Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
5856 reviews
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Sep 07, 2025Beautiful hotel - some improvements needed
From the UK stayed 10 nights with 2 boys aged 11 and 9. It is clearly not a 5 star hotel but then we paid 3 star prices so that was expected. The maintenance and cleaning staff work hard to make the place look good but I feel there are some areas being overlooked such as the sunbeds. The grounds were beautiful and probably up to that of a 5-star hotel. The food and service was the standard I expected for the price we paid - we enjoyed all our meals despite a few slight issues. The steak restaurant was really good but the booking system for the a la carte's needs looking at as you need to queue for about an hour before 8am to book a table. We did find our room to be dirty on arrival with a coconut shell and apple core under the beds but superficially clean. Yes the rooms are run down and need refurbishing but I think this is reflected in the price. We would be nice to have a family room option with bunk beds instead of two doubles. The facilities were pretty good including tennis, football, lovely pool, gym, bird sanctuary, archery. But it was disappointing kids could not use kayaks with an adult. Our children couldn’t engage with the kids club as all in Spanish, which we don't speak. The beach was better than we were expecting - lovely for a nice walk around the cove. It's a shame they haven't cleared some or all of the stones, which looked like it could be done without harming the environment / erosion protection. Some members of staff were really lovely - sorry I don’t have names but the chef and main barmaid in the snack bar were both excellent as was the ‘beer’ man in the buffet. However as non- Spanish speakers we struggled to engage with the animation team. The hotel is 99 percent Spanish speaking guests. Everything was in Spanish only and this was a surprise as everywhere else in Costa Rica everyone we encountered spoke good English. I think Barcelo should make this clear when marketing the hotel internationally. Also the place was completely different during the quieter midweek compared to when hoards arrived for the weekend! It did make a lovely restful end to our Costa Rican adventure.
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Aug 25, 2025Not a 5 star hotel. More like a 2 star from the 80s
The employees do their best to make it a great experience, but the building, the hotel itself it's old and in need of a renovation. Don't believe that of 5 star hotel. Dirty bathrooms, stain grouts, damaged walls, etc. really sad this hotel could be nice but it's owners haven't invest in keep it up. The hotel is full, always at full capacity. They should invest in maintenance. Looks like a 80s hotel, or a roadside Motel 8.
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Aug 23, 2025
Barcelo Tambor Costa Rica
Do not waste your money going to this "all inclusive resort" This hotel is very old and needs a lot of remodeling. Management needs to learn how to manage a hotel.
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Aug 07, 2025
Missing the old Tambor new owners are destroying the place.
I been here before and it’s nothing to what it has become. Was there in July of 2025 had a horrible experience with my family which we were a total of 18 people.
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Aug 05, 2025
Outdated Hotel. Poor service.
Room wasnt cleaned by staff. Room phone doesn't work, so the only way to get help is going to the reception. Facilities are outdated and food quality is low. For dinner, the hotel offers 4 restaurant choices, but its impossible to book unless you wait in line at 630 am. So we were stuck going to el tucan every night, which felt like a canteed more than a hotel restaurant.