La Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge — Hotel in Pital

Lodge Laguna de Lagarta-wild birds everywhere! ||||Our room at this lodge was cramped with one queen bed and one single bed. If they'd taken out the single it would have been better. The windows were screened. An oscillating fan provided air movement but was quite noisy. The beds had just a thin blanket but that was all that was needed. There was only one electrical outlet for charging your phone or camera battery. ||||The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were hard and lumpy. ||||The bathroom was oddly designed in that a head high wall separated the shower from the toilet and sink. The top of it was where you are advised to store your toiletries, because the only real shelf was directly above the toilet and I didn't want to think about the possibility of my toothbrush falling into it. ||The shower head was of a design I've never seen before, with three dots allowing for temperature change. The one to the left was too hot, the one to the right was too cold, and the one in the middle was cold. The shower drained very slowly, forcing one to stand in the water if one didn't have flipflops. ||||The room and bathroom were (with the exception of the slow shower drain) spotlessly clean. I never saw an insect in the room or the bathroom. ||||Outside our room was a covered deck with very comfortable rocking chairs, a decent table and a hammock for a midday siesta.||||The lodge provides a very large open deck for dining as well as photographing birds. There were MANY species coming to the feeding station, and the star of the entire lodge was Rudy.||Rudy is a wild, completely untamed keel billed toucan. He would fly to the feeding pole, where fresh bananas had been hung, and gauge the size of his audience on the deck. He then would begin to 'dance'. He would call 'grick grick' and strike poses, looking for all the world like a fashion model or a Hollywood movie star. He made sure you got great shots of his gorgeous, multicolored bill in just the perfect stance for photography. He would pose for many minutes, knowing how beautiful he was, and I am convinced he liked the applause we gave him!||||The eponymous lagoon is said to have caimans, but we didn't see any.||||The staff at Laguna de Lagarta was efficient and friendly without being obsequious. The cooks, especially, took great pains to make sure that I, with some dietary restrictions I had, was fully fed. They even offered to cook something not on offer for me. Meals were buffet, which I appreciated. ||||The lodge provides rubber boots if you want to go hiking on their jungle trail, and you do-because you might see manakins! ||||The lodge has free wifi but is only available on the deck. ||||The lodge, being fairly large, had several groups from places other than the US. There was a group of photographers from India and a smaller group of birders from Germany. A couple of Brits added to the international flavor of the lodge. One can come to bird or photograph for the day and have lunch for a fee, the price of which I have no idea. ||||Overall, the service, the food and the surroundings were excellent. I would definitely recommend Laguna de Lagarta...

Had an enjoyable 2 night stay there. Went specifically to see the king vulture and had one visit the feeding blind after an almost 3 hr wait. Thought a shower would discourage the visit but one came. In the meantime the antics of the numerous black vultures kept us entertained. Plus, mealy parrots and other interesting birds added to the scene. Appreciated the varied birdlife on the grounds of the lodge seeing pied puffbirds, becards, barbthroats, and flycatchers not to mention toucans, parrots and others at the main feeder. A not-so-shy coati enjoyed the fruit.||||Spotlighting the lagoons near the driveway resulted in seeing two caimans with one about 4 ft in length. ||||The last 20 kilometers or so to the lodge is quite bumpy but made for enjoyable birding including our first striped cuckoo!||||Our accommodations were fine. The ceiling fan made for good sleeping. Food was tasty. The staff quickly prepared an excellent chicken dish for my wife once our guide realized she did not eat seafood. The beer was cold.||||Yes, be prepared for rain.||||It was interesting that staff changed the horizontal limb at the main feeder so that moss and leaves made for a more naturally setting for photographing birds before they ventured to the center of the feeder where fruit was attached. Brown-hooded parrots were a main attractions at one time being a few feet from the porch and undoubtedly resulted in 100's of pics being taken by one group.||||Laguna del Lagarto is a wonderful place to bird. Staff could not have been more pleasing. The rough road is more than...

We spent two nights at Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge and enjoyed it very much. The lodge offers a truly immersive nature experience, with stunning views from the restaurant that make you feel completely surrounded by the wild. The property is well-maintained and features its own trails, with a variety of daily activities available for booking upon arrival. Whether you're interested in photographic hides, guided walks, or searching for different species, there's always something to do. We can definitely recommend the short caiman tour in the evening and the King Vulture hides for photographers. A special mention to our guide Henry who has been passionately showing people around for over 20 years!||The food at the lodge is excellent. While there's a set menu, we found every meal to be delicious and satisfying. The quality of the food was a pleasant surprise and added to the overall enjoyment of our stay.||One downside was the lack of air conditioning in the rooms (only a little fan that doesn't really cool the room much). This wouldn't be an issue during cooler weather, but our visit coincided with a heat wave, which made it uncomfortably hot with few ways to cool down.||Despite this, Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge is a fantastic destination for nature lovers. Its beautiful setting, great food, and range of activities make it a great choice for anyone looking to experience the natural beauty...