TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Go ahead and enjoy this resort, but set your expectations and do not purchase "premium". This is an all inclusive resort. The food in the buffet was just a bit better than mediocre. The beer was fine, but the alcoholic drinks were well below mediocre. You might expect that the main bar at a beach/pool resort would be properly staffed with knowledgeable mixologists and the inventory would be sufficient to handle the guests known to be registered for any one day. This is far from reality. There were long lines and poorly mixed drinks by too few staff. To add insult, we purchased the "premium" package which supposedly gave us access to higher quality of alcohol than the cheap versions. This was a waste of money. Don't purchase "premium" for good drinks. It won't happen. We were told "I don't have any premium liquor at this time, wait and come back later". The alternate excuse was "we don't have it at this bar, you'll need to go to the lobby bar" (which was closed most of the day). Lastly, the excuse that was the straw that broke this camel's back was when they told me there was a maximum number of times any one guest could ask for premium. We were never told this when purchasing premium. I said to the bartender "My wife and I are here with another couple who are also premium, I'm not drinking these all myself". Basically, I was told to send my wife to the bar instead. That's unacceptable to me. Just don't pay for their premium and have your expectations set at average and maybe you won't be disappointed. The beach location was good. We watched surfers almost every day. I walked along the beach 4-5 miles for exercise each morning. It was peaceful, safe and beautiful. The pool was clean and nice and there seemed to be an adequate number of lounge chairs. Pool towels were provided. There was a handy snack buffet nearby. Our room was nice and big, but we reserved a room with a King bed and there was no King bed room available, so we had to settle for a room with 2 double beds. The bathroom was a very nice size and it was clean. We did have an air conditioner issue and a toilet issue, but they fixed them quickly after we reported the problems. Guanacaste Province: This is a dry tropical forest. This is not a green lush rain forest. We had to ride about 3 hours to experience a rain forest. Consequently, we enjoyed NO RAIN while we were there and the temperatures were from 73-90 degrees Fahrenheit. We found the people in this area very friendly. Tamarindo: To get to shops and restaurants was easy. It was a $5-$6 uber ride. We enjoyed beers at Witch's Rock Surf Camp and a lunch on the beach nearby. No monkeys at the resort, but reportedly (we didn't see any) there are crocodiles nearby. There are everyday sightings of raccoons and Iguanas. Overall, we had a nice trip. I didn't let the alcohol situation ruin it...but since my expectations were higher, there was disappointment and annoyance.

Be ready for stay at swimming pool area. The waives are high and you will not have a chance to swim or got to the ocean during your stay. It is paradise for surfers. There was red flag everyday during our stay at the resort. However, you can enjoy nightlife in downtown or trips to rain forests for fair price.

We reserved an upgraded loft suite and purchased the Premium Option. We also traveled with friends who we recommended your Barcelo properties and they also purchased premium. We have stayed at five of your other properties. This Property was not a a very good ambassador for your brand. Our room had multiple problems including two major ones. One of the fixes required us to abandon the room due to the extensive repairs required (these problems we had were obviously known prior to giving us the room) for a lesser room which we were not excited about. Only one person ever said sorry and this took two days to figure out the repairs could not be made - at that point we really didn't want to pack up again. The Premium purchase was a total bust as the premium liquors were either not available, or took your employees hours to "locate", or we were told they were not available to us at this bar (even though at many times only a single bar is open - crazy limited bar hours at this location), or we were even told we had reached our daily limit of ten (no daily limit is ever mentioned when purchasing the premium option). No one ever said "sorry" and we were actually told many of these things in a rude manner.

Lovely grounds and nice warm pools. Food lets it down, no yogurt at breakfast and little choice of fruit, no fried eggs. Staff are hit and miss, bar staff are very miserable and just ignore you. We asked for a glass of wine at dinner, had to hunt it down and were given a miniscule amount, not a glass at all and they certainly don’t like to give you more than one. We paid for all inclusive but beware, it isn’t, if you want a pina colada you have to pay a premium for Malibu. Drinks served in plastic cups too. Rooms were lovely. We had a nice time because we were with family but there are better 5 star resorts.

Occidental Tamarindo offers everything anyone would want at a resort in Central America. We had many family members choose this resort last year for a wedding and my wife and I returned to relive the great memories and make more.