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Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge: Traveler Reviews


Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge
Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
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Traveler Reviews

78% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 38 reviews
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Amazing experience, honeymoon or anytime!

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

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5 of 5 stars
LacyB0404 3 contributions
Sacramento, California
Feb 26, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
3/6 found this review helpful

My husband and I traveled to Casa Corcovado for the first part of our 17-day Costa Rica honeymoon. We were there for 4 nights/5 days. Looking back on our honeymoon, we would stay the entire time at Casa Corcovado if we had it to do over again.

Our instructions to our travel agent (who lived in Costa Rica for years before moving to Colorado, US) were to find us places to view wildlife up close, especially parrots. Casa Corcovado was the one place that really delivered! We traveled afterward to Arenal volcano, Monteverde cloud forest, and Manuel Antonio, but those locations were very touristy and the wildlife stayed in hiding for the most part. At Casa Corcovado, they were everywhere! Agoutis wandering around the grounds, scarlet macaws, amazon parrots, toucans and other colorful birds in the nearby trees, and three kinds of monkeys just to name a few. One day, sitting outside of our bungalow, we were lucky to watch a tayra climb down a tree not 10 feet from where we were sitting.

The staff was gracious, helpful, funny, and always responsive and available. Our guide, Braynor, met us at our field airport and shepherded us all the way to Casa Corcovado, then ate meals with us, led our outings to Corcovado Park, Cano Island, and an early morning bird-watching trip, and even accompanied us on our horseback riding tour which we arranged separately. A year later he even emailed me some photos of parrots that he'd taken with his scope! One of the bartenders tried to teach me Spanish, and experimented with unusual blended drinks until he found one I loved - after which he would bring one to me on the grounds without my even asking! On the last night we were there, the staff put on a traditional Costa Rican buffet dinner, with a skit enacting some cultural legends. It was humorous and good natured.

The food was incredible. I was prepared not to like the food in Costa Rica, because I'm not really a fan of what passes for Mexican food in the states. But this food was fresh, grilled, not spicy (important for me, but sauce was available for those who like it), and healthy. Three or four different fresh fruit drinks were available at each meal, and all were great. I have never eaten as healthy as I did in Corcovado - before or since. The cocktail hour ritual was a fun one - all the guests (around 7-12 people usually) convene at an overlook area, which is surrounded on three sides by jungle canopy, and open to the ocean and the setting sun on the fourth side. The staff serves margaritas and salsa or tapas, while the guests sit on benches socializing or walk around, watching the sunset and the toucans and monkeys playing in the trees.

The outings were well-planned and orchestrated. The other couple who arrived at the same time we did accompanied us on the two Casa Corcovado-arranged trips. Our tour of Corcovado park was a little muddy, so boots were provided to wear over shoes. Brayner, our guide, was adept at finding every living creature in the jungle, and had his scope set up and focused on the creature before anyone could react! He was able to relate the scientific/Latin, English and Spanish names for everything he found, and guests who had small digital cameras could hold them up to the scope and take close-up pictures that way. Brayner was very attuned to the desires of the group, and took our requests to heart regarding pace of travel, level of interest, when to stop for lunch, and when to head back. The Cano Island trip involved a boat ride which made my stomach upset for the snorkling when we arrived, so guests might want to go light on breakfast that day. For each outing, Casa Corcovado packed a large cooler for our lunch, which Brayner toted to a picnic table and set out, complete with tablecloth and cloth napkins.

On our third day we chose to go horseback riding. A man from another part of the peninsula brought the horses he raised and trained, and he and Brayner accompanied us on an exciting gallop through the jungle out to a beach. Once to the beach, we tethered the horses for a rest, and the guide opened some coconuts for a snack, and showed us how to use a shaved stick to carve out the coconut meat. A flock of scarlet macaws flew in just then and landed in the palm trees, so we lay on our backs and watched them for over an hour. It was glorious.

The last day of our trip we decided to just hang around and rest, and were lucky that that was that day the rain came (as opposed to earlier in the trip - we were there during rainy season). We spent time in the game/reading room, which we had to ourselves. We played cards with the bartender and talked to him about life back in the "real world" when they have leave from work. Just wandering around the main area of Casa Corcovado there is much to see - from small bats sleeping in the palm fronds, to a pair of owls nesting in the bamboo. We walked down to the beach and found a beautiful conch shell on the sand.

It is a humid and damp place, so after five days all our clothes were in some stage of being wet. Since our next destination had air conditioning (Arenal), we hung everything out to dry there and were none the worse. If I were to return to Casa Corcovado, I would make that the last stop on my vacation, so that the clothes could go right into the wash upon arriving home. Our room/bungalow was neat and clean, with fresh jungle flowers arranged every day. On our last night, the flowers were arranged in a large heart on the bed, with towels folded into pleasing shapes to complement the design. Our one complaint was that the beds consist of a very thin mattress on a wooden frame, and were quite hard. But with howler monkeys coming by and macaws flying over around 6am, we didn't spend that much time in the bed!

Really great experience. The rest of our Costa Rica trip paled in comparison. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Costa Rica.

  • Liked — Accessible, visible wildlife and knowledgeable guides
  • Disliked — hard bed
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay July 2005
  • Visit was for Honeymoon
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 25-34
  • Member since February 26, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $766 (year-round)
A jungle gem!

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

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4 of 5 stars
barry1170 55 contributions
Salem, Oregon
Feb 23, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
1/1 found this review helpful

This is truly a jungle lodge! Set in the wet rainforest, the surroundings are breathtaking! My wife and I stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights and enjoyed it very much. The bungalow we stayed in was very nice, but no a/c and the little ceiling fan did did to alleviate the stifling heat and humidity of the jungle. But, after all, it's the tropical jungle, isn't it? We took the jungle tour which skirts the edge of Corcovado Park and takes you down to San Padrillo ranger staion. We saw plenty of birds, monkeys, and beautiful scarlet macaws, and one croc that almost had us for lunch! They should post signs at the ranger staion warning about salt water crocodiles! The staff and food at the lodge were nice. We took an early morning bird watching tour and the guide was more than your average bear! That guy knew everything about every bird, including which page in your bird guide to find it! We'd go back again, but the heat was a bit much for us. I would recommend this place to anybody. Heck just the trip down and back from San Jose was a real adventure by itself!

  • Liked — Beautiful setting, clean rooms, friendly staff
  • Disliked — No air conditioning!
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay March 2006
  • Visit was for Quality time with family
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since February 23, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Outdoor / Adventure
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: $766 (year-round)
It is a great place for those who understand where they are

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

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5 of 5 stars
adar 31 contributions
Palo Alto, CA
Feb 20, 2007 | Trip type: Family
0/2 found this review helpful

We just came back from a 4 night stay at Casa Corcovado. We enjoyed the place very much and can warmly recommend it.

To address some of the negative comments I have read, I have to say that that lodge is located in a very remote place, all supplies are brought in through the 1.5 hrs boat trip. Electricity is produced mostly with water and solar power. It is quite costly to provide all the services they provide in the location they are.

For us the food was excellent. We were never hungry. It is true that the only "snack" is provided at 5 in the margarita bar, but the breakfast and lunch were so plentiful that we never felt hungry in between. In addition to the two options for dinner they also had a vegetarian option and the three of them were tasty and well prepared.

It is true that there are bugs around, it could not be any other way given the location. There are also snakes, monkeys, sloths, innumerable birds, beautiful butterflies and many other animals.

We found management to be very good and responsive, when we told them that the path lights were not working next to our cottage, they got it fixed soon. We also bought a few things at the store - my daughter really liked a wooden hummingbird that was unfortunately broken, so we bought it anyway. At the end of our stay we discovered that they did not charge us for the hummingbird, as it was broken it was given to us for free.

We also found them very flexible to our change in plans. For the second day we had booked a Kayak trip instead of the Cano Island one. At the last minute we wanted to change it again to a horseback riding trip to San Josesito beach. They accomodated our request without any problems. By the way, it was a great idea to do that change, we enjoyed the horse ride very much and then at the beach we had a wonderful time snorkeling.

  • Liked — location
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay February 2007
  • Visit was for Quality time with family
  • Traveled with Family with teenagers
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since April 23, 2003
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for People with disabilities, Great pool scene, Pet owners
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: $766 (year-round)
Great Ecolodge with some eco downsides

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

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4 of 5 stars
ashleecb 3 contributions
California
Feb 13, 2007
7/9 found this review helpful

My husband and I stayed at Casa Corcovado for our honeymoon and really enjoyed it overall. I would not recommend CC to those who are seeking a jungle experience in a glass bottle. I would recommend it to those who are excited to see what awaits them at every turn.

Some earlier reviewers were fairly harsh towards Casa Corcovado for both legitimate and unfair reasons. Here are some of the ups and downs from my perspective (other reviews do a great job of describing the experience thoroughly).

Some of the downsides were:
-The Off we bought from the gift shop was way expensive and didn't help me one bit, because mosquitoes love me more than my husband does!
-I agree with earlier posters that the dinners were mediocre, but I really enjoyed the breakfast and the picnic lunches. Note that if you stay at the lodge during lunch, they provide a great cooked lunch with dessert. You get picnic lunches when you're out on excursions. (See more on those below in the upsides).
-They don't provide snacks in the afternoons, but they do provide appetizers every evening at 5 at the sunset bar.
-They could really use some cards in their game room.

Some of the upsides were:
-You could literally hike into the national park, the only lodge in the area with this perk.
-We fished one afternoon, and they cooked our fish for dinner that night prepared to our specifications.
-You have a guide who pretty much sticks with you the whole time. That kind of attention is awesome. We met most of the guides, and they were all nice, knowledgable, and enjoyable.
-Your guide will take you on night hikes or get up early with you to see the birds.
-The staff is super nice, as are Ticos in general.
-Someone commented on the picnic lunches not being great, but here is what ours contained: fresh baked bread, fresh baked cookies, fresh fruit, salads, PB&J, deli meats and cheese, condiments, sodas, juice, and water. We loved them.
-Our bed was really comfortable and the fan kept us cool at night.

Some things you should know:
-CC is an eco lodge, and they do their best to not leave an environmental footprint. So your hair dryer may not work, and there may not be as much ice as you'd like. But if you're into sustainable tourism, or can respect it as a choice, these things won't matter so much to you.
-CC is located in a jungle, so your room may be visited by creepy crawlies. And they won't squash them. If you want a bug-free vacation, this is not the place for you
-You can't guarantee a great view of monkeys or any creature. They do what they want; it's their jungle home. It can be disappointing, but if you want to absolutely see something, you're better off visiting a zoo. However, chances are you'll see some amazing things. We missed the boa constrictor, but had pilot whales swimming around and under our boat one day.
-The pace there is a little slow; it takes time to get your drinks, for example. Also, someone else complained about the beer not being cold enough, but my husband was really nice to the bartenders and they started keeping some cool ones available for him.

I think for some of the people who did not like their stay, CC was just not a good fit for them in the same way that a cruise is not a good fit for some people.

Like I said before, if you want five-star accomodations with every amenity in a pristine environment, this is not the right choice for you.

However, I didn't mind living without some amenities as a trade for staying a place that generates its own electricity and helps protect the national forest. I also loved seeing amazing wildlife and flora and fauna in a remote place that is truly a world treasure.

(A couple of photos taken there are attached to this review.)

  • Date of stay February 2007
  • Member since February 13, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $766 (year-round)
Extremely Disappointing

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

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1 of 5 stars
SuperJonny 38 contributions
Marbella
Feb 3, 2007 | Trip type: Couples
6/11 found this review helpful

This was our final stop on a 2 week trip to Costa Rica, something special and a bit of luxury we thought at $600 dollars a night (yes this included a flight from Quepos and a flight to San Jose but in total they would have been $300 for the 2 of us). So let's say the "de-luxe bungalow" was $500 dollars a night including breakfast, "picnic lunch" and dinner.
For that we could have stayed at the 5 star Kempinski down the road and eaten their buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners which are to die for.
Instead we stayed in an upmarket "Nissen hut" (corrugated temporary bomb shelters dished out to people in British cities in world war two) and were served up the worst food I have ever been offered anywhere (and I'm British for god's sake).
The main evening meals were all inedible, the picnic lunches were so basic it made us and the people we met there laugh, and although better the breakfast was nothing to write home about.
The staff were fairly friendly but inefficient and the manager one sneaky character, but we'll get to that.
The location is wonderful and the boat trip there and landing was the best part, but there is absolutely no way they can justify the prices they charge. We fully appreciate that it is a jungle lodge and slightly remote, but don't charge us 5 star prices and deliver 2 star accommodation and disgusting food. In addition as someone else stated there is nothing offered as a snack outside the main meal times, outrageous for an expensive "all inclusive" resort. On our last day we found out that we could have soft drinks from the bar for free, but nobody had ever mentioned that to anyone we spoke to.
The coup de grace was that we have rechargeable batteries for our camera, but we had a European charger working off 220v so it wouldn't work on the voltage in CR, they lent us one which didn't work so we ended up buying standard batteries (priced on the back as being 700 colones) we bought 4 packs of 2 batteries and just charged them to our room, When it came to checking out we had been charged USD25 for shop purchases. We had only ever bought the batteries from the "shop" so we queried this and the manager said that that was the price of batteries from their shop. When told that they had price tags on the back of 700 colones he was slightly flustered and eventually agreed to charge us the CORRECT amount.
I would suggest that if anyone still wants to stay here that they check their bills closely on leaving.
I don't understand how anyone can give this place a good review when they charge so much and provide so little. If it had cost us $200 a night then I might feel more disposed towards the place, although would still complain about the horrible horrible evening meals, but at the prices they charge forget it.
I have to say we were generally underwhelmed by Costa Rica. We have seen better of everything elsewhere, and I'm sorry but the people who rave about this country should get out more, its overpriced, has mediocre food at best, less rainforest and active volcanoes than other far more interesting countries, has the ugliest capital city I have ever seen and I believe it's only popular because of its proximity to North America.
Don't book the Casa Corcovado.

  • Liked — Location
  • Disliked — Food
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay December 2006
  • Visit was for Quality time with family
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since September 29, 2006
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Outdoor / Adventure, Other
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: $766 (year-round)
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Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica