Visit Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge

Rounding up from 4.5 stars. This place is reachable via a short-hop flight and then a boat, which makes it nice and remote. The staff were friendly and helpful, the food (veggie-friendly) was simple but delicious, and the room was comfortable. But the highlight was being in the middle of the jungle. Five bats hung out outside my room, sometimes there were spiders inside (definitely check bed, baggage, etc.), and one night we were all woken up by furious rummaging outside (turned out to be an armadillo). The lodge offers interesting hiking, water, and other activities. I particularly enjoyed the waterfall hike and the night hike. Fellow travelers from around the world were fun to chat with. I stayed for 3 nights which was just right for me. Definitely recommend if you are looking for a nature-filled time away from hectic tourism (and it's not too remote or scary if you are a seasoned hiker/camper)

We ended our Costa Rica trip with two nights at Playa Nicuesa. We were greeted at the dock in Golfito by the manager, Sven, and after a 15-20 minute water taxi ride, arrived at our lodging. You are very isolated at Playa Nicuesa, but you are well taken care of - after getting lunch in the dining area of the Lodge, we made chocolate from scratch since there was once a cacao plantation on the grounds. After dinner, we went for a night hike with Valeria as our guide. we saw lots of tree frogs, lizards, and big spiders on the hike, Valeria was a very knowledgeable guide. The accommodations are fairly minimal compared to a hotel, but the lack of windows (rooms are screened in) allow you to listen to the sounds of the jungle as you go to sleep. We were awakened in the morning to the sound of howler monkeys in the distance. We got up early for birdwatching, and were rewarded with great views of parrots, toucans, and numerous tropical birds. It would be almost impossible to not see scarlet macaws, who make frequent, loud visits to the almond tree down by the beach. Next we headed out on Golfo Dulce in search of spotted dolphins, and we ended up amongst a school of them, jumping around our boat. Our guide for birdwatching and dolphin boat trip was Josue, who is both knowledgeable and also entertaining. If you are looking for a trip into the biodiverse region of southern Costa Rica, and are willing to leave hotel comforts behind, you'll have a great time at Playa Nicuesa

Don't underestimate the fact that you are traveling to the rainforest and will be part of nature on this vacation.There will be wildlife all around you - in the trees, on the ground, sometimes in your cabin. We are city dwellers and were prepared to be visitors to the rainforest world and loved it. We saw three kinds of monkeys and enjoyed the incredible wake up call of the Howlers.We went on the Golfo Dulce tour and saw spotted dolphins. We did the River Tour to see the Mangroves (and a baby croc and bottle nosed dolphins). We enjoyed the Night Tour, Early Morning Birding, Bat Conservation Talk, Chocolate Making and Waterfall Hike. We also used the trails for self guided walks. We had time to sit on the beach, read and watch the scarlet macaws, toucans, flycatchers and lizards galore. We swam in the very warm waters right off the dock and used the paddleboards. Staying 5 nights allowed us to settle in and enjoy many aspects of this unique place. The food is absolutely amazing! I loved the way they organized the daily meals - at breakfast you order lunch and and lunch you order dinner. The fruit smoothies and fresh juices are fantastic! Packing: We followed their packing list and were glad to have had a lot of tshirts. We each had 3 - 4 pair of shoes (closed toed, water sandals and flip flops)...we advise keep a pair of shoes dry/clean even just for the trip home. They do have rubber boots to borrow if you find you'd rather wear those for a walk or hike. We highly recommended this place as a very unique experience - the accommodations, service and food are First Class. This is not an air-conditioned beach resort- think "Glamping" in the jungle with all the amenities. An open-air shower in the jungle is true luxury

We loved it here. The staff is very attentive and wonderful. The location had everything we wanted. We hiked in the jungle behind us. We swam, snorkeled and kayaked in the ocean in front of us. We enjoyed yoga each morning. The meals were very tasty. Our room was in the back close to the jungle and upstairs. We loved it! We could see fire flies at night and listen everything coming to life in the morning. We highly recommend this wonderful place