As a lover of travel, it amazes me how many people have moved here from the States or other countries and just focused on getting a house and settling down in one place, not exploring this exciting natural world of adventures called Costa Rica! My first 5 or 6 years I traveled somewhere (usually new places) nearly every month! Since 2021 and my cancer surgery and radiation therapy, I have had to decrease my travel, but it is still my favorite activity/hobby in Costa Rica coupled with my love of nature and nature photography which for 10 years has been mostly what my blog is all about. I usually blog about a trip daily during the trip and continue sharing photos for the next week or two afterwards. So my most up-to-date reviews of various lodges and hotels will always be my blog. But friends have asked for this hotels review, so here goes!
Disclaimers & Explanations
- Birding was my main focus the first 6 years or so, thus birding lodges and national parks and reserves known for birding make up the majority of my reviews.
- And Nature is still my focus on all trips except the ones to San Jose. Butterflies have become a new focus equal to birds for me now but I also love waterfalls and literally all of nature but try to include birds or butterflies on all trips.
- I choose where I can best photograph nature and not by the price or type of rooms or food. Thus there are a few very expensive hotels on this list and they are the ones I have to spend fewer nights in, 🙂 but I find most are worth it for the nature experiences there. The two most expensive are El Silencio Lodge in Bajo del Toro and Xandari Resort in Alajuela. Hint: They both cut their prices greatly during the rainy season, about half! I am poorer than probably most retirees living here, so I have to be careful. But I’m also at the end of my life and leaving an inheritance is not one of my goals! 🙂 And if I consider it worth the price, I’ll pay it! 🙂
I’ve decided to arrange the hotels & lodges by 5 parts of the country or regions that I’ve come up with (not official regions) as indicated in the menu below. For people in Atenas, “Alajuela Province” and the “Pacific Slope” are the two closest areas to us. They are not in order of preference but with more recently visited on top of each list. The number in parenthesis (3) is how many times I’ve been to that hotel or lodge.
MENU
- Alajuela Province or North-Central Costa Rica
- Maquenque Eco Lodge & Reserve, Boca Tapada
- Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails, Arenal Volcano National Park, La Fortuna, Alajuela
- El Silencio Lodge, Bajos del Toro, Alajuela
- Xandari Resort, Alajuela, Alajuela
- Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, San Ramon Canton, Alajuela
- Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve, San Ramon, Alajuela
- Celeste Mountain Lodge, Tenorio Volcano NP, Alajuela & Guanacaste
- Arenal Manoa Hotel, La Fortuna, Alajuela
- The Caribbean Slope or Eastern Costa Rica
- Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón
- Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero NP, Limón
- Guayabo Lodge, Guayabo Nat. Monument, Turrialba, Cartago
- Tapirus Lodge, Braulio Carrillo NP, Limón
- Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Heredia Province
- Turtle Beach Lodge, Tortuguero NP, Limón
- Chalet Orosi B&B, Orosi & Tapanti NP, Cartago
- Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Cartago
- Almonds & Corals Tent Hotel, Manzanillo, Limón
- Laguna Lodge, Tortuguero NP, Limón (2)
- Bribri Yorkin Indigenous Reserve, Limón
- Cariblue Beach & Jungle Resort, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón
- The Pacific Slope or Western Costa Rica (excluding Guanacaste)
- Villa Lapas at Tarcoles & Carara NP, Puntarenas
- Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose Province
- Macaw Lodge on hill behind Carara NP, San Jose Province
- Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Piedras Blancas NP, Golfito, Puntarenas
- Playa Cativo Lodge, Golfo Dulce & Piedras Blancas NP, Golfito, Puntarenas
- Hotel Cristal Ballena, Uvita, Puntarenas
- Bosque del Cabo Lodge, Osa Peninsula, Puerto Jiménez, Puntarenas
- Villa Caletas, Jaco, Puntarenas
- Monteverde Lodge & Gardens, Monteverde, Puntarenas
- Punta Leona Hotel, Jaco, Puntarenas
- Si Como No Resort, Manuel Antonio NP, Puntarenas
- Danta Corcovado Lodge, Los Patos Ranger Station, Corcovado NP, Puntarenas
- Tambor Tropical Resort, Tambor Bay, Puntarenas
- Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay, Corcovado NP, Puntarenas
- Cerro Lodge, Tarcoles, Puntarenas
- Los Campesinos Eco-Lodge, on mountain east of Quepos, Puntarenas
- Mariam’s Quetzale Cabinas, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose
- Rio Chirripó Lodge, Chirripó NP & Cloudbridge Reserve, San Jose
- Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose
- Villas Rio Mar, Dominical, Puntarenas
- North Beach Hotel, Jaco, Puntarenas
- Lookout Inn, Carate & Corcovado NP, Puntarenas
- Luna Lodge, Carate & Corcovado NP, Puntarenas
- Guanacaste
- Hacienda Guachipelín, Rincón de la Vieja, Liberia, Guanacaste
- Rancho Humo, Palo Verde NP, Nicoya, Guanacaste
- A Flamingo Beach Hotel, Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste
- JW Marriott Beach Resort, Guanacaste
- San Jose City
- Holiday Inn Morazán Park, San Jose, San Jose
- Adventure Inn, San Jose, San Jose
- Hotel Autentico, San Jose, San Jose
- Hotel Barcelona Palacio, San Jose, San Jose
- Panama
- Tranquilo Bay Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
- Nicaragua
- Hotel El Convento, Leon, Nicaragua
- Hotel Real La Merced, Granada, Nicaragua
- Montibelli Lodge & Reserve, Ticuantepe, Nicaragua
- Reserva El Jaguar Lodge, Jinotega, Nicaragua
Happy Travels! — ¡Buen Viaje!