Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge

We visited as a family with an 8 yr old and 10 yr old. We had a wonderful and relaxing stay. The food was amazing and plentiful. The staff were extremely accommodating. Shout out to Stefan, Manuel, Stephanie, Jon Carlo. My husband and son went fishing and they prepared the fish they caught. We did chocolate making and the chocolates are delicious. The sustainability tour was very interesting as well. The clothes drying was genius! If you want authentic jungle living, this is the place. It is not for everyone. Nothing dries, there are bugs, it is dark, it is remote. The food is delicious but there is not a variety of food choices. You get what chef makes. Not recommended for young children.

My wife and I stayed here for 9 days in mid May. We had an amazing time. The environment is truly a tropical rainforest. It sits on secondary rainforest but a short waterfall hike goes into primary rainforest. We did attempt the loop trail to a viewing platform which was very challenging, as it goes up to 700 meters I think, but had to turn around as we were exhausted. The humidity in May also plays a significant role in your physical limits. You will sleep with a fan blowing directly on you and still have that sticky feeling on the skin. But we did sleep very well. Just be prepared. As for the staff, absolutely great people. Friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic! Special shout out to our guides Steven and Jean Carlos. Both very knowledgeable of the wildlife and fun to be around. Michelle the amazing yoga teacher and masseuse. I credit those yoga sessions with helping me get into the present and appreciate the natural environment you are blessed with there. My wife loved the massage! Also would like to thank our fishing captains Thomas, Raffy, and Jeffery. They really put us on the fish - skip jack tuna, mackerel, snapper, and jackfish. The fishing in the Golfo Dulce is the best. You literally see the sea boil with fish in places. And they cooked the fish for us! Which reminds me the food was delicious and healthy. Oh and monkeys swinging in the trees around your cabin. Dolphins, rays, sea turtles, and colorful fish in the sea. We would love to come back!

If you are looking for a truly rustic "eco-lodge" this is the place for you. The lodge is fully contained, from supplying their own water to their laundry service that uses an incredibly efficient "solar dryer" and use of a fan instead of AC. All the bungalows are deep in the forest. Activities that we would recommend are the mangrove safari either by boat or kayak and the waterfall hike. Birds are abundant as are reptiles and various interesting insects. The people that work there make this a truly special experience. Our primary guide was Steven. He is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the flora and fauna that are found at the Lodge and in the neighboring national park. He is particularly adept at finding and identifying birds. Michelle is the yoga instructor and masseuse. She is exceptional. Having a great massage on a platform that is on the beach is terrific. The wait staff led by Caesar is exuberant and provide terrific service that is matched by tasty meals. Even the boat captain Memo, is warm and skilled at navigating the tricky parts of the mangrove estuary.

I reserved two rooms, one for my husband and I and the other for his parents, both rooms in the Mango Guest House. We stayed for 3 nights on the Rainforest Multi-sport Escape package. Upon arrival to the Puerto Jimenez dock, we were met by Emily from Nicuesa. She welcomed us and accompanied us on the boat ride to the lodge. We saw dolphins along the way. Emily did an excellent job with our arrival orientation and showed us around the property. We were greeted with cold, strawberry daiquiri welcome drinks. As we walked from the dock up to the main lodge, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful and well manicured the grounds are. The beach area has ample chaise lounge chairs with cushions. There is a deck with additional seating and a drinking water station and a fresh water outdoor shower. The paths are a joy to walk through because of the variety of flowering plants, lush green trees and grasses along each side. It’s really pretty! The main lodge is also very nice with seating, books and games and relaxing spaces on the first floor and the restaurant and bar on the second floor, all open air to enjoy the tropical climate. We checked in and proceeded to our rooms. I was pleasantly surprised. Prior to arrival I had set my expectations pretty low because the price point of this property is lower than others in the surrounding area and I had envisioned it would not be very nice and maybe even like camping. To my surprise, the room was very clean and attractive. I love the tropical wood they used in the construction of the louvered windows, furniture and ceiling! The bathroom was comfortable with lots of natural light. The shower had hot water and the outdoor seating area was another nice feature of the room. The food prepared by Chef Ellison and Karen was always fresh, delicious and healthy! We thoroughly enjoyed each meal and so appreciated the fresh fish and for accommodating our dietary requests! Breakfasts were a treat because they always served fresh, tropical fruit and delicious coffee to go along with your choice of entree. The fruit served here was the best we had on this trip to Costa Rica. Angie is FANTASTIC and provided amazing service all the time. Manuel was also very nice! The only negative of Nicuesa and only thing we did not like was their policy of no shoes in the restaurant or bar. Walking barefoot in public spaces with strangers is not something we are comfortable with from a sanitary perspective. After suffering through it for 2 days, I brought our opinion to Gera’s attention and he graciously allowed us to keep our flip flops on moving forward. It was VERY, VERY HOT during our stay but we knew that about S. CR before going. It is very hot in April. The best selling feature of Nicuesa for us is the beachfront location on a secluded black sand beach with beautiful palm trees. We loved swimming off the dock in the warm Golfo Dulce. We saw a hawksbill turtle and varios fish at the dock. The 3 tours that were included were really good. We were very impressed with the guides, Steven and Keylor and the boat captain Rafael. They went above and beyond to make our tours exceptional! We saw a pod of 200 + dolphins on the dolphin watching and snorkeling tour. We got to explore the undeveloped coastline of the Golfo Dulce as we headed to the Rio Esquinas for mangrove kayaking with Keylor and Tomas. Keylor even took photos and video for us. In shore fishing did not yeild any fish but a fun time was had on the boat enjoying the Golfo Dulce. Overall, I really enjoyed this eco lodge and would definitely recommend it to nature lovers and outdoor adventurers who want to experience a secluded beach with tours and excellent food. I hope to return someday.

This is an eco, sustainability experience for the adventurous! The staff are amazing —professional, courteous and responsive! The food was outstanding and served at a communal table with other guests from around the world. The activities were well done and safe! We loved the dolphin tour, fishing experience and sunset tour! The commitment to sustainability and local food was great! Accommodations are rustic and open air (no air conditioning) with shuttered doors to close for the evenings.