Lapa Rios Lodge by Böëna

Our week at Lapa Rios was outstanding in all respects. The location, in a remote 1,000 acre preserve in the jungle, is beautiful and the lodge makes the most of it for its guests. The staff is excellent, from the great guides to the serving staff and concierges. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and the all -inclusive hikes, birding and beach walks never failed to impress with much wildlife to see and much to learn. Sloths, toucans, macaws, coatis, three types of monkeys and many rare birds like a turquoise cotinga, were all fun to observe and learn about. The Osa and Ridge trail hikes were great, as well as the early and sunset birding walks. The nigh walk in the jungle was also worth doing. There are a number of waterfalls within a short walk of the lodge where we enjoyed swimming. Nothing was ever too crowded, given the small size of the resort and the skill of the staff in managing many activities, meals and logistics. The food is excellent, both inventive and healthful, with many vegetarian and local fish and seafood options. Serving staff was superb—very friendly and helpful. Our premier villa was extremely well designed, with a beautiful view, comfortable bed and furniture inside and out. The walk from the higher numbered villas to the main lodge can be a challenge, but we always enjoyed seeing the wildlife on the way up and down the well designed walkway. One of our best vacations ever.

The only reason that we gave four out of five stars was because of the dinner food. The breakfast food was very good. Fresh fruit, very good omelettes. The lunch food was decent, but was hit or miss. Unfortunately, the food at dinner was not good at all. Unfortunately, the pasta and pizza were awful. The flavors were off with most dishes. The dinner food was very disappointing, and we struggled after trying almost everything on the menu finding something that we like to go back to. That being said, the rest of the hotel was great! First of all the service and people were outstanding! Gabriel and Sandra were really wonderful and shared their stories and we looked forward to seeing them at meals. There were several hikes that were offered. The guides were excellent. However, we found that there was a lot of repetition with the hiking in regards to things we were seeing. The best hike was the Osa Trail. The beach experience was amazing! When you want to go down to the beach, you let the front desk staff know an hour before and they pack up two lounge chairs, and a cooler full of whatever drinks you would like. We got fresh pineapple, puréed, and watermelon and water and they bring you down in a truck , it’s about an eight minute drive and you sit on the beach and walk the beach. they come pick you up whenever you want. It really is an extremely relaxing experience! The location is very very remote. We stayed there for seven days. If you want to get away from Everything , this is the place. There are no TVs. Nothing to do at night. No one is ever at the bar. No people watching. The Wi-Fi is very good But we did not use it a lot of the time. It did take the whole day of traveling to get there. The room was beautiful. The view is incredible! The outside deck that you have has an outside shower and loungers. Coffee is delivered to the room at 6 AM daily. The only drawback was that the screens that enclose the room are a little bit bigger so you get a lot of tiny bugs in the room while you are sleeping and there’s no mosquito bedding above your bed so that was disappointing. Just as a disclosure there is no AC, we did not care because the breeze was amazing. In February you definitely don’t need AC. if you are a foodie, you will be disappointed. If you’re just looking for decent food, you’ll be OK.

It was fabulous. Food excellent, staff really friendly and location amazing. I really liked the tours into the rain forest that were available. All excellent - would like to go back. It was amazing hearing the howler monkeys, and seeing macaws setting off in the mornings.The hotel was at the top of a valley down to the sea overlooking and part of the rainforest

What a place! Set on the Osa Peninsula up high over looking the caribbean. Short flight from San Jose. You'll be picked up in Porta Jimenez. Great service, grwat staff. Lots to do. Hiking, day on the beach, guided tours. Lots of wild life. Very tranquil. We would definitely recommend Lapa Rios to all nature lovers.

Lapa Rios is one of the most magical and amazing places we have been to and stayed at. Everyone working there is so friendly, kind and helpful. The guides and tours are excellent. Our room was very comfortable and the laid back atmosphere is great. The location is simply stunning. We cannot wait to return to Lapa Rios, as the birdlife and wildlife you see there, and in the area, is second to none. Our 4 night stay was the highlight of our trip to Costa Rica, which says a lot, as we had an amazing two weeks travelling around and loving everywhere we went. A wonderful country, with wonderful people.

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.