We stayed at the Barceló Montelimar for 8 days and had an alright time. The resort offeres great landscape, multiple pools, private beach, hammocks, drinks, casino (horrible), buffet style food (not too bad) and an opportunity to dine at a restaurant (good) for an extra charge. They also rent ATV’s ($35 per hr) and some group excursions ($65 per person) that you should look into a.s.a.p. The resort “bars” close at dark so there is not much night life.

The resort staff was very friendly but didn’t speak much English. Most of the guests were older than us (we are 30) and spoke French/Spanish. There were not too many Americans.

The resort can get pretty boring after a few days so we had the front desk call us a bike-taxi to take us into town. We requested Louis, bike #20, to show us around town. He introduced us to his family & friends, showed us his house and assisted us w/renting a boat. The life style in Nicaragua is very different (poor) but the people were very friendly.

We stumbled upon a Canadian, Luc, who owned a B&B, Casa Larocque, near the beach. He was a great host and had good food. We wished we would have stayed at his place for a few nights.

For a true Nicaraguan experience I would recommend skipping the Montelimar and staying a few nights at the Casa Larocque. We would have also liked to travel to Leon and San Juan Del Sur and stayed a few nights at a local B&B.

We used the taxi cabs w/red plates and didn’t have any safety concerns. I would recommend bringing a Spanish/English book and/or download a translator app on your phone that you don’t need a Wi-Fi connection to access. We knew very little Spanish but still managed to have a good time.

The beach, pool and grounds are beautiful. The entertainment is quite a distance from the bungalows. There is a shuttle service but it was sporadic at night, we waited for over 30 minutes one evening and just gave up. Entertainment announcements are pictures, changed daily, at the main dining area and the pool. There is no description of the entertainment and nothing in the rooms or on the resort's tv station. The food was good and the staff were very nice although few spoke English. (Few guests spoke English) After several days exploring Nicaragua the resort was a welcome place to relax and finally get hot showers! We did have to wait for towels, as well as a working clock and hair dryer, but Nicaraguans throughout our trip were slow but sure and very, very kind. There is not much to do after dark, and it gets very dark, the bar at the pool is the only one open after 7pm unless you can get transportation to the casino and entertainment. We would stay here again.

The trees, plants and flours in the resort are wonderful. The resort has one of the most awesome beaches we have seen in Nicaragua, a lot better than San Juan del Sur. The resort is not cheap, but that is not what you expect from such a higher class all inclusive resort. If you can afford to spend a few days there, please do. We really enjoyed it.

The rooms in the main building were very pleasant, with great views. The cabanas also looked OK, but a bit older and darker inside. The front desk was helpful and friendly. Food was good, particularly breakfast and lunch (dinner a bit less so, but difficult to pinpoint why) - and quite varied for an all-in place. The place was pretty full and busy, particularly on Sunday, when there were long queues for residents to get a seat at lunchtime (possibly because of day-trippers who had paid to come in for the day).
A downside was the pool area. The pool itself is excellent (very big), but the surrounding poolside area and the poolside bar/restaurant get dirty (spilled food and drinks) and do not seem to be regularly cleaned.
A small point: it’s a pity the lobby bar closes so early (7:00PM).
The overall impression is of a hotel that is a bit old and dated and that could do with some renovation. But, a very pleasant stay nonetheless.