August 7, 2010
All Inclusive Getaway on a Budget
Having gone to Cancun recently, it's hard to justify going back to Barcelo Tambor Beach. Barcelo Tambor Beach is an all-inclusive resort situated right next to the local airport. By local airport, I mean a gravelized semi-paved landing strip off the coast of a jungle. We were traveling in late August during the start of the low season with possible rain showers everyday. Nevertheless, we were pumped up for this trip and ready to explore this tropical paradise.
When we booked our vacation, we had no idea how far this resort was from San Jose. We thought maybe it would be an hour or two by car, right? Apparently, its a 5 1/2 hour trek by land and water taxi so we decided to fly from San Jose to Tambor on a Sesna via Sansa Regional Air, which has quite convenient and amazing. The views overlooking the mountains of Costa Rica were breathtaking even though my girlfriend and I, who were first time visitors, had to talk over the hum of the engine and get used flying in a small plane.
When we arrived at the resort, the weather was hot, humid, and sultry, much warmer than in San Jose. As with any all-inclusive resort, they required us to wear wrist bands during our entire stay. We were one of only a handful of Americans during our stay with locals vacationing and other Spanish speaking guests being much more the norm.
The resort had a very open layout with no enclosures which meant that the only place to sit in AC was in the hotel room, the sundry shop, and the on-site casino. The lobby was covered with wooden beams and was very nicely decorated and cozy. Next to it, was the stage area used for nightly performances and activities by the hotel staff. The shows were okay and meant to pass the time in a family friendly setting. The staff were friendly enough but some had difficulty speaking English. The grounds were open and lush and you could hear the macaus caw overhead and the iguanas, raccoons scurry on the pathways. Pretty cool.
None of the buildings were higher than three stories and each room had its own outdoor entrance. When we got to our room, we noticed some hair and some blood specks on the sheets of one of the beds (don't ask). We had to have the maid come in and change it...twice. The room was okay without any of the lavish amenities. Think liquid shower gel coming out of a wall unit dispenser. However, we did have a lot of space in the room and since then our rooms were cleaned to our satisfaction thereafter. We also had access to our own little personal patio area from our room through the sliding door.
The resort has 3 large connected pools designed with footbridges and access to the pool bar. We took a dip in the pool the first day we had to get used to the heavy chlorine content in the water. The beach was a bit rocky and painful to walk on with some dead logs and natural debris but once we got in the 70 degrees of greenish ocean goodness, we were in heaven. We took advantage of the free body board rentals although all the kayaks were out of service. Nonetheless, swimming in the ocean was one of the highlights of the trip.
Dining options were quite limited. There was the central all-you-can-eat buffet style outdoor dining hall which had local food flavors and American food, too. The other dining option was a snack bar serving alcoholic beverages, pizza, hot dogs, and other treats. Finally, we were entitled to make reservations for their dinner only seafood restaurant which doubled up as the discotheque after 10pm, which was only okay. I think the food could have been a lot better but I guess what can you expect for all-inclusive?
The resort does also have horseback riding and massage/spa on the premises which was a nice treat. 45 minutes away was Montezuma beach which is a very cool and quiet hippie community and boutique hotels. The outdoor excursions are numerous and I highly, highly recommend the ATV excursion. They take you on a 5 1/2 hour journey through the Costa Rican beaches, jungles, Montezuma town and countryside with an adventurous, no-holds bar guide. Its the best $40 dollars I have ever spent in my life. We also went zip-lining and took a dip in a waterfall which was awesome.
Overall, a pretty good trip on a slightly above average resort.
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