Hotel & Lodge Reviews – Costa Rica

As a lover of travel, I spent my first 5 or 6 years here traveling somewhere different nearly every month! Since the 2021 Covid and my cancer surgery & radiation therapy, It’s been less often, but you can still see that travel and nature photography are my passion and what is in most of my blog posts. You can subscribe to an emailed version of the blog. But friends have asked for these hotel reviews, so here goes! Just remember, “A photo is worth a thousand words!” 🙂 Yeah, that’s right, more photos than words! 🙂 And oh yes, the featur photo above was made from my favorite room at Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, “The Howler Suite,” looking over their gardens to the beach and the surf that puts me to sleep at night. 🙂

Disclaimers & Explanations

  • Birding was my main focus the first 6 years or so and that shows. But Nature (in general) is still my focus on all trips, except to San Jose city.
  • I choose PLACES WHERE I CAN BEST PHOTOGRAPH NATURE and
    • NOT for the price, thus some expensive & some cheap here. Because price is important to many I’m putting a star (*) by those with nothing less than $200 USD per night. (*The more expensive ones.)
    • NOT for the room quality or food (though more important as I age). 🙂
    • NOT for the beaches! Where I prefer to walk than swim or water sports.
    • NOT activities like zip-lining, float trips, biking, etc. Just nature!
  • The hotels & lodges are in my own devised 5 divisions of the country.
  • They are NOT in order of preference but with more recently visited on top of each list. And as I revisit one, it will go to the top of list.
  • Number in parenthesis (3) is how many times I’ve visited that hotel. And right after that I’m now adding the year (like 2018) of my most recent visit there which let you know how fresh my opinions are. 🙂
  • The area or region page has only a brief summary and a link to each hotel in only that area, so you can easily work from this page.

My Outline for Each Review

  • Would I go there again?
  • Likes & Dislikes
  • Nature & Other Activities – including those I didn’t do.
  • My Room & Food Evaluation
  • Getting There
  • Links to My Trip Gallery(ies) and Photo Book(s) if done with free reviews of each book.
  • I use lots of photos in each review! Each = 1,000 words! 🙂

*Star or Asterisk means it can cost more than $200 USD per night, with most places having high & low season prices that are different, always less expensive May to October during the Rainy Season. Check their websites for prices which are usually lower than these many hotel booking sites. And go to expensive one during low season! 🙂

MENU

  • ALAJUELA PROVINCE or North-Central Costa Rica
  • The CARIBBEAN SLOPE or Eastern Costa Rica
  • The PACIFIC SLOPE or Western Costa Rica (Guanacaste is separate)
    • Villa Lapas at Tarcoles & Carara NP, Puntarenas (2) 2024
    • Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose Province (3) 2023
    • Macaw Lodge on hill behind Carara NP, San Jose Province (2) 2023
    • Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Piedras Blancas NP, Golfito, Puntarenas (2) 2023 – Nightly price includes 3 meals and still less than $200! Another favorite, ranking with Maquenque & Arenal Observatory. Small! Cheap!
    • * Playa Cativo Lodge, Golfo Dulce & Piedras Blancas NP, Golfito, Puntarenas (1) 2022
    • Hotel Cristal Ballena, Uvita, Puntarenas (2) 2021
    • * Bosque del Cabo Lodge, Osa Peninsula, Puerto Jiménez, Puntarenas (1) 2021 – Price includes all 3 meals thus over $200. Super good!
    • * Villa Caletas, Jaco, Puntarenas (1) 2019 – Best sunset views in Costa Rica!
    • * Monteverde Lodge & Gardens, Monteverde, Puntarenas (1) 2019
    • Punta Leona Hotel, Jaco, Puntarenas (1) 2019 – The best close to Atenas Beach Hotel! In my opinion.
    • * Si Como No Resort, Manuel Antonio NP, Puntarenas (1) 2018
    • Danta Corcovado Lodge, Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado NP, Puntarenas (1) Nightly price includes 3 meals. Best for Corcovado. Cheap.
    • * Tambor Tropical Resort, Tambor Bay, Puntarenas (1) Wonderful!
    • * Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay, Corcovado NP, Puntarenas (1) – Price includes 3 meals. Wonderful!
    • Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Puntarenas (1) – Cheap birding hotel for Carara NP & Rio Tarcoles.
    • Los Campesinos Eco-Lodge, on mountain east of Quepos, Puntarenas (1) All meals included. Cheap mountain lodge.
    • Mariam’s Quetzals Cabins, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose (1) Cheapest I’ve been to in San Gerardo de Dota.
    • Rio Chirripó Lodge & Retreat, Chirripó NP & Cloudbridge Reserve, San Jose Province near San Isidro de General (1) Really nice!
    • Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose (1) My 2nd choice for San Gerardo de Dota after Savegre.
    • Verde Mar Hotel, Manuel Antonio NP (no longer there) a cheap motel that I wouldn’t recommend anyway.
    • Villas Rio Mar, Dominical, Puntarenas (1) Good, basic, on the river near beaches.
    • North Beach Hotel, Jaco, Puntarenas (1)
    • Lookout Inn, Carate & Corcovado NP, Puntarenas (1) Lookout has another name now.
    • * Luna Lodge, Carate & Corcovado NP, Puntarenas (1) All meals included. I recommend this for getting far away from anything!
  • GUANACASTE
    • Hacienda Guachipelín, Rincón de la Vieja, Liberia, Guanacaste (1) 2019
    • * Rancho Humo, Palo Verde NP, Nicoya, Guanacaste (1) 2018 – No longer a hotel but a day tour location for birding. One of my all-time favorites!
    • A Flamingo Beach Hotel, Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste (1)
    • JW Marriott Beach Resort, Guanacaste (1) 2010 with Caravan Tour. There are now more than one of these “all inclusive” Marriott Beach Resorts in Guanacaste. Expensive, but they literally have everything.
  • SAN JOSE City
    • Holiday Inn San Jose La Sabana (Irazu Plaza) 7 weeks in 2021 for radiation treatments. It was a Best Western then.
    • DoubleTree Cariari San Jose, as my pickup spot for the van to Turtle Beach Lodge in Tortuguero. Just another hotel to me.
    • Holiday Inn Morazán Park, San Jose, San Jose (2) 2017 & 2010 On my personal tour of city & earlier on Caravan Tour. Very good experience.
    • Adventure Inn, San Jose, San Jose, (1) 2016 on the healthcare tour.
    • Hotel Autentico, San Jose, San Jose (1) 2014
    • Hotel Barcelona Palacio, San Jose, San Jose, (1) 2010 with Caravan Tour. Very nice!
  • PANAMA
    • Tranquilo Bay Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama (1) Super good!
    • Radisson Summit Rainforest Resort near the Panama Canal (1)
    • Gamboa Tropical Resort, Gamboa, Panama (1) (Caravan Tour)
    • Other Hotels & a Beach Resort, Panama, on the Caravan Tour
  • NICARAGUA
    • Hotel El Convento, Leon, Nicaragua (1)
    • Hotel Real La Merced, Granada, Nicaragua (1)
    • Montibelli Lodge & Reserve, Ticuantepe, Nicaragua (1) Birding lodge
    • Reserva El Jaguar Lodge, Jinotega, Nicaragua (1) Birding lodge

* An asterisk in front of a lodge name indicates that it costs more than $200 USD per night.

For similar kinds of travel sort of nearby, see my travel pages on Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama & Brazil.

Happy Travels! — ¡Buen Viaje!

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