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Reviewed April 13, 2014

We spent 3 nights here in a corner club room with an ocean view. Would recommend this room for cross ventilation with the breeze as it has 2 windows and being on the end has less people walking past. The fan did a good job with the intense heat, although only one of the two fans was working. The room was fine - but lacked privacy. We enjoyed the nice showers with fluffy towels and sarongs. In fact we bought a few sarongs as gifts to bring home. A big problem for me was the wasp hive outside our door as I am allergic. My husband was stung and it made sitting on our balcony a challenge. On a positive note the grounds were amazing, the staff friendly and the food excellent. The reason I chose Iguana Lodge above others was for the yoga. Unfortunately, the owner was not there so there were no classes. I did enjoy using the yoga building, but wished that even in the owners absence there was someone to lead a class. We did see howler monkeys, macaws and many birds right on the property. My only other recommendation is to book your tours in advance and be prepared for the added cost of transportation. When I saw a tour on the website listed at $30/person it did not occur to me that the added transportation started at $100 and up. We heard great reviews on the guides at the lodge but they were already booked for tours and not available for us during the time we were there. When we couldn't book any tours at the lodge we took a taxi into Puerto Jiminez and spent a wonderful day there. A small town with little restaurants and shops right on the water. The best part were the macaws that were everywhere. We are not pampered travelers that expected luxery at Iguana, perhaps we just had higher expectations than we should have.

Date of stay: April 2014
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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3  Thank Kathy T
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
glorialauren, Owner at Iguana Lodge, responded to this reviewResponded April 14, 2014

HI, I wish you could have given us a higher rating too!

Re Yoga: Unfortunately, my mother-in-law broke her knee and we needed to go take care of her back in the USA. We usually have two free yoga teachers here - but for four days, we didn't, and I apologize. We did have another yoga teacher available to teach classes - but not for free. Our website does state that the only free classes are provided when the owner is around - which is almost all of time, but I am sorry I wasn't around for you! (We are, BTW, the only place around that I know of that offers free yoga).

Meanwhile, the bees! That is a drag. The Osa did have a lot of bees this year - and we have successfully removed most of them. I hope you mentioned the bees to our staff - as usually they can take care of them. The balconies of the club rooms are really nice to hang out on, so to not be able to do that does subtract from the experience. I apologize.

Re the fans: we have a lot of fans around, and our staff won't know they are broken, unless you mention something. I feel certain that if you had told the staff about the broken fan, or just wanting more fans, we would have arranged for you to have more. The week you were here was very hot, we agree on that (but not as hot as south Florida in the summer by a long shot).

Transportation is expensive here. We agree. The roads are not good, and despite the Costa Rican laws requiring the taxis to use meters, they steadfastly refuse, and have set their prices high. I do understand part of it - because the roads really take a toll, and gasoline is expensive too. For example, to drive to Matapalo (about an hour drive) is presently $100 round trip - but to rent a 4 wheel drive runs $150 (I just priced this yesterday for some guests). We do explain the cost of transportation on our website, so you must have just missed me. Our goal is to point these things out ahead of time, so people can decide if they want to come to the Osa - it is not an inexpensive vacation. FYI - these costs apply to everyone vacationing on the Osa. In fact, most hotels here charge (unbeknownst to their guests) on top of what the local taxis charge, but we never have and never will.

Lastly, we do have wonderful nature guides. You were here for one of the busiest weeks of the entire year, and thus, booking trips ahead of time during the Christmas Holidays and Spring Break may have made sense. Usually there is no problem. Sometimes if someone wants a private tour, and doesn't want to join with a few other guests, that can spread out our guides a bit thin, but again, it is rare that we don't have someone available. I have tried to ascertain who you are and how many days you were here. If you were only here for a couple days, I can see how our guides might have been booked, but generally most guests come for 5 or more nights, and then we can always find a day or two that our guides are available.

Finally, I don't think your expectations were too high. We like people to have high expectations, and we generally meet them - as viewed by our very high ratings. Every once in awhile however, we do disappoint, and I am sorry about that. Vacations are to be treasured, and we try to make everything great.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed April 7, 2014

If you need air conditioning on top of ocean breeze, go elsewhere, but for us, the Iguana was absolutely perfect. Can't beat the group meals in the great room over the main lodge, and our casita was a wonderful place for afternoon naps. And what more can you say about the private sandy beach than "Heaven!" Pura vida!

Date of stay: April 2014
Thank stephaniegL9027NJ
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 23, 2014

My husband and I stayed here after a 3-day trek into Corcovado. We were looking for some rest, relaxation, beach time, and good food following the trek. This is exactly what we found, and more, at Iguana Lodge!! The owners and staff are wonderful people, who really go out of their way to make sure you are enjoying your stay. Also, we had some trouble with a flight being delayed, and Maxine and Lauren went well over and above to help us out. Dinners were especially great; food was spectacular and we really enjoyed how the owners encourage guest interaction.

Room tip: We were in a corner club room. This was great for cross-breeze. Club rooms are great for a couple.
Date of stay: March 2014
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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1  Thank Monkey_727
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 23, 2014

It's a jungle out there. And it's a jungle in here too. So I decided in the middle of our first night at Iguana Lodge. The howler monkeys and cicadas were whispers compared to the noise in my head --- for the first time since forever ago, I had no "to do" list. And that left me with nothing on my mind but... me. Who, it turned out, had no inner resources. Where do you go in the middle of an unhappy confrontation with yourself in the jungle? Nowhere. You're stranded. So you suck it up and hope for healing. Which comes, right on schedule, with the new day. Here, at breakfast, are interesting strangers. Tide pools at the beach. Yoga. Expeditions. Or... nothing. I took a notebook and went to the pool. Standing in the chest-high water, I made the pool my office. I had a title, and then I had pages of notes, and then the words of the story formed on the page. Along the way, I had fascinating conversations of the kind you kinda sorta remember from late nights in college. And I don't mean with people who were like me --- the message that Iguana Lodge delivers is that surfaces deceive, people are not who they may seem to be. Which makes every conversation and experience unusually vivid. Yes, I cherished the visit to the animal preserve and the sight of monkeys in the trees and the great meals. But what I took home was the uniqueness of the human environment that Lauren and Toby have created --- in the jungle, they have carved out an oasis where the best in us is nurtured. I am beyond grateful.

Date of stay: March 2014
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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2  Thank Jesse K
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed March 11, 2014

My family and I recently visited Iguana Lodge based on a recommendation. My wife and I have been to Costa Rica three times in the past, and our stay at Iguana Lodge was by far our best experience. It all starts with the Osa Peninsula and the Golfo Dulce on which Iguana Lodge is located. This tropical fjord embodies the Costa Rican saying "Pura Vida," the pure, laid back, natural lifestyle of Costa Rica, and offers the eco adventurer everything. Iguana Lodge offers its guests a taste of the Osa's Pura Vida -- eco friendly accommodations nestled naturally into the jungle; a pristine beach close enough for the surf to rock you to sleep; yoga platforms that raise you into the canopy; locally sourced food excellently prepared; adventures tailored for your family and a staff that hosts you like you are part of their family. Lauren and Toby, the owners and hosts, run a guest friendly resort-- going so far as to host a dinner party style dinner every night in their thatched-roofed dining hall (except tuesdays when they host their guests on the beach for a BBQ). My wife and I knew Iguana Lodge was the right choice for our family when we overheard our teenage daughter telling her friends that our vacation was a "trip of a lifetime."

Room tip: If you are with your family, the Casitas are perfect. They are private, two story bungalows hidden in the jungle along the beach.
Date of stay: March 2014
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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3  Thank Ronald V
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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