Gaia Hotel & Reserve

My husband and I had a wonderful 5 days at Gaia. The hotel is tucked away on the hillside with a wonderful view of the ocean, so it’s very private. Views from the hotel pool and restaurant were particularly beautiful. There is a scarlet macaw reserve on the property, so we saw several during our stay (sometimes flying by when we ate our breakfast!), as well as a sloth and squirrel monkeys. If physically able, we highly recommend doing the free scarlet macaw tour with Clarence that Gaia offers to see even more wildlife. Since it’s a steep walk up to the hotel, there’s a golf cart service which is very timely, but something to be aware of. If you don’t have a car, there isn’t much within walking distance of the hotel but they offer hourly shuttle service to Playa Espadilla (main public beach). Concierge made it extremely easy to organize transportation and excursions so this was not generally an issue for us (thank you, José!). Breakfast is included in the stay and delicious, but we also ate a few dinners at the hotel when we didn’t feel like venturing out which were quite good (personally would recommend fish dishes). As you may be able to tell, the best part about our stay was the people. Our concierge, José, worked very hard to schedule a last minute excursion for us in (addition to helping with much more) which we so appreciated. Since the pickup for this excursion was at 5 am, he also arranged for us to pick up breakfast on the go from security. Clarence was not only our guide for the scarlet macaw tour on the property, but also our tour of Manuel Antonio park that we booked through Gaia. He is an INCREDIBLE and knowledgeable guide, and would often spot things other guides couldn’t see. We were very grateful to have him as our tour guide. Abraham, Andres, and Robert were also all very kind, as were all other hotel staff members whose names we didn’t catch. When we checked out, José knew that we were going for a long drive to our next destination and provided us with a bagged lunch to take. We haven’t had anyone do something so thoughtful at any other hotel we’ve ever stayed at. Truly unparalleled people and service in a beautiful location, and for a reasonable price— we’ll be back if we return to CR! :)

First, any negative reviews I have seen to date are just not fair. This is a boutique hotel in the woods. If you are looking for Luxury 5 star snooty resort then you are not booking correctly. This is a 4 star very nice resort. Staff was amazing. Pool is adequate for the hotel type. Wildlife is good. We saw a sloth, macaws, iguanas, squirrel monkeys all on property, however this is not a zoo. There is no guarantee of anything. Staff was amazing and food at restaurant was also good. We had a 2 bedroom villa which was very nice. Power went out a lot but never impacted our stay as it comes back on quickly by generator. Again you are in a remote location not Beverly Hills resort. Know what you are booking ahead of time and don’t complain over little things. We have been to Costa Rica 3 times and have stayed at multiple different places. We have stayed 5 star in La Fortuna and Osa but this was also a great time. Thanks to Johnny who was amazing at pool and restaurant.

My husband and I were blown away by the incredible service and beautiful location of Gaia Hotel & Nature Reserve! From our personal concierge (Ada) to the service staff at La Luna (Jonny, Tony, and Steven) and the staff providing the golf cart service, everyone was so friendly and attentive. Ada was available via WhatsApp and she answered any questions we had, helped arrange tours, and checked in on us throughout our stay. The first morning of our stay, we had to leave at 5AM and Ada arranged for us to have breakfast to take in the car. Also, when we walked out the door at 5AM, a golf cart was waiting to take us down to our car- such attentive service! Another highlight of Gaia was the amazing nature and wildlife that you can experience without ever leaving the hotel. We saw macaws, monkeys, toucans, iguanas, and more all on the hotel grounds. The hotel also provides a guided walking/hiking tour of its private nature reserve- we learned about how Gaia is helping to increase the population of scarlet macaws in the Manuel Antonio area. The hotel will also help arrange other tours in the area- we went with Gaia's tour guide, Clarence, to Manuel Antonio National Park. Transportation, entrance to the park, and the guided tour were all included through the hotel- which made it all so easy. Clarence was knowledgeable and amazing at spotting animals! The room we stayed in was clean and beautiful! We also used the gym, which was large and had a lot of equipment options, and spent an afternoon at the tiered pool which had incredible views. Overall, we loved our stay at Gaia and highly recommend!

Our stay at Gaia Hotel and Reserve was fabulous. With only 22 rooms, you'll feel pampered. From check in to departure, every staff member was attentive and courteous. The view of sunsets from the sky lounge is amazing. The resort is surrounded by a nature reserve, and we saw many different birds and wildlife. We stayed 3 nights, but would have loved to stay longer.

We had a wonderful time at the Gaia Hotel when we got there going up the driveway we saw a scarlet macaw and a toucan. The room was spacious very nice and clean. The restaurant was exceptional with great food and a spectacular view. The staff here is incredible. All of our needs were met promptly and everyone was very friendly.