Beach Break Resort: Great resort, however.....

The Beach Break Resort is in a good location, right on the beach and the grounds and facilities are very nice. The staff overall is attentive and helpful. The problem arises on the weekends when a large number of Costa Ricans come and for many, their interest is with heavy drinking and loud music. We were there for two weekends and both times the area around the pool was a party lasting well past midnight. There are signs posted with 'Rules' but these were totally ignored. The Management  [... read more]seems to have no control over this, and even at about 2pm the pool area close to Reception had a massive sound system going. On one night the 'partying' ran to past 3am. The management needs to decide whether this lovely resort is for wild partying or for long stay guests who wish the posted Rules are observed and controlled. I spoke with several Costa Ricans who said they would not return with their families to this resort.

Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort: Terrible at first, then terrific

Review of Hotel y Club Punta Leona Terrible at reception. We had travelled for almost 12 hours and checked in at night in the dark. The receptionist initially could not understand from our documents that we were all-inclusive, as she asked for how we were going to pay. We were then told to go to our assigned room, which we knew from past experience was 700 meters away, uphill, and in the dark. We asked for a shuttle, which we knew had existed during our past visit 7 years ago. We were told that [... read more] none was available. When we protested, we were offered a shuttle for $US4 EACH. When we further protested, a shuttle was called for. We were given no introductory brochures about hours of operation for the various restaurants. No instructions about how to obtain bottled water (upon request at the Carabelas restaurant, we found out later). We asked about nature tours and the bound book that we were given had prices that did not include a tax that was 20%. On the internet, VAT in Costa Rica is only 13% and another tour company charged only 8%. In summary, at Reception, we felt that attempts were made to take advantage of us. The only other plausible explanation might be a woefully inexperienced receptionist. We will not divulge her name. From other guests, we heard similar stories about Reception problems. One other Terrible, on our third trip to pick up balls and putters for MiniGolf, the man at the desk insisted on seeing our passports! This was despite our gold bracelets that included our registration number. On our first 2 to trips to pick up equipment, a lovely woman just asked for our room number and name. Why this inconsistency? If passports are truly needed to borrow poor quality putters for 30 minutes, this should be specified in the introduction. Now for the TERRIFIC- Room, AC works well, super quiet overhead fan works well, so no AC needed when sleeping. Bathroom clean and well provisioned. Good hot water. Excellent sized safe in the room. TV worked well, several English channels. WiFi was free, limited to the room only. Beds were comfortable, linen very clean, linen service could be ordered as needed via a sign on the doorknob. Selvamar units are near the Carabelas restaurant. We ate all breakfasts and all dinners at Carabelas. Lots of variety. Attentive service. Great fresh fruits. All the fish we tried were excellent. Lunches we had at either Carabelas, or at one of the two a la carte restaurants, Leon Marino (near the large pool) or Playa Blanca (reservations needed for lunch). Both of the latter had excellent food and service. The bars at both the small pool by Carabelas and the Mantas Bar by the large pool were friendly and the Mantas had an extensive menu of mixed drinks, including superb pina coladas. The small pool was refreshing and mainly in the shade. No towel service there. The large pool was fantastic with warm water, a ramp to walk in, and an abundance of space both in the pool and for lounge chairs with umbrellas. Lots of sunscreen needed, by the way. The complex is large but the shuttle bus that runs between 8 am and 5 pm is efficient with a friendly driver who will drop you off close to your room. Walking to various places in the heat can be a challenge. For example, our room to reception was 700 meters. The large pool would be an additional 300 meters. The Mantas beach then another 100 meters. The beautiful beach of Playa Blanca must be reached by shuttle bus. Regarding the beaches, Mantas beach is pretty but a bit stony.. Umbrellas and lounge chairs are run by a private company. The Playa Blanca beach offers 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella for $US15 per day. Very warm water, but watch for the warning flags. Surf can be excellent for surfing. For Nature Lovers, the Punta Leona resort offers an abundance of birds and butterflies. We saw 29 different bird species and 12 different butterfly species, some of the later in the special Butterfly conservatory building. Unfortunately, the 615 am morning bird hike is not as good as it was 7 years ago. The guide speaks poor English and only seemed interested to converse with Spanish speaking visitors during our one trip with him. We only saw a small number of birds with him, most of the 29 were seen by ourselves while walking the grounds. The area around the MiniGolf has Blue Potterweed that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Monkeys were abundant and fun to watch around Carabelas. The MiniGolf itself has been redone since our last visit and is very good, with some very interesting and challenging holes. Don't forget your passport?!? Finally, with respect to Covid precautions, all restaurant staff wore masks at all times. The resort had plenty of sanitizer and hand washing facilities. In summary, a very good resort for visiting Costa Rica as long as you are aware of the nature of the resort. Hope this has helped.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Totally Amazing

The moment I arrived I was really impressed by Reception and the following days the bar staff, dining staff, security staff, cleaning staff, pool staff etc. all went above and beyond to make my vacation a wonderful experience. The Hotel is clean, safe and a great place to visit with family, friends or on your own like I did. The menu was different each day and food was delicious. Each dish was individually labeled so there was no problem in deciding what to eat. Personally I ate everythin [... read more]g ;-) The Off-site trips are excellent and the guides are knowledgeable and friendly. If you are deciding where to go on you next vacation - The Best Western Jaco Beach is the place to go. Looking forward to my next visit. A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TOTALLY AMAZING STAFF. Marian

Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort: Punta Leona was amazing

There were a lot of mixed reviews on this resort so we were unsure of what we were getting into . I have to say this place exceeded all my expectations. The beaches were stunning . You have to see Playa Blanca !! It is totally worth the 20 minute walk off of the main beach . The white sand and beautiful water is breathtaking. Our rooms were standard but clean and we were hardly in them so we didn’t need much space . The hotel is large so be prepared to walk . We don’t mind walking as there i [... read more]s so much to see. The pool , bar , beach etc are all in the same spot and located near the washrooms . For those who aren’t into walking I suggest packing for a day as everything you need is by the main pool however the rooms and buffet are about a 10-15 minute walk from the pool . The food was excellent , we have no complaints. The monkeys are such a great thing to experience. If you want to touch a monkey and see them daily , this resort is for you ! They are by the buffet daily and they are soooo cute ! The staff was friendly and the drinks were great ! We will be back again !!

Best Western Jaco Beach: Great vacation in Jaco

We just returned from ten days at the Best Western Jaco Beach. Check in was easy and all our transfers arranged for tours and by Air Transat were on time or early. The room was very basic but it had air conditioning and was spotless so that was all I needed. Pool area was beautiful and you could see the beach from the grounds, although it was not really conducive for swimming. Sunsets were gorgeous and the water temperature was perfect if you were brave enough to go in. Food was plentiful and  [... read more]the booking system was easy for all meals. Staff in the restaurant were wonderful and the room was always cleaned daily. My only complaint was that for the first week the music level by the pools was insanely loud, to the point of not being able to sleep at night without the AC blasting to drown it out. Days 8 and 9 it suddenly lowered to tolerable levels so maybe somebody said something? All in all a great stay. Weather was perfect, iguanas and macaws by the pool were fantastic, and the town is nearby and safe. A+

Punta Leona Beach Club and Nature Resort: Great vacation!

After a long day of planes followed by a 90-minute van ride, Bryon at Reception greeted us with a smile. He had taken the initiative to get the food service to leave a bag lunch in our minifridge. He also ensured there was someone to drive us with our bags to our room despite the late arrival. It was a great way to begin our vacation despite the heavy rain. The next day we enjoyed breakfast at the nearby buffet. There were monkeys in the trees around the building. A few snuck past the netti [... read more]ng and helped themselves to unsupervised plates. It was amusing to watch. We walked about a kilometer to reception to double check some information. We continued past to check out the pools, restaurant and beach. The resort area was well staffed, clean, and had the regular entertainment items. The beach was through a security gate. There were no chairs. It turns out it is a public beach. To return to the pool area we had to show our bracelets. After lunch, we took the shuttle to the other beach (Playa Blanca is about 2.5km away from our room). It was nice. The water looked clearer. You could get chairs and an umbrella for $15usd. Overall, the resort was fine. It's difficult to describe how sprawled everything is but the distances stated give you an idea. The staff were nice. At Playa Blanca, Patricia, Stephany and a man whose name I've forgotten remembered our drink orders and were super friendly. The food at that restaurant was delicious and we made a point of eating lunch there for most of our 2 weeks. The staff at the buffet near Selvamar (the rooms) were hit and miss. Some were exceptional and got us our drinks. Others were never seen the whole dinner unless I approached them to get a glass of wine. You could serve yourself water, pop, juice, coffee and tea so it wasn't a big deal. The buffet is Covid careful, with the staff behind plexiglass and dishing up your food for you. The evening supervisor recognized us and she greeted us with a big smile (again, name forgotten.) We never went to the 'bar' so we have no opinion on it. The room was a regular room. It had wifi and a room safe. The mini fridge had a pitcher of water and that was it. At night you often could find a movie in English. The area in Costa Rica is so full of nature, the resort doesn't need much beyond clean facilities and friendly staff, which it has. There were all kinds of birds, lizards, monkeys, coatimundis and few insects. There is a butterfly shelter and a hydroponics garden. We found we could walk all the way to Playa Blanca and enjoy the life around us. The macaws, lovebirds, buzzards and toucans (to name a few) kept the skies alive. The green and red iguanas could be found on the ground and high up in trees. The monkeys and raccoons were entertainers. It is a fantastic area to enjoy nature. With all the rain and a few storms thrown in, the water clarity was not good for snorkeling. Apparently they are beginning to make an underwater museum with statues and coral friendly structures. Perhaps we'll return someday and be able to see them in clear water.

Barcelo San Jose: Not worth it

Not recommended Poor service Food was terrible Rooms were okay Location were okay The rest was not worth it for that much money they charge And i booked this hotel as fully package but they didn’t provide me lunch and dinner

Barcelo Tambor: Amazing Resort

-grounds were luscious and green, extremely clean in all areas, including public areas -beach was lengthly and very quiet, but needed water shoes at top to walk on rocks, then very sandy once in the water -buffet was very nice, fresh, and plenty of variety -only 2 a la carte restaurants, but both were very good quality and service, however having to stand in line every morning the day of reservation was very annoying -very surprised at the amount of locals permitted on the resort, and seeme [... read more]d to dominate the service, if you don’t speak Spanish, you were not paid any attention while the locals were present -the entertainment was not very engaging, as it only catered to local Spanish speaking audiences, no translation - the pool had to be closed on 3 occasions due to contamination due to rowdy locals(vomit) -stay was very relaxing, but not much to do unless went on excursions - great wildlife, iguanas, monkeys, macaws

Fiesta Resort: Fiesta All Inclusive Costa Rica

I found this resort to be not exactly as advertised. I stayed in the premium section which was better but the regular side of the resort did not have balconies on their rooms or hot water. The premium side was overrun with locals who come into the resort on weekends (even though the premium side is supposed to be exclusive). English is not very prevalent and broken English was spoken by MOST staff, staff are used to catering to locals who speak Spanish. Resort was mainly older couples and young  [... read more]families, not very good for a young adult like myself. Good for doing excursions due to its location, beach not good. Food was ok at best.

Barcelo Tambor: No do overs

This resort has gone down hill for international travellers. It caters to locals and therefore others are ignored. The grounds are beautiful but the and service was less than exceptable. The food was ok but the same thing different day

Barcelo Tambor: Wonderful lush gardens, full of animals

The hotel and setting, is amazing. The staff shows preferential treatment to those who speak fluent Spanish. Short staff for weekend vacationers. Transat customers were shortchanged on items that were promised, at booking, and ignored when asked about these items. Transit rep was only there 1 full and 2 half days, during our 11 day stay. We weren't advised about the time and distance to get to and from the resort. Very arduous journey.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Basic resort

This resort was extremely clean. Always had the same food every day,no variety. Tilapia fish only all week. Should have different fish ever day since you're on the ocean. The service is bad at the restaurant but rooms are kept extra clean They cater to their locals. Disappointed in this resort. Beach area is amazing to see the surfers! Great location but basic resort.

Barcelo San Jose: Great hotel

Everything met expectations. I was not happy about not being able to walk because of the highway. I was not expecting to be so isolated but that's on me for not doing more research. Resort was great but i would not pick that location again.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Great trip

This hotel is clean, great staff, quick service and fun all around. The beach has huge waves but the sunset is magnificent! Food is good but almost always the same. Mostly short term tourists. Access to town very easy and feels quite safe.

Barcelo Tambor: Beautiful resort Barcelo Tambor

The resort was beautiful, clean, amazing grounds. So much wildlife to see monkeys, birds beautiful red Mccaws,iguanas, most amazing sunrise.The pool was very nice. The travel to resort was much longer than was said because of road construction was disappointed cause our departure was so early for a later flight due to road closures... feel we missed out on a days vacation due to the travel of the resort when we were told 2hr drive not 4hrs. Beautiful resort Ceaser the bar tender and Nino from th [... read more]e buffet amazing customer service, always had smiles. The fact that it catered to locals would not return they would bud in line found very rude.

Barcelo Tambor: Holiday with up's and down's

After a long 4 hr drive to this resort as I was lead to believe that it was a 11/2 . Than our holiday was to begin the buffets were always fresh and interesting when returning to our rm the key didn't work and this happened for three days and on the fourth day we waited outside the rm sitting on the floor waiting to get in our rm it was 45 mins later when a worker showed up to let us in. Also when we booked our trip I didn't know that the costa rica christmas holiday was during our holiday as th [... read more]e resort was filled with many local people enjoying there last week of break with their children .I was amazed at how rude many of these people were to visitors in there country and the lack of respect to the proptery of the resort. On our last day check out day we had to leave the resort at 7 am as the road to the airport was under construction and was going to be closed for 2 hrs our flight wasn't until 4pm it was a long day waiting at a airport .

Best Western Jaco Beach: Beautiful resort

The grounds were nice and well maintained. The people were friendly. The restaurant was nice and the food was good but it was repetitive and eating similar food every day. The lunch menu at the bar was the same every day hot dog hamburger and fries or nacho chip with cheese. It would have been nice to have a different menu daily. The pool area was to hot with barely any shade area so we could not enjoy the pool any length of time without burning. The rooms were clean and comfortable. They had a  [... read more]hard time supplying clean towel for the beach. I went over 3 to 4 times before they had towels to give out after checking in. To exchange for clean beach towel it was the same it was a hit and miss to get an exchange.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Fantastic Resort

Top of the list was the wonderful service and friendly staff at this resort. Rooms were clean, food was great with lots of variety, security good and visible. Grounds and pool well kept. The beach was kept clean and safe. Any maintenance issued were addressed immediately (we had some AC problems). Only negative was live entertainment at the pool, one late afternoon, that was way too loud, could not talk to anyone, even inside our room. Complaints from visitors finally got it turned down. T [... read more]his only happened once in the 2 weeks we were there. The tour company connected to our booking, was also wonderful. An easy walk to downtown and many great shops and restaurants. Our Tripcentral booking agent was wonderful and helpful.

Barcelo Tambor: Too much travel time/not all inclusive

I have to say that the views and the country were spectacular! Our family enjoyed the scuba diving and beach lunch. However since we were not provided an itinerary we had no idea how long the travel would actually be, it was long! The way there not so bad as we stayed in SAN Jose the first night. But the way back was terrible! We timed it and it took 20 hours from the time we left the hotel until we arrived home! We had to wait in the San Jose airport for iver 5 hours because we were paired with [... read more] a group from Montreal who’s flight left earlier, if we would have known this we would have never done this! Not to mention, this is not a 7 day all in trip, because we had to pay for our food on the first day, which was fine we had expected this, but the last day also, we stopped at a cafe that we had to pay for then we had no choice but to sit in an airport all day and eat there. In future if you are to offer this trip, there needs to be a better explanation of what will transpire! We were not the only family who felt this way! We spoke to 2 other families who felt the same and I am hopeful they will also provide their feedback. We had used air transit in the past and plan on doing more travelling in the future but We may look at other travel agencies as we were quit disappointed. Also we had to change rooms since the first room we were in had a broken door, no lock and no working phone. We asked for an extra blanket and towel and it took them 4 hours and 3 times asking before they finally provided it to us.

Best Western Jaco Beach: Wonderful Resort

Clean grounds, spacious room, hard working staff who always had a smile for us, close to beach and town which is what we wanted. Food was plentiful and healthy, although more variety would be appreciated.