The Proyecto lodge was the perfect place to stay. It is a large two-story house overlooking the ocean with only six guest rooms. A furnished kitchen is provided for cooking, and the house has several hammocks and futons to relax on while sitting on the porch and watching the sea. They offer yoga and Spanish lessons at the house, and they will also support you with board rentals and rides to the best beaches if you choose to take surf lessons through their tours office. The owners are super friendly and genuinely care about the quality of your stay. The best thing about the lodge is that it's removed from the noise of town by a scenic ten minute walk along the coast. Enjoy increased privacy and peace without all the comings and goings of a busy tourist town.

I came to Costa Rica in the winter for my first trip by myself and I feel like I couldn't have chosen a better place/program! I participated in the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program for one month and then I stayed for another two to teach some local adults and in the Cabuya school.

I think the best way to write a review will be to break it into sections, so here I go:

THE LODGE:
I personally loved the lodge! It's not very hard to adjust to looking at the beach from a hammock, or working/ eating at the big wooden table with the ocean breeze hitting you. (Because the patio is on the backside of the lodge it tends to feel so much cooler than when you are walking on the road to the town).

As for the rooms, they are all fairly basic with cold water showers and indoor plumbing. When I was there all the rooms had mosquito netting on the windows except the one of the rooms upstairs (that may have changed now) but that room did have a net around the bed. There is also Wifi, but it is sometimes unreliable because the electricity tends to go out for a few minutes some nights.

The cleanliness of the Lodge always varied depending on the guests' abilities to clean up after themselves, but usually it wasn't too bad.

There are some cool little pools (as shown in the profile picture) that warm up in the sun and are quite nice as long as you don't mind it feeling like there is carpet under your toes! One night I was in one of the pools and I had the awesome experience of seeing Bioluminescent Algae!

The Lodge is about a ten minute walk from the town which I personally preferred because it can get quite loud at night down there!

TEFL COURSE:
I highly recommend this course as it only takes a month and you get a life long certification out of it! Kerri is a great teacher and the course is quite relaxed. You learn an assortment of things such as classroom management, types of learning/teaching styles and lesson planning. After that, you get to teach in front of your peers four times so you can learn what you need to work on and what you are awesome at. If you are worried about not knowing Spanish, it is definitely not an necessity! I have some knowledge of Spanish so I did use it to my advantage, but I met a few people who knew absolutely none and they made marvelous teachers!

SPANISH CLASS:
I took some Spanish classes for the first couple months and had both Vill and Edgar as teachers. They both have different styles, so you may find one works better for you, but I enjoyed both and learned a lot.

THE ACTIVITIES:
When I first got there I had paid for a few of these which was a good way to spend my time before I met many people. I did the zip-lining, horse back riding, Isla Tortuga and the surfing.
My surf instructor was Mayol, and he is fantastic! He is great at explaining the technical aspects and he is very, very patient (even if you are horrible at it). Haha.

Also, I think it is a very good idea to book the shuttle through Vill and Kerri if you are coming straight from the airport in Alajuela (SJO).

TEACHING:
This was such a great life experience and I can't wait to go teach in more places! I really enjoyed teaching small groups of adults who were eager to learn and who became some of my good friends. Teaching in the public school was also very enjoyable but more of a time commitment as far as lesson planning goes as it is harder to think of ways to teach grammar to a big class of kids. But, don't let that scare you away because all the kids are so adorable it makes it all worth it. And bring stickers- they go crazy for stickers!

KERRI AND VILL:
They were so helpful and friendly they made my stay there feel like my home away from home!

CONCLUSION:
So, what I'm trying to get across here is the Lodge is basic but comfortable; the TEFL and other activities are awesome and I highly recommend staying here!

The lodge sits on the most beautiful chunk of property in all of Montezuma area...private tide pools, beaches, large trees, beautiful wildlife...all in your backyard. Kerri & Vill are very laid back, kind, helpful people.......setting you at ease as soon as you arrive. You are a short walk from downtown Montezuma and an even shorter walk to the beautiful waterfalls Montezuma is so well known for. Another benefit of this lodge is it has both a kitchen and a washing machine for use which definitely helps cut down on expenses if need be. I could not recommend this place enough - a perfect retreat!

My friend and I absolutely fell in love with the Proyecto Lodge at the moment we saw it !!!
First we really loved the location; we liked that its about 5 or 10 minutes walk from the village (more quiet). Its so calm during the night (the only thing we hear is the sound of the waves and of the animals around the house ! So nice !). Also, we just loved our private beach and private swimming pool :) ! If you like hiking, there are waterfalls in Montezuma and the trail begins maybe 2 minutes walk from the lodge !
Second, we loved how the lodge is made; big kitchen where you have everything to cook, very big rooms and bathrooms, large balcony, hammocks, big table outside, cute chillin areas ! We had everthing we needed.
But what we loved the most was Kerri, Vill and Zoe (the managers of the lodge) !!!! Generous, very nice and very helpful people !!!! They are awesome and always there to answer your questions with a smile !! They make you feel very confortable and safe and they make your staying in Montezuma so much better !!!
I cant wait to come back in Montezuma and sure if I do I will come back at the Proyecto Lodge ! :)