Pachira Lodge

Best bits: Wildlife is all around you. So much to hear and see. Loved the spider monkeys. Excursion on the river and canals: so much wild life including basilisks, caimans, iguanas and an immense array of bird life Excursion to the volcanic look out : more wild life including howler monkeys and bats plus a great view of Tortugeuro. Guides are knowledgeable and engaging and with eagle eyes to spot wildlife. Pool area Less good: The rooms are not very private since the walls of your room don’t reach the ceiling so the other three adjoining rooms share the same roof space so you can hear your neighbours!

5 stars for location and wildlife but for me, accommodation would be 3 stars. We had fabulous walks with Daniel, he showed us Toucans, Cayman, monkeys, many birds and even poison dart frogs. The extra walk up the local hill was well worth the cost ($38), the view was amazing. A trip to Tortugueiro was interesting. The resort is a bit regimented but this is necessary to allow for so many people to check in and depart on the various trips. Dining was canteenish but food was ok, serving staff appear quite unhappy. The pool and bar are pleasant. The cabins are a bit primitive but everything works and the WiFi is OK unless you're in a distant room. We thought that overall this was a fabulous place to visit and tremendous value.

Upon check in, lots of information about tour, meeting times and meal times. Would have been helpful if this information was provided in writing (or post meal times in the lobby) but understandable with the sustainability focus of the lodge. Rooms were clean, loved the provided soap and shampoo in the shower, although a bit watered down. Rooms lacked privacy due to shared walls not going all the way to the ceiling (better for air flow). Only screens on the windows. It was oppressively hot and humid during our visit so sleeping was uncomfortable without AC. Tour groups were much too large-hard to hear and slow pace. Meals were repetitive but fine. Pool was nice and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view. Overall it was a good visit, guides were knowledgeable.

We stayed for 2 nights in September. This was our first time here and have no lodging experience at Tortuguero to compare to. We enjoyed our time exploring the jungle and spotting wildlife. It was definitely not the most luxurious lodge we have stayed at, but the Pachira Lodge - not unlike Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge - definitely puts you in the midst of the natural wonders that Tortuguero has to offer. With regards to staying at Pachira Lodge: Highlights: - Tropical rainforest experience starts right at your doorstep (actually even on the way there once on the water taxi) - Surrounded by jungle within the lodge grounds - Amazing wildlife, especially for birders, on lodge grounds as well as out in the national park - Depending on the timing, an opportunity to witness sea turtles laying eggs and even hatchlings emerge Know that: - expect to spend at least 1/2 day traveling to/from Tortuguero by road and river; recommend spending at least 2 nights - tropical rainforest experience starts right at your doorstep; heat, humidity, noise of the surrounding tropical forest - no air-conditioning on the property; this is an understandable and ecologically sensible approach given the relatively isolated location - food is adequate but definitely not a highlight of the stay - wifi strongest next to the reception and dining areas, spotty at best elsewhere on property Unless you fly in from San Jose you will find it takes half a day to make it to Tortuguero. You start with a bus ride out of the capital city, take a lunch break en route, then transfer at La Pavona (Embarcadero a Tortuguero) onto a variety of water taxis that take you downstream along the Suerte River through the tropical rainforest. You eventually make through to the national park and the namesake town. It is not an easy trip but it definitely worth the effort. Even so, on just the ride down the Suerte River we spotted egrets, a large American crocodile basking on the bank of the river, an Anhinga drying out its wings, hanging nests of the Montezuma orependola. On the way back we spotted a white-tailed deer in the water; it did not look distressed and eventually jumped out and disappeared into the jungle. Pachira Lodge lies on a ***** of land between the Suerte River to its west and faces onto the wide Tortuguero Lagoon across to another ***** of land that separates the lagoon from the Caribbean Sea. One crossed the lagoon to reach beach where the sea turtles lay their eggs as well as the small town of Tortuguero. We were greeted with glasses of chilled fruit juice which was much appreciated. We had arrived with a tour group from Spain and The were quickly divided into Spanish-speaking and English-speaking groups for orientation, one naturalist/ guide was assigned to our group but he would often exchange roles and even join him at times (see below for more details). The intro took place at the bar by the pool and lagoon. There was a larger building on the other side or the l

We stayed here for 2 nights . A terrific experience from beginning to end. The boat ride from the dock through the lush forest takes about 1.5 hours and you can just watch the forest go by. The restaurant part of the hotel overlooks the swimming pool and the canal, so incredible views. The lodges where you sleep are very , very basic. No a/c or fridge. But thinking about green footprints it’s no problem at all. And you can still get a decent nights sleep because the windows do not have glass but netting, which allows a breeze, mixed with the ceiling fan it’s fine. There is not a great choice of food but we enjoyed every meal we had and there was always plenty of it.. we were there 19th April and the mozzies were out in force but plenty of deet did keep them at bay. A very good experience, and I would do it again.

This was a good stay, the first stop on our trip. The journey to get here is quite long, so be prepared for a lengthy ride on the river. I understand that this is another reason it feels so secluded and hard to get any produce there, but I think the main let down was the lack of food options. I wouldn't say that either the breakfast, lunch or dinner were anything special, but otherwise the location of the hotel is perfect for wildlife spotting. There's a trail next to it you can walk, it's on the river so you can just sit and stare all day, the walking paths to the rooms provide an excellent opportunity to see anything from monkeys to frogs at night, snakes, sloths, iguanas, etc. We saw a lot by staying here for two nights only and the Tortuguero village is only across the river on a boat ride too. The rooms are all you need, comfortable and the bathrooms spacious. Rocking chair equipped too. Additionally, I would say that due to the secluded nature of the area, you are also stuck with your guide on this stay and they should make a better effort to be approachable and pleasant with the guest, although I know this is not the hotel's responsibility.

We stayed at Pachira as a family of 6, myself, my husband, our 2 daughters (14 and 11) and my parents. The lodges at the hotel were simple but had everything we needed. To get to the hotel you arrive by boat, this was a lovely experience that we all really enjoyed, the hotel is isolated, but is very peaceful. The tour guides we had during our visit were fantastic, they made us feel very welcome. We are all very interested in wildlife, birds and photography and they helped us get the absolute most out of our stay here. The guided boat tour around the canal was excellent. The gardens at the hotel are amazing, we spent a lot of time walking round, looking at the wildlife. We were woken up by the howler monkeys and managed to see armadillo and raccoons in the garden, alongside countless species of birds. We all enjoyed the food, this is served buffet style at set times, the selection isn’t huge but it does change each day and in our opinion there were more than enough options to keep us happy. The staff were always friendly, the bar was lovely and service was fast and friendly. I would love to visit this special place again one day.

Pachira Lodge is a well-situated lodge for exploring the plentiful wildlife in the locality. We benefited greatly from our fabulous guide, Ray, who aside from being unbelievably knowledgeable about all the animals and their habitats, seemed to never stop working! He made our visit here informative and memorable. Thank you Ray!

Such a disappointing introduction to Costa Rica. The rooms are basic, but absolutely fine. The main issues are the food and the staff. It looks like hotel policy is to be as rude and grumpy as possible. Never a smile, not to mention an hola. This is a management issue, as clearly the culture is not about creating an environment where guests can feel welcome. Tours were unenthusiastic and like ticking off a list for the stupid tourists. Pile them in and get rid of them quickly. I have never felt so hated in a hotel, anywhere in the world. Food was tasteless and bland, overcooked eggs and fish, served up at set times like an institution. The only good part was the fresh fruit. There are so many little things that could be done to make this hotel better. And I’m willing to share them directly with management!