Barceló Tambor - All Inclusive

I will start by saying the 3 star rating is for the long waits for food and overcrowded pools The property is very beautiful and is right on the beach If you have 3 or 4 kids under 10 and want to let them run wild then this is your place If your going as a couple then choose any other hotel I would not stay here again We are frequent travelers to Costa Rica

Pros: The property is absolutely beautiful and the pool areas are fantastic. The beach is amazing and enormous, it seems like you can walk forever without a care. Wish-We-Knew: This property is designed for Spanish speaking families with small children, not so much for English speaking tourists. Very few of the staff are fluent in English and nearly all the entertainment is intended for small children. Every night the entertainment venue/stage offers cartoons and live kids entertainment, really nothing for adults. All the bars on site are only open from 11AM to 6PM (odd for a beach resort). After 6pm only the lobby bar remains open and the lines can be 10-20 minutes long just to get a drink with everyone relying on this one location. The buffet as good and seemed to offer new options each night. All of this stuff is obviously fine but we really wish they had made it more clear on this website that the resort is geared for families with little ones. Had we known this up front we may have made a better choice for a husband/wife trip.

Getting onto the resort our car check in was thorough, which gave us a sense of security during our stay. We booked a room with one king bed, but were given a room with two queens pushed together. There was a nice hammock attacked to our room which was private and had a beautiful view of the water, but the room itself was slightly dirty. The pool was beautiful!! Our only complaint was that they closed the pool at 7pm so swimming was often cut too early. The food was... ok. There were plenty of options but the quality was not what you would think for an all inclusive.

We lost 2 days because the airport is 4.5 hours from the hotel. There was no service around the pool area, the property had bugs everywhere and bugs and very big spiders at the pool by the gym.

The property landscaping is beautiful. Long lines at bars and guests confused where lines begin/end…perhaps some signage could clear the confusion

Lovely location and good facilities but poorly run. - You queue to check in, you queue to eat, you queue to get a drink, you queue to report problems to reception. Why you need to get up before 7a.m. to queue to reserve an a la carte restaurant makes no sense. - There was no running water for 12 hours during our stay. No explanation and no sight of the hotel management. - Tambor beach is lovely, but remote. There is little phone coverage and the hotel wi-fi is pathetic. - Not sure why the children’s entertainment at 8pm is turned up with such amplification so you get the full audio experience of the Okey Kokey whilst eating in the restaurant. On the positive side the beach is gorgeous and the hotel itself and rooms are good. Especially impressive are the food & beverage staff who must fight what verges on a losing battle all day supplying food & drink for all the guests.

We have stayed at 3 other Barcelo properties but this is the first since the pandemic. We felt like they were still understaffed in a few areas and newer/not fully trained staff in others. Just glad that they survived a 9 month total shutdown. There is a macaw rehab/breeding center on the grounds that should get more press, fantastic! Nice pools, great ocean beach.

Our massage at the spa was cancelled twice without notice. Staff is kind, but expect to get your own drinks when at the buffet since waiter service is limited at the eating locations, which is different than our other experiences.

The reception area was nice. The restaurant staff were (mostly) very good. The reception staff were very good. The bar staff were not good. They all looked thoroughly grumpy all the time, as though they didn't want to serve anyone ever. Only at the lobby bar in the evenings were the staff pleasant. At all bars the drinks were weak, poor quality and the cocktails bad tasting. Their idea of rose wine was to mix red and white. The hotel was fine, the rooms are dated but clean and the air con worked well. I don't like all the disclaimers you have to sign about not being sick in the pool or rooms and the associated fines - how much are they allowing people to binge drink that this happens often enough that all guests have to sign waivers? You see the bar staff just pouring endless quantities of liquors into people's own flasks and then wonder why people are smashed drunk and sick??? Yet it takes forever to get served just one glass of something if you are behaving normally. There are nice features at the hotel - mini golf, a climbing wall for kids, trampoline and a nature park with lots of parrots to see. The playground would be nice but it's very broken and needs repairing in lots of places. You can't swim in the sea because of crocodiles and stingrays. It's also quite pebbly and not soft sand. The food was pleasant but limited choice and rather bland. The hotel is very far from being a 5 star. Our family rates it 3* at best. I wouldn't come back.

The grounds and location are amazing. Tambor beach is very beautiful. Best to go during low season. We went during high season, the hotel was full and they didn't have enough staff to manage it all and it was really noisy. The entertainment was very loud and on top of that many of the guests brought their own music and would play it really loud by the pool. There were long lines to get drinks. During meals it was hard to get drinks as well as there were very few waiters for the amount of people dining. Our room was spotless. A lot of wildlife around which is really enjoyable. It was a mixed feeling visit as there were things we loved and others not so much.

Habia basureros con la basura en el suelo

The rooms sre dirty

Limpieza en general excelente,

Las habitaciones no estaban tan limpias, me refiero a la bañera, no nos cambiaron los paños, tuvimos q llamar para pedir cambio de toallas. En el buffet, en dos ocasiones nos tocó mesa con mantel sucio y sin servilletas de tela. Creemos falta variedad en las carnes y los postres no estuvieron con buen sabor, demasiado comerciales. Por lo demás el área de piscinas y los show. Estuvieron muy bien.

While this property has a very nice pool and beach, the service was very minimal, facilities were outdated and our room was not in good condition. Check in took a long time because the desk was under staffed. We were provided minimal information about the property. We had 2 towels for 3 people, the phone did not work, and there was mold in the bathroom and shower. The sink was not draining, and we found a dead bug on the floor when we arrived. Sheets were stained. Food wasn’t great and the only reason I am not rating it one star is because of the outdoors.

Getting onto the resort our car check in was thorough, which gave us a sense of security during our stay. We booked a room with one king bed, but were given a room with two queens pushed together. There was a nice hammock attacked to our room which was private and had a beautiful view of the water, but the room itself was slightly dirty. The pool was beautiful!! Our only complaint was that they closed the pool at 7pm so swimming was often cut too early. The food was... ok. There were plenty of options but the quality was not what you would think for an all inclusive.

El cuarto y baño lleno de pelos, instalaciones fel cuarto necesitan remodelación, la comida llena de moscas…

El hotel muy lindo, piezas cómodas y rodeadas de un ambiente natural, piscina muy agradable, niños felices . Show de noche lindos pero está pensado para los huéspedes que se quedan 3a 4 días ya que si te quedas más días te los repiten, 95 por ciento de turistas son locales, muy poco extranjero. Lo malo comida muy básica por no decir mala, no hacen cambios ( todos los días lo mismo ) tuvimos que reclamar para que nos dejaran entrar a los restaurantes a la carta todos los días y el único que vale la pena es el italiano, los otros dos de carne y sushi son básicos, no son para personas que les gusta la buena mesa. También nos tocó reclamar por la limpieza de los platos y vasos del restaurant buffet ya que siempre estaban sucios, se nota despreocupación. Los trabajadores son amables y dispuesto a ayudar, nos tocó ir al parecer donde el hotel estaba sobrevendido según lo que me informaron el mismo personal . De 5 estrellas nada, uno de 3 estrellas esta bien . Importante mencionar que si vas al buffet de hamburguesas solo te dan 1 y 1 papa frita por persona, para que te den más tienen que ir toda la familia a hacer la fila que es larga lo que provoca incomodidad cuando son los mismos niños que tienes que sacarlos de la piscina e ir a buscar su comida uffff nunca me había pasado, muy mal de parte del hotel y la explicación de parte de ellos es que la gente local sacan 5 hamburguesas y después no se la comen 🙈, lo cual no es mi problema .

I want to start with the positive and that´s the staff, they were all so friendly and hardworking trying to be everywhere and make sure everyone is comfortable. The hotel grounds are well maintained, clean and beautiful green outdoors. Now for the rest, not so positive, if you are looking for a very cheap all-inclusive then this is the hotel for you. The food was awful for the most part, the highlight was the fresh fruit and veggies but the rest eww nope! Cleanliness was the biggest issue, our room was very below standard and other common areas were extremely disappointing. Paying for a "premium or superior" level room not recommended, you don´t get any benefit from it, don´t waste your extra $50-$60 for nothing. Overall if you are looking for a low fee and are not concerned about high cleanliness and stale, cold food then this is the place for you :) good luck!

The excursions with the animals on the property need to be in better condition ESPECIALLY THE HORSES. Any time we asked a question to the staff they seemed to be confused or just being indifferent about situations. The beach needs to be a little more cleaned up. There is a lot of rocks and branches. While the food was very flavorful the presentation was not great a lot of flies/bees in the food. The rooms need to be taken care of a bit more some had the light or the tv not working at all and the bathroom were also dirty.

Disappointing Stay Our stay at Barcelo Tambor was a major letdown. The resort is old and in disrepair—our mattress was literally coming apart at the seams, the bed was uncomfortable, and the pillows were lumpy. Housekeeping was nonexistent for three days, and despite asking four times, we never got clean towels. Requests took days to be answered. The food was disappointing—overcooked, fatty meat, and very limited options. The only decent reservation restaurant was the seafood/steakhouse. Otherwise, I stuck to fruit, salad, and rice and beans. Room service isn’t included, and even basic activities like playing pool cost extra. The resort was overcrowded with kids, even in bar areas, and personal space was not respected. Almost all guests were locals, and no employees spoke English except at check-in. If you don’t speak Spanish, this is not the place for you. Getting there was a hassle—we flew into San José, had to rent a car, take a ferry, and drive even more. Shuttles are an option but are longer & expensive. There’s not much nearby, though we did enjoy visiting Montezuma’s waterfall and swimming in the bioluminescence. Entertainment was subpar, resort was loud/party-club music til 1-3 am each day, drinks were only decent if you paid for premium, and overall, the experience was frustrating. I’ve stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, and this was by far the worst. I loved Costa Rica when we visited Liberia, but after this, I have no desire to return. Would not recommend.

The location of the hotel is absolutely amazing, along the Tambor bay. However, the rooms were very old and the buffet quality average.

Property was beautiful but ROOMS were very outdated! For a 5 Star Property, you expect more from the rooms. The WiFi also was spotty, which as a Canadian without Data, was frustrating!

While this property has a very nice pool and beach, the service was very minimal, facilities were outdated and our room was not in good condition. Check in took a long time because the desk was under staffed. We were provided minimal information about the property. We had 2 towels for 3 people, the phone did not work, and there was mold in the bathroom and shower. The sink was not draining, and we found a dead bug on the floor when we arrived. Sheets were stained. Food wasn’t great and the only reason I am not rating it one star is because of the outdoors.

Getting onto the resort our car check in was thorough, which gave us a sense of security during our stay. We booked a room with one king bed, but were given a room with two queens pushed together. There was a nice hammock attacked to our room which was private and had a beautiful view of the water, but the room itself was slightly dirty. The pool was beautiful!! Our only complaint was that they closed the pool at 7pm so swimming was often cut too early. The food was... ok. There were plenty of options but the quality was not what you would think for an all inclusive.

the hotel is very dated and could do with an upgrade, food was mediocre and there isn't anything close to the hotel anything touristy is a bit of a drive away.

We stayed 2 nights at the resort. It was a decent stay, but nothing grand. While the outside grounds/buildings were immaculate, the inside of the room we stayed in was very outdated, aged and not overly clean. It was disappointing. The mini fridge was not stocked when we arrived and when it did get stocked, it was very minamally done and with no beer. A let down given it’s an all-inclusive. Also, the resort doesn’t do anything for birthdays unless you pay. Too bad because we were on this trip for my husbands 50th.

The reception area was nice. The restaurant staff were (mostly) very good. The reception staff were very good. The bar staff were not good. They all looked thoroughly grumpy all the time, as though they didn't want to serve anyone ever. Only at the lobby bar in the evenings were the staff pleasant. At all bars the drinks were weak, poor quality and the cocktails bad tasting. Their idea of rose wine was to mix red and white. The hotel was fine, the rooms are dated but clean and the air con worked well. I don't like all the disclaimers you have to sign about not being sick in the pool or rooms and the associated fines - how much are they allowing people to binge drink that this happens often enough that all guests have to sign waivers? You see the bar staff just pouring endless quantities of liquors into people's own flasks and then wonder why people are smashed drunk and sick??? Yet it takes forever to get served just one glass of something if you are behaving normally. There are nice features at the hotel - mini golf, a climbing wall for kids, trampoline and a nature park with lots of parrots to see. The playground would be nice but it's very broken and needs repairing in lots of places. You can't swim in the sea because of crocodiles and stingrays. It's also quite pebbly and not soft sand. The food was pleasant but limited choice and rather bland. The hotel is very far from being a 5 star. Our family rates it 3* at best. I wouldn't come back.

1/10 workers/hotel employees speaks English. Even for emergency, the staff isn’t speaking English which was an issue for us. Rooms are old and they smell humidity. The toilet is cleaned per the employees, but everything is broken or isn’t working properly. Drinks and food are ok. At the price we paid, it was ok. But don’t spend to much, the place is outdated and for non Spanish speakers this is not an easy stay.

The excursions with the animals on the property need to be in better condition ESPECIALLY THE HORSES. Any time we asked a question to the staff they seemed to be confused or just being indifferent about situations. The beach needs to be a little more cleaned up. There is a lot of rocks and branches. While the food was very flavorful the presentation was not great a lot of flies/bees in the food. The rooms need to be taken care of a bit more some had the light or the tv not working at all and the bathroom were also dirty.

Pros: The property is absolutely beautiful and the pool areas are fantastic. The beach is amazing and enormous, it seems like you can walk forever without a care. Wish-We-Knew: This property is designed for Spanish speaking families with small children, not so much for English speaking tourists. Very few of the staff are fluent in English and nearly all the entertainment is intended for small children. Every night the entertainment venue/stage offers cartoons and live kids entertainment, really nothing for adults. All the bars on site are only open from 11AM to 6PM (odd for a beach resort). After 6pm only the lobby bar remains open and the lines can be 10-20 minutes long just to get a drink with everyone relying on this one location. The buffet as good and seemed to offer new options each night. All of this stuff is obviously fine but we really wish they had made it more clear on this website that the resort is geared for families with little ones. Had we known this up front we may have made a better choice for a husband/wife trip.

The staff was not friendly upon arrival and check-in, service at the bars was slow and unfriendly. The food was ok but all the restaurants that we went to had basically the same things other than the entree. The pool was warm like a hot tub, not cool and refreshing. The beach was rocky. The room was dated and our toilet and shower didn't work properly. Luckily it was in beautiful Costa Rica which made up for everything and the tour that was offered to Tortuga Island was awesome, with a great staff and food!!

Didn’t like that we had to ask for everything in the dining area. Had to ask for water, coffee, utensils, and napkins. Simple English unknown. Had to ask for a fork 3 times before needing to point to one. Pool bar staff seemed uninterested in helping us and ignored us.

Really bad experience, there was cero costumer service , it’s seems that they did not like to work , you pay a lot of money to take some days and relax and that was the least we did. Hotel is not bad but there is no costumer attentions. They won’t serve you water at the restaurants , nor cofee in the morning we need to go and ask for cofee. Food was awful every day was the same thing . They don’t say thank you or welcome , when we got there no one receive us we had to carry our luggage to the room ourselves , they don’t salute, personal does not now how treat people they were rude. We where there for 6 days and from day one we wanted to be back home. Don’t recommend this hotel

Great location for a quiet vacation. Great staff who are very friendly and accommodating non Spanish speaking clients.

I want to start with the positive and that´s the staff, they were all so friendly and hardworking trying to be everywhere and make sure everyone is comfortable. The hotel grounds are well maintained, clean and beautiful green outdoors. Now for the rest, not so positive, if you are looking for a very cheap all-inclusive then this is the hotel for you. The food was awful for the most part, the highlight was the fresh fruit and veggies but the rest eww nope! Cleanliness was the biggest issue, our room was very below standard and other common areas were extremely disappointing. Paying for a "premium or superior" level room not recommended, you don´t get any benefit from it, don´t waste your extra $50-$60 for nothing. Overall if you are looking for a low fee and are not concerned about high cleanliness and stale, cold food then this is the place for you :) good luck!

Our massage at the spa was cancelled twice without notice. Staff is kind, but expect to get your own drinks when at the buffet since waiter service is limited at the eating locations, which is different than our other experiences.

The room was not ready on time, the staff was not helpfull at all.

En general bastante bien, aunque la limpieza me quedo debiendo. Cuando llegamos no habian paños y nunca nos dejaron ninguno para cuando se salia de la ducha... Tuvimos que improvisar y colocar una alfombra del cuarto. El personal muy amable

The excursions with the animals on the property need to be in better condition ESPECIALLY THE HORSES. Any time we asked a question to the staff they seemed to be confused or just being indifferent about situations. The beach needs to be a little more cleaned up. There is a lot of rocks and branches. While the food was very flavorful the presentation was not great a lot of flies/bees in the food. The rooms need to be taken care of a bit more some had the light or the tv not working at all and the bathroom were also dirty.

I will start by saying the 3 star rating is for the long waits for food and overcrowded pools The property is very beautiful and is right on the beach If you have 3 or 4 kids under 10 and want to let them run wild then this is your place If your going as a couple then choose any other hotel I would not stay here again We are frequent travelers to Costa Rica

The entertainment needs to improve. The beach area is not sand. It takes 3.5 hours to get to hotel from Liberia airport.

Nice hotel, needs updating. Beach was somewhat dirty and plastic waste could be seen in the sand. Not the hotel's direct responsibility but cleaning campaigns in the area might help.

The location of the hotel is absolutely amazing, along the Tambor bay. However, the rooms were very old and the buffet quality average.

the hotel is very dated and could do with an upgrade, food was mediocre and there isn't anything close to the hotel anything touristy is a bit of a drive away.

Beware that this is 4.5 hours away from the San Jose Airport! They do NOT inform anyone of this and you need to get to the Ferry to cross over to Tambor which is not 24/7 You need to plan very carefully so you don't lose a day like I did and so many others did that I met at the Hotel. They are also very aware of this and have done nothing about it!! The buffet food is ok. Not the best, but not the worst. You will find something. The Italian ala carte restaurant is excellent! Alsoif you don't speak Spanish, you will be disappointed during the nightly show as they only speak spanish :( The actual entertainment is great though. The funny parts inbetween though, all in spanish so you will be at a loss at what everyone is laughing about

We lost 2 days because the airport is 4.5 hours from the hotel. There was no service around the pool area, the property had bugs everywhere and bugs and very big spiders at the pool by the gym.

Lovely location and good facilities but poorly run. - You queue to check in, you queue to eat, you queue to get a drink, you queue to report problems to reception. Why you need to get up before 7a.m. to queue to reserve an a la carte restaurant makes no sense. - There was no running water for 12 hours during our stay. No explanation and no sight of the hotel management. - Tambor beach is lovely, but remote. There is little phone coverage and the hotel wi-fi is pathetic. - Not sure why the children’s entertainment at 8pm is turned up with such amplification so you get the full audio experience of the Okey Kokey whilst eating in the restaurant. On the positive side the beach is gorgeous and the hotel itself and rooms are good. Especially impressive are the food & beverage staff who must fight what verges on a losing battle all day supplying food & drink for all the guests.

We have stayed at 3 other Barcelo properties but this is the first since the pandemic. We felt like they were still understaffed in a few areas and newer/not fully trained staff in others. Just glad that they survived a 9 month total shutdown. There is a macaw rehab/breeding center on the grounds that should get more press, fantastic! Nice pools, great ocean beach.

Great location for a quiet vacation. Great staff who are very friendly and accommodating non Spanish speaking clients.

Old, buffet covered with flys, outside dining space,

Beware that this is 4.5 hours away from the San Jose Airport! They do NOT inform anyone of this and you need to get to the Ferry to cross over to Tambor which is not 24/7 You need to plan very carefully so you don't lose a day like I did and so many others did that I met at the Hotel. They are also very aware of this and have done nothing about it!! The buffet food is ok. Not the best, but not the worst. You will find something. The Italian ala carte restaurant is excellent! Alsoif you don't speak Spanish, you will be disappointed during the nightly show as they only speak spanish :( The actual entertainment is great though. The funny parts inbetween though, all in spanish so you will be at a loss at what everyone is laughing about

The property is on the older side but was very clean and mostly well kept for what it is. The buffet was not very good. Minimal options and if you asked for anything you wouldn’t see the staff again. Example, pancakes with no options for syrup. Overall it felt safe and most staff was fairly friendly. There was zero effort on the part of most staff to attempt to speak English. It was all in Spanish. I’m always up for learning and practicing a new language, but the shows, kids club and any outdoor activities there was no English at all.

Calidad en alimentación pésimas, cócteles pura agua, la manipulacion alimentos terrible.

Muy poco personal, y permitieron la entrada de más personas de las que pueden atender ya que para todos los restaurantes, bares y baños se tenia que hacer una fila enorme. El sabor de la comida fue pasable pero no tienen variedad, ya que se desayunaba, comia y cenaba lo mismo.

The hotel was just okay. The food was not particularly good, and the cocktails were also lacking.

Lo mejor del lugar es el servicio del personal, cada persona con la que nos cruzamos tuvo buena actitud y eran muy amables, la habitación es cómoda. Lo malo del lugar es que si se siente descuidado, la comida se siente repetitiva y eso que nuestra estadía fue corta, además no tiene sabor como comida sin alma. El restaurante japonés la verdad no se siente de especialidad.

This hotel offers a good balance of price, food, location and service. The rooms are clean and comfy. The food is excellent with many options. The drinks variety are also good.

Tanto el desayuno, almuerzo y cena estaban. La bebidas de baja calidad. La clase de cócteles era muy pocos en variedad.

The hotel seemed short staffed. Long lines to access the dining area buffet, the check in and check out. Unable to schedule dining at the restaurants with family. The reason for our visit was to celebrate family and we could never sit down together to share a meal. There were flies and roaches in the buffet. The waiters were not friendly or accommodating in any way. The night shows were boring and plain. The beach was the best part but there is no hotel services there. At other all inclusive they serve drinks and snacks by the beach too. The food was pretty much the same every day.