This was the first time we stayed at the Playa Tambor, and it was a very nice experience. We decided to take a small plane (12 passenger capacity) on Sansa Airlines from San Jose, which was only a 25 min flight, instead of the 5 hour bus ride. We did not regret it! The flight left on time, and the airport is less than a mile from the Hotel. WORD OF CAUTION: Do not book a transfer from the airport to the hotel, as they will charge you $30 when there are always mini vans waiting at the airport which will charge you only $2 per person. Technically, you can walk to the hotel from the airport, though I would not recommend that. AT THE HOTEL: The staff was very friendly and helpful, but also made sure that you did not get more than you paid for. For example, there are 2 restaurants to which you can only have dinner in if you stay for 3 consecutive nights, and only once during your stay. No exceptions. The pool was nice, and the beach, though a bit rocky, was clean, with many hammocks and loungers available. There is also a nature park on the premises. The atmosphere was very family-like, and there were many locals. The food was excellent, and there were many options. The rooms are clean, but a bit old, and in need of renovation. Not 5 star, but more like 3 star. Each room had a balcony, though not much of a view. However, you are only a 7 minute walk from the beach, and the weather is generally favorable. All-in-all, it was a great experience.

We stayed at the Barcelo Tambor from Feb.13 to 27, 2008. We took the commuter flight and it went well. The flight is about 25 minutes from San José. The airport at Tambor has a single landing strip and is just a few minutes away from the hotel. You could actually walk to the hotel.

The hotel was OK - clean but would probably need new beds as they were not very comfortable. The staff was very nice and always eager to help and make you happy. A little tip and they would remember you for your entire stay. The food was good. Lots of variety - just remember that there are a lot of tourists with different tastes and culture. We tried new foods and always found something good to eat. You must really try the natchos and salsa and also the chicken at the snack bar - really good!!!

The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The Eco-Park is nice,. Expect to see caymens, raccoons, birds, old trees, butterflies and howler monkeys. The beach is beautiful and 6km long. You can walk to the village of Tambor via the beach. There we found souvernirs and a small grocery store. Souvernirs at the hotel are same price but visit the small town - it's worth the trip.

We did a few outings. We rented ATVs from the sharks on the beach. It was well worth it. It's a good way to really see the country side and the flora and fauna. We also went to Tortuga Island and Curu Park (from our Nollitour rep). We were very happy to have done both on same trip because spending half a day at Tortuga Island would have been a waste of money. It's a nice place but it's just a beach.... Curu Park was excellent. We had a great tour guide who knew his stuff. We also tried the zip line from Montezuma. It's a must.

The Entertainment at the hotel was ok. We stayed for two weeks and the second week was a repitition of the the previous week. Hotel should have a two week turnaround show. Jose and Braydon from the entertainment crew were amazing. We had lots of fun with those guys. They really enjoy their jobs and it really shows.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Barcelo Tambor Hotel and would go back in a heart beat. Lynn, our travel rep from Nollitour was great. Always available.

First things first: Learning a bit of Spanish or French can go a long way at the Barcelo Tambor. The order of languages that staff speak is probably Spanish, French, English. No kidding.

What this did during our visit was make it extremely difficult to check in (especially if you have any special requests). The bars weren't any better. At the same time the bars never were that busy and it was quite easy to get a drink (and the drinks were never skimpy when it came to alcohol content).

Anyhow, I'm jumping ahead of myself. To get to the Barcelo you have the option of either taking ground transportation (which consists of taking a car/bus to the ferry, ferry to Puntarenas, then car/bus again to the resort) or by air. Strongly suggest going by air. After a long plane ride, and an even longer luggage wait (ha ha), you just want to get to the hotel. Taking the Cesna is only 1/2 hour whereas by ground its about 3.5 to 4 hours! Only thing is that you should bring in your beach wear in your carry on luggage as if you take the Cesna your luggage won't arrive until later in the evening.

The grounds were very, very nice. Well kept with lots of animals everywhere (iguanas galore, howler monkeys, bird sanctuary, frogs) and the beach coastline extended for miles (breathtaking)!

The rooms were nice. Always clean and stocked with whatever you needed. I found that tipping the maids went a long way. The room was always cool and everything looked great. One suggestion: Request (when booking not when arriving at the hotel) to be placed in a room far from the pool area (so 100-300s or 500+). The entertainment (more to come on this) went on until after midnight and was loud (which was not good for some of our group who were assigned rooms near the pool).

The food was good (not great). Best meal of the day was hands down breakfast (omelettes made your way and the line-up was never long, crispy bacon, fresh fruit), lunch we usually skipped (ate nachos and burgers....the nachos were great) and dinner was ok. They try to mix it up each night and one night was a special night with lots of treats (chocolate covered strawberries!). I would suggest avoiding the a la cartes (the steakhouse was not very good as the food was quite rubbery). The seafood a la carte apparently didn't serve shellfish (only fresh fish) so we avoided it altogether.

The entertainment was PAINFUL. This is probably my biggest complaint. The band sang the same thing all day....then they repeat the same songs all night. Our group do not speak Spanish but by the end of the trip we certainly knew the lyrics to Spanish-Barbie's songs (you'll know what I mean). Another funny tidbit: They named their shows a different name each night but it was exactly the same every single night! Even their "Name that Tune" game had the same songs and trivia questions each night! They really need to add some variety. The nightclub wasn't that great either (we only could stand about 20 minutes before we left). I resorted to the Casino for entertainment on the nights that we stayed around at the hotel.

We went on numerous excursions on our 1 week trip and were begging for more (should have stayed for 2 weeks as there wasn't enough time to go on all of them). Costa Rica really is a beautiful country and you'll be amazed at the views (Monteverde and Arenal Volcano).

Overall, I'd definitely return to Costa Rica again someday. While the Barcelo was good (not perfect) it was good enough. Then again my trip was not to see the hotel but Costa Rica itself.

I just stayed at Barcelo Tambor for 4 total days... and I loved it! It We went as a group of 4 to celebrate my 30th birthday. We spent a lot of time drinking at the pool bar, playing volleyball, getting dance lessons, watching the shows, and dancing at the discotech.

In regards to the shows, they were very well rehearsed, provided variety, they were exciting! Ranging from Michael Jackson immitation to salsa/merengue/cumbia to a display of International dances, some were sensual and others were action packed. We enjoyed them every night. You can tell that the staff works very hard to be near perfect in their presentation.

I read several reviews commenting about the food, and I don't think it was terrible as most people make it sound. The Tucan provides steak, Mahi Mahi, chicken, pasta... the food is always hot and tender (unlike most buffets). Don't get me wrong, there should be no expectations of 5 star quality but I never felt the need to leave to eat, except in the middle of the night....

Since we got hungry in the middle of the night, we ventured off to a bar called La Cafeteria... it is probably about 3 minutes from the hotel and it's a local hangout. Nice people, good burritos.

The pool is tremendous... looks just like the pictures... the beach is average -- lots of little rocks and tan sand.

The discotech is a decent size, and the DJ is accomodating to requests. It didn't get too crowded while we were there.

We did a paid snorkeling excursion, which could use lots of improvement. They did not provide instructions and my group of people had never snorkeled before. We assumed we would be close to the shore (my cousin doesn't know how to swim) but instead were put into water deep as 5 meters. We saw about 4 types of fish. Because it's a first I'm glad I did it, but it's nothing to post on the Discovery Channel.

After the snorkeling, the group wass dropped off on Tortuga Island while they prepared BBQ lunch.... the water is spectacularly blue-green, surrounded by mountains. I kayaked. Amaaaazing scenery!!! Sooo worth it just for the blue-green water.

Hotel staff is friendly, happy, and fun. I think that's what actually made the trip for me.
The biggest bother was the long flight to San Jose, then having to take a small flight to Tambor, causing you to lose half a day. The plus point is that the airport is probably 2 and a half minutes away from the hotel!

Book for at least 5 days, especially if you want to take excursions in addition to spending time at the resort.

Expect raccoons, iguanas, and cats.

1st floor are smoking rooms, 2nd floor are not.

I would highly recommend this resort... it's relaxing, diverse, well organized, and fun! I wanna go back!