Surfing Turtle Lodge — Hotel in Leon (Municipality)

My experience was 5 star. Not in the way a 5-star hotel is 5 star. You will find imperfections at the Surfing Turtle Lodge. The gardens are not manicured. The rooms do not leap from the pages of house and gardens. And your feet will scream at you, across the hot black sand, on your way to the silky and salty waves of the Pacific Ocean.

My arrival at STL was not glamorous. I had escaped a bad work experience so I was burnt out, I had not eaten properly for weeks, and being celiac - I’m a restaurant’s worst nightmare.

But STL was there for me. They took the time to sit down with me and go through EVERY menu item. I didn’t just have one option but most of the menu was either gluten free, or could be. They even identified hidden gluten and removed it when making my meals. They also made sure my food was always cooked with clean pots and pans and plated carefully. While there, I was dealing with an ulcer, but I never had an issue with gluten in any of the meals. If you’re celiac or have an allergy, you know this is no small feat. But in 17 days, I ate not just gluten free food, but gluten free food that’s safe for a celiac. And the food is good!

I booked a beach bungalow. These are big stand alone bungalows, with a queen bed and a bunk. A closet and a private bathroom. A stand up fan. Plus a porch with a hammock. You can lie in your bed and see the ocean. And at night, you will swear there’s a thunderstorm but I assure you, that’s just the waves crashing on the beach.

Sure, these bungalows could have walls that were mudded and painted nicer. (I actually thought about offering to do this while I was there.) And I’m sure your 5-star hotel would look like that. But in its own imperfect way, these bungalows are perfect as they are.

I was there to focus on the important stuff: good food, the ocean, sunsets and sleeps coaxed by an onshore breeze. And STL nailed it!

And on the turtle hatchery. The owner, Aldo, negotiated with the locals to buy the eggs the locals scour the beach at night for. So the locals still get the money they need, and the turtles don’t become a restaurant delicacy. Instead, they are kept safe in a hatchery and then released. A special experience for guests to partake, and an essential part of the lifecycle for this special population.

Now. The staff. Being there 17 days, I saw staff that had been there for 15 years and staff arrive for three week stints. The service was seamless! I’m not sure what kind of hiring process they go through but everyone becomes your favourite. Regardless of how much English they speak, or what special request they concern themselves with, or what care they provide.

So who should consider staying at the Surfing Turtle Lodge? It falls into a backpacker accommodation, largely because it offers dorm-style accommodation. But there’s semi-private and private rooms (like my bungalow). The age range of guests is everything. I’m older and found the younger backpackers to be about good living, releasing turtles, volleyball and surfing. Not a party crowd drinking to excess.

What should you take? Definitely bug spray. They sell some there but it’s pretty tame. Bugs love me so I got some for deep woods. This year it’s been bad everywhere. Take sunscreen, they only have a small tube for sale. Shampoo and conditioner also. Other than that you’ll want for...

I've traveled a lot, so I could instantly tell that the surfing Turtle Lodge is owned by an American, or a Canadain, or maybe even both. No self respecting local person would allow their hostel to become so decrepit, dirty and over priced like this place. This hostel is designed straight of the 'western owner's handbook'. The cost of a bunk in a dorm isn't the worst price, however the dorm room is falling apart and very dirty.The toilets and showers are just below the stairs to the dorm room so you can smell when someone's using them, and if you want you can actually just look down through the stairs and see in while the shower is being used. The food is awful and extremely over priced and consist mainly of fried chicken and burgers. This is the only place to eat so they take advantage of that, and they even say if you have outside food you'll get charged for eating. Here we have another hostel that puts all your expenses on a tab so you don't know how much you're spending till you leave, and on top of that they add a voluntary 7% tip (without asking) so be careful. I suppose that 7% should go to the volunteers since theres more of them than actual guests. I'm not going to get started on the price of all the activities they offer, let's leave that at that. With the profits this place is making, you'd think it would be in better condition, but that money is probably going to the owners 3rd condo up north.

The place is that bad we left a day early. We still got charged for the day but the 'volunteer' manager took 20% off that price but whatever, it is what it is, Id rater pay the night and leave than stay any longer.

Don't waste your time coming here it's not worth it, and the 'turtles' are just another marketing ploy.

Let's stop normalizing these outside owners taking full advantage of...

We found this place quite by accident thanks to a local pointing out the trail to get there. It's a little bit of an adventure getting there, but well worth it. The staff is very nice, the place well kept, and is a fantastic ocean front property. We participated in turtle releasing every day we were there, played in the ocean waves and took surfing lessons, and walked/rode to Las Penitas nearby. We stayed the first night in a private room and camped in the tent the last two. I'd recommend the room or at least a bunk as the tent area has a lot of ants to watch out for. A couple of things to note: take flip flops, sandals, or some kind of beach footwear as the sand gets very hot and the flip flops they sell are quite pricey (they know you are going to need them!), and be sure and give plenty of time for food to be prepared. While it is very good (and average restaurant priced), it is very slow in coming, as they mention the fact in several places. To point, we ordered and paid for our last meal there and had to leave half of it behind an hour later because the horse cart was leaving with all of our gear. The internet is free and available in the central area with a good signal, and extra provisions (like sunscreen, toothpaste, etc) and snacks are available at the bar area. It is a very friendly atmosphere likely geared toward a college crowd with volleyball in the afternoons, yoga in the mornings, and other activities throughout the day and evening. I would definitely...