All inclusive in Costa Rica for family – Allegro Papagayo, Doubletree Puntarenas, Flamingo Bch?
February 5th, 2010 | 
Author: Family of 5 – Mom/Dad/3 boys (11,9,7). Want a beachfront all inclusive resort in Costa Rica for a week next June. Any thoughts/recommendations about Allegro Papagayo, Doubletree Puntarenas, Flamingo Beach Hotel, Barceló Langosta Beach, Barceló Tambor Beach? Never been to Costa Rica. Thanks.
Thanks for the answers, I appreciate all your input. Family of 5 – Mom/Dad/3 boys (11,9,7). Want a beachfront all inclusive resort in Costa Rica for a week next June. Any thoughts/recommendations about Allegro Papagayo, Doubletree Puntarenas, Flamingo Beach Hotel, Barceló Langosta Beach, Barceló Tambor Beach? Never been to Costa Rica. The bottom line is…I want easy and quick access to the beach and I don’t want to worry about cooking or figuring out where to eat. We are looking to be taken care of with a nice/clean room, but not pay an arm and a leg for it (like the Four Seasons).
I have been to the Doubletree resort in Puntarenas and I was disappointed. The only Hilton thing I found there is the name. The food was disappointing. I expected a greater variety, especially fruit since Costa Rica has so much fruit available. The rooms were average, not 5 star at all, and the bathrooms had no tub. The beach was very nice, with beautiful dark sand.
I have also visited the Barcelo Tambor Beach resort, and that’s the place to go. It is a bit more expensive than the Doubletree, but it is definitely worth it. The bathrooms are spacious and include a tub. The rooms are large and the beds more what you would expect from a 5 start resort. And the food was heavenly! You could have anything and everything you could ask for. It was all set out for your enjoyment, with lots of fruit and tropical drinks. I don’t know if this applies for non residents, but I called before I went to the Doubletree. It was completely booked. Anyway, they said that if you book more than a month in advance, you get 10% off. When you consider a family of 5, that’s quite a savings if it applies to foreign tourists. I have not tried the other resorts that you mentioned, but I am sure you will not go wrong if you choose Barcelo, either Tambor or Langosta Beach. By the way, I have heard that the one on Langosta Beach is even nicer than the one in Tambor. I might go there for my wedding anniversary and check it out.
If you need more information about Costa Rica, try the TicosLand.com website.
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Posted in costa rica all inclusive
I have been to Puntarenas, it is trashy, dirty, old. I would not recommend it at all.
Try the Southern Carribean coast just above the Panama border, very nice and a lot like Hawaii was 50 years ago. The beaches are nearly vacant, the water fantastic, the hotels small and quaint, very few tourists, and the prices much lower than the Pacific coast. This area is popular with European tourists.
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Both the Doubletree and the Tambor resorts are nice, but the surrounding areas are less so. I would go to Papagayo or Flamingo based on the areas around the resorts but I do not have personal experience with either resort.
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2-3 trips a year to Costa Rica since 1997
I recommend Punta Leona, very beautiful
Puntarenas beaches are high tide so the water is more "sandy" than clear.
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I have been to the Doubletree resort in Puntarenas and I was disappointed. The only Hilton thing I found there is the name. The food was disappointing. I expected a greater variety, especially fruit since Costa Rica has so much fruit available. The rooms were average, not 5 star at all, and the bathrooms had no tub. The beach was very nice, with beautiful dark sand.
I have also visited the Barcelo Tambor Beach resort, and that’s the place to go. It is a bit more expensive than the Doubletree, but it is definitely worth it. The bathrooms are spacious and include a tub. The rooms are large and the beds more what you would expect from a 5 start resort. And the food was heavenly! You could have anything and everything you could ask for. It was all set out for your enjoyment, with lots of fruit and tropical drinks. I don’t know if this applies for non residents, but I called before I went to the Doubletree. It was completely booked. Anyway, they said that if you book more than a month in advance, you get 10% off. When you consider a family of 5, that’s quite a savings if it applies to foreign tourists. I have not tried the other resorts that you mentioned, but I am sure you will not go wrong if you choose Barcelo, either Tambor or Langosta Beach. By the way, I have heard that the one on Langosta Beach is even nicer than the one in Tambor. I might go there for my wedding anniversary and check it out.
If you need more information about Costa Rica, try the TicosLand.com website.
References :
http://www.ticosland.com/
I’ve been to Allegro Papagayo – it was beautiful as an all-inclusive resort, if that’s what you have your heart set on. The pools were beautiful, and the lagoon was shallow, warm and calm. Be sure to take a boat trip out into the ocean – watch for dolphins and turtles. I don’t remember the food at the resort being particularly stunning, but that’s Costa Rica for you.
Even if the others didn’t have personal (and negative) experience on Doubletree Puntarenas, why would you want to stay at an American chain hotel on a foreign vacation? Go ahead and branch out a little.
Sounds wonderful – good luck.
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