Barcelo Tambor Beach All-Inclusive, Alajuela

Fantasy Island is here! The adventure starts the moment you arrive at San Jose Airport. How do you get from San Jose to Tambor? You have the option of taking a bus tour (over a 5 hour journey), ferry (if you arrive early enough in the morning) or a charter flight. We decided to take the charter flight (25 minute ride). I must admit that we were a bit "intimidated" after observing that it was a really small charter flight (seating about 12 people), but our fears were quickly subdued after seeing the breathtaking views. Upon our arrival, we were immediately greeted by a bell hop and directed to the check-in location. The check-in process went smoothly. In fact, we received an upgrade to room 370 (corner room at the far end of the resort with a hammock to relax and enjoy the view and a wetbar stocked dailywith beer, water, and sodas). The moment we got there we took a stroll on the beach; then relaxed on a lounge chair while being serenaded by the rolling waves and the calls of the many tropical birds. Imagine going to sleep to this and waking up to this every morning. Just delightful! We were not fortunate to see any monkeys, but we did see plenty of iguanas, Variegated Squirrel (really cute- red in color with a black stripe along the center of its body), an occasional red or blue feathered macaw flying overhead, and raccoons (only at night). For someone that is usually afraid to get up close and personal with wildlife, I was at peace. The animals could cross my path and no fears would surface at all. It was must have been the tranquility of Barcelo Tambor. If you wanted to experience the nightlife, The resort offered nightly entertainment featuring comedy, musical acts, and dancing. From our room, we could not hear the nightly entertainment, but could hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore; we had many sleep-filled nights. The amenities and services were plentiful. Guests had free access to the gym and private pool. Spa treatments, room service, laundry service, daily room upkeep, internet cafe', wireless network, and cable tv just to name a few) are also available to guests. The food is quite tasty and diverse. During our stay, a different cuisine was offered for each day/night. For a more upscale option, guests could dine at El Rancho restaurant and choose entrees from a seafood or steak menu. One of the best features about the resort was the variety of all-inclusive alcoholic beverages! Choices stemmed from daiquiris to 'classic manhattan' and whiskey. There were several bars within the resort so we hardly ever waited for any food or drink items. We also took advantage of some of the excursions and tours offered through Sun Tours (Representatives can be found within the resort). The costs were extremely reasonable for every tour we participated in. Have you ever dreamed of horse-back riding on the beach? Well, we were able to do that here! We paid $10pp to spend 1 hour horse-back riding on the beach! What a deal! We also signed up for the ATV tour. The tour was excellent and we had an AMAZING tour guide named Luis (He is just wonderful!) ATV tour is true to its title, ALL TERRAIN. We traveled through rock, sand, mud, water, jungle, and farm lands. The tour takes you through many parts of Tambor. It even includes a journey on foot through the jungle to Canopy Waterfalls! How beautiful! We also decided to do the Isla Tortuga tour to experience more wildlife, snorkeling, swimming, and a beach-front barbecue! We even got to witness a string ray leaping out of the water and hold a blow fish! Although we have experienced many other countries and island, this is thus far the best experience we've had. We've seen prettier beaches, but the overall experience has been phenomenal! We were able to accomplish all that we wanted to...relaxation, adventure, and fun! It's been a priceless experience that we'll never forget. Would we visit again? In a heartbeat

Difficult to get there. Most staff don't speak English so must communicate with hand signals. Entertainment was all in Spanish and not entertaining for a non-Spanish speaker. Food was so-so. Lousy service and food in steak house. Lousy service with good food in seafood grill. Rocky beach -- painful to walk on barefoot. Very few available activities and those are expensive. Virtually no shopping available in the area. Rooms are clean but out-dated and really in need of remodel. Definitely not a good value for the money.

I have stayed here 3 times starting in 06, Our first trip was great, second ok, this year not good. Our bathroom had mold, had to change rooms, limit to steakhouse every three days, pool was very cloudy, entertainment has gone way downhill. If you could get a romm for 2 under 150 it would not be a bad deal, considering your food and drink are included.

I traveled to Costa Rica on business in Tambor. Had heard about the Barcelo resort, but information was somewhat negative (staff did not speak English, food so-so). Went with no expectations and had a wonderful time. The staff was courteous, attentive and performed all services in a timely fashion. The resort is clean and lovely. While I do speak the language, I found people willing to try their hardest in English first (speaking at least a little Spanish will get you a long way). While some of the foods prepared for foreigners (i.e., Lasagna) looked bland, I found the local food offered to be outstanding. I will be recommending it to my clients for travel to this location.

I have great memories of my family's stay Playa Tambor the first Xmas the hotel opened. (NOT 2003, but that is the earliest date I can pick from the menu!) The food was great, people and service terrific. The sand felt like velvet (we heard that it was imported, and that the beach was carved out of the jungle, which caused a lot of problems with ecological groups in Costa Rica). We loved the open-air dining with Guacamayas flying around the tables. From the reviews, it has gone downhill since then. I was hoping to go back for my 60th birthday in June but will look elsewhere now. Very disappointed.

we really enjoy the stay,the food the services the poll an the green areas they keep it clean,the staff friendly and helpfull all the time , the shows they make for kids and adult its funny,the staff her name is viviana ,she is nice with the kids ,i really appreciate the way the treat my daugthers maria del mar and maria fernanda.

This is a really cool place. The grounds are really nice and they have a jungle trail. The howler monkeys are everywhere. Parrots flying on and off the property. Alligators in the river you cross to get to the jungle. Sometimes the gators are on the property. I saw 2 but they weren't that big. The beach is just ok. Pool is not that big. Food was great I thought. Not much to do after dark. Lots of excursions to take. We recommend the canopy tour. The horseback riding to the mountains was rough but the ride on the beach was nice. If you aren't used to riding horses it's a bit rough on the backside. The snorkling isn't too bad. We saw a huge manta ray and a small hammerhead shark. There are ells there just off the beach so you know. The ATV tour was really fun. Highly recommend that one from the hotel. Hope you enjoy.

Our small group of Real Estate Professionals were just there for a short but productive stay. Overall we love using this hotel as a base for our needs. The hotel staff maintain the property, but the wait staff lack training and basic language skills. One night at the Steakhouse our table of nine had thirteen entrees brought from the kitchen. This is an All Inclusive Hotel, so there was no bill to adjust however there was also no manager to complain to.

My Father and I just recently came back from Barcelo Playa Tambor and we had an excellent time, the food was very good, there were many activities to partake in. Everyone that I met down there said they would go back and I would consider it to, the staff is so helpful and even though there is a language barrier sometimes, they tried their best to understand, I would highly recomend this resort for anyone looking for eco tourism, fantasic tours. Costa Rica is the most beautiful country I have ever visited, it was worth every penny.

My parents and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Barcelo Playa in Tambor. If you fly into Liberia you will have a 4 hour ride to this resort. Of that 4 hours, less than an hour is on a paved road. Our driver was an expert pothole navigator. We enjoyed this bumpy journey as it gave us the opportunity to see the lush landscape of Costa Rica. If you get car sick I would advice taking an alternate route to Tambor. This resort is home to the biggest pool I have ever seen. The pool was very clean without visible maintenance. Be sure to bring your own pool tubes!! None are provided but you can use whatever aquatic device you bring along. We can't complain at all about the service of this resort. As an example, I let the front desk know that we were having a problem with our closet door. The door had somehow become unscrewed and off it's track. The employee immediately radioed to the maintenance staff and there was someone fixing the door when we returned to our room 10 minutes later. I should note that the rooms were also very quiet. We never heard as much as a peep through the walls and could barely detect water running through adjacent pipes. Our room was standard. No problems with it but nothing outstanding either. Each room has a drying rack and table and chairs outside sliding glass doors. Leave your maid some treats and you will get a towel surprise! The grounds of the resort itself were beautiful. We were there for New Year's and all the palm trees were immaculately decorated with white twinkle lights. It gave Barcelo so much character, I venture to say it would not be as stunning when the lights disappear. All the employees we passed on the grounds were smiling and friendly. The swim-up bar bartenders were efficient and personable. The food service employees were helpful and some could be counted on for a joke or jovial little chat while cooking, cutting or serving. The food itself was good, no real complaints there. The selection may be a little different, they cater to Europeans as well as North Americans, but everyone can find something pleasing for their tastebuds. The hotel offers adventure tours but we book our canopy tour through a man named Klevar whose sister can be found in a shop in the actual town of Tambor. His tour is offered at a cheaper rate. Barcelo offers a wonderful horseback riding tour with stables on premises. It's only about $25 for two hours! We all had an excellent vacation thanks to Barcelo. We have been to a few other all-inclusives in the Caribbean but would without a doubt go back to Barcelo again. Pura Vida!!