Lapa Rios Lodge by Böëna

Vacation Family This is honestly the best place we’ve ever been to! It’s luxurious and stunning! The lodge is enveloped by the jungle with breathtaking vistas and superb accommodations. It is respectful of its surroundings and thus never crowded. It’s truly the best refuge our family has ever enjoyed. We first came here in 2003 for our honeymoon and have dreamed of returning since. Our daughters now agree that this stands as the premier holiday for our family. My youngest has celiac disease, but the staff was incredibly accommodating and thoughtful. Staff went out of their way to make the same stunning food for her. The assurances from staff about cross contamination definitely put us as at ease. Every meal we ate at the lodge was stunning, all baked in house. All juices smoothies and more are made with local produce, never store bought. The chef’s creations are works of art, both beautiful and delicious. This was an elevated dining experience, and when we had excursions, they packed amazing picnics for our group. We cannot recommend this experience enough to others. It is a splurge worth every penny! We told the boat tour and saw 8-10 humpback whales today; countless macaws, toucans and many other special birds; the night tour with Frank and other tours with Jeffrey were AMAZING!!! And let’s not forget to mention the incredible food!!! I almost hate to write this many good things because the Osa Peninsula is remote and not so touristy. But Lapa Rios deserves the highest praise for being the best stay of our lives.

We spent 2 full days at Lapa Rios. First day we waterfall hike with the hotel guide Edwin. Great experience walking through the primary rainforest, ending with a swim in the falls. Second day we went to the Corcovado reserve by boat, again with Jeffrey one of the hotel guides. we saw 7 humpback whales, tapir, pigs, sloth, coaties, ant eater and loads of birds. The hotel guides have a passion for this location and wildlife that is really authentic. The hotel accomodation is really impressive as you are in the canopy. We sat the pool and saw loads of monkeys, coaties, macaws, the list goes on. This isn't a hotel to laze around in. The lack of air conditioning at night isn't a problem at all but it is humid and a real jungle experience. The food is good. Some great, most is good. But the coffee is excellent, as are the cocktails! And all the staff are authentic, passionate, offering great service, some stories and help.

My wife planned this adventure to Costa Rica and my only requirement was that we would have Beach access. The beach was great. But it was great because it was natural. There wasn't a bunch of chairs with palm trees and servers bringing you watered down pina coladas. But I felt like I was in the movie castaway or an extra on Gilligan's Island. There was something extra magical about that. Don't get me wrong. You would see the occasional other person but ridiculously private and secluded.  We visited the beach three times during our week stay. One visit was to go surfing. The surf instructor that lives in the area was phenomenal. They provided easy to use surfboards and the waves where were surfer friendly to me. Props to my wife for even trying it as it was her first time. If you have sensitive feet, I would recommend bringing water shoes. I brought mine, but actually never wore them.   Temperatures were hot and it only took our bodies a day or so to acclimatize coming from Canada. We stayed in a basic room (no AC) and slept excellent with the ceiling fan.In fact, that when we got home we went to buy new pillows because we realized the ones we had at home weren't as good as the ones on resort. I can't say enough great things about the food. I think I actually lost weight eating here. If that's even possible. Everything was just delicious, healthy real ingredient food creations. I took pictures of the menus in the hopes that I could recreate some of the dishes served during our week's stay... And I tried items on both the plant-based and non-plant-based menus. We mostly drank water. And occasionally had evening drinks during the week but we also had one get drunk day. Cocktails were delicious and fresh. Beers were always cold.  I also will add that because this place is so remote, the other guests there became family during your stay. Like if someone saw a certain rare animal, they would come and tell everyone in the dining room what they saw. And everyone went out to go look at that animal... For us it was the sloth. Lastly, I can't help but want to thank the staff as well. Thank you for introducing us to your country. Your food. Your trails. Your unique animals.  I wish I had taken your sustainability tour but heard about it from other guests. My only recommendation to the resort would be to consider offering a cooking class & tour of the kitchen. Man that food was good. So good I'm mentioning it twice in one review. Yum yum yum.  This last comment is for those travelers who like to read all the reviews as I did prior to coming. (1) Phones: I was going to buy an esim before arriving, but ended up buying a 7 -day card sim card at the airport. It worked great on the beach but if it matters to you was sometimes spotty in-between the beach and resort. The resort had WiFi so that was nice too. I was very mindful of others when using my phone. For example, when calling family back home I did it in a public area versus on my balcony early in the

A truly special place for us to celebrate our honeymoon!! Everything about our 6 days at Lapa Rios exceeded our expectations. From the pickup at the airstrip in Puerto Jimenez that included fresh coconut water, to the insanely knowledgeable staff -everyone from the drivers to the servers to the guides seemed to know everything about the nature reserve - to the gorgeous canopy treetop settings with views of the sea (including from the pool), the food!!! the luxurious but still natural-feeling villa.....just an incredible experience. Do not miss the night hike, as you will get to see all kinds of wildlife that you would miss in daytime (red eyed frog, we saw a sloth up close!). The guides are amazing and knowledgeable about the many birds and trees and animals in the rainforest that is basically all encompassing around you constantly. We had three types of monkeys eating and playing on our deck daily, hummingbirds and macaws were a constant presence. Don't miss a beach visit, you can easily walk there but the lodge will drive you in a 4x4 and set up chairs and a cooler. It's basically your own private beach as the only other people we saw were surfing at the far end. Not the best for swimming with rocks and sandy waves but beautiful to walk and relax. The best thing about staying here is that you can be totally immersed in the hiking and birdwatching and sign up for multiple activities every day, or you can do a bit of it and relax the rest of the time. We enjoyed doing one hike a day and enjoying the views and relaxing at the pool or on the deck the rest of the day. A lot of walking is part of a visit to this magical place, so just be aware of that in advance. It's remote and feels that way, which is part of the advantage. Don't expect amenities (or an easy road)outside of the lodge, but they have everything so who cares. The concierge staff will set up anything and everything you need. We were there for the start of rainy season and it lived up to the name, very humid and rainy once a day, but it's a rainforest so that's just part of the magic. Plan for quick dry clothing and make use of the natural insect repellent they provide in your room. Special shout out to Jafeth and Enrique who made our stay so fun. We cannot wait to return.

As soon as you cross the main gate, you will feel like you are stepping into another world. The lushness of the jungle will envelop you, and trust me, you won't want to leave. I know I didn't. The open window concept in the rooms is perfect, the ocean will lull you to sleep and the howler monkeys will be sure to wake you up. The staff will bring you coffee, hot water for tea or hot chocolate between 5-6 a.m., which I highly recommend asking for at least one morning. With cup in hand, you can sit in your private deck and enjoy the sounds of the jungle and reflection of the sun in the horizon as it rises in the Caribbean. There is no AC or TV in the rooms, but you won't really need it, the ocean breeze and the ceiling fan are more than enough. The beds are covered by a beautiful mosquito net, which gives it a very romantic air. The hotel offers several tours that are included in the price of the room. Take advantage of them! We went birdwatching at 5:45 a.m. and saw tons of birds. Jeffrey is super knowledgeable and has a great telescope you can take pictures with. We also wanted to collaborate with the hotel's conservation program, so we took the Plant a Tree Tour. Daniel was our guide and he is an open encyclopedia. He has been working at Lapa Rios for 28 years and knows the area like the palm of his hand. We chose the tree from a nursery and walked into the forest to plant it. The experience is very moving. I highly recommend the experience. The food... OMG, that was an experience on its own. There was nothing I didn't love. Fish tacos with fresh mahi-mahi, lemon risotto with fresh fish, mushroom pasta with free range chicken, I mean all of it was incredible. The cherry on top was the staff. Everyone was amazing, very friendly and always willing to answer your questions, and above all, you can tell they are happy to be working there. You can tell they really enjoy what they do. Although the lodge is not beachfront, you can still enjoy the nearby beach, Playa Pan Dulce. The staff will be happy to drive you there and pick you up when you are ready to go back. You can easily spend 3-4 nights here and NEVER be bored. The only problem is, you will not want to leave. I know I didn't. Tips: bring good hiking shoes, a hat, light hiking clothes including long pants, sunblock and a good book. The hotel has non-chemical insect repellent and it works great! Don't bother hauling binoculars, the hotel will provide a pair.

We absolutely loved this place. We’d looked at it many times but I’d always dismissed it as thought it didn’t have any air-conditioning and whilst I don’t mind the heat, I do like to be able to sleep in cool temps. We suddenly discovered the Matapalo Suites do have air con. There are just two of these to the right of reception. They have a flat board walk so are ideal for anyone not liking lots of steps or I’m sure they are designed for wheelchair access too. We’ve driven all over Costa Rica but didn’t want to spend the time on the long drive down, as we’ve done half that busy highway before, so opted to catch the flight to the small airport at Puerto Jimenez. We booked ourselves and it was an easy transfer from San Jose. They do weigh you and your luggage (inbound and outbound flight). (We left some luggage at the Marriott in San Jose). The airport is literally a runway ***** that pulls up next to a cemetery! The drivers meet you at the edge of the runway ***** by a gate, so it was easy to find the driver wearing a LR shirt! They have a private building where you can get a drink and bathrooms before your drive to the resort. It’s quite a bumpy road. Not far as the crow flys, just bumpy with pot holes. I was told if you drove there, they’d provide detailed instructions about the bridges you can drive over and the ones where you cross through the river. I imagine after heavy rain this could be quite exciting. The drivers know every pot hole. It takes about an hour. It’s really not a long distance it’s just the road or lack of! We arrived at the most wonderful place in the forest with birds flying around and monkeys in the trees. The property is really pretty and nicely designed. There are two main areas for dining, either the main restaurant or by the bar area just up from the pool. Both have amazing scenic views down to the sea. The food throughout our trip was fantastic and whilst the portions are not massive, there’s so much food with three courses we had more than we needed! It’s not only delicious but presented beautifully every time. It was a delight to eat every meal. Our favorite pudding was the passionfruit cheesecake. But we loved breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was such a relaxed experience and a pleasure to just sit and look at the view and the wildlife. The menu changed daily and there were lots of choices and a particularly thoughtful and exciting vegetarian menu. I’m not vegetarian but several times I chose this option as they were so creative and delicious. (We were also in the bar one day and the chef asked us to try a couple of dishes they were planning to add to the menu and asked for comments!). The service was great and the staff friendly and very attentive. They quickly learnt our names and our preferences. I was even brought a drink before I'd asked for it by one of the team who knew what I'd order! We had a great time talking to the team. You could order a bottle of wine and if you only drunk

Lapa Rios is fantastic. We stayed in the Matapalo suite for four nights in May, took several onsite hikes/tours, went to the beach on our own, and did the Corcovado by land trip for most of a day. Everything was topnotch and the birds and wildlife are incredible. The lodge is on protected land including primary forest and we saw scarlet macaws close up every day, toucans, four species of monkeys, poison dart frogs...and plenty more. The guides were fantastic. The sustainability tour was an unexpected highlight for me, interesting to anyone who wants to know how a place like lapa rios operates. We were in one of the two suites with air conditioning. We didn't use it at night because we wanted to hear the forest, but we cooled the room during the day. There is a good breeze so I don't consider A/C necessary, but it was nice to have. One thing to be aware as noted in some other reviews is that some rooms are quite a few steps down from the main lodge/dining area. If you have mobility issues that's worth taking into account and getting a closer room. The food was excellent, very well prepared, creative. The staff is very friendly and helpful. If you're looking for the best nature experience in Costa Rica I don't think you can do better that Lapa Rios, particularly if you go into Corcovado.