My husband and two friends and I just got back from a week at the Barcelo Playa Langosta. We were a bit nervous booking this hotel because it was so affordable and the reviews were mixed, but we were more than pleased with the accomodations and the view. We stayed in a new building (building 4) and although it was a 2 minute walk to the pool (you eat enough at the buffet to justify walking a little on vacation) the room was wonderful and overlooked a nationally protected area of forest and mountains and a river. Tell you the truth, we went to the Sandals Regency Resort in St. Lucia for our honeymoon two years ago and the Barcelo's room was much nicer! The food was great for breakfast, lunch and dinner, although it did get a bit tiresome after 5 or 6 days. We ended up only eating out in Tamarindo one night. The pool was great, never crowded, the beach was a good escape from the pool, although it is a bit shelly and rough on the feet. The people that worked there and the excursion coordinators in the hotel lobby were very friendly and helpful. There is a hut by the pool for Iguana Surf Excursions, but they were never there and not knowledgeable at all. The bar at the pool was easy to get drinks at, and the bar in the lobby area was a great place to sit and relax at night. We walked from Tamarindo to our hotel once and it only took 15 minutes. We didn't do it again just because we went during the end of the dry season and it was very dusty because of the unpaved roads. There's cute little shops right by the resort and some restaurants. Overall, I'd go back and stay there again anytime.

my husband and I just spent a week at the barcelo, had a great time, the rooms were beautiful, clean and spacious, the food was good, always find something to eat, and the fried chicken in the snack bar was awesome.
Only down fall was they didnt open the bar in the lobby until 5pm so the other bar was always packed, they should of opened the lobby bar for coffee, juice etc during the day for the people hanging out there. (they are building another huge building on the property which looks like it is gonna be another bar and the stage,
the beach was nothing special, but then the water was always really wavy.
best part while we were there i didnt see any bugs, nor get bitten by any (for once) althou at the airport those who stayed at the papagaos resortS got really bad festering bug bites.
if your only there to relax this is the place for you, and great for families, not much action happening.
I is close to Tamarindo but not much shopping there, it is mostly surf shops (great for the surfer or wanna be)
Loved it but would have to think about tamarindo next time the construction for new homes is out of this world

Myself and four friends stayed at the Barcelo 4/12-4/18, 2008. PLEASE don't buy into all of the negative hype about this resort. I researched our trip for months, and we decided on the Barcelo. I've noticed alot of people's negative comments, and I think many people's expectations of Costa Rica are way off (the 4 and 5 star resorts in Guanacaste have similar bad reviews). CR is NOT the Caribbean. You will not find soft, white beaches with clear water. You do not travel to CR to stay at your resort for the week, there are way too many things to do and see. So, we figured the resort was not the most important factor.

Check-in and the resort: Check-in was quick and friendly. We were placed in connecting rooms in the 4000 block. Our rooms were brand new, and very clean. Our a/c was controlled from a single central unit, so it never broke down. I did however notice many a/c's breaking down in the older buildings (older buildings have one a/c unit per room). The resort grounds were beautiful, and very well maintained. The pool was very clean, though the "hot tub" was colder than the pool. Food and drinks are heads and tails better than what other all inclusives offer. We were all very happy with the buffet selections every night. The ala carte dinner was great! Nightly entertainment was very good for a small resort. One very nice point, NO BUGS at all! No one got a bug bite until we left the resort to go into town (we walked). Overall, the resort was a great jumping off point to see the countryside. Definately not a mega resort, but, no 15 min walks from the pool to your room.

Tamarindo: wow, was I shocked. Tamarindo is a nasty little tourist town. This was probably the only let down on the trip. The bars and clubs at night were very sketchy. I have never seen so much drug pushing, and prostitution, in my life (keep in mind i live within an hour of NYC, and have been there, Boston, and Montreal many times). You will be totally safe if you just use common sense while out at night. WALLET IN YOUR FRONT POCKET, first and foremost. During the day, it is mostly souvenir shopping.

Excursions: BOOK THROUGH TAM, NOT SWISS TRAVEL. We heard many complaints about swiss travel, so we went with Tam. This made our trip. The TAM rep at the resort was friendly, and very helpful. We booked a full day tour of Arenal Volcano, Tabacon hot springs, with a rainforest canopy tour. This day trip is what we came down there to see. We saw arenal erupt a little!!
It is a 4 hour drive, but ask for Gustavo. He made the drive wonderful by telling us everything he knew about the history and peoples of CR and Nicaragua. We also booked a snorkeling cruise, which was amazing. All in all, our excursions made the trip!!

In general: Costa Rica is a middle income, 2nd world nation. They are by far the most developed nation in central america. They are a very egalitarian people. You will not see the extremes in the haves, and have nots, that you would see in mostly all of Latin America. Most people are middle of the road economically.
Driving in CR should be done with extreme caution. If you have driven comfortably in Europe, you should be fine. The roads are narrow, people do not signal, and pass without care. Be Careful!!
If you want to see natural beauty that is unparalleled for the price (the only other place with volcanoes, rainforests, and black beaches is Hawaii), check out Costa Rica. If you have the right idea on what a trip to CR entails, then the Barcelo Langosta Beach would be a great choice for pretty much anyone. Young singles can party in town. Families can relax and go sighseeing.
We had a great time! We're going back to CR in August!

My husband and I stayed at this resort from March 20-28: during Easter break. We were looking for a relatively quiet resort with good access to surfing and touring around Costa Rica, and this resort met all of our expectations.

The beach is perfect if you enjoy the water: tides at the Estuary mean that at certain times of the day, you have the entire beach to yourself, as no one seems to venture beyond the Estuary. We rented surfboards in town, and spent a few hours each day playing around in the reasonable-sized waves. We tended to avoid the busier pool area.

Tamarindo is a cute town, that is easily accessible, and made for a good outing if you're up for a walk (20min by road, a bit more via the beach), and we taxied there many times for $5.

Distances in Costa Rica are not that far, and we rented a car to visit Monteverde and Arenal: both about a 4 hr drive.

The resort itself is beautiful: lots of lovely landscaping, flowers, palm trees, etc. When we first arrived, our room was near the pool/bar/theatre area, and was admittedly quite loud until 11pm that night. Front desk staff were very accomodating though in giving us a new room in one of the newest buildings, which was very nice: clean, great ocean view, comfortable bed, access by stairs or elevator, very nice private balcony.

Food was great: lots of variety in buffet items, and the one night of "a la carte" that was included was an amazing surf and turf: lobster and steak. Staff at the restaurant and bars were very friendly and accomodating.

Overall, a great experience. There is still some construction going on at the resort, so it may be changing a bit in the next few months (looks like a larger "theatre" area under construction). Likewise, Tamarindo is growing with lots of condos appealing to the North American market, so it will likely be growing and changing too.