Lapa Rios Lodge — Hotel in Puerto Jiménez

We spent four nights at this absolutely STUNNING lodge with our twin 11 year old boys. I cannot say enough about the setting. Remote and gorgeous. We stayed in a Matapalo Suite which I’m told is one of four rooms with AC (though they’re trying to get the proper approvals for AC in all bungalows). I loved the remoteness but be aware that it’s a 40 minute drive on a “rough road” to get to Puerto Jimenez where a lot of the third party experiences take place. We saw our fair share of wildlife here. Those howler monkeys are crazy! :) We also saw toucans, macaws, other types of monkeys, frogs, and a snake (on the night walk)! There is a nice waterfall close to the lodge which you can swim in. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The staff always made sure we pre-ordered breakfast or lunch if we needed to pack a meal on an excursion. One night, we did the bioluminescence tour (which was wonderful) and we got back to the lodge right when they stopped serving dinner. But they said - no problem! They kept the kitchen open for us! |I would highly recommend the whale watch tour if you’re traveling during this time. We saw like 10 humpback whales and tons of dolphins. The guides were WONDERFUL! We stayed at all four Böëna lodges on this trip and this was top two. Thank you to the staff for everything! ||** Word of caution on the snorkeling trip - I would think twice before booking it. (This is not a reflection of Lapa Rios - more the snorkeling company). This was the only bad day on our 12 day trip to Costa Rica. My son really wanted to do the snorkeling so we scheduled it DESPITE the 4:00 am departure time from the lodge. It’s a 2 hour drive to Drake Bay (which we knew) and then another 45 minutes to Cano Island via boat (again, we knew this ahead of time). The experience said “shared” so I assumed maybe another family from the lodge or a few couples. No. There were 16-20 people crammed on what looked like a water taxi. The 45 minute ride to Cano Island was AWFUL. The water was extremely choppy I found myself feeling ill and I don’t get motion sickness. My son actually threw up. We were halfway to the island and they told us we had to turn back around to get one more person! An outrage, since we got up at 3;45 am and made it to the excursion on time! Thankfully, after 5 minutes we again turned back to Cano island as this “missing” person was getting on another boat. When we arrived at the (deserted) island they dumped my family off (since my son was sick) and sped off leaving us alone on the island. They came back after 30-45 minutes as apparently others were feeling ill too and the snorkeling visibility was poor in the area. When the boat finally went BACK out we decided to give the snorkeling a shot. Another mistake. I was given a pair of flippers that were not mine and barely fit. We got into the water - in the middle of nowhere - and the boat again sped off leaving me and my family far from the others. I literally saw NOTHING while snorkeling. I have been on countless snorkeling trips and I have NEVER seen NOTHING. The water was still VERY choppy. While we were swimming towards the others we heard a scream and everyone started piling back on the boat in a hurry. We were still a bit far away and had no idea what was going on. Apparently someone got stung by a Portuguese jellyfish and had marks all around her arms! We got on the boat as fast as we could. The water was so choppy I just wanted the experience to end! My son then got sick a second time. Mind you, I even gave him Dramamine!! The staff on the boat were “fine”. Nobody went above and beyond. Again, they basically left us twice- once on the island and then once in the water. We paid good money for this excursion and it was an absolute disaster. Please think twice before signing...

My husband and I visited Lapas Rios Lodge in June for our 25th Wedding Anniversary and it was simply the most amazing place I have ever visited. While it's not an easy resort to get to, it is worth the effort of flying to San Jose and then taking a Cessna to Puerto Jimenez. I was definitely out of my comfort zone!||We were greeted by the staff upon exiting the plane and whisked away to their concierge office on site where we were given coconut water fresh from a coconut. After a short break, we hopped in their vehicle and traveled up a gravel road to the resort. The driver was friendly and started to fill us in on all the wonderful things we would see along the way. Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted again with fresh juice and they shared with us some hikes we could take advantage of that day as we arrived in the late morning. Then they showed us to our room and wow! What a view! We stayed in a bungalow which was more than enough room for us. The view was amazing. We could see the ocean and were deeply embedded in the rainforest while still having more than enough amenities. It was true luxury! ||Every day we saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys and some days we saw squirrel monkeys. Often right outside our room. They didn't bother us at all. They kept their distance so there was never any concern. We also saw (and heard!) many macaws, toucans, frogs, lizards, iguanas and more. This place was like being in a National Geographic show. The only animal that didn't show up for us was the sloth. But we cannot blame the resort for that. ||The food and drinks were outstanding and the staff was so incredibly friendly. They took the time to get to know us and shared their favorite activities as well. We also learned about their culture. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff. ||The resort is eco friendly and this was important to us. Every detail was thought of down to the bamboo straws. The hikes that were included were also amazing. We learned so much about the ecosystem there and made some great new friends along the way as well.||The resort staff made us feel very special on our last night there as they set up a private dinner just for the two of us away from other guests to celebrate our anniversary. It was a perfect end to a perfect vacation. ||We will remember this vacation as one of our best vacations (and we love to travel). We hope to return sometime in the near future as we simply...

I am beyond passionate about the experience that my husband and I had at Lapa Rios for our honeymoon in early February. This was the most incredible travel experience either of us have had. Here is why:

The People: The staff at Lapa Rios were amazing. They thought of absolutely everything and "no" was simply not an answer. They always went above and beyond to give us the experience that we wanted at every step of the way. They were also genuine, interesting, kind, and personable people that we loved getting to know over the course of the 5 night we were there. We were sad to leave them at the end of our time!

The Location: This was magic. The entire lodge/resort including bungalows are in the canopy of the rainforest overlooking the ocean. We woke up every morning either to the sunrise coming into our bungalow (we chose to keep the shades open) or to wildlife starting their days around us. We sat on our porch drinking the fresh coffee delivered to our door overlooking the sun rising over the ocean and watching as the scarlet macaws ate nuts in the tree next to our bungalow. Pure magic!

The tours: Lapa Rios has amazing nature guides that led us through the rainforest every day. They were knowledgeable and passionate day after day regardless of what we were seeing and who was on the tour. If you are a nature lover, this place is for you!

The food: Every meal was a 3 course masterpiece that we got to enjoy in the beautiful environment and alongside fun, delicious local juices and drinks. We took a fishing charter out one day and brought home fish we caught. The chef cooked us up a multi-course meal with the fish we had caught that day! Again, always going above and beyond.

Overall, we cannot recommend this experience enough. We were there for 5 nights which felt perfect for us before we continued our travels around Costa Rica. If you love nature and luxury, this is the place for you. Of course, remember that this is in the middle of the rainforest, so know there is going to be some bugs and lizards, but it's honestly amazing. Please go visit this place!! You will not regret it! We will...