I highly recommend the Toucanet Lodge. I stayed four nights in one of the Cabins and would certainly go back and will recommend El Toucanet to friends and family.||The cabin in which I stayed was clean and comfortable. Local Costa Rica. Coffee on the porch in the morning was a great way to start the day. ||The Lodge and dining room were spacious and well appointed. I love the pictures on the wall of the local attraction, the Quetzal. I also appreciated having wildlife guides and birding books to help me know what I had seen during the day. ||The grounds were well kept with plenty of flowers that attract hummingbirds. The grounds include an extensive trail that went up to much higher elevations. I was able to walk more than a mile and found a forested section with large cedar trees and eventually found a spot to see the entire valley. I took several photos. ||The food was excellent with many choices. I especially enjoyed the trout fillet and the two different ceviche appetizers. The amount of care taken in the meal preparation, local natural ingredients used and the table service were outstanding. ||Jonathan, the chef, has excellent skills and showed creativity in every meal he prepared. Taking a few minutes to share a conversation with me after each meal made the experience more personal, warm and friendly. ||Michael did an excellent job as host and manager. Each morning Michael was available and constantly checked in on how I was doing. From my initial contact with the lodge, Michael was able to answer my questions, make some suggestions and always handled my requests with care. I was able to have the best of vacations because of Michael’s assistance. ||I wanted to see birds and other wildlife. Michael was able to arrange local guides to assist. Both guides that were arranged were great. Both knew the places to go and when to be there. I was able to see six Quetzals, a couple of Capuchin Monkeys and the Costa Rican Pigmy owl. In addition to these highlights, I saw many more birds and have some of the best coffee Costa Rica has to offer. The guides made the experience seem effortless and I am now left with great memories. ||Both Michael and Jonathan are excellent ambassadors of the fine country of Costa Rica and the Dota region. I highly recommend El...
Read moreGood place to enjoy birdwatching as well as jut relaxing. Great place to get out of the warm weather.
PROS: Very quiet and nice cool weather. Love the stream that runs under the little bridges. The breakfast was OK. Many extra blankets available in the room. Restaurant looks new and the lady that served us was very friendly. Clean.
CONS: American Express not accepted. Had to booked on Expedia due to this. Had to book a different room online, family room for 6p with fireplace, because that was they only one that would come up as available, reception told us to book it online, but they would still give us a smaller standard room for 3p (no fireplace). The price was cheaper for a bigger room online than if you paid in person for the standard room. The price is pretty high for what you receive. Simple bedroom with a bathroom that needs urgent remodeling. The bathroom looks so outdated, you can even see the pipes under the sink... Some lights did not work in the room, the white bulbs really kill the nature ambiance. At check in they said the restaurants closed at 8pm, but when we went to eat around 7:15pm, the restaurant was already closed, they said they closed it at 6:30 because no one had come to eat. So we were forced to skip dinner. there is nothing around, so you have no other options. Keep in mind this was in high season (January) on a Saturday night. Very basic hotel room $130 USD for 1 night... Price is too high for what you get. No discount for CR Nacional or residents. They sent us an invoice for $101 USD (with taxes) when I paid more. Sent an email asking for the correct invoice, but never heard back.
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Buen lugar para disfrutar de la observación de aves y relajarse. Un buen lugar para escapar del clima cálido.
PROS: *Clima muy tranquilo y fresco. *Muy lindo el arroyo que pasa debajo los pequeños puentes. *El desayuno estuvo OK. *Varias cobijas calientes extras disponibles en la habitación. *El restaurante parece ser nuevo. Y la señora que nos atendió en el restaurante fue muy amable. *Limpio
CONS: *No se aceptan American Express. Tuvimos que reservar en Expedia debido a esto. Si pagas por SIMPE móvil y ya tiene el dinero en una cuenta en dólares, te sale mas caro ya que el hotel usa el tipo de cambio de venta. Y únicamente tienen cuenta en $ en el BN. Tuvimos que reservar una habitación diferente en línea, una habitación familiar para 6 personas con chimenea, porque esa era la única que aparecería como disponible, en recepción nos dijeron que la reserváramos en línea, pero aún así nos iban a dar una habitación estándar más pequeña para 3 personas (sin chimenea). El precio era más barato para una habitación más grande en línea que si pagas en persona la habitación estándar. Tampoco hacen descuento si pagas en efectivo, ni tampoco hacen descuento para nacionales o residentes. El precio es bastante alto para lo que recibes. Dormitorio sencillo con baño que necesita urgente remodelación. El baño es tan anticuado que incluso se pueden ver las tuberías debajo del lavatorio... Algunas luces no funcionaban en la habitación, los bombillos blancos realmente matan el ambiente. En el check in dijeron que el restaurante cerraban a las 8pm, pero cuando fuimos a comer alrededor de las 7:15pm, el restaurante ya estaba cerrado, dijeron que lo cerraron a las 6:30 porque no había venido nadie a comer. Así que nos vimos obligados a saltarnos la cena. No hay nada alrededor, así que NO tienes otras opciones. Tenga en cuenta que esto fue en temporada alta (Enero) un sábado por la noche. Habitación de hotel muy básica $130 USD por 1 noche... El precio es demasiado alto para lo que obtienes. Hay otras opciones mas económicas y mejor en la zona. Enviaron una factura por $101 USD (con impuestos), pero nosotros pagamos más. Enviamos un correo electrónico solicitando la factura correcta, pero nunca...
Read moreA really cute, friendly lodge with cabins. The manager (Michael) and cook (Jonathan) are exceptional. The food is delicious and artistically presented, and breakfast was included with our room. The dining room and cabins have great views. We were there for bird watching and saw quite a few species from our balcony. We also took a quetzal tour with Oscar and saw six quetzals about a 5 minute drive from the lodge.||There is a hiking trail that goes up onto the ridge behind the lodge - a steep climb if you go all the way to the top, with views of the surrounding coffee, avocado, and apple fields. You can also do coffee or winery tours in the area.||In early March it went down to about 6C at night, so take warm clothes. Lots of blankets are provided, but the cabins aren't heated.||NOTE: currently there are two websites that come up if you search Google for "Toucanet Lodge"- the CORRECT one is "eltoucanetCR". The WRONG one is "toucanetlodge" (this is actually the website for a different lodge that for some reason has appropriated the el Toucanet domain name, causing a lot of confusion for customers of both...
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