The Mango Tree Villas and Spa — Hotel in Puerto Cortés

After 9 years, my spouse and I are currently at Mango Tree again (and very happy). The recent reviews are great for good reason, so I'll attempt to add things not addressed often. ||First off, the place is back, and well above any former "glory" with a gorgeous newly built yoga and exercise studio (the highest part of the property, so THE place to be for the best Sunset Viewing over the Pacific...ocean not 3 km away). Solar panel upgrades everywhere and massive automatic generator (up the hill, so you likely won't even hear it kick in), as electric in CR often gets a blip several times a week...but if you are digital nomads like us...NOT a worry here). Solid WiFi is 30 Mbps and mesh across the entire 5 acres in reg and 5G enabled...currently 22 Mbps down, 11 Mbps up as I'm sitting at the "rancho". Also, at a 200-foot average elevation, you are in the jungle to attract amazing wildlife, but also surrounded by mountains, so gentle breezes are normal. All new A/C units are quiet and keep your villa at whatever temp you want, so you can be in comfort day or night. And the Villas have large balconies to watch the wildlife outside your door.||As for the Villas, they do have kitchen facilities and are modest but in great condition. The bedding and towels are luxury quality...no modesty on the small details. Yes, an amazing breakfast is provided on the "rancho" outdoor covered dining area...but you can easily do a long-term stay here and not break the eating out budget. Only 2.5 km down at the coastal hwy are grocery stores (2), a butcher shop, and several "sodas" (Tico restaurants...4-6 USD for a hearty breakfast or light lunch). ||One of the biggest changes in this area is the roads. Until 2 years back, this 2.5 km drive from the pavement was "rough" (understatement). But they paved the road a full 2 km in from the hwy, past the Tres Rios village school, so the only gravel road section here is the last 1/2 km. In the high season, Dec-April, a regular car will be fine to get here....which was not doable before. The last 300 meters is a bit steep to the gate of the property, but it is NOT far up the road...the first drive on your left, so don't sweat it. Put your 2 wheel drive rental in first (turn off the A/C for more power if you have an older, underpowered rental) and you will climb to the secure gated entrance just fine. Do it once, and you will wonder why you worried in the first place. 4x4 is always recommended April - Nov simply because the rain impacts the roads in CR in these mountains.||Location: this is one of the nicest facilities south of Ojochal and Uvita, making you closer to Sierpe for mangrove and fishing adventures, and Corcovado park tours. It also is close to the Osa Canopy tours up above Toucan Village resort (now that is some rough road...but worth the Canopy tour!) And due to paved roads, you are but 15 minutes to Ojochal and 30 minutes to Uvita, larger towns just north. So you are away from the gringo hustle of Uvita (it's a zoo some days), but close enough to take in surfing schools, go to multiple beaches, and trek into the mountains/jungle. So a near-perfect jumping-off spot. (note that most Ojochal and Uvita hotels with any jungle, mountain, or ocean views will have typical CR gravel roads requiring 4x4 year-round. NOT so here during the high season....so a huge rental cost benefits too by staying here.||In this first week here we see toucans, hawks, many other birds, and squirrels daily. But we have also seen white-faced monkeys, a squirrel monkey, coatimundis, tayra, green/brown gecko's, lots of different birds (black and chestnut mandible toucans, aracari's, tropical mockingbirds, trogon's, laughing falcon's, vultures, red lored parrots, caracara, tityra's, and several hummingbirds). ||The grounds are now amazing again, well-maintained, with gorgeous plants and flowers, including trumpet flowers, and lots of flowering varieties to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. You are surrounded by mango, papaya, date/oil palms, coconut palms, banana, and wild almond trees. So whatever is in season, there are animals about vying for a seat at the table...all for our viewing enjoyment. Have you ever seen a large group of toucans surround a pair of dangerous hawks for a stand-off (kinda think a hawk upset a toucan home, and received the law of the jungle warning)? Happened this week for guests to view from the pool deck...new nature adventures next week we expect!||One other important note. They now do have a "flat" sidewalk from the secure parking area to an all-new handicap-accessible unit. It is closest to the entrance and surrounded by jungle...a beautiful new hotel-type unit. It is the only one without a kitchen facility. This is not an ADA compliant place yet, as there are way too many stairs to access other parts of the property (keep checking, as ramps coming in the future plans). And if you don't do stairs, then this also is not the place for you, as the Villas and facilities are built on a tropical hillside. Stairs from villas to the pool and rancho main area. More stairs to the spa/treatment rooms, and more stairs to the new open-air gym and yoga studio. Worth the climb and stairs? For my family...an easy trade-off for the amazing beauty and wonder of this place. We are extending our stay as a result...leaving next week, but coming back for another couple of weeks this 2022...

I had the absolute pleasure to attend an unforgettable women's retreat last fall at Mango Tree Villas. Everything from the scenery and grounds, pool, villas, community kitchen, and spa rooms was SO clean, refreshing, and made me say "ahhh"! The villa 3 of us adults shared could have easily accommodated 2 more adults. The villa was SO welcoming, especially with the air conditioning! Being from the Pac NW, I am not quite acclimated to at least sleeping in the heat, so the AC made our stay extra comfortable. Everything from the fluffiest towels, to the restful essential oils roller ball for EACH of us, coffee, essential oil insect repellent (which I only had to use a few times - got to take the rest home!)... It was clear, everything was placed in our room with love and intention. ||||When we arrived to Mango Tree by re-arranged private shuttle, we were greeted with the most delicious drink, which happened to be their signature cocktail! After a day of travel, needless to say, it hit the spot! Since we arrived at night, we did not have the pleasure to see most of the landscape and surroundings, so as soon as I woke the first morning, I was so excited to explore! By simply gazing out from the villa covered patio/deck, I was immersed in lush foliage, tropical birds singing, and vibrant floral. Up the steps, to the outdoor kitchen / dining area I was greeted with locally grown & roasted coffee! Not just a good morning, but an EXCEPTIONAL & UNFORGETTABLE MORNING! I was treated like family, rather than just a paying guest, which was refreshing. Just from this area, I could sit for hours taking in the surroundings! But... then it was pool time! The pool area and actual pool were very clean and well kept. This area was also a beautiful place I spend many hours during my stay. ||||The meals prepared for us during this retreat were more than we could have dreamed of: exceptional taste, stunning presentation, many local, exotic fruits, comforting, yet adventurous! Unforgettable!!! ||||Another unforgettable experience at Mango Tree was doing yoga in the dining area (tables and chairs moved aside) during a lightning storm!!! This truly felt like a once in a lifetime experience. If you are not a yoga person, even just taking in the tropical T-storm from the open air dining room is incredible! ||||I cannot say enough amazing things about Mango Tree Villas! I simply cannot wait to return, this time with my hubby! I left Mango Tree Villas already...

Our family had the best time here. The place is beautiful and you can spot also some interesting wildlife as well. The property is very well maintained and clean it was always great to come back in the evening after exploring. Internet worked great. The kitchen in the apartment had all the required things to prepare a good dinner. The breakfasts are fantastic, they kept us going all day long (just superb). After tyring day you can enjoy the swimming pool. Our family did some yoga with the owner Gail in the morning. A place for yoga is superb, it is above the apartment houses in the open air on the slope of the mountain, you have a great mountain view (very relaxing), if you can`t find peace here, you would not find it anywhere. The owners and the staff are great, we felt like part of the family not as guests, you can feel the hospitality. Had some very good conversations with the owners, very intellectual people. We used this place as a base for 6 days, we travelled to Uvita, Manuel Antonio Park, Corcovado national park and diving to Caño Island Biological Reserve from here. The distance by car to all surrounding places was not far. We drove to Sierpe for the Corcovado and dicing tour. We also drove to Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park from here. So the location is great. We also took some surfing lessons at Uvita. Plenty of things to do around. Thank you guys it...