05332540
November 19, 2024
I stayed three nights, and was satisfied with my booking. The lodge is perhaps 2 miles out of town (Cahuita), and the last half-mile is unpaved: you can use a 2WD but probably feel more comfortable in 4WD, if only for the clearance. There is a central lodge, serving as reception/dining room/lounge, and a number of nearby rooms. Mine was perhaps 50m from the lodge: well appointed and clean. It is not a hotel and you should not expect full hotel facilities: most guests use La Shamana as a base to explore the area. Service was not hotel-level, but always warm, helpful and efficient. Staff are not full-time, but are there to welcome you, cook a fresh and tasty breakfast daily plus dinner if you ask before setting off in the morning. The manager lives on-site: she is often away during the day, but always nearby and can always be contacted by phone/WhatsApp. They have a separate building for functions, and are happy to arrange visiting massage. The forest guide they arranged for me was excellent (fluent Englsah and knowledgeable). The spring-fed semi-natural swimming pool is clear, clean and cool after a sweaty day out. You are very much in the forest, albeit supplemented by careful and colourful planting in the vicinity of the Lodge: my room gave onto a lovely vista of green and colours, and the local troop of howler monkeys was very impressive when they trooped overhead. It was also delightful to lie in bed while a thunderstgorm raged! All in all, thoroughly recommended.