Pacuare Lodge by Böëna

It was adventurous travel and casual elegance, for 4 nights! The adventure: We hiked, zip lined, did canyon rappelling…which was waterfall repelling due to all the rain, the night hike, and dined in the trees at The Nest, not to mention white water rafting into and out of this rainforest resort. The elegance, our garden cottage with a huge deck that surrounded a small stand of trees. All the rooms have screens and fans, but no actual windows. So, you hear the birds, monkeys and insects in the forest, plus the rain, it is magical! The food is scrumptious. And because we had stayed at 2 other Boena Resorts, they added two special items to our menus at lunch and dinner.in the dining room Deanne took such great care of us at all our meals. Gary helped too. The first night, Eric gave us a fascinating talk on jaguars. Yes, they are there, but very elusive. Also their natural coloring is a golden coat with black spots. The black jaguars are the result of genetic change that occurs. Eric also led us in Zip-lining the next day, which was a blast. It was raining, so to do those long lines with the rain splashing my face was so cool. At the end of the zip lining, we stayed on the last platform. It is The Nest, and we had signed up to have lunch there among the tree tops. That fascinating to watching Autopendulas building there nests in front of us as dined. Dave served us there, and everything was sent up in a basket. He even ordered two towels for, as we wet from the rain. The Canyoning was so fun, though it really was waterfall rappelling due to all of the rain. Dave gave a great talk on the history of Pacuare Lodge , and what the resort does for electricity. They are currently at 65% solar, and hydro, the rest is diesel. They keep improving. Dave also took us on a night hike, and a waterfall hike. Adrien, who is the manager, and originally checked us in, had also planned for us to have dinner at the campfire by the river, then breakfast elsewhere along the river. But the 3 out of 4 days of rain prevented it. Because of the changes, he arranged for us to have a private lunch in one of the villas overlooking the river, and spend our last night there. What a treat that was!

This was one of those experiences that I'll remember forever. The lodge is seamlessly nestled in the rainforest and you feel that from the moment you step out of your raft and onto the river bank in front the restaurant. The included experiences (including the hikes and rafting) were great and the guides were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Food was solid. Good selection of local foods as well as international comfort food options if you're interested in that. Spa experience might be the best massage I've ever had in my life. Was perfect for a rainy afternoon after a 4-5 hour hike. Service was also extremely helpful throughout. Whenever you needed anything, assistance was a quick WhatsApp message away and there was also always someone in the concierge area if we needed in-person help.

We choose Costa Rica for our family vacation in search for adventure and a luxury wilderness lodge feel for my husband and I along with our 8 and 9 year old children. Pacuare Lodge more than deliverd and I cannot speak highly enough! Arrival- We arrived in SJO and stayed at Hotel Grano de Oro. The hotel arranged transportation for us from the airport and we were very pleased upon arrival. We were able to rest and prepare for the start of our adventure. Pepe met us on behalf of Pacuare in the lobby and was incredible! He was informative, funny and made us and our children so excited for the upcoming adventure. The ride to the lodge was great as he shared with us along the way and we stopped for breakfast at a great restaurant with beautiful views! The rafting in was amazing!! The children had not rafted before and this was a huge highlight for them. Pepe made it so special for the kids and us all. Danny was our safety kayaker and was nearby the whole ride. He took my phone to get some great action shots for us. The ride was adventurous, but we felt very comfortable with our children being there. Concierge- Upon arrival we were greeted with a delicious tropical smoothie. Eimy was the concierge and was so kind and welcoming to make sure we knew where everything was, explain what to expect and share with us all activities options and help us get our schedule arranged. Nia also assisted us during our stay and was so kind and helpful. We did two bags of laundry while on site and loved leaving with dry clean clothes. Having a dedicated person there all the time for absolutely anything we needed made us feel confident we were making the most of every minute of our stay. They went above and beyond! Room type- We were in Morpho which is a linda vista suite. It was high up and offered the most amazing views!! Waking to see sunrise was something I will never forget. The incredibly attentive staff delivered coffee and sweets to our room at 6:15am for us to enjoy while relaxing on the hanging swing. The room felt very spacious allowing my husband and I space while each of the children had their own beds. Soaking tub overlooking the views as well as an indoor and outdoor shower. Loved this room! The golf cart was so fast to take us anywhere we needed. I always prefer to stay as close to everything and did not know that I would enjoy taking a golf cart from my room, but highly suggested for the views and the golf cart system was extremely convenient and they came very fast. Dining- Meals were absolutely amazing! Each item we received was so beautifully presented and tasted incredible. Diana mainly took care of us for meals and made the dining experience perfect! She made us feel very welcome and attended to anything we may need. They offer so many delicious options and a nice wine list. Dining while overlooking the river with such amazing food was a highlight for us! Each member of the staff made us feel so welcomed and we could feel they wanted u

Omg ! Firstly when I was told we had to white river raft to the lodge I didn’t sleep the night before ! But what an experience! The staff are amazing and professional with a glint in their eyes for having fun but safely. I loved this place and felt truly welcomed. But that said I have one comment …… the food ! Amazing , innovative and out of this world , amazing chefs ! Michelin stars . If you get a chance to go please go and enjoy ☺️

We spent 3 wonderful nights at the Pacuare Lodge with our 11 year old twin boys. This was our first stop of the four Böëna lodges and easily voted the best one by all of us. It’s just a special place. You really feel like you are “off the grid” because you are! The grounds are beautiful and our Linda Vista suite was ENORMOUS. We enjoyed our freezing cold plunge pool every day. The food was delicious and we even got a chance to go behind the scenes in the kitchen via a private cooking class. Above all, it’s the staff that made us rank this our favorite lodge. Starting with Juan Carlos who picked us up in San Jose and white water rafted with us. He is the first person you WANT to meet from Böëna! So personable, upbeat, and fun. I was worried I wouldn’t see a sloth on the trip, so he pulled over at a random location to point one out so I could take a photo! The concierge Eimy was on top of things and always made sure we knew our schedule each day. The spa treatment I received was one of the best I’ve had (can’t remember her name!). Last but not least, HUGE shout out to Dave, Gio, and Anjelica. These three were our guides on the zip lining, canyoning, night walk, and loop hike. My boys adored them! In fact, they purchased stuffed animals later in the trip and named one Dave and the other Gio! They had such patience with me as I’m not big on all the “thrills/adventure” stuff (just did it for my kids!) and I was terrified on most of those excursions. But they put my mind at ease and I trusted them. Thank you to everyone I mentioned for making this an incredible trip we will never forget!

If you want a getaway to a pristine and untouched part of the world, and enjoy white water rafting, this is a wonderful place to stay. It is also very conservation friendly. Despite the lack of air conditioning, we did not feel uncomfortable or hot at all while staying there with the design of the suites. If you do, a dip in the pool solves this. The staff is wonderful, their food is delicious. They also include two on-site excursions per day. Besides this, it is a relaxing atmosphere full of wildlife - we really enjoyed watching toucans fly over the river. I would recommend one of the upgraded suites on the river (or canopy if preferred) with the increased amenities, but their simpler suites seemed nice too. This will be focused very much on the white water rafting and other water activities, so expect this to be the main activities there. However, the wildlife there is amazing and their tour guides are wonderful and will make sure they show you as much of the wildlife as you are interested in.