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Average
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About
5.0
#1 of 2 hotels in Boca Tapada
Location
4.8
Cleanliness
4.7
Service
4.8
Value
4.6
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Our hotel is the ideal place for nature lovers. We are strategically located inside the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, bordering the San Carlos River. We have 15 Bungalows and 8 tree houses of approximately 45 m2, equipped with: hot water (through solar panels), private bathroom, ceiling fan, open closet, balcony with a beautiful view to a natural lagoon or to the forest for the tree houses, where you can relax in a hammock while reading a book or just enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature. We have 68 acres of rainforest, within which we have trails for you to enjoy alone or with one of our guides. There is a great variety of flora and fauna, making this the perfect place for bird lovers. Currently, we have identified more than 592 species of birds.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
3kms del la escuela de Boca Tapada San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Boca Tapada 4417 Costa Rica
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Nestled in a natural paradise, Maquenque Eco-Lodge receives accolades for its friendly staff and spotlessly clean rooms, complete with tidy bathrooms and inviting terraces. While the absence of air conditioning in rooms was a concern for a guest, many praise the lodge for its idyllic setting and charming bungalows.
The hotel offers a variety of activities such as bird watching and kayaking that allow guests to immerse themselves in wildlife, though some have pointed out limitations in dining options, particularly for vegan diets.
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Top-notch
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Although it is a long & bumpy drive to get to, this hotel is across a river and so unspoilt. Growing much of the food needed, and with beautiful grounds for trails and wildlife watching, we loved the ambience despite some fairly wet weather. Pricey but delicious meals, although breakfast was relatively sub-standard with poor juices and fruits. Friendly and helpful staff, and great rooms overlooking private lagoons - take insect repellent though. Not sure i would want to pay extra for a treetop room though....
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
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.
It was a pretty long drive to get there on a very rough road full of huge potholes. It would have been great to arrive by river boat - must be possible. But once there is was great, especially our treehouse, which was way up in the canopy. All meals were provided in the rate (nowhere else to go) and food was very good, though sometimes the choice was a bit limited, Plenty of Eco tours to choose from and good guides.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
Room Tip:Â There are not many treehouses, so I am really glad we booked early enough to get one - this was...
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.
Response from Maquenque Eco-Lodge Eco Lodge, Otros at Maquenque Eco-Lodge
Responded Mar 17, 2020
Dear Alison Thank you for reviewing us and sharing details of your stay with all of us. We are glad to see that you had a fantastic stay and that our services and facilities were up to your expectations. We send you warm greetings.
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Macqenqui Eco Lodge had very comfortable sleeping accommodations, good quality food and beverages chosen from a menu. The dining room overlooks a bird feeding area on the edge of a pond/stream that attracts waterfowl and other birds and wildlife. A boat tour and birding guides are available and worth doing. An exceptional lodge. Be prepared for a bumpy 1 hour ride on the last portion of the oad from San Jose.
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Date of stay: January 2020
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.
Response from Maquenque, Gerente at Maquenque Eco-Lodge
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Dear Linda Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you during your visit to Boca Tapada. We are happy to see that you had a great stay and that could enjoy of our services and facilities. Our staff always alert will try to make the best of your visit. We thank you for your comments and recommendations. Best regards
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There is nothing wrong with being rated average, it just means that the hotel is neither poor nor outstanding. This isn’t a great eco-lodge: It is nice enough but it seems to be intended for folks touring Costa Rica and spending, at most, three nights rather than folks who want to see the local wildlife. There is neither a clear eco-identity nor the facilities of ideal holiday base. For example, the conflict between the operation of the bar/bird viewing area and the need for meal seating needs to be resolved.
This is one of those hotels where I wish that the owners had spent three or four days living in one of their rooms before selling them to the public. The rooms are large, well ventilated and are well spaced-out but the windows are not soundproof and next door’s alarm clock or phone will wake you in the morning, as will their attempts to play (however quietly) any music. The rooms have negligible storage space and so we lived out of a case throughout our stay; there is nowhere to dry wet clothes; there is no shaving mirror nor any bright light that might help shaving. There is no hotel information folder in the room. Most of this might not be important when the sun shines but we had unremittingly bad weather.
There is plenty for somebody with an interest in wildlife to see. The wildlife guides are excellent and communicate their enthusiasm and knowledge wonderfully. Other staff seem to lack that commitment, for example our welcome (on both sides of the river) was less than enthusiastic
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â All, except the tree houses, seem similar
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.
Positives: The property is great looking with nice bungalows, tree houses, a lagoon where you can can paddle in a boat for free. Also, the included rainforest tour is really nice and our guide Chino was awesome! The hiking paths in the rainforest are also very nice!
Negatives: The food is vastly overpriced for the quality provided. Dinner is around 20-35 USD per person without any drinks and you get nothing special. The tours are also extremely overpriced: You pay 50 USD per person for boating around the river San Carlos where you really can't see much (a crocodile and a few big trees and birds which you can see anywhere). You get to stop at a local village where you don't do anything besides buying some fresh juice in a bar. Also: No Wi-Fi outside of the restaurant area (none in the room). We believe this is mainly a location for old people who like to sit around and don't do much. And you have a lot of them there!
By the way: It is highly unlikely to see a great green macaw here. Don't let yourself be fooled in this regard. Keep this in mind when taking the long drive to get so far north.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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.
Try the treehouse and you won't regret. We felt overwhelmed by nature in Maquenque Lodge. AMAAAZIING sounds of jungle and nature when you wake up in your treehouse. I was excited and got up before sunrise to just sit on the terrace of my treehouse and have a coffee while enjoying myself in this beautiful world. The lodge its a perfect place that one must have seen once in a lifetime. Offsite the crowd you will really feel well taken care off while watching caymans, colorful birds over the laguna of Maquenque. We did the half day boat trip to the nicaraguan border, cool, sit down and relax while being shown many animals and there really are some opposite to other places that we have been to thereafter. Also I did a night walk. I recommend to do so as you won't see similar creatures anymore elsewhere, i.e. the frogs do really need wet environments so you won't find them in the dry season on the pacific side. I stop writing here - because you must check it out.
By the way, its a bit of an adventure to get there as the roads are crap, but never mind and PURA VIDA :-) Also, it was the rainiest place for us on our trip in Dec/Jan 19/20 but still its a must.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Room Tip:Â We recommend the Treehouse
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.
Response from Maquenque, Gerente at Maquenque Eco-Lodge
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Dear guest Thank you for such a lovely review of our lodge and staff. We work very hard to make your stays something special. Our location is like a paradise and our Tree Houses as you quote are an experience worth living, sleeping in the middle of the forest with all the sounds of nature around it is something everyone has to try at least once. We thank you again for your review and send you the warmest regards
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To reach this eco lodge you cross the river by boat. The vehicle which is a small Jeep and electric meets you taking your luggage and you wander up a well kept path with beautiful tropical plants either side. Great welcome at reception. Our accommodation was a treehouse a short walk from the reception and restaurant.45 steps up to our delightful room in the tree tops.Luggage was delivered by staff. It was beautifully presented and had a great bathroom. Breakfast is included, the remaining meals one pays for. The food and service was excellent. There is a bird feeding table close to the restaurant and attracted lots of birds plus the coatis. You look out at a large lake and wetland which attracts large numbers of wildlife. The lodge offers several tours of which we chose two. The guide Antonio was very knowledgeable and helpful when one of the path’s steps got a little slippery. We loved our stay here
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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.
With a boat you u cross the river to the hotel. Then it was a bit unclear how to get to the reception but we found it. I love the way they made the rooms! Everything was open so you could hear the nature, birds, monkeys, the river. They covered it with mosquito nets so it should keep the nature outside. Of course this will never keep everything outside so we had a big nest of flying ants in our bedroom. We informed the reception and when we came back from dinner the nest was gone.
The food was good and you could watch the birds and even a nose bear eat beside you as they also received some fruits. Nice to see although I am not a fan of feeding wildlife and disturb their natural instinct to search for food themselves.
There were different hiking trails to do. We made a photo of the map and went ahead. Well this was a disaster. The trail to mirador let to a connection pole for I guess the WiFi of the resort. (Which was only available in the restaurant and not in the rooms). We went down and continued to hike until the nice path just stopped and we reached an extremely muddy road where we could not continue and had to walk all the way back.
After that we took the canoe which we enjoyed very much!
Lovely place, definitely recommended but they do need to do something about the hiking trails. Also WiFi in the rooms would be nice so in the restaurant you could just talk with each other instead of everybody being in their phone.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â Drive ip to the boat dock, place your suitcases there and then park your car. Call the reception...
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.
We arrived at Maquenque and immediately got good vibes from the friendly boat skipper and the lovely walk from the jetty to reception with beautiful plants and humming birds. A friendly greeting from reception staff and a welcome drink. We had lunch whilst waiting for our room to be ready and immediately saw a toucan on the bird feeder and were blown away by the number of birds and we had only been there for 30 minutes! We then walked to our tree house and wow, it was amazing - up high in the trees with a jacuzzi bath on the deck and an indoor and outdoor shower. No a/c but the ceiling fans were fine. No wifi (in the tree house) but the wildlife and spider monkeys swinging by was more than enough entertainment! We did the early morning bird watching tour with Christian which was fabulous. The night tour which was slightly disappointing as it was raining and we didn't see a great deal but that's nature for you! We also did the kayaking tour with Chino which was absolutely fabulous with howler monkeys in the trees above our heads and Iguanas warming up on the top of the trees, the jesus christ lizard and so many birds. The lunches were lovely, wood fired pizzas were tasty and the evening meals were very good too and the portions were more than adequate for us! The breakfast was the only slightly disappointing part of our stay, limited selection and a lot of flies all over the fruit so I stuck to the freshly cooked omelettes which were nice. ALL the staff were so friendly from the gardeners, housekeeping, reception, guides and waiters. They could not do enough to help us and were so helpful and accomodating, they helped make our stay at Maquenque and our introduction to Costa Rica perfect. We would not hesitate to recommend.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â If you can book a tree house, it adds to the experience and they give you a torch. Bring long...
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.
Maquenque is a very rural Lodge accesses only via a boat crossing the San Carlos River. It’s very close to the Nicaraguan border which is visited on the River Boat Safari. Good site for both birds and wildlife and most Lodges overlook water. Good comfortable Bungalows and excellent food and central services.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Ask for a lodge with a view to meet your interest. Some have obscure views but most overlook water.
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.
Response from Maquenque, Gerente at Maquenque Eco-Lodge
Responded Jan 6, 2020
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you, we are glad to see that you had a pleasant stay and that we fulfilled your expectations. Best regards
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica1 contribution
Hi Ashlee
It will be a pleasure to assist you, this page doesn't let me put my e-mail to send you pictures, please write to
mercadeo
(a)
maquenqueecolodge
.
com
I look forward to hear from you!
Best
Grettel
La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica1 contribution
Hi Stephanie
It will be a pleasure to send you the directions please write us at (this page doesn't let me paste the link)
mercadeo
(a)
maquenqueecolodge
.
com
I look forward to hear from you!
Best
Grettel
Yes, you can drive to Maquenque by car. The gravel road leading there has some holes, but overall the ride is fairly comfortable. We have experienced worse conditions in Costa Rica. Many travel guides recommend 4x4, but I think you don't necessarily need it to get to Boca Tapada. There is, however, no gas station beyond Pital, so make sure you're filled up on fuel :)
Ich weiss nicht genau. Sie habe Waschmaschinen für die Bettwäsche seht wahrscheinlich gibt es auch ein Wäsche-Service. Fragen Sie direkt das Hotel ab.
"It is a huge destination for bird watchers. It is a bit of a hike to your tree houses so if you aren't super mobile then I would recommend a cabana closer to the restaurant.
"
There are more places to choose from in the Boca Tapada area.
PRICE RANGE
$89 - $179 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of AlajuelaBoca Tapada
NUMBER OF ROOMS
23
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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