Hacienda Barú Lodge

Loved the garden setting, clean spacious rooms, and excellent customer service from management, to front desk help, to wildlife educators. The driveway lead directly to a beautiful beach where we never saw another person. Conveniently close to Domenical to surf or go for a quick dinner. The included breakfasts, with great coffee, were high quality and always served with a smile. Brian, the server, went above and beyond. He was so kind and attentive. He shared local stories and even taught me some Spanish. I would definitely go back.

We stayed four nights and really enjoyed the location! It’s close to the most beautiful places and you can easily walk to the near beach to take a dip while sunset. Also the trails were super nice and you see tons of wildlife. Also the information signs are interesting and other than other comments complain, we found everything really well maintained. The bungalows are nice and we enjoyed the kitchen and the fridge. They don’t offer mosquito nets over the beds. In consequence it was quite hard to sleep as you constantly have to fight the mosquitoes. Breakfast was super slow (besides on Sunday when the service was very good). It took 1,5 h to have breakfast. So better ask early for take away if you plan something or have to leave in time. Also they really show you that don’t want to give you too much. Every person can get one drink and if you take the juice they take away your mugs immediately so you don’t order tea or coffee. One of us was really sick and we ask for bread instead of the whole breakfast and they brought us two small slices which we really found impolite.

I came to Costa Rica with a few friends and a goal to see frogs. The end of our trip rolled by and we hadn't seen any frogs yet. We had seen monkeys, sloths, birds, and everything but frogs. So in frantic desperation I searched for a night walk near Uvita where we could see the red eyed tree frog. What I found was this lodge and their night walk. Let me tell you IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! We spent the night searching with Jorje for animals in the dark while he told us facts about what we were seeing. I learned so much, I saw so much, and I had so much fun. At the end of the walk, after we were all very tired, Jorje brought us back to the kitchen and gave us smoothies he had prepared in advance! Talk about a way to end the night! Some highlights of the animals we saw was the Ant Eater hiding in a tree, the Kinkajou sleeping peacefully on a branch, the sloths looking at Jorje making his whistle, and the various different types of tree frogs we found including not one BUT TWO red eyed tree frogs. This was a phenomenal experience and if I ever find myself back in this part of the world will do it again and explore the other tours they have to offer. 10/10, best deal you'll find today. I took many great photos on my camera and will try to update this review with them in the coming months, but if I don't get around to that just know how amazing the trip was.

We did not stay in the hotel but came for the 3-hour guided wild life tour ($70). The guide was very knowledgeable and showed us a wide range of animals (monkeys, pigs, birds, others) which we would not have spotted ourselves. Additionally, he provided a lot of historical and cultural background information.

Overpriced rooms and food. Rooms are hot with very uncomfortable beds. The trails are secondary forest so there's not a lot of wildlife. Better places exist for much less. If you still feel obligated to visit, do yourself a favour and book for just one night to ensure it's what you want, because there is no refund.

This was the best place to experience a rainforest Jungle tour. Lots of different animals, flowers, and trees. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun. It's a must-do!

We went for a hike here. Which more than delivered. Capucin monkeys, turtles, a sloth (carrying a baby?!), pecorinos, a herd of Koatis and more. And there’s some info along the routes. Relatively well maintained trails although you can expect to get muddy. A nice jungle-like experience without the touristy hassle of places like Manuel Antonio.

We did self-guided walking, $15 each. I did the trails on the south side (Sendero Pizote and Circuito Saino). The path was quite muddy in places, but doable. We saw peccaries, an agouti and a coati. Nice walk, but the signage and information boards are in very bad condition - some evidence of maintenance work going on, such as new boardwalk, but a lot more needs doing. My husband also did the trail on the north side (Sendero Chirincoco) which, apparently, was less muddy. We were told that the trail on the other side of the main road - Sendero Mirador - was closed.