www.CostaRicaTicas.com

have heard/read a lot of good things about the barcelo tambor all inclusive resort. can anyone help me out with how the transportation works getting there? can i fly in directly and avoid ferries and long drives on roads full of potholes? it is hard to get a direct answer from the resort. thanks

You could fly Sansa or Nature Air out of San Jose (or Liberia) to Tambor, which would save a lot of driving time and spare you a lot of potholes.

perfect, so there IS a direct flight into tambor and i am what, like a half hour away from barcelo resort?

The airport in tambor is almost right next to the barcelo resort.

Very nice all inclusive--if you bring a tica, you'll get a discount with her cedula so let her check in. Better bring one because you not going to find any action there unless by pure luck. Mostly European and Canadian tour groups when I was there, not that that is bad, but to give you some idea.
Accomodations were very nice, but loud howler monkeys every dawn however.
Beach is wide and long but flat--no surf--more like a lake--and sand is of the chocolate variety. Not much to do other than their entertainment, food and drink above average but after a while you feel foolish getting tthere at the designated meal times and waiting in line like at a busy buffet. There's a couple of small beach towns nearby but you are going to be fairly isolated--with the right company, that might be perfect. Airstrip is very close.

thank you gentlemen. i am taking a girl with me that i have known for a while, its her birthday. am i making a good choice with this resort and is the ocean clean enough to swim in?

The water in the bay picks up that chocolate sand so it's pretty cloudy inshore. Also the locals say the bay is habitat for the little rays that can sting the crap out of ya if you step on them. They say shuffle your feet when you walk in the water as you reallty can't see the bottom.

A nice walk on the beach towards town, first thing you come to is the Tambor Tropical. It is a very nice hotel with a cool outdoor bar and good eats. The weather is going to be very hot, but there is almost always a breeze. A couple of days is usually enough for me.

outstanding info guys... really thanks a lot. i was considering staying longer but if its that hot, you can't swim without fear of stingrays and you need to stand in a buffet line??? a couple of days should be fine.