Hotel El Encanto

Very beautiful place with exotic garden and animal life. We saw more species than in the nearby national park. Very kind staff, rooms spacious and beds comfortable. Nice breakfast menu with changing options each day. Highly recommendable.

Excellent choice to stay on the Caribbean side! Room are meticulously clean, friendly staff and a very good on-site restaurant. Gated parking and 2 very nice pools. One pool even has a resident sloth named Sammy, who is always found in the greenery beside the pool.

Adorable place, walking distance to food, Cahuita National Park, and the beach. Super cute rooms, beautiful garden, nice resident cat, and good service. Included breakfast was good and quite a lot of food.

Rooms are in little bungalows, that all have different colours. All rooms have AC and mosquito net as well as sufficient towels for beach and pool. The garden is very beautiful and offers a wildlife experience with Iguanas and minimum 2 sloths living here. Breakfast is also good and the restaurant is definitely also worth a consideration as especially the setting is nice by Costa Rican standards.

Mixed feelings about this property. Upon arrival, we were met with a reserved and aloof receptionist who would not give me a key to the room unless I provided my passport number which was in the car. Ok, it’s really hot, we’ve been driving all day, the gates locked so it’s not like we would run away- she decided she could bend this rule. The cottages were perfect, great bathrooms, air conditioning, fans, comfortable beds but with awful pillows. The grounds were also perfect and beautiful with two small | swimming pools. What needs improvement is their customer service. They made a mistake with the number of beds in our room. Instead of comping us or apologizing, they had us wait not explaining what they are going to do and ask for an extra fee for the additional bed in the room. Not sure why that requires an extra fee. We were never given complimentary drinks as per their cards in the room, nor were we given two for one drinks during happy hour. I asked on two occasions before booking if the restaurant provides vegan breakfast and if they have vegan choices for dinner. The breakfast was by far the worst breakfast we had in Costa Rica. I was offered dry stale bread with thin slices of avocado and two slices of tomato. When asked if I could have rice and beans, I was given a strict NO without explanation. No rice and beans like all the other hotels. The fruit was delicious. We had dinner once there on our first night and the bean burger was soft and not tasty along with the other dishes so we decided not to eat there again. If visiting this area again, I would not stay here and probably stay in the Punta Uva area with better beaches, restaurants, more hotels to choose from and just more to do overall. This hotel has a lot going for it but the customer service and subpar food has made us think twice. Coffee only available after 7am even though tours start early in Costa Rica and you’re up at 4:30 or 5, and there is no coffee, and the breakfast we were given to go for our 5mile hike in the rainforest jungle was cheese and tomato sandwich even though I asked for a vegan breakfast. Again, I was give a strict NO to a vegan breakfast.

We loved this place! The gardens are magical and Jordan was more than happy to help us to find the Sloth and her baby in the tree. While we didn’t get to enjoy the water activities because of the rain, we were able to walk downtown and to the National park. The staff was incredibly helpful and when our hot water and TV remote didn’t work, they were quick to send someone to help us. We had a suite with a kitchen which was a bonus—plus plenty of room to stretch out. The ping pong table and the beautiful gardens were highlights. We also appreciated the secure parking lot. . Breakfast was tasty too. I would highly recommend El Encanto!

Hi, I was in Cahuita last week and was robbed for all my cash by hotel staff. I had $400 cash in various places in my room. The room was locked while I was in the reception area with colleagues. The hotel staff unlocked my door and entered to clean the room at which point I was robbed. I went back to my room as she was finishing up and all the cash was gone. The hotel became defensive and agressive and would not call the police for several hours. I was suppose to stay the whole week but I left the following day due to feeling unsafe on the property. Do not stay at Hotel El Encanto. Costa Rica isn’t safe anymore

Suite sleeps 6 with A/C - walking distance to Cahuita NP. Restaurant was fabulous, serves fish and chicken with wonderful flavors. Happy hour from 5 to 6 with two for one cocktails wonderfully made by Conrad! Fun, laid-back stay. Comfortable beds manicured grounds very secure for guests and parking, two pools with outdoor shower. Very attentive staff that speak acceptable english. We are coming back soon! Colin N