Tortuga LodgeTortuguero, Eastern Costa Rica

With a beautiful riverfront location, Tortuga Lodge & Gardens is situated within 146 acres of private land at Tortuguero on Costa Rica’s northeast Caribbean coast. The only access to and from the hotel is by boat – and, indeed, waterways and slow-moving tropical rivers are the heart and soul of Tortuguero and the neighbouring National Park.

The Lodge has 26 deluxe rooms, a junior suite and a penthouse suite. To keep in tune with nature, the rooms are not air conditioned and have mosquito-netted windows allowing one to wake to the sounds of howler monkeys and toucans calling. Ceiling fans keep the air moving but we recommend staying in the upstairs rooms, which have more breeze. All rooms have verandas or terraces with hammocks for lazy afternoon relaxing.

The private gardens are beautifully maintained with lush lawns, orchids, heliconias and tropical trees surrounding the lodge. We were particularly amused on our visit to see a giant iguana strutting around the resort lawns as if it owned the place! There is a delightful swimming pool which blends in perfectly with the river directly in front of it and the environmentally-friendly purification system uses a little salt instead of commercial chlorine.

The main reason to visit Tortuguero is to view the wildlife of the National Park and to see giant turtles nesting on the beach and their young being born during the nesting and hatching seasons (July-November). It is a great experience for nature lovers and families.

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