Stayed here for 2 nights on our tour of Costa Rica. This is a very nice and extensive working ranch where one is made to feel very welcome and at ease. Accommodation was basic but spacious, comfortable and clean. Very good food. The highlight was a boat tour of the mangrove swamps of the river delta where we saw lots of magnificent and colourful birds. The horseride round the ranch was also very enjoyable. Spectacular sunsets over the gulf of Nicoya. Howler monkeys just walk right by you and colourful Magpie Jays frequent the restaurant at breakfast.

On a birding tour offered through Road Scholar/Elderhostel in Feb., we stayed 2 nights at La Ensenada Lodge (ensenada means “cove”), in a lovely cabina looking out on the Gulf of Nicoya with the mountains of the Nicoya Peninsula in the distance. La Ensenada is located in a 900-acre wildlife refuge is part of a family-run cattle ranch, with nature trails and a lake.

La Ensenada is located in a lovely setting. We were in the group of cabinas toward the dock; we had a view of the dock and the cove from our porch. Each porch came equipped with a hammock. Although my husband tried it out, I sat contentedly on the porch, taking in the beauty, avoiding the strong hot sun, and marveling at the dry air. Delicious!

The cabina was amply sized with a decent-sized bathroom and firm mattresses. We had ample hot water for showers. No television, so bring a good book! I was a bit worried about the heat. At mid-day, the cabina was 92 degrees F. (Our travel alarm clock has a thermometer in it.) The cabina had no air conditioning—just a ceiling fan. Would that be enough for sleeping comfort? (Since we spent little time in the room during daylight hours, the temperature of the room didn’t bother me then.) By early morning, the room was 72 degrees F. Perfect!

At La Ensenada, your alarm clock is the howler monkeys. Around 4 a.m., the howler wake-up call began. The cabina walls were thin; the windows were open; I’m a very light sleeper. A troop was moving through the trees just behind and beside our cabina. No sleeping through that! (You might consider bringing ear plugs, although I wouldn’t have traded that wake-up call for anything—even another hour of sleep.)

Decent coffee (by my standards, anyway—moderately strong and flavorful) was ready and waiting long before breakfast. The dining area also has a water dispenser that delivers either cold or hot water 24/7—a nice touch for tea drinkers. Overall, the food was delicious—nothing fancy, but fresh and plentiful and served buffet style. You dine in a covered, but open-air dining area. White-throated Magpie-jays are likely to dine with you, looking for unattended food or scraps or leftovers—anything they can steal. When we were there, they perched in the rafters over the tables and swooped around at random intervals (random, at least to the human brain). Watch your plates and your heads!

They have a swimming pool. However, at least when we were there, it didn't have much shade (especially at mid-day). So it was quite hot to just sit out at the pool. Being in the water, though, was just fine. But be sure to use sunblock!

La Ensenada Lodge is a lovely facility in a wonderful location. You will not be disappointed! You can read more about the area in our trip report.

Tina
trip report at http://costarica201102.wordpress.com/

A tranquil setting overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya. You look out over the lawns and see only trees, birds, the bay, and acres of undeveloped land. It would be hard to imagine a more peaceful site. Although the person who took the reservation by email was comfortable using English, everyone on site had very limited English. It wasn't much of a problem because the manager, who knew only a few words of English, was good at communicating with people like me who can speak some Spanish. He was very patient and worked with me to take care of all of my questions. Request a single cabin for more privacy than the doubles. The cabins are fine in a Gilligan's Island way -- very basic but acceptable. We enjoyed the pool and mangrove boat tour, as well as lying in the hammock on the cabin porch in the shade. We were awakened by howler monkeys in the morning, and a large iguana crawled around on the roof above the shower -- it reminded me of being in Africa. Like the cabins, the food was basic but acceptable. There's not much to do there but it can be a pleasant place to get away from it all. And it's a good value. We had ants in the bathroom, but they went away when we sprayed them with Off.

La Ensenada is in a beautiful location, in the middle of nowhere, with a view of the sea and surrounded by howler monkeys and iguanas.

The wooden cabins are basic and ours was very small - we were given a twin but had requested a double and there appeared to be much larger doubles available. We didn't mention it to the staff though as they were not particularly welcoming,

We weren't given any information about what activities were available when we arrived, nor was it provided in the rooms and throughout the rest of our stay the staff weren't always easy to find!

There was a large group of Dutch bird watchers staying (they are very common in Costa Rica!) and their daily briefings seemed to take over the restaurant, spoilng it for the handful of other guests.

I was glad that I had taken Spanish lessons before the trip as the staff spoke very little English - I don't think I would have been able to arrange a horseride with without them!

The riding was excellent and the main reason I chose this lodge. However, if you are not experienced I would not advise riding here as they didn't seem to care about your abilities on a horse. The ride was definitely not suitable for novices - they are ranch horses, not well trained trekking ponies. The other guests on my ride were out of there depth and nearly fell off on several occasions when their horses took off. I had taken my own helmet but they don't provide any and most travel insurance companies won't cover you without one.

Despite all of the above I did enjoy staying here - the pool was relaxing, the food was good and it was very quiet (when the bird-watchers weren't around!) and we enjoyed the boat ride.
It does have the potential to be a wonderful place to stay but they need to improve their customer relations and provide information on all the services they offer.