This was the most wonderful, peaceful 4 walls I have experienced in a long time....absolutely magnificent from the architecturally designed restaurant to the wonderfully minimalist intriguing guest cottages....everything was fantastic....just imagine hot chocolate delivered to your room on a cool rainy night, then an organic exquisitely prepared dinner including appetizer, entree and dessert and when you return to your cottage all completely sated with food and wine as you crawl into your high count sheets you feel the warmth of a toasty hot water bottle at your feet....I mean does it get any better than this???....and the spa and treatments are wonderful....now we go for the God given wonders of nature....a stream, waterfalls, rainforest, vegetation galore and the most kind and gracious staff EVER....everyone was so attentive and truly gracious with no "attitudes" whatsoever....I can't speak highly enough of this lodge and its surroundings....so glad Luxury Link led me and my friend to you.....thank you for a wonderful 3 days!!!!!!!!

My husband and I spent two nights at El Silencio for our honeymoon and wish we had stayed longer! The staff is very professional and kind. It is a magical place with much to do and see. We highly recommend doing the horse back riding into town, horses are very tame and a great way to see and meet some locals. Food was very good and Martin our waiter was a pleasure to be around. We had Andre as our main guide and he also was a very informative and excellent person to be around. Besides the beauty of this local what really make this place so special is the warmth and attentiveness of the staff, they really love what they do and it shows.Can't wait to go back!!! PURA VIDA!!!!

We spent the first 4 nights of our honeymoon at El Silencio and we didn't want to leave. The hotel is absolutely incredible!

The Staff - so warm and welcoming. They anticipated our needs and we never wanted for anything during our time there. Martine in the restaurant was not only the perfect server but he gracefully taught us about the culture. We asked him what a cassava was since we thought it was so delicious, and he went in the back and brought one out for us to see. Then he quickly cooked another vegetable for us to try. We will never forget his kindness. Everyone at the hotel was fantastic - Natalie, who seemed to be there all the time, William, Venecio, the Spa therapists... a delightful team. One night they even set up a private table for us in front of the fireplace for dinner. We felt so taken care of.

Our Eco Concierge Ronald is a gem and his enthusiasm and energy was so refreshing. He was a great guide, we loved the hike to the 3 waterfalls. He set up all of our tours for us which were great. The chocolate tour at Tirimbina was our favorite - it starts with a hike through the rain forest and then you tastes roasted cocoa, chocolate drink and melted cocoa. The tour is really amazing! We also did the Sarchi cultural tour and coffee tour. Our driver Jimmy was so much fun. We visited a beautiful botanical garden where Jimmy told us all about the plants. Then we did the coffee tour, which was ok but we definitely liked the chocolate tour better. There was a "coffee tasting" at the end of the tour so we figured we would sit down and they would probably use a french press to make a light, medium and dark roast for us to try. But instead they took us into the gift shop and pumped a little coffee out of an air-pot into a dixie cup and that was the tasting. So a little anti climatic. After the coffee tour we went to the oxcart factory in Sarchi which was incredible! Sarchi is known for their furniture and we actually bought one of the rocking chairs like the ones on the decks at El Silencio. Then Jimmy drove us back up this crazy 4x4 road back to the hotel - overall it was a great day. The last activity we did was the rappel down Bajos del Toro Waterfall - incredible!!! Venecio was our driver and he was great.

Location - we loved Bajos del Toro. We thought it was the perfect beginning or end to a vacation in Costa Rica. The town is small, only 150 people or so with many of them working at the hotel. It took us about 2 hours from the SJO airport. We rented a car and were glad we did (DEFINITELY GET THE GPS if you rent a car, Costa Rica doesn't have street names so as we drove through the country, the GPS was definitely worth the price). We loved the location and it was our favorite place we stayed during our 12 nights in Costa Rica. The cloud forest is beautiful. The weather is cooler due to the elevation which was nice because the rest of our trip we were hot and sticky. Of course we went in green season so we expected rain, but mornings are beautifully sunny typically and afternoons are perfect for relaxing on the deck watching the rain, sipping the delicious hot chocolate, and enjoying the hot tub.

The facilities - perfect! the rooms are beautiful and private. The large deck with 2 rocking chairs looking out to the mountains... we spent a lot of time relaxing there. The private hot tubs... the hot water bottles placed in the bed at turn down... the complimentary hot chocolate in the afternoons enjoyed in our rocking chairs... the main lodge and restaurant... we were blown away!

We will definitely be back!

My husband and I recently had the great pleasure of staying at the gorgeous El Solencio Lodge for the first stop on our 2 week Costa Rocan honeymoon. This was the absolute perfect place to unwind, relax with nature and be truly pampered! The staff was so friendly and the grounds were breathtaking! The rooms are 5 star and come complete with your own private patio with hot tub and rocking chairs ( my personal favorite). The restaurant was delicious and served organic produce, chicken and fish, from their own personal farm, which you can also visit! The nature trails, hummingbird garden and on site waterfalls were beautiful and all so tranquil. We also loved watching the storms and clouds from he comfort of our deck in on the evening, very romantic. The spa is also fantastic, best massage of my life. We opted for the tandem in their privat room, well worth it!

El Silencio is a slice of heaven and we can not wait to return,!!I highly recommend staying here to escape it all. Enjoy!