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Reviews of Santa Juana Lodge and Nature Reserve

3.5 out of 5
Santa Juana Lodge and Nature Reserve
Santa Juana de Terrazú, Naranjito, Puntarenas

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 71 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 79 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 79 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Staff & service

9.6/10

Amenities

9.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Loretta

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Tiffany

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Andres, Allen and the rest of the team were wonderful; plus, the views, waterfall hike and food were remarkable. For a relaxing, authentic experience, stay here!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Holly, maridian

Traveled with family
Liked: Amenities
Fantastic experience at this remote lodge. Beautiful views, grounds and casitas. The traditional breakfasts were delicious and it was awesome to hear and see all of the birds near the outdoor eating area. The staff were so helpful and accommodating. They even helped us with tools to change a flat tire. We would highly recommend this place (but definitely need a 4WD to get up and down).
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Amazing staff. Although food options limited all made from scratch and fresh and delicious. Beautiful jungle hikes and waterfalls pools to swim. So peaceful and rejuvenating! We will be back
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Marcelle

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Nathalie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Away from it all!
Absolute pura vida at this family-run place (loved Mum, the cook!). Chosen for total relaxation. The nearest towns are one hour away. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Gorgeous studio room with breathtaking views. The whole property is surrounded by lush mountains. 4x4 essential to get there. Meals are simple and copious. Tours are available from the property, starting at $79.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Joanne

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A wonderful 2 day stay in a unique setting in wood crafted cabins with home cooked meals at restaurant. The hour drive on gravel was challenging but doable in a 2W SUV at this time of year. Warm and helpful staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quite a trek...but super worth it!!
A word of warning, this place is not easy to get to! But once you're there it is amazing and totally worth the trek. The views are insane! The casitas are really cute, comfortable and super private. The staff was very welcoming and knowledgeable. The food was super fresh and good. Cannot recommend enough!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vikash

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This was 5 star experience that is hard to match. Starting from location secluded top of mountain to spacious nice room with no windows only screens. Tens of birds every morning with walking trails and fresh tasty food cooked right in front and very friendly staff, Andre, Allen and their families made our stay like being at home.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ranjit

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Secluded peacefull place , a wonderful gem
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Gina

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

paul

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
!! 4WD essential !!
!! 4WD essential !! Friendly place, wonderful birdwatching, fresh but predictable food ("chicken, pork or fish"). Problematic WIFI did not work in cabin Make sure that your car has 4WD capability, or you will probably suffer on the 19km route up to the lodge
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Hernan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect get-away
Amazing and personal experience in the middle of nature - we had a one bedroom with a deck over looking the jungle. We did a hiking tour to a very private and beautiful waterfall with surrounding pool to swim in with Allen and his dog Comanche, a local villager who also works at the lodge. We enjoyed the scenery, warm welcomes with fresh juice of the day, cut up fruit after a little walk and breakfast and amazing dinner. Highly recommend if you are looking for a more authentic and personal experience in Costa Rica!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Santa Juana Lodge on 2023/11/25
Hola John! Muchas gracias por su calificación, para nosotros es muy importante. Esperamos la hayas pasado muy bien con nosotros!

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is an amazing place. Well off the beaten path. Toucans in the morning and afternoons. The views are second to none and the meals are delicious.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Reservations on 2023/11/25
Thank you very much for your review, we are very happy that you enjoy your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Chinedum

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
This property is a true gem. If you are looking for tranquility, you have found it. We ended up extending our stay an extra day, that's how much we loved it. Allan went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, from giving us a history of Santa Juana to introducing us to his family and inviting us to his home to see his various pets ( cat, dig, rabbit, quail, chicken, sheep e.t.c). I highly recommend staying here as it's definitely worth the drive.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from reservations on 2023/11/25
Thank you very much for your review, we are very happy that you enjoy your stay with us!!Hope to have you back!!

10/10 Excellent

Matt

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The perfect place to get away for a few days.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023
Response from reservations on 2023/11/25
Thank you very much for your review, we are very happy that you enjoy your stay with us!!Hope to have you back!!

10/10 Excellent

June

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rocio

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ruben

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A wonderful destination for nature lovers! Wonderful getaway with great local staff!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023
Response from reservations on 2023/11/25
Thank you very much for your review, we are very happy that you enjoy your stay with us!!Hope to have you back!!

10/10 Excellent

Ekaterina

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing stay with gorgeous views!
Stayed overnight in one of the lodges overlooking jungle and Pacific ocean. Amazing experience and views, friendly staff from the local community, would come again.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022
Response from reservations on 2023/11/25
Thank you very much for your review, we are very happy that you enjoy your stay with us!!Hope to have you back!!

10/10 Excellent

Denise

Traveled with family
Nestled in nature with mountaintop views
Beautiful, peaceful location on top of a mountain with cabins surrounded by trees and birds/creatures that the guides will be searching for in the national parks. Great views, home-cooked meals, and friendly, helpful staff. If you're renting a car to drive there, be sure to get a 4WD (in any season) as the roads outside of tourist towns are packed dirt with rocks and mountain roads can be steep.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joseph

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay to enjoy the forest/jungle!
Fantastic place, great service, and a perfect spot to enjoy the mountain/forest/jungle area above Manuel Antonio. We enjoyed this place more than the reserve at the bottom of the mountain. Waterfalls, nice hiking trails, super cute rooms with incredible views.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay IN the Rain Forest!
Our stay was outstanding! They communicated with us beforehand and made sure we knew the requirements for getting to this wonderfully remote lodge. Andres was excellent and made sure everything was perfect. The rooms have incredible views, so does the restaurant! Great food, great service in a place that is magical.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Alexis, Brooklyn

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
One of the most relaxing, beautiful, and welcoming places I have ever been. The facilities and natural environment are gorgeous, all the staff are exceedingly kind, helpful, and knowledgable. Incredible fresh food. Cannot recommend enough. Only note: if you're driving yourself, four wheel drive is HIGHLY recommended. We made it up the mountain in our non-4WD SUV during the dry season, but it was dicey!
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unique nature experience
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Darryl, Eielson AFB

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you want off the beaten path, this is a very scenic opportunity meals are great and affordable. If you want to cook yourself, stop and buy whatever you want at store on way up. full size fridge and place to prepare and cook food
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent- wish we stayed longer!
This was the best place we’ve stayed in Costa Rica. The lodge was beautiful and clean. We saw toucans each morning at sunrise and the ground are stunning. The highlight was hiking to the waterfall. Would recommend staying here to anyone travelling to Costa Rica. The food was authentic, filling and lovely.
Toucan at sunrise
Balcony
One of the lovely local dogs at breakfast
Waterfall (which was empty except us)
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brandon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Gaurav

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent, marvelous stay in the mountains!
As a family of 3, including our 6-year old daughter, we had an amazing time at Santa Juana lodge that is beyond words. It is located at top of the mountains with awesome views and to top it up, we loved the friendly staff and how nice everyone was. We also did a guided tour to the nearby waterfall, which was worth it. It also included exploring a small herb garden on the property and extracting sugarcane juice right next to it! The drive to the lodge was a bit adventurous, but we were warned ahead of time to ensure that we have a 4WD and we plan to get their before sunset. The lodge has a restaurant to have all meals, but we did have a small kitchenette in our cabin, with good number of basic utensils, a good sized refrigerator, a stove, a microwave and an oven offering us an option to cook if we wanted to. We ended up eating at the restaurant other than making coffee in our cabin, which tasted great while sitting in our balcony looking over the lush green mountains!
In front of the entrance to the lodge
Lodge entrance
Herb garden on the property
Outside the cabin
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Amanda

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Bridget

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved the rural aspect to Santa Juan Lodge. It was an authentic family atmosphere. If you want a traveler experience not a tourist experience, it’s a wonderful option.

10/10 Excellent

Ken

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nature lover's retreat
My wife and I recently spent 4 nights at Santa Juana Lodge. It was our first trip to Costa Rica, and this was the first place we stayed. What an extraordinary welcome to this amazing country! After a day and a half of arduous travel and multiple delays, we desperately needed a place to decompress. Once we arrived on the property and were welcomed by Allan and the amazing views of nature, all of the stress we'd been feeling melted away instantly. We'd barely parked the car, and Allan immediately showed us a sloth that had taken up residence in a tree nearby, as well as several toucans. When we set foot in our room (the Deluxe Bungalow), we were stunned by the panoramic views from the deck. Allan (who took us on a guided bird/nature tour of the area) and the rest of the staff were so welcoming and warm, truly exemplifying "pura vida". We also loved hanging out with Comanche, the exuberant and friendly dog who lives nearby. This is not an impersonal, resort-style accommodation with multiple pools, bars, and restaurants. It is a small establishment that is run by local families. It takes about 45-60 minutes to drive from Quepos, up a sometimes patchy dirt/rock road, so be sure that you have a 4WD vehicle (and arrive during daylight). The drive isn't so bad once you've done it once or twice - if you're lucky, you might even spot a troop of squirrel monkeys on the way, as we did. If you are looking for tranquility, nature, and true escape, Santa Juana Lodge is the place for you!
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Christina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Had such an exceptional stay here this week! I loved everything from the stunning bungalow which had the best view I think I’ve ever had, the staff were incredibly kind and friendly and nice the food was spot on! High points: - Gorgeous accomodation with hammock, modern bathroom, kitchen with everything you need, chrome cast tv, comfortable bedding and lounge - Complimentary breakfast was awesome. I had breakfast and dinner there daily and the food was super fresh and tasty. Great coffee too! - Free laundry services and little convenient touches like umbrellas, extra towels, torch etc - Close to some great walking tracks and waterfalls - The most lovely staff - The surroundings are breathtaking. Lots of toucans right next to you Zero low points! Cannot recommend highly enough
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

matt

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

karen

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wow. Spectacular views and rooms. Great, personalized dining. Freshest fruits in Costa Rica. Amazing. The drive was an adventure.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Denyse

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Truly paradise! The location is remote but worth the effort for breathtaking views and there are no words to adequately describe the amazing staff(whom we now consider extended family!). Friendly, courteous and always ready to make your experience their priority. This is our new favorite "slice of heaven " and we plan to visit over and over again!!!
Stayed 8 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Paula

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I highly recommend staying at Santa Juana Lodge. It is very remote and requires 4 wheel drive to get there but it is absolutely worth it! The scenery is amazing as are the people who work there. Highlight of our trip.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Shawn

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We definitely didn’t stay long enough!! We stayed only one night and could’ve stayed a couple more. The views are breathtaking and we will be back. Allan was very hospitable and truly defines pura vida!! The food is organic and fresh as possible. We love that place and recommend it to anyone visiting Costa Rica. It’s a must!!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Leslie

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff was very helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mathew

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Teresita

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Martine

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

MACHIKO

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

stacey

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Sales Department on 2022/1/8
Thank you for Visit us! We hope to see you in the future

10/10 Excellent

Joanna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly, familial atmosphere! Gorgeous views! Spacious and beautifully designed accommodations with a full kitchen, which I didn’t even use because I enjoyed the restaurant so much! Food was delicious and authentic. Walking distance to beautiful nature reserve with waterfalls and gardens. I can’t say enough about this place. Hugo and Junior and Julia all took great care of me as I traveled the country by myself with no car. I look forward to coming back!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2021
Response from Santa Juana on 2021/11/20
Greetings and thank you form Santa Juana Lodge. It was a truly pleasure

6/10 Okay

javier

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Unique, wonderful location. Staff was very attentive. Frequent electrical power issues with kitchen outlets and water heater
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Santa Juana Lodge on 2021/10/5
Thank you for your visit and let us know about the electricity issues, we want to apologize. Our technician went to check during your stay. We do hope this situation does not deter you from visiting us again near future.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The most lovely place to stay. Wish we could have stayed longer. In the mountains beautiful view of the mountains & ocean from our balcony. The dining area is outdoors and the food is excellent, staff is wonderful - gave us great recommendations. Don’t leave without going on the waterfall hike down the road. You need a 4x4 to get here during the rainy season & plan to get here before dark since the road is mostly unpaved and can be a challenging drive. That said don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit this amazingly beautiful place.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Santa Juana Lodge on 2021/8/10
Thank you for your visit and this awesome review. We hope to see you soon again

8/10 Good

Megan

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Jo on 2021/6/26
Thank you so much for your review. It was a pleasure