melissa mansfield review 26 Sep 2008
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beauty and serenity of the surroundings. It was amazing waking up to the sounds of howler monkeys in the pre-dawn hours! And hiking through the jungle, playing in tidepools, watching the toucans call back and forth to each other .... so beautiful!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Spend some time figuring out your flights in and out of San Jose to coincide well with the air and boat schedules to the Osa to minimize boring waiting around time. Stock up on some snacks for the SJ airport (unbelievable rip off prices - I paid $9 for a salad!) and for just snacking during your stay or hikes. (Although the accommodation was wonderful about packing meals and snacks for us when we were going on longer hikes.)
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
It definitely was a very eco-friendly hotel and they employed about 20 local employees, and seemed to treat them very well.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Wonderful! Gorgeous surroundings, beautiful and comfortable accommodations, and an amazing, helpful staff made this a honeymoon to cherish and remember!
Christopher Ewers review 19 Jun 2007
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We chose this lodge as a place to wind down at the end of a hectic three-week trip to Costa Rica and were not disappointed. It is a beautiful, laid-back place, and the food and service was easily the best we enjoyed during our trip. The restaurant is on a terrace raised close to tree level by wooden poles and is remarkably free from insects, although dining at night is always punctuated by the odd surprise arrival from the surrounding jungle. The amount of wildlife is amazing. We saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, a baby sloth, poison dart frogs and a roadguarder snake, while the various sofas and spots to laze about on the terrace were great for bird-watching, with scarlet macaws and toucans easy to spot. Of the various trips you can make, we loved the sunset kayaking tour to Golfo Dulce, which included a trip to see a cayman in a creek and an unscheduled stop at the
local carnival.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Try to avoid driving as the road to the lodge is horrendous. Don't even think about driving if you haven't got a 4x4. There are a number of self-guided tours but always take a guided tour if you can.
The lodge's resident guide is brilliant and will get you enthusing over click-beetles and wandering palms in no time. We stayed in one of the new apartments by the pool, which was perfect for us, but for more privacy and a more authentic jungle feel the outlying huts might be a better option.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The lodge is very environmentally conscious and most of the optional trips, such as the kayaking and the horse riding, seem to have been arranged through local people.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We loved the lodge. The staff and management could not have been friendlier or more helpful and everything is superbly organised, even down to tide times to let you know when the best moment to visit the beach is.
