Had a very nice stay. The hotel is laid out well and the manicured grounds are lovely and very well maintained. Clean room, nice balcony and AC worked GREAT!
Not a lot of English spoken, but enough. Food at buffet was good and had a nice variety. Service was actually better at the buffet than the a la carte restaurant. At the a la carte, seafood was good, steak was a little tough, atmosphere was good.
Very quiet during the week, much busier on the weekend. Ticos came in droves for the weekend.
Shows every night are in Spanish.
The beach is definitely different. A little rocky, then brown sand, but a terrific view and very uncrowded. Plenty of chairs under the shade of palms and beach almond trees. Really enjoyed the peace and quiet
of the beach with only the sound of the surf.
Lots of wildlife on the property and it has a nature park adjoining it. Lots of Iguanas, big lizards, raccoons, squirrels and birds, including a group of wild Scarlet Mccaws which is the most beautiful bird I've ever seen.
If you're looking for a peaceful retreat, a good family location and great scenery, you might just like this place. It also has the biggest swimming pool I've ever seen and it was never crowded and always had available chairs with shade.
Pretty sure that we'll go back , it was an excellent value

A wee bit late at writing this review but as the saying goes better late then never.

Absolutely no complaints with the Barcelo hotel located in Tambor, Costa Rica.

Our holiday (booked through Nolitours) was flawless from start to finish.
My suggestion to anyone considering their next vacation here, TAKE THE SMALL PLANE INTO TAMBOR VS. THE FERRY.
If its not included in your package its well worth the extra expense.
The turbulance mind you can be a bit unsetteling for those with a weak stomach like myself but you soon get over it when you arrive in paradise.

Hotel grounds are very well maintained, good size pool ( links of pools with a variety of depths which cater to all ages), and a good selection of food to choose from.

Rooms are clean and what you'd expect for a 3-4 star hotel. Air conditioning works well, almost too well.
Our room was located next to the nature park at which I suggest to those who like it a little more quiet. I heard through others that it can be a bit loud in the evenings with the disco on site.
We also had a hammock which was nice to lounge in with a good book.

Wild life is plenty including multi-coloured squirrels, iguannas, raccoons, monkeys, crocodiles (2 we counted), and some of the most beautiful variety of birds on this planet.

The buffet is your typical buffet that included a good selection. You can't go wrong with the breakfast so if buffets aren't your style at least give the morning a try.
We don't eat seafood so I cannot comment on the ala carte restaurant. We did try the steak house which was so so. My boyfriends steak was awesome, mine a wee bit tough but I've had alot worse!
The central bar/snack place (the name has slipped my mind) is great for those afternoon munchies and again a good selection.
Try the chicken, fresh & juicy!

Don't be disappointed when you see the beach. There are alot of rocks but once you get down to the DARK sand its like walking on silk. Go for a stroll early in the morning, its so peaceful and relaxing.
What's also cool is to stand and watch as the plane comes in for a landing, you literally feel as if you need to duck...it's quite funny to watch.

There are a few things to do in and around the area but don't expect the hustle and bustle of somewhere like Cancun.
Tambor is a wonderful place to get away from it all for a week or two and just relax.
Horseback riding, 4 wheelers, zip lines, and snorkling tours are just a few to mention.

Overall a fantastic place, pleasant staff, awesome weather, and for sure a hotel we'll be returning to.
Yes it helps that I have a son who's lucky to have the opportunity to presently live in Tambor so all the more reason for me to go back.

Two thumbs up!

Barcelo Playa Tambor is not a five star hotel. The grounds are beautiful and well-maintained and most of the staff is kind. The rooms are clean but I agree with earlier reviewers about the poor AC. The food is good; not great but not terrible. However the hotel's front desk, and most of its employees who work there, are horrendous. While we enjoyed most of the tours we went on (more on that later) and loved the location of the beach, every day there was some frustrating incident with the front desk that seriously dampered our trip. Simple tasks like putting a credit card guarantee down to make phone calls from the room took more than a half hour and were huge hassles. For the most part the front desk employees were rude, condescending, and seemingly committed to making things as difficult as possible. I will never stay at another Barcelo because of them.
Tours: Discovery Program for divers was amazing. We had a tour that lasted all day and our diving lesson took place on a totally uninhabited beach with the divemaster. The one-on-one attention was worth every penny we paid and more. The Montezuma canopy tour was also excellent- it was us and another couple from another resort. The guides showed us around the countryside and gave us extra time to shop around Montezuma. We felt very safe on the zipline and had so so so much fun. DO NOT DO THE ATV TOUR. We did the 4-hour tour and towards the end you are taken down an extremely steep hill and out onto a rocky beach. It was very techincal. A German couple we were with fell off their ATV going down the hill and quit- they walked the 8km back to the hotel. I wrecked my ATV on the beach and had to get THREE STITCHES. My entire body is still bruised and battered more than a week later and the doctor said the only reason I'm alive right now is because of my helmet. We were told the trail was easy and perfectly suitable for beginners- NOT TRUE. We were told if we listened to the guide and were in good physical shape we would be fine. Well, I am 24 years old in perfect shape. The guide was standing at the back of my ATV, directing me. I was practically at a stand still when I surged into the rock and the ATV cartwheeled one direction, I cartwheeled another. The guide told me later he never should have taken us along that coast but we were running late and other ATV tours had been there before so he needed a shorter way back. The hotel doctor told me I was the third person in a month to wreck. So be warned, save your vacation, and do not do this tour.
Travel: Take the plane. The bus/ferry/bus combination is great for an adventure and great if you want to get off the beaten path. But getting out of Puntarenas can be chaotic. We did the ferry on our way there and booked the plane back (this was also because I could barely walk). If you fly, don't pay a taxi to get to your hotel, walk the beach. It's short and beautiful, a taxi will waste your money.
Food: Raccoons are all over the grounds at night. They will jump up on your table if you're not paying attention. The fruit is delicious, the omelette bar and pasta bar are good, but some of the dishes they cooked (beef wellington, etc.) weren't the best fit for a Costa Rican resort,
Barcelo has a great pool and access to the beach. They'll pour you drinks all day long and some of the staff are nice. Yet despite the tours they offer, their great location, and some of the magical moments my boyfriend and I had during our vacation, there were another moments that were total nightmares. We will never stay at another Barcelo.

My girlfriend and I along with her daughter and one of her friends stayed at the Barcelo Beach Resort - Playa Tambor for a week March 25 - April 01/2008. The resort is beautiful and the grounds are very clean, with beautiful gardens throughout.
The accomodations we found to be very comfortable, clean and well kept. The pool is very large and again well maintained with ample poolside lounge chairs for everyone as well as on the beach. There was no need to rise early and rush out to put your towels on chairs in order to reserve them for later. We found that no matter what time of the day you could always find chairs.

The rooms were kept clean and were very comfortable with each one having it's own balcony complete with a table and chairs and the corner units are also equipped with a hammock. I would suggest that if listening to the disco all night is not your idea of fun, try to void the rooms in the 400 series as they are closest to the nightlife.

If on the other hand you want the quietest rooms, close to the Nature Park I would suggest you try to book a room in the 600 block. All the rooms are within a short walk to the resorts centre where you will find the various bars, pool, and restaurants.

The beach is not your typical white powdery sand. There is a stretch of rock and pebbles but as you get closer to the water it becomes very sandy. In the water the base is almost entirely soft sand and very comfortable to walk on and the water is very warm.

WARNING! the undertow can be very strong and the waves quite powerful. DO NOT! wear sunglasses or jewelery into the water as you will most certainly loose them in the undertow (speaking from experience).

The pacific side of Costa Rica is not true rainforest, but more of a winter rainforest with trees that loose their foliage in the winter, but it is still very picturesque.

If you are planning to do some tours while your are there I would suggest that you avoid booking them with the resort as the same trip can be booked with local tour providers at a much cheaper rate.

Almost daily you will find a rep. from Kevin's Tours on the beach who can book almost anything you're looking for. I would also suggest Tavo Tours [--] and speak with Octvio. I booked a half day boat tour with him for dolphin watching, Tortuga Island and beach as well as snorkeling and his prices were excellent. He also does various other trips and we throughly enjoyed our time with him and Elvis.

I would also suggest that you book the flight from San Jose to the resort as it is a short 25 minute hop and not the 5 hours travel it takes by bus and ferry.

Oh just one other point. This area of Costa Rica is a prime holiday area for locals as well as other central and south americans, so buying a Spanish phrase book will come in very handy as not all the staff speak English. Besides it adds to the flavour of the trip!

To sum it up we had a great time and we have no problem recommending this resort to anyone interested in visiting there.
Enjoy!! Pura Vida!!