4 Stars Hotels in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Stayed 3 nights. Staff nice but only front desk spoke much English. Parking attendant was appreciated. Breakfast was ok. Had a couple dinners there with basic dishes- pizza, appetizers. Pool warm. Small play area for kids. Mixed crowd- families, retirees, bike tourists. Room was fine, got cleaned each day. No complaints at all. Although a bit off the beach it was also away from the downtown noise and bustle.

We stayed here back in April as part of a longer trip. The hotel grounds are beautiful and I loved my room - it was big and airy and the ceiling fan worked fine for the weather at the time. Not sure if it would have been sufficient in hotter weather. The food and cocktails in the restaurant were delicious and the staff were awesome. We ended up being the only ones left at the end of dinner so we turned down desert thinking they would want us to leave. Our lovely waiter assured us they were open for a while yet and then even gave us coffee on the house. It’s a short walk into town (be prepared to walk uphill on the way back) and there is a little shopping centre right across the road. There is a big supermarket, some bakeries, restaurants and cute souvenir shops. My issue with this hotel was check in. We had booked a twin room (through the travel agency.) When we were taken to the room it was a double. The lovely man who had helped with our luggage radioed back up and said his colleague was coming down. He then told us that this is what we had booked and we either had to share the bed or they would put up a child’s extra bed for one of us. My confirmation email from the TA said twin room so I questioned it again. He insisted this was what the TA had booked. I then walked back up to Reception and asked to use the phone to call the TA. As I was speaking he was talking to another colleague and had our booking in his hand. We could both see it clearly said twin. He then spoke on the phone to TA. They sorted the problem by giving us two rooms and offered us free cocktails while we waited. This part was all fine and lovely. My problem was the lies and trying to blame the TA and make us feel like we had no options. Had they admitted the mistake and then fixed it I would have no issues. But the way it was dealt with left me with an unpleasant feeling about an otherwise lovely stay.

They spoil you here! They have a WhatsApp set up for their guest services and it made it all the more spoiled. I was at the spa and I needed ice for my drink that I brought there and all I did was message and they brought it right to me. The food was great breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was free shuttle service to Agua Azules and the town, which was perfect because we booked parasailing with Agua Azules and they dropped us off right at there steps. The room was clean. The property was beautiful. We got to see sloths, iguanas, and monkeys! The monkeys were right outside our hotel building (we booked a vista suite) when checking out.

I am currently writing from Shana. It is 8:30pm and the noise from the renovation work they are doing is horrendous. They have huge trucks, cranes and people banging loud sounds. No one told us this would be the case, and when asked when they would finish they told us 7pm. Well it is 8:35 and they are still here making loud sounds. This is really the most disrespectful way of treating customers. Not telling them you will have work until late evening with loud sounds, pool closed and in general not a relaxed atmosphere. The hotel is far too expensive for this type of treatment and having travelled here from Europe I am so disappointed. Our son could not fall asleep with all this crazy noise which in turn made our evening even more stressful. Definitely not a transparent way of treating your customers and the most stressful days in Costa Rica. For the dishonesty and for not telling us in advance I would discourage anyone from coming until after all works are done. Truly disgusting customer service.

We have stayed at a variety of other all-inclusive resorts in both other countries as well as in Costa Rica. We have also stayed at other resorts by Barcelo/Occidental. We have loved every place we've stayed - and Barcelo Tambor was far below our expectations. Positives: -The views from the beach might be the best of any place we've stayed. The bay was gorgeous and many trees lined the beach making for plenty of shade if you wanted it. Plenty of beach chairs for everyone. -The front desk staff, Premium staff, and excursion booking staff were especially wonderful and helpful. -They had some wildlife on the property which was neat. -Would be great for kids as there was plenty of kid amenities. -The a la carte restaurants (sushi, seafood/steak, and italian) were average. Negatives: -It is at least 90% Costa Rican locals who were visiting, which is not a problem in itself, but it meant that much of the staff didn't speak English. My partner is fluent in Spanish and I can stumble through enough that it was fine, but if anyone visiting does not speak Spanish, this would NOT be the place for you. -The drinks were extremely limited. There was a small list of cocktails included, 1 draft beer, and 3 wines. Nothing else. I couldn't even get a mojito. -The food was extremely disappointing at the buffet. While we enjoyed the breakfasts of typical Tico food, it was otherwise about the same every night. Even though the buffet had 'theme' nights, they were all about the same food. Not much variety at all. A lot of it was unappetizing. -In the buffet restaurants especially, the service was EXTREMELY slow, or sometimes nonexistent. We would wait 15 minutes for coffee refills before finally giving up and leaving. They'd stop by once when they sat you to get your drink order but would never return after that for any additional needs. -The room cleaning only consisted of making the bed, giving new towels, and refilling the mini bar. They didn't actually do much cleaning, there would be stains left on the counters. Sometimes they would stop by at 9pm to offer us fresh towels. It didn't make much sense. -The ”premium” was not much of an upgrade at all. It just meant you could go to a different room for snacks/drinks and they had a few more alcohols included. But you couldn't get those premium alcohols at other bars - only that one. -Speaking of bars, there were not enough so you'd often wait 20+ minutes in line at any of the outside bars to get a refill. -There were also not nearly enough chairs at the pool, so you needed to get out there before 7:30am to claim a chair or you are out of luck. Overall, if you have been to any other all-inclusive resort and are used to a certain level of service and amenities, this wouldn't be the place for you. Locals in nearby towns and taxi drivers told us the place has been going downhill fast for the last 10 years. Would 100% return to Costa Rica (as we have before) but would not recommend this resort unless you are fine with

Our stay at the resort was wonderful. The owner was personally involved and met with the customers. Food was excellent and the staff was very helpful. The facilities were fair, rooms and bathrooms need upgrades. Room service was hard to order. The roads need to be fixed, paving the Main road into the resort would make driving to the facility easier.

Stayed 3 nights. Staff nice but only front desk spoke much English. Parking attendant was appreciated. Breakfast was ok. Had a couple dinners there with basic dishes- pizza, appetizers. Pool warm. Small play area for kids. Mixed crowd- families, retirees, bike tourists. Room was fine, got cleaned each day. No complaints at all. Although a bit off the beach it was also away from the downtown noise and bustle.

Beautiful resort with warm pool, clean beaches, and good service. The food has been very good with extra points to the coffee cafe. Considering it’s the off season, we had plenty of open space to ourselves with beautiful weather. The promotional plan they offered was not well executed, and we had to make several trips to the front desk to get it cleared up. But everyone was very accommodating to help.

They spoil you here! They have a WhatsApp set up for their guest services and it made it all the more spoiled. I was at the spa and I needed ice for my drink that I brought there and all I did was message and they brought it right to me. The food was great breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was free shuttle service to Agua Azules and the town, which was perfect because we booked parasailing with Agua Azules and they dropped us off right at there steps. The room was clean. The property was beautiful. We got to see sloths, iguanas, and monkeys! The monkeys were right outside our hotel building (we booked a vista suite) when checking out.

I am currently writing from Shana. It is 8:30pm and the noise from the renovation work they are doing is horrendous. They have huge trucks, cranes and people banging loud sounds. No one told us this would be the case, and when asked when they would finish they told us 7pm. Well it is 8:35 and they are still here making loud sounds. This is really the most disrespectful way of treating customers. Not telling them you will have work until late evening with loud sounds, pool closed and in general not a relaxed atmosphere. The hotel is far too expensive for this type of treatment and having travelled here from Europe I am so disappointed. Our son could not fall asleep with all this crazy noise which in turn made our evening even more stressful. Definitely not a transparent way of treating your customers and the most stressful days in Costa Rica. For the dishonesty and for not telling us in advance I would discourage anyone from coming until after all works are done. Truly disgusting customer service.

This is a great hotel that is small enough to feel intimate but has most of the amenities of a large resort. Of course, the initial highlight is that the hotel is built into the forest and treats the land as a preserve. On top of that, many of the rooms have gorgeous views, and ours had a view of the ocean over the hills. The staff is amazing. Everyone is super friendly and helpful. Even though they have some routines that make things easy to follow and access, the staff is more than willing to help or adjust if you need it. We drove in, and once there they reserved a parking spot for us near the cart / shuttle service for the entire stay! From the entrance / parking, a shuttle takes you to the main building (rain or shine…we never had to wait in the rain and it was pouring when we arrived). The facilities were outstanding and well-appointed. Don’t get me wrong, there are some features that are aged, but most things are very nice and everything is always super-clean. The pools are really nice. Small, but several levels allow for multiple infinity pool experiences, along with floating chairs if you prefer to hold your drink while floating. There is a “swim up” bar that I think is usually open from 12-5 but don’t quote me on that. The food was pretty good. IMO, stick with traditional dishes. Ceviche and traditional Costa Rican breakfast were our favorites, but everything we tried was pretty good. The drink menu is a little light. They offer enough choices, but there are not any high end liquors, and the wine is good but I do not believe I also any vintages that you might expect from a hotel of this caliber. Finally, the rooms were very very nice. Our son had his own “standard” room and it looked as nice as ours did, even though he did not have as much space. Our room was a suite with a bedroom, full bath with walk in shower, a private patio, and a living space complete with leather sofa (and pull out bed), dining table with chairs, and club style chairs to complete the seating area. All very comfortable. Our room also came with access to a private terrace on the top floor. This space also included seating and tables, umbrella, and curtained Chaises. Great views from there and the private patio! In short, we did not have enough time to enjoy all of the amenities even within our own room, but we were beyond comfortable and the views and vibe were amazing. One more thing: the owner has started a macaw restoration project, so you can see Scarlett macaws on the premise. We also saw many other bird species (this is an eBird hotspot for those who use it), heard monkeys, and enjoyed seeing sloths and iguanas on the premise (but not in or near the room 😊).

We stayed here back in April as part of a longer trip. The hotel grounds are beautiful and I loved my room - it was big and airy and the ceiling fan worked fine for the weather at the time. Not sure if it would have been sufficient in hotter weather. The food and cocktails in the restaurant were delicious and the staff were awesome. We ended up being the only ones left at the end of dinner so we turned down desert thinking they would want us to leave. Our lovely waiter assured us they were open for a while yet and then even gave us coffee on the house. It’s a short walk into town (be prepared to walk uphill on the way back) and there is a little shopping centre right across the road. There is a big supermarket, some bakeries, restaurants and cute souvenir shops. My issue with this hotel was check in. We had booked a twin room (through the travel agency.) When we were taken to the room it was a double. The lovely man who had helped with our luggage radioed back up and said his colleague was coming down. He then told us that this is what we had booked and we either had to share the bed or they would put up a child’s extra bed for one of us. My confirmation email from the TA said twin room so I questioned it again. He insisted this was what the TA had booked. I then walked back up to Reception and asked to use the phone to call the TA. As I was speaking he was talking to another colleague and had our booking in his hand. We could both see it clearly said twin. He then spoke on the phone to TA. They sorted the problem by giving us two rooms and offered us free cocktails while we waited. This part was all fine and lovely. My problem was the lies and trying to blame the TA and make us feel like we had no options. Had they admitted the mistake and then fixed it I would have no issues. But the way it was dealt with left me with an unpleasant feeling about an otherwise lovely stay.

Ctrip 1k7 one night, in the official website, there are often 133 knives for two nights. Emmm... I know when I live. The hotel takes a taxi to the town for 4 knives or 2000 local coins. The environment is really good, hotel catering is not expensive, but with a 13% tax and a 10% service charge. Two people have a meal of about 70 knives.