Pacuare Lodge by Böëna

If you want a getaway to a pristine and untouched part of the world, and enjoy white water rafting, this is a wonderful place to stay. It is also very conservation friendly. Despite the lack of air conditioning, we did not feel uncomfortable or hot at all while staying there with the design of the suites. If you do, a dip in the pool solves this. The staff is wonderful, their food is delicious. They also include two on-site excursions per day. Besides this, it is a relaxing atmosphere full of wildlife - we really enjoyed watching toucans fly over the river. I would recommend one of the upgraded suites on the river (or canopy if preferred) with the increased amenities, but their simpler suites seemed nice too. This will be focused very much on the white water rafting and other water activities, so expect this to be the main activities there. However, the wildlife there is amazing and their tour guides are wonderful and will make sure they show you as much of the wildlife as you are interested in.

It was adventurous travel and casual elegance, for 4 nights! The adventure: We hiked, zip lined, did canyon rappelling…which was waterfall repelling due to all the rain, the night hike, and dined in the trees at The Nest, not to mention white water rafting into and out of this rainforest resort. The elegance, our garden cottage with a huge deck that surrounded a small stand of trees. All the rooms have screens and fans, but no actual windows. So, you hear the birds, monkeys and insects in the forest, plus the rain, it is magical! The food is scrumptious. And because we had stayed at 2 other Boena Resorts, they added two special items to our menus at lunch and dinner.in the dining room Deanne took such great care of us at all our meals. Gary helped too. The first night, Eric gave us a fascinating talk on jaguars. Yes, they are there, but very elusive. Also their natural coloring is a golden coat with black spots. The black jaguars are the result of genetic change that occurs. Eric also led us in Zip-lining the next day, which was a blast. It was raining, so to do those long lines with the rain splashing my face was so cool. At the end of the zip lining, we stayed on the last platform. It is The Nest, and we had signed up to have lunch there among the tree tops. That fascinating to watching Autopendulas building there nests in front of us as dined. Dave served us there, and everything was sent up in a basket. He even ordered two towels for, as we wet from the rain. The Canyoning was so fun, though it really was waterfall rappelling due to all of the rain. Dave gave a great talk on the history of Pacuare Lodge , and what the resort does for electricity. They are currently at 65% solar, and hydro, the rest is diesel. They keep improving. Dave also took us on a night hike, and a waterfall hike. Adrien, who is the manager, and originally checked us in, had also planned for us to have dinner at the campfire by the river, then breakfast elsewhere along the river. But the 3 out of 4 days of rain prevented it. Because of the changes, he arranged for us to have a private lunch in one of the villas overlooking the river, and spend our last night there. What a treat that was!

This was an incredible experience from the moment our luggage was picked up and river rafted into the lodge. The room - Linda Vista Villa - was at the top of the hill which was easy accessed by a golf cart but it also is a very nice walk to it. The service was incredible and the food was off the charts. Incredible breakfast, lunch and dinner choices and so very yummy. A must do is their zip lining for lunch in the tree tops. The view from the room was beyond and I can’t wait to return to this spot on my next trip.

We spent three nights at the lodge and had an amazing time in the Canopy Villa. As most others have said the food was amazing, staff friendly and attentive, and the location stunning. Rafting in with Juan Carlos and out with Chala was great, as were the ziplining/canyoning/nocturnal tours with Alejandro, Angelica and Erick. We’ve done a lot of these types of activities at many locations and these guides are as knowledgeable, professional and fun as you’ll find anywhere.

An amazing adventure in the lap of luxury. White water rafting in and out of this lodge was truly a highlight (especially out when the rapids were class III/IV). The accommodations were spectacular....comfortable bed, sheer curtains, natural light, private deck with pool, outside shower, standalone tub, outdoor bed/hammock and the list could go on. Peaceful serene grounds to ramble through. Activities galore.... zip-lining, canyoning, bird-watching, hiking, and spa treatments. Everything was executed by passionate, welcoming, and fun-loving staff. The restaurant food was superb. The executive chef produces a layering of flavors that you can't wait to revisit with the next meal. Staff throughout the lodge was very attentive and accommodating. Shout out to...........Alex (Mango), Alejandro, Eric, Luis, Giovanni, Tony, Angelica, Alberto, Adam, Hillary, Jenny, Kimberley and others we probably missed. You made our stay memorable!!

Not many places like this in the world. For our visit we were driven in via 4x4 then we rafted out down the river at the end of our stay. We had a suite in the gardens. It was excellent. Beautiful rooms, peaceful, nice layout, perhaps could have done with some more space for storing luggage (cupboard etc) but otherwise really on point. Liked the option for the indoor or outdoor shower. The terrace out the front was nice and we enjoyed our morning tea/coffee here and reading in the hammock. The rooms are settled in the rainforest and when you’re in your room you really feel apart of your surroundings yet the rooms are clean and generally bug free. Which given a few meters away there’s a humming jungle is pretty impressive. During our stay we did some of the included tours. The canopy zip lining is a real highlight. Dave and Gio were our guides and they were excellent – funny, professional and engaging. We saw so many different types of birds (sadly we saw no sloths or monkeys here although I’m told they do visit) and also insects, frogs, spiders etc. The night walk was great and we got to see a couple of snakes too. The loop walk to the waterfall we did with Alejandro was enjoyable too. He was very knowledgeable (all the guides were) and we learnt a lot about the local flora, fauna and people. Swimming in the falls was fun. Food was exceptional. One of the best places we’ve eaten in Costa Rica so far. As veggies it’s not always easy but the meals were not only satisfying but well thought out and inventive. I don’t think we met a single member of staff who wasn’t pleasant, smiling or otherwise happy to help us with whatever we required. The attention to detail really set them and the place apart. The staff quickly knew us by name and remembered things like what we ordered and how we liked things. Perhaps one downside was that the drinks are expensive (but then you are in a luxury resort and in the middle of a jungle). The only other constructive thing would be to put a couple of hooks in the bathroom for towels as we just hung them on the side after using. Really just nit picking. Breakfast up in the nest was a lovely idea too. Was great to be at the same height as many of the birds, seeing them in closer quarters while enjoying the great food. Our trip out was very smooth – despite it being white water rafting. Drivers took our bags to the end point while we spent several hours drifting down the Pacuare. We were a convoy of 2 rafts (one of 5 and one of 4) each with its own guide and also a safety kayak. The guys were great, professional yet fun. The lunch they put on was lovely. Given the limited space they had and the fact we were on a riverbank surrounded by untouched jungle it was great really. The river was low so the rapids were fun but pretty easy to navigate which I was happy with to be honest. Saw lots of bird life and the untouched jungle in the morning sun was one of the best natural things I’ve seen. Strongly recommend, it’