Aninga Lodge

Without doubt the location is 5/5. Where the property fails is with the communication provided by the people at reception. We received conflicting information on tour times and bookings that were simply messed up. This was not just a unique experience as other guests we spoke to were perplexed with what time to meet for tours, meeting locations and booking requirements. The accommodation was OK and the meals on offer were just passable. Were it not for our fabulous guide Elston, our experience would have been a total disappointment. Elston was knowledgeable about the fauna and flora and really exuded a passion for the incredible ecology of the area. For us it was unfortunate that we had a guide who did all he could to make the experience unforgettable while resort management either lacked the motivation or intuition to replicate the efforts of other staff.

We're here now. Its wonderful. I had made the mistake of booking through ***********, not realizing that didn't include transportation from San Jose which is only arranged directly with the lodge. Marriono with the lodge still arranged to have us picked up long after the regular shuttle had left, driven the 3 hours to boat launch, then an hour by boat. Our guides, Johnny and Carlos, took us on a jungle river excursion this morning and pointed out all the hidden wildlife. Great food and accomodations, very lovely people.

This was my favourite hotel on my recent trip to Costa Rica. It takes over three hours to arrive at the Aninga Lodge from San Jose via a long bus journey and boat ride after negotiating a frenetic embarkation, but once you arrive it’s very enjoyable. The arrival and departure are the low points of staying at the Lodge, the transfer guides were not very friendly, in fact the return guide who came from a sister property, the Evergreen Lodge, was really rude and bossy. You also spend the first hour of transfer just driving around San Jose hotels picking people up, the embarkation point where you transfer from the bus to boat is chaotic, has limited facilities and you have to do all your own portering. I loved how you could only get around the local area by river boat so whenever you left the property that was a treat in itself. We had a very nice welcome at the Aninga Lodge from Barbie with a welcome drink. Our chalet was comfortable, we knew there was no air conditioning or TV, but the Wi-Fi was very good, and the fan was sufficient to keep the room relatively cool. There was no wardrobe but lots of shelves and rails. The bathroom was large, and I think recently renovated, with a new shower but the pressure was low at times. There is no internal ceiling in the bathroom so you need to be comfortable with whoever you are rooming with because you can hear everything in the bedroom. Housekeeping was superb despite the tricky conditions (only netting for window covers, surrounded by forest so lots of leaves, seeds etc floating about), the room was always spotless, and nothing was too much trouble for the chambermaids, every day when we returned to the rooms there was a new towel sculpture! The staff are all very pleasant and keen to help, most only speak Spanish but they always have a smile, from the bartender to the kitchen staff. Meals are buffet style at the three mealtimes, the choices are sufficient and the food fresh, well cooked and everyone I could see staying was more than happy with what they were served. As we stayed three nights rather than the usual two, we were cooked steak on our last day as a thank you which was a very nice surprise. A fellow guest seemed to have food allergies and the kitchen staff went out of their way to prepare a separate meal to his satisfaction. There was a small amount of maintenance work going on at the hotel, but this did not affect us in any way, and it seemed to be mainly retiling the bar area. The Aninga Lodge is not a place for light sleepers. On a regular basis fruit or nuts would drop out of the tree above our chalet and with a loud crack hit our roof as they fell to the ground. The jungle makes a constant noise, the howler monkeys howl pre-dawn and the rain when it happens is thunderous. I would take ear plugs if you are worried about noise. I would also think long and hard about going if you don’t like bugs. They get everywhere, inside and outside of your room. The hotel is surrounded by flora and fau