magnifica, Sendero Hotel and Esh Hotel & Spa, while Santa Teresa has two, Hotel Fermata and Hacienda AltaGracia. Michelin updates the selection every year, meaning distinctions can change with each edition. This year, 84 hotels worldwide moved up from one Key to two or from two Keys to three.
