Overall Ratings & Reviews Yatama Ecolodge Sarapiqui

This is a beautiful ecolodge and very well managed by Pedro and his staff. Pedro goes out of his way to make your stay comfortable. Their food options are very creative and excellent especially since we were vegetarians. The place is remote and provides a true jungle experience while still having the basic amenities to make your stay enjoyable and comfortable. They have well organized guided walks both at night and during the day, several of them covered within the reservation.

One of the greatest Ecolodges in Costa Rica. Pedro and his staff are passionately committed to conservation and sustainability, and they help guests understand their value. Guided hikes are spectacular; we saw nearly 50 species on a morning walk with Pedro. Excellent breakfasts and dinners are provided as part of the cost, and lunch can also be provided on request at a reasonable rate. The rooms are spacious, with balcony patios (with rocking chairs) that look out into the rain forest. There are mosquito nets provided for the bed, but we have experienced very few bugs (Belize is much worse in this regard, for instance). Altogether this is an experience not to be missed; try to plan on staying at least four nights (there are many, many wonderful and well-marked trails you can walk on your own after an initial orienting walk with Pedro the morning after you arrive). We chose to pay for transit from the San Jose airport (much less expensive than renting a car), and it made the the final leg of the journey (on a bumpy dirt road) stress free. Kudos to Pedro and the entire staff at Yatama!

My wife and I stayed for 4 nights in late January. It was wonderful. The property is very remote, which is what we wanted and is surrounded by dense forest and wildlife. There are wonderful trails on the property (probably the best hike I have even taken) and more in the park across the "road". Pedro, Luis, and Alba were great hosts. There is a schedule for meals, so you just show up and the food is ready. There is no menu, but I see that as a huge benefit. No decisions to be made, just sit down to a wonderful meal. Alba always had coffee or tea available to us. Fresh fruit and fruit juice were plentiful. On the last day, Alba showed me how she prepared the plantains, which was great as mine never turn out nearly as well. There were plenty of birds (my wife is a birder) and plenty of other wildlife (howler and spider monkeys, agouti, etc.) The night hikes were amazing, we found several different snakes, including the fer de lance and a coral snake. Lots of interesting frogs. If you enjoy nature, you can't not enjoy this place. However, keep in mind that it is pretty basic. The showers were clean and large but no hot water. The rooms had obvious small lots where bugs could get through, but we really didn't have any problems with bugs. The place was clean and comfortable, but not luxurious, which is exactly what we expected. Great location, plenty of places to explore and very knowledgeable host. We enjoyed it very much.

Pedro, the owner, could not have been better. The only warning I have, is make sure you email the owner yourself! Hotels.com did not forward my reservation to the hotel, so we had tons of trouble getting to the lodge. You must drive over a long dirt road full of rocks, which was terrible in a rental car and which Pedro will avoid by picking you up at the nearest paved road, if he knows you are coming. My little front-wheel drive Hyundai rental handled beautifully but, like all low-riding front-wheel drive vehicles, was not up to the task of the road, so stalled and got stuck in the mud about 1 km away from the resort. Thank God we ran into Pedro on the walk to the ecolodge - he had the staff of the ecolodge in his car, and they had locked up and were leaving for 4 days because, again, Hotels.com had not sent him notice of our reservation! If not for that stroke of luck I would have been, thanks to Hotels.com, stuck in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle with nowhere to stay, no food, and a stuck rental car. Once we arrived at the lodge the service could not have been better; they rushed to get our little cabana ready, and fed us while we waited. Do not go expecting a resort; the electricity was turned on for two hours each night, from 6 to 8 pm. I had the best time in the world in spite of this website's best attempts to foil my vacation. I have never been so satisfied with a hotel, and never so dissatisfied with Hotels.com.

It’s a fantastic lodge in the middle of the kungör. The cabins are very rustic, but has electricity and a private bathroom. Wi-Fi in the public building. Good food, wine and beer in the restaurant. Nice tours in the jungle and fantastic personel. If you don’t expect a five star hotel, than you get a five star experience.