Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort: Paradise

It was our 12th time at this resort. We love it! Selvamar rooms are comfortable and clean. The white beach, Playa Blanca, is pristine. There is no place on earth as beautiful! The forest areas are complete with birds and monkeys. But the very best part is the staff: They are the greatest! Heidy, Randall, Carlos, Edwin, Christina, Aaron (chair rentals), Elia (golf cart rental). Much love ?

Fiesta Resort: It was just okay!

Great and professional staff Love the organization of everything, scanning the wristband No vents in washroom Run down rooms Weird layout Can't smoke anywhere on the resort except the hot beach Channels on tv are mostly muted or in Spanish Not enough variety at buffet Not worth the price I paid Too many local people come here, so it is not catered to Canadians No entertainment really during the day except for some day time games Nightly entertainment is boring Clean hotel but beach [... read more] is never cleaned except for the watering of the young palm trees where people carelessly throw their cig butts for birds to pickup to try to eat (saw a black bird with a cig in its claws.) Did not feel safe on the beach because not once did I see a lifeguard. There is a security officer for the pont Staff at the restaurants were able to accommodate my dietary needs Annoying that you have to book online for restaurants, everyday, before 5pm for the subsequent days App doesn't have all info about nightly entertainment or discount

Barcelo Tambor: Not A 4 Star

The hotel was a disappointment, although not the country nor the people. They have serious issues with communication--they prevented us from leaving the hotel in our rental car even though we showed them the papers and did not adequately explain afterwards. The food is NOT 4 star level, but basic Central American cafeteria, i.e. rice and beans. On the good side, the grounds are immaculate and the staff are friendly, but they don't speak English. The entertainment is only in Spanish. Loud mu [... read more]sic at the pool ALL DAY and disco loud until 2am. All clients need to know these issues before they think they are booking a 4 star. 2.5 star or at best.

Hotel Arenas en Punta Leona: Punta Leona a paradise on earth

This was our 11th vacation in Punta Leona since 2003. Jungle, beaches, wildlife … it is paradise. Clean, comfortable accommodations. Efficient and friendly staff. We obviously love it! Planning to come again

Fiesta Resort: Good Value for Money

It needs to be updated badly. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Barcelo Tambor: Totally recommend!

The grounds were amazing, everything was incredibly clean. Loved the beach and pools. Nothing was a disappointment! The staff was second to none. I can not find a single thing to complain about. A friend recommended your Resort, so happy we listened.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Best western Jaco Beach

The grounds were well kept, swimming pools were clean and well kept. A few more loungers would be good as many put their towels on the chairs in the morning then didn't use them. The room was adequate, bed comfortable, good working air conditioning, and the staff provided great cleaning, towels, coffee etc. A small table on the balcony would be nice. The staff at the hotel were excellent, A+ rating. They were so very friendly and helpful. The air transportation worked well, nothing to repo [... read more]rt on really. My only complaint about the whole experience was the way the ground transportation was handled. Although the vans were new, comfortable, with good drivers, we never got any vouchers, had no idea who the company was, no phone number, etc., left completely in the dark as to procedure for pick up etc. The night before leaving the hotel, I had the staff at the hotel call tripcentral about pickup. The lady I talked to was very nice but could provide me with no information at all. She told me to download the Air Transat App, which I did and it did give me the pick-up time, that's all. So if something was to happen where the driver didn't show what could we do. Keeping the customer in the dark like this creates a lot of stress. I think this part of the trip could be handled much better. Overall the trip was great, had a great time. Loved the beach, the sunsets, the town of Jaco Beach.

Barcelo Tambor: Well kept, kind staff, good food and lovely scenery!

My 4 teenage kids and I loved this resort. It was clean and very will kept. Loved the pools and the staff were always kind, even of they didn't speak English, we always managed. Overall a great experience! Pura Vida!!!

Barcelo Tambor: Could be better

I like the grounds. The room was clean but had a musty smell. The bathroom needs to be renovated. The staff was nice but some didn’t speak English and it was difficult to communicate with them. The food was good, but could use more seasoning.

Barcelo Tambor: Didn’t meet expectations

The grounds are nice and kept clean. The room was dirty when we checked in (stained sheets and pillows, dirty coffee maker, hair on the shower head etc). The bathroom is in disrepair and has mold. Some staff were pleasant while others were rude. Most of the staff don’t speak English which was somewhat annoying but not unbearable. The food left a lot to be desired as most of it was bland. The buffet isn’t the cleanest as various animals like birds and squirrels will attempt to eat from your plate [... read more] or even the hot tray. The a la carte restaurants are a bit better than the buffet but with long wait times for bland food, it’s hard to enjoy.

Best Western Jaco Beach: resort was average

We arrived at 12:30 in the morning and were greeted by staff which were friendly. In the morning the grounds and the walk to the beach were well maintained and groomed. The entertainment there was minimal to non existant. The town of Jaco was very pleasant and the food at the resort was just average and basically the same thing on the daily. The rooms were clean but very dated.

Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort: Unfortunately disappointed

Sadly I am not recommending this resort to anyone. It is great for bird watchers and wild life lovers. The food (or water), however, got both myself and my partner extremely ill for three days of our trip. We talked to several other people staying at the resort and they were having the same stomach problems. Extremely disappointed as we have travelled to many other third world countries and have never had an issue with the food. Staff: Some of the staff are very helpful. Others don't rea [... read more]lly go out of their way to help, unless you speak Spanish. I noticed there was a huge difference between the help Spanish people received as apposed to English and French speaking guests. They really are not tip motivated, but grateful when you give them a tip. Accommodations: Our room had a garden view with a balcony which was a nice getaway from the beach or lounge / bar. The room was clean, towels were changed daily if you wanted. PLEASE INSIST ON GETTING WATER REPLENISHED DAILY! DO NOT DRINK THEIR WATER FROM THE FAUCET. The rooms are roughly a 8-15 minute walk from the service desk. Not too bad, but annoying when your card key has to be reset for the fifth time during the week. Food: The food looks amazing! I would, however, border on the side of caution. I believe this is what got us sick. Take something like Dukeral before departing and bring medicine to take care of any sort of sore stomach if you plan on eating here. Beaches: There are two different beaches along the resort, very nice to walk and swim in. The tide comes in and out pretty quickly and high, so make sure to pack a bag to store your belongings in a tree and not on the ground. Nature: Punta Leona is a good 1 to 2 hour drive from San Jose (depending on traffic). There is a lot of wild life living within the resort compound. White face monkeys hang around the restaurant. Aras live along the roadside near the butterfly sanctuary, and lizards and iguanas line the sidewalks to soak in some sun. Overall, for the price and time to get to this hotel, I really really would not go again. I would have a very difficult time recommending this place to friends or family knowing the poor experience we had. That being said, everyone's adventure is different. Book at your our risk. I am only one of the 4000+ reviewers here giving their own two-cents.

Barcelo Tambor: Nice resort

The resort was very clean, so were the rooms. The resort was very child friendly, food was pretty good. Service was pretty good in the restaurants and at the bars. The nighttime entertainment was alright.. 8pm til 9pm was a children's program. The info on day trips and help was ok.. unfortunately the resort is far away from the rainforest, volcanoes and a long ride from the airport. But it is overall a very nice place.

Barcelo Tambor: Costa rica

The outside and grounds were beautiful. Inside rooms need some housekeeping. The 4 hours on a bus after a 5 hour air was a bit much on terrible roads. Front staff are much to be desired. Stupid, ignorant an rude. First impression and first people you meet should be adult and professional. I would go back to Costa Rica, but not that resort.

Barcelo Tambor: Amazing Resort

Disappointed at the female front desk staff.No welcome, made no eye contact and never spoke to anyone. When they were asked where our room were located they just pointed. When we checked out it was the same, never spoke, no goodbye or how was your stay Hope to see you again, nothing The bar tenders were all eager to serve, smile on their faces. The housekeeping staff were friendly. There was a wide variety of food at the buffet and was good. The resort was clean, well groomed lawns. My favou [... read more]rite was each morning was watching the parrots, listening to the hollering monkeys The massages that I had were amazing by each lady, excellent top notch service Also, the gentleman that booked our excursion was amazing, friendly and knowledgeable.

Barcelo Tambor: I would NOT recommend

I've never written a review but thought it was important to share. The trip from the airport was a 4 hour drive through extreme winding roads. I spoke with other guests and everyone complained about the drive. We booked a half hour flight from close by airport back to international Airport to avoid this drive again. $150 per ticket. The resort was exceptionally nice. Pool are was very comfortable and clean. The downfall was the bars. Minimum bars and bartenders. 20 minute line up everytime you  [... read more]wanted a drink. Under staffed but bartenders worked non stop trying to keep up with demand. Food was not good at all. Same thing every day. Buffet was large but exact same food every day. The "speciality" restaurants were fair at best. I guess they thing anything will taste good when you've been eating the same food day after day. We found out our last day that they didn't offer bacon for breakfast except in the "premium" speciality room. After paying over 2000 dollars per ticket bacon for breakfast should not be for premium guests only. Ridiculous. Brought new bottle of sunscreen . We ran out so went to gift shop. They were asking 72 dollars for small bottle. We took a cab to store and bought 3 times larger bottle for 24 dollars. Evenings. It was absolutely ridiculous. The pool closes at 7:00pm. Table tennis and mini golf, closes and ANY resort activity closes at 4:00pm. They have a nightly show on stage with dancers. They were entertaining for the first night or two but it got old after that. So after dinner there was no swimming, no entertainment and minimum bar service. The place has soooo much potential but with the drive to get there, the weak food and the lack of things to do, I would not go back as it's not worth it. I've been to Barcelo in Rivera Myan in Mexico. I would go there in a heart beat rather than return to Barcelo Costa Rica. Very disappointing. February 15-22 2024

Barcelo Tambor: Bad Service, no room smoke alarms, and people smoke in rooms

The resort and view is breathtaking. The rooms are just okay. We actually had no firm alarm or working safe. Despite asking for both! No water in fridge either. The service and food is horrible. The steakhouse served steak that didn’t taste like steak. So much so that my son asked if it was a “dog”. Yikes! No gluten free alternatives. No dairy alternatives. No pool side waiters. Someone threw up in the pool on Saturday- they just roped off that section of the pool! The grounds are very well main [... read more]tained, but that’s about it! Oh forgot to Mention our sheets had dirt on them! We arrived to dirty sheets and pillow covers! What’s more the travel agent,’Jenn, told us it was a 90 minute bus ride. It’s not 90. Try 5 hours. We lost the entire day and no dinner. Called ahead to the resort to get some sandwiches and salad in our room. While on that call the hotel informed us we only had 3 days booked and not 5! We absolutely panicked and emailed Jenn. Data and roaming charges incurred on both our phones. Get to the resort and “so sorry for the miscommunication but yea you have 5 nights”. got there after 10pm and no food. Finally at midnight we got sandwiches with bread, ham and processed cheese. Gross. I actually couldn’t eat any of it. The kids just wanted to sleep. This hotel needs to step up their game big time. Costa Rica is not Cuba but you wouldn’t know it from the food. What a waste of such a gem of a view. The package should come with a small charter flight from Liberia. Because 5 hours is NOT okay! You can go to Italy full flight in less time than it took us.

Fiesta Resort: What a fantastic place ;-)

Had a wonderful time at Fiesta Resort.The grounds are immaculate, pool is clean. Staff are out there at dawn making sure everything is perfect for their guests. Bedrooms are large and clean and I loved the hearts and little animals on my bed every day. Huge variety of food for b/fast, lunch and dinner and snack bar open until 1am. The fruit bar so refreshing at 10am. The front desk staff is so very friendly and they printed out a map of where everything was which I found extremely helpful as I  [... read more]would get lost in a shoebox!! Communication was very easy even though I can't speak Spanish.Anytime I asked for direction there was no "over there" with a wave of a hand they walked me to where I wanted to go. I found all the staff friendly and very, very helpful. Met some really, really nice Costa Rican people at the pool and we had such fun just laughing and talking and I learned some new Spanish words. Many, many thanks to DIEGO for the amazing drinks......he sure knows how to make them ;-). Much appreciated! You and the other staff at the bar always with a smile and a kind word. Sunsets are spectacular...a photographers dream. I am a solo traveller and thoroughly enjoyed every second.......PURA VIDA!! Go raibh mile maith agat ("thank you so much"in Gaelic)

Barcelo Tambor: Barcelo Tambor

It was beautiful,I had a great view from my balcony facing the ocean. The food was good. Really liked the Steak house and the Italian restaurant. The only thing I didn't like it was a four drive from the airport. And where you check in they couldn't really understand English. So it made it hard to talk to them.

Fiesta Resort: Amazing Resort!

The resort was spotless throughout. There were staff continuously sweeping and mopping floors around general areas. To my surprise I was booked into a premium suite which gave me access to an up market restaurant for breakfast and lunch daily, a local concierge and a Nespresso machine in my room. I have limited mobility and can only walk short distances with my Nordic Poles. The hotel provided me with a wheel chair, and I only had to ask the concierge to get a bell boy to push me further afi [... read more]eld. The staff were INCREDIBLE! They treated me like a queen and feted me on my 79th birthday with a cake and balloons! Would I recommend this resort? You bet I would!