Hotel El Encanto — Hotel in Cahuita

Mixed feelings about this property. Upon arrival, we were met with a reserved and aloof receptionist who would not give me a key to the room unless I provided my passport number which was in the car. Ok, it’s really hot, we’ve been driving all day, the gates locked so it’s not like we would run away- she decided she could bend this rule. The cottages were perfect, great bathrooms, air conditioning, fans, comfortable beds but with awful pillows. The grounds were also perfect and beautiful with two small | swimming pools. What needs improvement is their customer service. They made a mistake with the number of beds in our room. Instead of comping us or apologizing, they had us wait not explaining what they are going to do and ask for an extra fee for the additional bed in the room. Not sure why that requires an extra fee. We were never given complimentary drinks as per their cards in the room, nor were we given two for one drinks during happy hour. I asked on two occasions before booking if the restaurant provides vegan breakfast and if they have vegan choices for dinner. The breakfast was by far the worst breakfast we had in Costa Rica. I was offered dry stale bread with thin slices of avocado and two slices of tomato. When asked if I could have rice and beans, I was given a strict NO without explanation. No rice and beans like all the other hotels. The fruit was delicious. We had dinner once there on our first night and the bean burger was soft and not tasty along with the other dishes so we decided not to eat there again. If visiting this area again, I would not stay here and probably stay in the Punta Uva area with better beaches, restaurants, more hotels to choose from and just more to do overall. This hotel has a lot going for it but the customer service and subpar food has made us think twice. Coffee only available after 7am even though tours start early in Costa Rica and you’re up at 4:30 or 5, and there is no coffee, and the breakfast we were given to go for our 5mile hike in the rainforest jungle was cheese and tomato sandwich even though I asked for a vegan breakfast. Again, I was give a strict NO to a...

My gosh. This place was a dream. From check-in, Conrad provided a wonderful orientation and welcome.||||Rooms are air-conditioned. There is laundry service (not cheap but worth it if you are coming from a wet area/hiking trip). ||||Our cottage was steps from the pristine swimming pools (2) which were cleaned daily. There was ample comfortable seating for guests. From my deck chair, I saw and photographed numerous iguanas and birds, including tanagers, thrush, toucans, pigeons, chachalaca, and flycatchers. A highlight was when a sloth, during a rain shower, climbed down a tree, across our walkway, up into the adjoining trees/bushes, and proceeded to snack on a hibiscus tree for a good hour while we and the other visitors watched. Amazing.||||The restaurant had a great selection of meals and cocktails and we were satisfied eating there for two nights of our stay. Coffee is available starting at 7 am til 10 or so. There is a cooler with soft drinks and beer open throughout the day, and a water cooler to fill your water bottles.||||Restaurants downtown are walkable from this hotel. We chose to drive to the National Park, but it was also walkable.||||A couple of blocks in either direction from the hotel entrance will bring you to the coast. There is a sandy, black sand beach which is great for swimming, and a smaller, rocky beach good for sitting and picnicking, or searching for seashells.||||My only regret of the CR trip is that we didn't stay here longer than the 3 days/2...

I spent my 50th birthday here. It was my favourite hotel of the 5 we stayed at during 2 weeks in Costa Rica.|The staff are truly lovely and made the entire stay a joy. Special shout out to the lady who checked us in and out, and also to the young gardener who always stopped to say hello and even pointed out fruits that were edible in the garden. Everyone speaks English but if you can offer up a bit of Spanish then the interactions are fantastic.|The place is spotlessly clean, the 2 pools are lovely and if you’re quiet enough then you’ll often be joined by a few lizards and frogs (on the side, not in the water!) which is really special. |Breakfast is great - fruit, followed by toast and then eggs. You are no more than 10min walk from the nearest restaurants. |There’s a cocktail happy hour each day - the caipirinhas are great. |We had the suite which is essentially the whole top floor of the main building - HUGE veranda, 2 bedrooms, great aircon, mozzie nets, very comfortable bed, good shower.|The nearest beach is around 10mins left of the hotel entrance, or you can access the beaches in the national park (where we saw more wildlife than anywhere else on our entire trip) - the park is around a 15min walk, right of the entrance and walk through the village. |Finally, yes they have a resident 2 toed sloth!|Excellent hotel and I really hope I can stay there...