Mawamba Lodge Tortuguero — Hotel in Colorado

Overall really poor value for money :(

Bathroom: Bathroom was in poor condition. Old, dirty, with rust stains in sink and shower, sink was dirty. The shower was broken and spilling water everywhere on the wooden panels next to the shower, as a result the wood was rotting and wood dust was falling in the shower when showering. Ants were eating the rotting wood and there were mice in the wood panels. The shower handles were broken. Overall we felt disgust when being in the bathroom. It looked not properly maintained.

-Room: Although the overall room appearance was nice, jungle style dark wood bungalow, again it was not well maintained or cleaned. Dust and spider webs, one of the bedside lamps not working , holes in wooden panels that allowed cockroaches to come in, and paper thin walls that made it seem as if we were sharing a big room with our neighbours -- no privacy at all. We understand that the rooms are in nature, and understand that insects and animals may be very close to us , which is absolutely fine - as long as the rooms are properly maintained and cared for. If there are holes in the wood panels then of course cockroaches and mice will be coming in.

-Staff: except for the breakfast and pool bar staff, that were kind and lovely, from the rest of the staff we got a vibe of indifference and flatness. Like they couldn't care less about the service they provide to guests. We found it impressive that we were not even asked how our stay was at checkout, a practice that is pretty standard at all hotels and accommodations -- let alone the ones that look so fancy with swimming pools, nice facilities etc..

-Pool: The pool was beautiful looking but not cleaned properly, or the cleaning system was not working properly, since in the evenings it was full of dirt bubbles that made it unappealing to go in. Even though it was one of the facilities that we thought would make the hotel worth it, it was a pity that we could never enjoy it.

-Simce the hotel is 20min walking distance to the village, a small fridge in the rooms would have been handy, in order to keep water and food cool and not have to depend to the restaurant and bar for everything.

-Very poor value for money: We would not even complain if the price was lower. But when they ask for such rates, they set a certain expectation, especially when compared to other accommodations in Costa Rica with the same or even smaller rates that are truly exceptional and provide excellent services. Mawamba Lodge is overall not well maintained to justify the high price. The overall impression we got of Mawamba Lodge is that they want to make big money without putting in the equivalent effort in order to rise to the expectation that their rates create.

It was the worst stay of our trip to Costa Rica, unfortunately.

On the bright side, we enjoyed the remote location and the 20min walk from the village, as well as the wildlife we could observe from the hotel's jungle-gardens. We did feel immersed in nature .

The breakfast was decent, and the staff at the breakfast restaurant and pool bar were very sweet.

Also the beds are huuuuuge and amazing, very comfortable !!

Ventilation of the room via a very silent fan was really great too, and the two opposing windows made sure that the room was breezy.

Lastly, the insect screens on all windows of the room were intact and amazing, kept all insects out.

This was a good base for our adventures, and yet still not good value for money. We did love Tortuguero and the gardens of...

At first sight, Mawamba Lodge looks very promising: a beautiful and well-kept property with a nice pool, spacious rooms, and a great location between the beach, the national park, and the village (which can be reached in 10–15 minutes on foot).

Unfortunately, the overall experience was very disappointing. Already before arrival, our WhatsApp inquiries about how to best get to the hotel were left unanswered. On-site, there was no real support either – when asking about our return transfer, we were simply told to “book it ourselves.” In general, staff seemed unwilling to help: simple requests (baby crib, transfer info, tour details) were brushed aside, and we often felt like second-class guests compared to those who had booked the full package with tours included.

A particularly frustrating example was the turtle nesting tour. In Tortuguero, the National Park assigns time slots (8 p.m. or 10 p.m.) to guests by lottery. Because we were traveling with a small child, we asked several times at the reception if family members would receive different time slots individually, or if everyone in the same hotel would automatically be put into the same group. Both my wife and I asked repeatedly, because the staff member seemed annoyed by our questions, made no real effort to understand our situation, and gave us the clear impression that he just wanted to get rid of us quickly. Each time we received the same assurance: that everyone would get individual tickets and we could sort it out. In reality, however, all guests from the hotel were placed in the exact same slot. This not only proved the information we were given was false, but also meant that it was impossible for us to join the tour as planned. In the end, we had paid $50 for nothing – and felt that staff neither cared nor tried to help.

The price-performance ratio is very poor. There is no air conditioning (rooms are extremely hot), almost no hot water, no minibar, and no Wi-Fi in the rooms. On top of that, nearly everything comes with an extra charge. Many other lodges in this price range include small extras like a complimentary guided walk around the property to explain local flora and fauna. Here, even a short tour of the hotel grounds costs 30$ per person – something that really should be included.

Food was another disappointment. Breakfast was extremely basic (just toast, some fruit, and either eggs or pancakes). Dinner was completely overpriced for the quality: for example, plain pasta with tomato sauce cost $18, and a soft drink $5. The food was so poor value for money that we decided to eat in town for the rest of our stay – where it was not only cheaper but also far better.

All in all, this was by far the weakest place we stayed during our Costa Rica trip. Service, comfort, food, and value did not meet even basic expectations – and it was the only stop where we did not feel the famous Pura Vida spirit at all.

Conclusion: Great location and nice facilities – but service, food, and value for money are far below expectations. We would not recommend staying here. If you want to truly enjoy Tortuguero, it is much better to stay in one of the smaller family-run lodges, where guests are genuinely cared for and you feel...

We arrived in early May. After the boat ride, we checked in at the front reception desk. There, you can pay for your roundtrip boat tickets, however use cash to avoid extra cost only for the boat tickets. You can use a credit card for the rest of the final tab without fees.

We were assigned our favorite room #36, which is the Bungalow cabin at the farthest end of the complex. The room was quite large with screen windows, and a changing area of enormous proportions, probably due to the fact that the room did not have a bathtub but instead had a wood deck in its place. There was pump soap and a hairdryer, and a basket with extra pool towels. There is a room safe, and plenty of electrical outlets. Two wall mounted fans and a ceiling fan provided air movement. No wifi here at this distance from the reception area. It's a long walk (on sidewalk) to the pool and main buildings.

There was minimal privacy even at best with our cabin. Windows in front have privacy shutters, but in this climate most people keep them open to catch a breeze. Expect this, it’s no big deal, but you are close enough to hear your neighbor’s conversations. On occasion some hikers will pass by on their way to the jungle trail and nearby garden of torch ginger, The trails loop back to the entrance and don’t connect to other properties.

We should note that during the daytime, Rooms 21-28 had some kind of mechanical humming or pump sound coming from behind them. I would have been annoyed if I were in those rooms. However, it seemed that the lodge was not at maximum capacity during our stay.

We spent peaceful hours on the boat launch deck that extended into the canal in front of our unit. We watched lightning in the distance, and experienced the rocking wave of our floating deck whenever a boat motored past our area. We watched the oropendula birds fighting in the hanging nests in the trees in front of our unit. The lodge and the entire area feel far from civilization.

Dinners at the Mawamba Lodge restaurant were quite good and not unreasonable when we got the final room bill. On our first night we had grilled tilapia in a delicious tamarind sauce, accompanied by plantain and cooked vegetables, zucchini, green beans, and carrots. All perfectly done. We split a bottle of generic French white blend wine, La Vieille Ferme. Two dinners cost $32.52, and the wine bottle was $17.88, total about $50 USD. On our second night we had grilled chicken entrees in a similar sauce as the previous night and shared dessert, $38.21. Each had an Imperial beer, $10.57 for two. All in all, better than expected in both quality and price. We had a non-alcoholic smoothie at the pool for $5.69. There is a 13% tax (I.V.A.) and mandatory service fee of 10%. Breakfasts were included with the room cost and were very good. We liked the pancakes. While the room cost was a bit steep (2 nights, $448 + $58 tax = $506), overall it was worthwhile, a good travel...