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Posted By Administrator on 7/18/2008 12:02:12 PM
This is a great hotel that is great value for money. In my opinion their best rooms are either their Tiki Suites or their Standard beach front rooms which are right on the ocean.
The hotel is the closest hotel to the beach in all of Costa Rica and if you can get a Tiki Suite or a Standard Beach front room you can fall asleep to the sound of the ocean.
The beach at the Tango mar is beautiful and offers a pristine golden sand beach. The food at the restaurant is good and the service is friendly.
This is a great hotel for all types, from honeymoons to families. Be sure to visit the waterfall up the beach and also Tortugua Island.
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| Posted By Claire on 12/16/2008 8:11:07 AM
I had the opportunity to stay at hotel Tango Mar Beach Resort over the weekend - it was my first time there and I found it to be a very pleasant stay. The hotel has nice grounds, it's located right in front of a "private" beach that can be accessed by the hotel main entrance. However, there are like 4-5 other private houses on the same beach that I assume have their own entrance through secondary roads. I stayed in a beach front unit which offers a great view of the ocean. The unit had 2 queen size beds, TV, A/C, mini bar, and bathroom with hot water (no tub). Irons and hair dryers are available at the front desk. They usually welcome clients by decoring the beds with rose petals on the covers, and they also spread petals all over the lavatory and the shower. There are three small swimming pools - one for kids, and the other two for young people and adults. There are two restaurants, one serves breakfasts and dinners, the other one is for lunch only. Breakfast is included in the room rate, and there are several options (American, Typical, Continental, etc.) You can get lunch for approximately $30 per person and a dinner for approx. $40 not including drinks, so I found it a bit expensive. The hotel is perfect for couples or friends looking for a secluded beach or simply to relax in a nice resort. I would say that it's not ideal for families with young kids as the children will probably get bored - at least the hotel was not full over the weekend, and the few people I saw there were older couples. I would also recommend to have a car rental for those visiting; otherwise, you would need to get a taxi if you want to visit other beaches in the area such as Montezuma and / or Malpais, or simply if you want to go and have lunch and dinner somewhere else. How to get there We drove from San Jose to Puntarenas - the drive is only about 2 hours. However, when we got to the dock to take the Ferry - the one to Paquera - there was already a long line of cars waiting to get on the 11 a.m. boat. We were lucky to be able to get on that one; but many people had to wait until the next departure at 1 p.m. I spoke to a man who told me that he had arrived there at 4:30 a.m., and could not get on the 8 a.m. ferry as it was full already! So the long wait could become a nightmare if you don't plan on this ahead of time! The ferry takes about one hour to get from Puntarenas to Paquera. Once you are on the other side, there is a 45 minute drive to Tango Mar. You will pass the small locations of Pochote and Tambor, and then, you will see the signs that will take you to Tango Mar. The first portion of the trip is on a paved road, and the last mile on a gravel road that is fine. I would recommend to fly there instead to avoid the long drive. Driving could be adventurous, scenic and nice, but also challenging sometimes especially if you would ned to wait for several hours to get space in the ferry!
The hotel offers a variety of tours - booked and operated by them - but I personally think that people can get bored if they were expecting to go to a beach that offers nighlife or if they wanted to plan on their own activities and do not have a car. So, for those visitors that do not have a car rental, they will have to book local transfers / taxis with the hotel and the rides could be expensive. Going from there to Montezuma, for example, could take approximately 40 minutes driving, or from there to another nearby beach, approximately 20 minutes. Basically, if you are going there without a car rental, it would be better to book all activities through the hotel, and be aware that you would probably need to have all meals at the hotel, too. Since I had my car, we drove to Montezuma. Definitely the area is not for everyone: it's full of young people, usually backpackers, who go and stay in the area in cheap hostels - I saw houses that rented rooms for $10 a night! There are several international restaurants, only three of which accept credit cards, and a handful of tour agencies, one internet cafe, and three or four small stores. The place is very cute and artsy, but too small to spend more than a day or two... There are two main hotels in the area - Luz de Mono and Ylang Ylang. The roads there are not paved, and if you are driving an automobile, you will need to drive very carefully as the roads are in very bad condition. I did not dare to drive all the way to Malpais, so we simply parked the car there, and walked to the main beach which, by the way, is really nice. It's easy to find lots of young people there camping on the beach, making bonfires and smoking pot - it looks like this is very common in the area.
| Being beach front and the service, great food
| Too secluded for us
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| Posted By Katie on 5/29/2009 1:15:23 PM
Tucked away amidst a 150-acre private beachfront reserve is Tango Mar Beach, Golf, & Spa Resort. Located near the town of Tambor, Tango Mar is an excellent choice for those wanting to experience a secluded, beachfront tropical paradise. The things I found most unique about this hotel compared to others in Costa Rica were 1) its location, 2) its privacy, and 3) its vast array of activities available on-site.
First, location: rarely does one find a hotel RIGHT on the beach in Costa Rica, but this one is. You can literally hear the ocean morning, noon, and night from your Standard Beachfront room, and as you enjoy a tasty breakfast or dinner. The pool also overlooks the beach and ocean, which is a fantastic and relaxing backdrop as you soak in some sun, read a book, or take a leisurely lunch at the pool bar restaurant. While the beach is not a white-sand beach, it’s very conducive to walking as the beach stretches down the coastline in both directions. (Watch the waves though; I probably wouldn’t recommend this as a swimming beach due to the size of the waves when I was there.)
The only slight downside I found to the location of the hotel was ease in getting there…although if travelers are informed about this, they can make a transportation choice that’s right for them. The recommended way to arrive at Tango Mar is by Sansa or Nature Air flight to the Tambor airstrip. Once landing, you are only a 15 – 20 minute ride from Tango Mar, and the hotel provides transportation to and from the airstrip for a small per person charge. However, some travelers find the 25 lb. baggage weight limit to be an issue on these flights. In that case, you will need to take a ground transfer (or rent a car) and drive to Puntarenas (approx. 2 hours from San Jose Airport), at which point you can take the ferry to Paquera, and then drive a short 40 minutes to Tango Mar. (Be aware – the ferry has set departure times and is often full, so getting there early to wait in line is important! Otherwise you could experience anywhere from a 1 – 3 hour wait for the next ferry departure.) Again though, as long as you are informed about these transportation options and plan in advance, you’ll be fine and won’t experience any unnecessary delays.
Second, the privacy of this hotel is perfect for those seeking a relaxing or romantic getaway, as well as for families that want to spend quality time together while also having many amenities and activities at their fingertips (more to come on that later). There aren’t any other hotels on the same property, and your interactions will be with the staff and the other guests at the hotel. However, if you want to keep to yourself, that’s easily possible! I personally found the tranquility and privacy very relaxing, as that was what I was seeking from my visit there. It would be very easy to spend 2 – 4 days enjoying the peacefulness, unless you are a traveler that prefers to be “on the go” at every moment. The privacy is also excellent for groups looking to do a retreat (an experienced yoga instructor is available), a company outing (4 villas as well as a conference center would facilitate this), or perhaps a family reunion.
Finally, the other feature that sets this apart hotel from others in Costa Rica, is the vast array of amenities and activities available on-site at the resort. The 150-acre reserve is free to guests to explore and hike, and a waterfall and “mirador” (look out point) are perfect, short hikes that are do-able for any age of traveler. In addition to hiking, the resort has its own 9-hole executive golf course (which, according to my husband, is quite challenging based on his loss of 10 balls!). Carts, clubs, and any other equipment you need can be rented on-site. If you’re not a golfer, tennis courts and the resort’s private stables are available to you. The horseback rides go in the rain forest and also along the beach to nearby Montezuma, a popular and eclectic Costa Rican beach town.
If you prefer to relax, private yoga lessons can be arranged, as well as appointments at Tango Mar’s full-service spa. Offering everything from hair treatments to manicures / pedicures to massages and healing treatments, this is a very extensive and professional spa compared to others I have seen in the country. All of this is directly on-site at the resort…if you do want to venture off site to see other nearby sites or attractions, you can arrange those directly through the hotel’s reception desk. Popular tours in the area are trips to Montezuma, canopy tours, snorkeling day-trips to Tortuga Island, and guided hikes of Curu National Reserve.
One final item to be noted was the excellent hospitality and friendliness of the staff and hotel management. Owner Hilde Cloet is very involved in the day-to-day operations of the hotel, with amazing attention to detail. She greets guests each morning at breakfast and dinner, and makes you feel right at home. I am quite sure that one of the reasons the hotel is so fantastic is due to her leadership, warmth, and eye to detail. Every staff person we encountered was more than willing to help us, answer questions, and go “above and beyond” to make us feel comfortable. Overall, my experience at Tango Mar was truly what the hotel markets itself to be – a tropical paradise surrounded by nature and an “oasis of comfort”. The location, privacy, amenities, and ambiance of this beautiful resort should not be missed during your Costa Rican vacation.
| Privacy, variety of activities available, location (beachfront), customer service
| Nothing really, although getting to it can be a bit more complicated than other hotels in the country. If you are informed about this and plan in advance, should not be an issue.
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