La Foresta Hotel — Hotel in Quepos

I returned last night from my trip to Costa Rica and I just had to post a review for La Foresta Nature Resort immediately. This place was absolutely incredible...from the hotel grounds, the rooms and cleanliness, to the unbelievable group of people who work together as a family to make sure that you have the best vacation experience possible. My family and I spent 8 days enjoying everything that this resort had to offer and in the process we really got to know everyone. Lucrecia, Alfredo, and Dylan who were at the front desk were always ready and willing to help us in any request we had and were able to book and recommend amazing excursions too. This was a working vacation for my husband and they even allowed him to work in the front office whenever he needed during the week. The manager Bianca Cesar was always available with a smile on her face...she even took time out of her day to give me and my son a lesson on how to make Gallo Pinto (it was absolutely delicious at breakfast). Every day we were greeted so warmly from Danny and Mauricio at breakfast and dinner and they were always so helpful and attentive. Oh and I highly recommend the "Monkey Business" drink...I am really going to miss them. The selection for breakfast which is included in the hotel rate was wonderful and they offered a nice menu for dinner as well. The meals that Natalia and Gerardo turned out each day were just incredible ( we definitely came back home a lot heavier). Each day when we left the resort to do our vacation activities we were greeted by Miguel and Rafael at the security gate. The housekeeping staff (Zaida, Reylin, Osvaldo, and Andres) did a remarkable job of making sure the rooms were spotless and that we always had extra pool and beach towels for the day. and last but not least the team of gardeners, Oscar (Machito) and Lara were always hard at work keeping the grounds of this resort immaculate. When we arrived at La Foresta Nature Resort we were guests however by the time we left we really did feel like part of the family which made our trip to Costa Rica so memorable. La Foresta Nature Resort also offers a Titi Canopy tour which I highly recommend taking. The zip lines fly you through the jungle and the guides, Ivan, Francisco, Josimar, and Oscar really made the excursion unforgettable and the lunch that was served after was delicious. During the tour we were able to spot a sloth and a howler monkey up close. If you take this tour definitely buy the picture package as well- we were so happy to have them from that day and they did an excellent job at capturing those memories. We were very lucky to spend New Year's Eve at La Foresta Nature Resort. I wasn't expecting too much of a celebration due to the pandemic but boy was I wrong. Even though the resort had limits due to government regulations at making safety a priority everyone went out of their way to make the evening fun. The resort offered a special menu that was served in an area overlooking the jungle. After dinner they offered games and prizes for everyone to participate in and a special treat with a drum band as a finale. This hotel also went out of their way in following all safety protocols. Everyone I saw wore masks and there was plenty of hand washing stations. I also noticed the pool area being sanitized several times a day. I can't recommend this hotel enough. If you choose to stay here you will not be disappointed and the location is perfect with easy access to so many different activities. I will certainly be returning in the future and we are looking forward to see...

This was our final stop on a 2 week tour of the wildlife highlights of Costa Rica. The rooms were really spacious and loved the patio area with rocking chairs and a clothes airer. My rooms window mesh was coming away from the window which meant I couldn't open it unless I wanted loads of mosquito in my room but this was a minor inconvenience as the room had good AC. The toiletries they provided were amazing so I definitely recommend giving them a go. Even the shampoo and conditioner were good and I would usually give those a miss. The rooms had a little fridge so make sure you find that and switch it on for your drinks as they didn't seem to have a water cooler and the tap water was warm. The pool area was really good but it wasn't until our last day that we realised they had a happy hour with the cocktails 2 for 1 which I think was till 5, so make sure you ask about that. The pool itself was a good temperature and never too busy (August). The food in the restaurant was really good with plenty of veggie options. One word of caution, we were there for Mother's day and they reduced the menu to a set 3 course thing which didn't suit a tour group like ours. Luckily we had a massive lunch so decided on a liquid dinner instead. If they had warned us we would have been more prepared with snacks for our room. The main bartender (sorry I didn't catch your name) was great. He was really helpful and told me all about the rum Costa Ricans prefer to help me choose. Best bartender of the whole trip. Breakfast was from a menu not a buffet like we were used to. Food was good but took a while to get to you. We did make use of the trails onsite which were great. Could do with better signage as we panicked a bit not knowing if the trail was a circular one as we had to meet our guide. So leave plenty of time to walk them or ask at reception if there is a map. The gardens around the rooms were great and we saw Squirrel Monkey in them which was a treat. The resort is quite close to the main road so can get a bit noisy but the sound of the wildlife does its best to drown that out. Great place and would love to...

All in all we very much enjoyed our four night stay at La Foresta Hotel. We stayed in their most basic accommodation set in a block which was surprisingly large with a good size bathroom and all was clean and tidy. We would have liked a balcony included but I guess you get what you pay for and we had already added money on our tour price to stay here as opposed to be in the Jaco region. The grounds and pool area (which was quiet for our stay) are well kept and there are good size lizards and nice birds to see. The attached forest grounds and walk were most welcome and we did this at least once a day and got to see plenty of wildlife (in some cases more than the national parks we did)

The main negatives for this property are the obvious noise from the busy road adjacent. It can be noisy especially with their ridiculously loud lorry's and bikes but was not as bad as I was expecting having read other peoples reviews. We did opt for accommodation as far away as available from the road. I'm not sure why they opt for a noisy petrol blower to clean the grounds as that was pretty distracting when at all other hotels we have stayed at they seem to rake instead. We did also find the breakfast and food average and more expensive than all other hotels we stayed at in Costa Rica rather than good.

The hotel is some distance from Quepos and Manual Antonio. They do run a shuttle at certain times (but not on all days) but this doesn't cover an evening so a taxi would be needed if not driving or having a drink. Quepos was $10 or equivalent and Manual Antonio would have been $20 each way.

All in all, although some negatives here or there, we enjoyed the grounds and walk enough to negate most so 4*s feels about...