Mawamba Lodge Tortuguero

Had a great stay here for two nights. The arrival by boat is spectacular (takes some 45 minutes). We had a superior room which was a small bungalow for our own and well equipped. Breakfast was good and so was dinner. Only point for inprovement was the lack of light in the dining area and the smell of the torches. The garden of the lodge is beautiful and we saw many birds. It is also nice that the lodge is between the river and the beach. There is a path to the village but only suitable to take in day time.

Had an amazing stop with the family here. Definitely the luxury end of jungle Lodges. the rooms are simple but nicely done. the gardens are the best around, the staff are friendly and nice, communal areas are excellent and the food was great to. all very impressive in a location only accessible by boat! The tours and the local area is incredible, even just in the gardens we saw loads of wildlife. we did 3 nights all in and it was brilliant (although the fixed menu gets a bit boring by night 3 - although still delicious).

Beautiful Lodge in the middle of nowhere within the Tortuguero National Park. The rooms are all open, without AC. The good thing is, you are permanently connected the Natur around… but due to the humidity and especially when it rains, you never have a chance to dry your clothes if they get wet. The best is, the lodge is right between the canals and the Caribbean ocean. In both you cannot take a dip… the ocean offers dangerous rip currents and the canals obviously has some caimans. The restaurant unfortunately isn’t really good. You can eat there without getting problems with your stomach or something like that, but the taste wasn’t that good in our eyes - and it’s expensive! Better got 15-20 minutes by foot to Tortuguero town and enjoy food in a soda oder take the boat taxi for $4. Within the lodge you can find a wide variety of wildlife! There are a lot of toucans, macaws, howler monkeys, all kinds of birds, turtles, iguanas, snakes etc. etc. you don’t even need to enter the national park - the animals are all there, right in front of your doorstep! Due to the restaurant and the waitresses their (not really active unfortunately) I have to reduce to 4 stars, but still… the advantages overweight so I can still recommend this lodge!

Mawamba Lodge was our first stop in Costa Rica and we spent three wonderful nights there. Arriving by boat was magical and the grounds, wildlife and staff made it a memorable stay. Sunrise beach walks and hearing nothing but the sounds of the wildlife and the occasional boat passing was so good for the soul. The rooms are basic but we booked knowing it was an eco lodge, so was as we expected. The food was good, the cocktails were great and we did some amazing tours with excellent guides. The wifi was fine in our room, maybe because we were nearer the main hotel areas, and we found the fan was enough to keep us cool enough at night, despite the warm temperatures. Highly recommended, thank you.

Pro:|1) Friendly and helpful staff.|2) Good location that is quiet and slightly away from downtown but also an easy 10min walk along the beach or short boat taxi away.|3) The property grounds were picturesque and the pool was nice.|4) The restaurant was very decent.|5) Successful turtle nesting tour!||Con:|1) The wifi in the guest rooms was poor, however, the property wifi was good. It was okay to use the wifi in the common areas like the pool or bar and have a drink occasionally, but having good wifi in the room nowadays should be standard. |2) The ceiling fans in the rooms need to be upgraded and have more power to cool the rooms better (no AC).

I run my own travel agency and contacted Eugenia several times to make reservations, but unfortunately I never received a reply. For an accommodation of this level, this is very disappointing. Proper reservation management is essential, especially when travel agents are trying to bring guests and rebook clients. Any business should be happy when travel professionals want to collaborate and send guests, not ignore them. Based on my experience, the service was very poor.

On the more upmarket end of the lodge options in Tortuguero, but well worth the cost. Our room was huge, very clean, and well-equipped. The large balcony with hammock was a lovely spot to enjoy the wildlife. We got lots of 2 for 1 cocktail vouchers on arrival which meant paying around $6 each for a high quality, strong cocktail. Dinner options were a bit limited and expensive, but breakfast was tasty with a cooked option (pancakes, omelette etc) and a buffet for fruit/coffee/bread/cakes. We took three tours - boat tour, kayaking, and hill walk. Our guides were all fantastic, incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely friendly with everyone.

A beautiful eco resort. It’s another world. Loved everything about it!|Amazing dawn chorus, wildlife spotting boat trips and even a special Costa Rican traditional breakfast at their restaurant en route from San Jose. Definitely recommend.