Maquenque Eco Lodge — Hotel in Cutris

We were fascinated by the whole resort. Everything was beautifully laid out, the paths, the bungalows, tree houses, the restaurant, etc. The friendliness of the staff and the guides rounded off the whole experience perfectly. We would come back anytime, it was the highlight of our Costa Rica trip.

Maquenque Lodge is located in the middle of an untouched rainforest area in the north of Costa Rica (on the border with Nicaragua). We enjoyed the peace and seclusion. The travelers we met there were completely different from the mass tourism in La Fortuna, for example.

The hiking trails around the lodge were very beautiful and not too easy or too developed. You could actually hike properly and it was partly over hill and dale. Thanks so much to our guide Antonio, best regards to him!

We had a bungalow and from the terrace we were able to watch birds of all kinds. We found the macaws that regularly came by the most fascinating. The bungalow was right next to the lagoon, so we were also able to spot caimans regularly. The transfer to the resort via the river went smoothly and quickly. The staff were all super helpful, even with the luggage. The check in was perfect as well.

We did two tours, a day hike and a night hike. Both were great. The night hike was the only time we saw the beautiful frog with the red eyes :-).

We also really enjoyed the food in the restaurant. Much better on the first evening as we were allowed to choose for ourselves. “Unfortunately” on the second evening there was a Valentine's Day menu with only 2 options and this was not quite as good. But that was the only thing that wasn't 100% good, the rest was exceptional.

We were sad when we had to leave the resort. Unfortunately, we went straight to La Fortuna afterwards and it was like a “culture shock”. Far too many tourists, far too much action and everything was completely overpriced. If we come to Costa Rica again, we will choose Maquenque Lodge again as a stopover.

Thank you so much...

Maquenque is an amazing experience. That’s what this place is all about, experiences. The nature is incredible from birds, monkeys, coatis, bats, caiman, and plenty more. I stayed in a treehouse and was super impressed as you are right up there in the canopy. Spider monkeys were rolling by every day. The more standard bungalows looked very enticing too as they are strategically located on lagoons and other likable places. Speaking of, the lodge has done a great job of enhancing different habitats from denser jungle to water areas, all of which draw different birds and wildlife. The food is very good and dining area excellent. The best part of Maquenque, however, setting aside for the moment the natural wonders, is the staff. The people who work this place are something else. Everyone is helpful and friendly and trying hard to enhance your enjoyment. I did multiple tours with multiple guides - Gerson, Luis, Jose, and others. Every one of these guys was excellent. Gerson I had twice, and he finds hidden stuff to show you that will amaze. His knowledge of what he finds is like university level. He has detailed info on the various species and tells it in an interesting while educational way. You’re in a nature show with David Attenborough! Gerson insisted after the tours that what he really wants is for everyone to take the most away from the experience and the sincerity in his voice matches his effort. Don’t scrimp on the tours and walks. They’re...

It's been a week since I went so now writing the review with a clear mind. Reaching the place is quite a voyage, but they've told me the roads are way better than they used to be so it's fine. During check-in they provided us with a handheld radio and two flashlights. We booked the tree house room, it had A/C and two fans in the room were wonderful during our stay, as well as two umbrellas near the room. We didn't have anything booked for the afternoon so we had some fun with the free canoes on site, which aren't that well supervised in my opinion, then walked around quite a bit. The areas and trails aren't super well marked, so instead of finding the walking trails, we went thought the Farm they had, which was quite big and had plenty of cacao, plantain and sugar canes all around. For dinner at the hotel, we got the special, the chicken salad and the caprese salad. All of it was enjoyable. The next day we had the half-day boat ride tour, we were alone on it and the guide was super nice. The boat ride was super comfortable we and the river was super calm, the sway put us to sleep a bit, loved it. We also got to see many animals and birds, the guide even spotted 3 king vultures, sadly we didn't have a good camera to take a good picture. If you come to birdwatch and disconnect, it's a great place to be. Only the reception had available wifi, I had kolbi and had no reception at all, my girlfriend had claro and her connection was...