Turtle Beach Lodge

My wife & I have visited this Lodge on several occasions as it is our favourite place to stay in Costa Rica. On our recent visit we stayed six nights. It is the most remote lodge in the area and the wildlife right on site is amazing. It is not unusual to see spider & howler monkeys, occasionally white-faced monkeys, great green & scarlett macaws, iguanas, basilisk lizards, caiman, three types of toucans, and many other bird species. The staff are kind & helpful and we found the food tasty & interesting. The rooms are basic, be aware that there is no air conditioning and the windows are a tight screen to keep the insects out, but the ceiling fans do a nice job on the warm nights. Our guide, Fernando, is an excellent guide & resource and we have been fortunate to have him as our guide on several occasions. This lodge provides the opportunity for a genuine Costa Rica rainforest experience.

Although always clean, the hotel is basic. The locational is absolutely stunning, you’re in the middle of the lagoons and on the beach which is beautiful. The pool area was also lovely and much appreciated, with a well priced bar offering drinks. The excursions included were great and the additional evening tour is well worth it. |However, the hotel is very basic.|The room didn’t have a safe, any toiletries (even basic body wash) and towels were old and ragged. The rooms didn’t have windows, just mesh and the curtains did not cover the entire windows. This made privacy near on impossible and you were woken by sunrise. |The food was awful. All buffet and very limited choices. A bell rang when food was served and even then it was cold and looked like it had been left out a while! |We understand the location is remote, with it being difficult to transport some luxuries, but hoped for more. However the area is amazing allowing boat trips out on the lagoons to spot wildlife but the hotel amenities could use some TLC. |Would recommend going for the amazing location and wildlife, but hope they improve the basics.

Visiting Tortoguero is an adventure. It is remote and requires considerable effort including the boat ride to the hotel. Considering the remote location it is a beautiful setting between the canals and the ocean surrounded by opportunities to see the abundance of wildlife from insects and reptiles to many varieties of birds. The rooms are basic but large and comfortable. The food basic but nutritional and able to accommodate special needs - gluten free in my case. Highly recommended.

Very remote and only accessible by boat. No AC which was not an issue in Dec. Menu was limited. Had a pool and was on the beach. Hope you like Howler monkey noises and don't mind bugs in your room. I was in the military so none of this worried me. Had a full bar and don't drink the water from the tap.

We journeyed to Turtle Beach Lodge for a family wedding. This is not the usual spot to visit when in Costa Rica, when I told locals we were headed to Tortuguero they got very excited sharing how beautiful it is! Access is via a real life Jungle Cruise which is an exotic adventure motoring through incredible vegetation where one can spot otters, tapirs, bright green iguanas, jesus christ lizards that walk on water and likely even a crocodile or caiman! Arriving at the resort feels like landing at Fantasy Island (reference for those old enough), greeted by staff with drinks at the dock entrance. A winding path through stunning trees and tropical flowers takes one to a lovely beach where one can walk for ages finding sand dollars and shells, lay in hammocks, drink from fresh coconuts, enjoy local cocktails and beers at the pool, see monkeys swinging and then enjoy local food (rice, beans, plantains, salad, fresh juice, costa rican coffee) or there is always delicious pasta and wood oven pizza as an option. Many day activities are available including walking in the jungle, taking the boat into town enjoying incredibly clear jungle reflections/mirroring in the mineral filled water, sky blanketed with stars, kayaking/canoeing but also nice to just relax and renew in nature! The Costa Ricans (Ticos) are always lovely...Pura Vida here indeed!

We loved our stay at TBL! The river boat ride to the property was so exciting and the property was gorgeous. The staff were all very friendly and accommodating and we loved swimming in the pool. Recommend a nature hike / kayaking during your stay!

This hotel was really out of the way at the northern end of the waterways. The food was pretty good. The rooms were fairly basic but there was comfortable bed and clean bathroom. No AC. Staff were very helpful.

We had been booked into another hotel in the Tortuguero area, but that booking had to be changed due to unforeseen circumstances. So we were moved here. It's a lodge but felt more like a resort. It had a pool, a beach, a restaurant and bar and offered tours of the Park next door. You have to take a boat to get here and for the tours. This hotel was part of our G Adventures tour of Costa Rica.|The room was large with 2 beds and a bathroom. We were a fair distance from the main building. It was very quiet, so quiet that the monkeys and birds woke us up at 6 every day. Nevertheless we slept well|The food was above average and was a mix of local and European cuisine. The bar was expensive, but the cocktails were inventive. |We did 2 tours. The jungle tour was short but had the bonus of seeing some Boat-Billed Herons. The jungle boat tour also had a lot of birds.