Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota - Retired in Costa Rica

With so many really good hotels and lodges in Costa Rica, it is difficult to have just one favorite, but this one is certainly one of my all time favorites and would be in my top 3 or 4 of all hotels! It is a cloud forest or mountain lodge which makes it different from the many rainforest lodges I love. I include only a few other cloud forest lodges in my reviews and they all have some good features, but this one is the best of all cloud forest hotels I’ve visited!

Read more about it on their Hotel Savegre WEBSITE. But nothing beats experience and I will try to share mine here and hope you create yours. My first visit was in 2009 on a birding tour from the states and they were just a small mountain lodge then, and one of only a few in San Gerardo de Dota (they were the first one!) but already known by birders as the best place to get Quetzal photos and with the best guides and services. After my move to CR I tried two other places in San Gerardo de Dota before making this my hotel for that mountain area! One was Trogon Lodge which I would label second best to Savegre (in my experience) and then with the Birding Club I stayed in Mariam’s Cabiñas (she now calls Quetzal Cabiñas) which is cheaper and simpler for some birds, but you will need a guide to find the Quetzals somewhere else beyond her place. I will do reviews of both of the other two places.

Would I Return to this Lodge?

Yes!

Likes

You are surrounded by the Cloud Forest at all times, and yet
They provide modern, comfortable rooms and
The best food of all in San Gerardo de Dota (that I have tried).
Excellent guides who will always take you to where the quetzals are.
Excellent trails & gardens to find your birds or whatever looking for. I might add that these are some of the best gardens I’ve found in Costa Rica with a large variety of flowers.

Dislikes

Nothing that I can remember.

Nature & Other Activities

See my “Likes” above – You find nature everywhere the moment you step out of the door of your room.
Packed gardens around the buildings and then old-growth forest just steps away. Multiple trails going further up the mountain than I was able.
Tours (linked to their tours page) include multiple types of birding from before breakfast to any time of the day and a Quetzal tour early morning. Plus trekking, running, and photography tours! All with knowledgeable guides! Plus horseback riding in their own private forest reserve and some special seasonal tours.
They have a special Feathers Garden with bird feeders that sometimes attracts birds not otherwise seen and they are a short walk from the nearby Batsu Gardens, also with feeders and sometimes different species of birds.
They provide jeep rides up the mountain to their Savegre Vista platform and the nearby Pioneers Trail.
They have a beautiful full-service Spa with anything you could possibly want, located alongside the peaceful, babbling Savegre River.

Rooms & Food

Are both as good or better than you would find at any other lodge in Costa Rica. And Wifi in the rooms! 🙂
There is a bar and snacks restaurant along the the large restaurant with just about any kind of food you might want.

Getting there

From Atenas you can drive the 127 km in about 3 1/2 hours or
Hire a driver or shuttle van. I use Walter’s Tours & Taxis in Atenas.
There is no direct bus connection from San José to San Gerardo de Dota. However, you can take the bus to Los Santos then take the taxi to San Gerardo de Dota. Alternatively, you can take the train to Cartago then take the taxi to San Gerardo de Dota.