Front of property

Reviews of Tortuga Lodge and Gardens by Böëna

4 out of 5
Tortuga Lodge and Gardens by Böëna
Across the river, in front of Tortuguero airstrip, Colorado, Limon

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 155 out of 228 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 56 out of 228 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 12 out of 228 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 228 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 228 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

9.6/10

Amenities

9.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

David

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Andres on Feb 10, 2024
Thank you David for your rating! We hope you enjoyed exploring the northern Caribbean of Costa Rica.

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel location is beautiful, although we didn't realise it couldn't be accessed by road, so please note that if you have a car you have to drive to one of the areas where you can get the boat taxis and leave your car behind. This, however, was a great way to get to the hotel. We had a room with a large balcony and lovely view, and our private tour the next day of the national park, with Elvis, was outstanding and definitely worth the money (although not cheap!). We saw so much from the water and would recommend it to anyone. There isn't anything to do at night, and dinner is from 6 - 8.30pm, but as most tours start from 6am this wasn't a problem as going to bed early is recommended. Beautiful, quiet location, with a free transfer to the local town, although only an hour is needed there as it is just a street with restaurants and shops. The beach isn't anything to write home about, as it is black sandy strewn with wood, so not somewhere nice to sit, but it is worth catching the free boat across the river to have a look at it, and this is also where the air strip is for the plane if you are arriving from San Jose this way. The staff were lovely, the pool is a lovely added bonus and we enjoyed a couple of hours by it and swam in it too. I would highly recommend this hotel if staying in Tortoguero National Park, which is a must if visiting Costa Rica.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Andres on Jan 16, 2024
Thank you Helen for your detailed review and recommendation of our lodge! We're delighted you enjoyed the beauty of our location and your room with a large balcony. Elvis will be thrilled to hear that your private tour of the national park with him was outstanding.Your insights into the transportation process and the surrounding area are invaluable for future guests. We appreciate your understanding of the early dinner hours, given the early start for most tours.It was a pleasure having you, and we hope to welcome you back for more memorable experiences in the northern Caribbean of Costa Rica!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The place offers really unique and relaxing experience. The grounds are beautiful, the staff is extremely helpful and accommodating. We loved the rooms though hard surfaces could use better cleaning and BR could use an upgrade. The ac was dripping pretty badly on the first day of our arrival but it was quickly fixed. The food, staff and their services were impeccable. My biggest disappointment had to do with the steep fee charged for tours. We knew that direct booking through any hotel would be a bit more expensive but 3 times more felt simply exploitative. All the tours offer the same experience but you would pay a third or less booking with external providers. Additionally, there is no access to places outside the hotel except their services which were both quite expensive and limited in times. Also we were not aware that the last boat to get to the lodge leaves at 3:00pm. We had to change our flights to arrive a day early so we could make it on time from SJ. I wish someone would have informed us of this at the time of booking or on their site.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Andres on Sep 3, 2023
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent stay at our lodge. We're delighted to hear that you found our grounds beautiful and our staff extremely helpful and accommodating. We apologize for the issues you encountered with the room and the AC, but we're glad that these were resolved promptly.We appreciate your comments regarding the tour fees, and we understand your concerns. We aim to provide quality experiences to our guests, and we'll review our pricing structure to ensure fairness. Your feedback regarding access to external services and transportation times is valuable, and we'll work to improve the transparency of this information in our communications.We hope you'll consider staying with us again in the future, and we'll make every effort to enhance your experience. Thank you for choosing our lodge for your visit.

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Response from Andres on Jul 28, 2023
Thank you Daniel for your rating! We hope you had a great time exploring the northern Caribbean of Costa Rica.

10/10 Excellent

Andre

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We stayed in three locations/hotels in CR. Tortuga Lodge was our favourite. The staff and service were exceptional. Always a smiling face. Nice touch to remember all our names. Very flexible. Food was excellent and nothing was a problem. Wish we had stayed longer. Thank you Tortuga for a wonderful experience. X
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Andres on Jun 14, 2023
Hello Andre, thank you for your review of your stay at Tortuga Lodge and two additional Böëna Wilderness Lodges! We appreciate your kind words of our staff and dining experience. We hope to have you back in a future visit to Costa Rica!

10/10 Excellent

Mr R

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
All of the staff were very helpful, friendly and made the difference. Food at the hotel was particularly good, tasty and very well presented.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023
Response from Andres on Mar 8, 2023
Greetings from the northern Caribbean of Costa Rica. We deeply appreciate your review of your stay and dining experience. And thank you for highlighting our amazing staff!

10/10 Excellent

Ethan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We Loved It and Hope to Return
Beautiful facility and wonderful staff who are so friendly and helpful. The food is excellent and plentiful. We only did two activities (extra charge) but both guides were outstanding. We highly recommend Tortuga Lodge.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023
Response from Andres on Jan 7, 2023
Thank you Enthan for your enthusiastic review of your stay at Tortuga Lodge, our amazing staff, dining and nature experiences!

10/10 Excellent

Jane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous stay at Tortuga Lodge
We loved everything about our stay at Tortuga Lodge. If you're looking for a place that provides both luxury and adventure, this is it. I never imagined I would enjoy a 6:00 am boat ride in the pouring rain on Rio Tortuguero, but since I was comfortably ensconced in my hotel provided poncho, I could fully appreciate the bounties of nature in all of its glory. The abundance of wildlife, skillfully pointed out by our wonderful hawk-eyes guide, Luis, truly made this a unique and special adventure. The highlight of our visit was the 10:00 pm trip to the Caribbean side to see greenback turtles nesting. No photos allowed or necessary. This incredible experience seeing turtles emerge from the water and watching them dig a hole with their flippers and lay their eggs is seared in my memory. While I know our guide Luis had experienced this thousands of times before, his enthusiasm for each new wonder of nature for us made each sighting all the more special. The hotel staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. Kudos to the chef for our wonderful meals. All in all, we had a fabulous three days at Tortuga Lodge and hope to return again soon!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Agnieszka

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique location
We loved everything about our stay: food, nature, location, services and customer care. It is not the cheapest but you get what you pay for. We would recommend and definitely would stay again. Thank you for taking care of us.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Allison

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Overall this is a great place for the location. Staff was very kind and gracious, but would make promises but sometimes little follow through. The trails were closed due to flooding but the property and pool were beautiful and the food was great! Would stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
exceptional service. Very hospitable staff. Exquisite food. Very relaxing environment.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jessica, California

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Tortuga Lodge is a one of a kind experience. We used their transfer from the dock at La Pavona. From the time we stepped on the boat we were treated like first class guests. Our captain and first mate both made sure to point out the different animals to see on the boat ride to the lodge. The staff at the lodge is extremely helpful in coordinating activities and even coordinating boat trips to town of Tortuguero, which saved us a bunch of money in water taxi fees. The rooms are amazing. The view and wildlife on site are amazing. There is no a/c which I read some negative reviews about, but we didn't seem to need it. There are no windows, only screens so there is a breeze and the rooms don't get hot and stuffy. I wish we had more than 2 nights. The menu is limited, but a short boat ride to Tortuguero and there are plenty of dining options. The kids enjoyed playing in the pool and I enjoyed reading in the hammock house. My kids were able to fish off their little pier and they provide everything, the poles and bait, but be careful, there are a lot of puffer fish and they are quite toxic. We hiked the property and glad we took up the offer for their supplied rubber boots because it is muddy! Also, they have a supply of sunblock and bug spray for guests to use. And boy, the bug spray was quite handy during the hike. I would love to come back in the future.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Glorious setting, a really special place, well worth the effort to get to, the staff are amazing
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Mar 23, 2020
Thank you so much for visiting our Lodge, we appreciate your feedback and your kind words! We are thrilled to see that you very much enjoyed the locations and grounds and that our staff was amazing. We hope to have you back soon!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic
Absolutely excellent
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Dec 26, 2019
Thank you for your 10 out 10 review and for staying with us at Tortuga Lodge! We hope you had a wonderful time in Costa Rica and seeing you again.

10/10 Excellent

JennaOBrien, Chicago, IL

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The remote location is beautiful, the staff attentive and the property truly a once-in-a-lifetime eco-lodge. We had a wonderful, tranquil start to our honeymoon in this beautiful resort! Thank you Tortuga Lodge for the incredible tours (Norton is wonderful), the delicious restaurant and the stunning lodge and gardens! The pool, hammocks, wandering iguanas and yummy happy hours were an even bigger bonus.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Dec 20, 2019
Dear Jenna, Thank you for taking the time to send us your wonderful review and your kind words. We are happy to see this was a tranquil start to such an special vacation, that Norton was wonderful (we also believe he is fantastic), and that you enjoyed the delicious food and happy hour, the beautiful views, facilities, and surrounding. Congratulations on your wedding and best wishes for a happy life together and we look forward to your next visit. Happy Holiday!

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Nov 25, 2019
Thank you for your review. We hope you enjoy your time at Tortuga Lodge and since we received an 8 out of 10 for your stay, we look forward to hearing your feedback and recommendations on which areas should we improve our services for future guests and hopefully, to host again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Nov 25, 2019
Thank you for your 10 stars and for choosing to stay at Tortuga Lodge! We look forward to hosting you again very soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
From the moment we arrived the staff was so welcoming and helpful. The property and rooms were beautiful and the food in the restaurant delicious. The tours we booked through the front desk were wonderful too! We went in the turtle and national park tours and visited the school too.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Nov 25, 2019
Thank you for your 5 stars and your kind words! We strive to make our guests feel welcome, keep the lodge at its best and making sure our guests enjoy and experience Tortuguero, through its scenery, wildlife, and people. We appreciate and are happy to see that you visited the local school, as this is a very special project for us. Each visit helps to improve the children's English skills, therefore the future of Tortuguero. We look forward to hosting you again!

10/10 Excellent

Mia

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
One of my best travel experiences ever!
Tortuga Lodge and Gardens was an incredible place for me and my sister to stay in Tortuguero. As if the views and natural beauty surrounding the entire property weren’t enough to make this place so special, the staff are all so friendly and accommodating. We had everything we could’ve possibly wished for during the couple of days that we stayed here. The lodge made it so easy for us to book all of our tours and get around the area. Absolutely would not hesitate to recommend this place to anyone looking to stay in Tortuguero!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Nov 14, 2019
Dear Mia, Thank you for taking the time to send us such lovely words and for giving us a 10 out 10 rating! We're so happy to see that you and your sister enjoyed your stay, experience the beauty and wonders of Tortuguero and that our amazing team took part in making your time in Tortuguero incredible. We hope to have you back with us again and receive your friends and family your recommend us to!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff at the property truly make their guests feel welcome. We enjoyed local tours, walks through the garden at the property, and time at the pool.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Gabriela Sanmiguel on Nov 14, 2019
Hola! Thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback and kind words. We are so happy to see that you enjoy your stay, relax and experience the beauty of Tortuguero on the local tours and walks through the lodge gardens. We hope to see you again very soon!

10/10 Excellent

Rachel, Israel

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel was lovely. The room was large, the bathroom clean and modern, the pool and views amazing. The food was tasty and the staff was excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Albert

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful and peaceful. You may miss TV and AC, but there a lot more to see!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent hotel in the middle of the Jungle. Stuff were really helpful. The complimentary tour was amazing, we got to see all sort of animals right in the backyard of our room.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
El hotel es precioso una ubicación fantástica, para quedarse a vivir. Desayunos cenas y comidas riquísimas!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Immersed in Nature!
We had a lovely family holiday at Tortuga lodge for 2 nights. The hotel is set in a forest surrounding with beautiful gardens and a nature reserve behind. There is plenty of flora, fauna and wildlife. The breakfast and dinner was good with vegetarian options. The staff are friendly and helpful. There is no air conditioning in the rooms and it can get very hot in the night. You have to use the hotel water boat if available or a water taxi to go anywhere. We got on a packed public water taxi from Pavona dock for $10pp to Tortuguero town and then asked the taxi to drop us off to the hotel for $5 extra. Our return transfer was organised by the hotel and was very efficient. Overall a wonderful stay at the hotel. There was no network service but the wifi was good. The hotel can organise a lot of activities for those who want to do them.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Stijn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing!
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Delphine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice, quiet and remote hotel with different trails to discover the local animals( we saw iguanas, monkeys, birds) , a warm pool with salt treatment and not chlorine. They have a restaurant which is a little pricey but the service is great .
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is very remote but you can get to the small quaint town by boat. The monkeys are amazing and the strawberry poison dart frogs on the walking trail are breathtaking and so vibrant in color. There is no a/c or tv but good Wi-Fi. However the breeze off the water and fans in the room are good enough to stay comfortable in night and day. Plus the kayak tour with Norton is a lot of fun and interesting in spotting wildlife.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff was exceptionally kind and helpful. The room was very clean and inviting. The overall facility afforded great relaxation and ample opportunities to appreciate and learn about the natural surroundings of the rain forest.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
You are so close to the National Park, The property walks by themselves are terrific.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jon, Wales uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It's not possible to score 6* but the staff and overall experience at this hotel was amazing. .. customer service,, food, location and overall ambiance were fantastic. We worried that it's isolation would be an issue but this was actually a bonus, the jungle was right outside your door. None of my family wanted to leave! Thank you so much for a great start to our holiday.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gemma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great 3 night stay along the riverside
A beautiful riverside lodge with excellent rooms and public spaces. Located just a 5 minute boat ride from Tortuguero village. Very friendly helpful staff. Highly recommended!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

8/10 Good

V, Toronto

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, very friendly and helpful staff, at least breakfast should be included in the room price. I read a lot about overpriced food. Yes, the restaurant is somehow pricey but you always have to remember where you are ... in the middle of nowhere. And the food they serve is pretty good
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Barry

3 great days in paradise
We loved this lodge. Can’t say enough positive things about it. Staff were amazing. Food was excellent and the room was charming. It gets 5 stars from us. Highly recommend this lodge.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mike, Southern California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome
We parked our rental car and took the boat ride from La Pavona directly to the hotel. This was a good choice, as the boat had a naturalist and we stopped several times to look at wildlife. Once arriving at Tortuga Lodge, we were greeted by friendly faces and given an introduction to the hotel, the gardens, and activities. Our room overlooked the water, which was beautiful and there were large iguanas and other creatures roaming the grounds. The restaurant was excellent, as was the pool area. The staff was simply amazing. We had a couple of issues. 1) Our safe door had trouble and after trying to fix it, they replaced the door, which solved the problem; 2) Our smoke detector started that beeping sound when the battery is running out right before we were going to call it a night. They security folks had to round up a tall ladder, but found it and got the thing to stop beeping. Everyone there was extremely friendly and helpful. My only regret is that we didn't stay longer than 2 nights. I think 3 nights would be a good minimum here. Can't wait to return someday.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely hotel with high standard rooms. We were given an upgrade which was an unexpected bonus. Rates were quite high, but Tortuguero is a hard place to get to. If the Lodge boat transport isn't available to get to and from town you will have to pay more for a private trip back and forth. $10 each way seemed to be the going rate.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Kerry , England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful location
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this hotel. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and the guides knowledgeable.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

TED DANIEL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Mcvea, Manitou Springs, CO

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rain Forest Luxury
My wife and I stayed 8 days. Exceptional service, food, amenities, tours, scenery, animal and plants were among the many exciting things we experienced. We were met with a fruit drink and a cold towel to freshen up. We then were given a orientation by the staff while our luggage was taken to our rooms. Shuttle boats to the local town of Tortuguera across the river added to the many conveniences of Tortuga Lodge and Gardens. Immediately across the river was the air strip and just beyond that was the ocean. Daily maid service was a real plus. Strong WiFi everywhere.
Stayed 8 nights in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff were excellent. Excellent tours and services. I rated cleanliness a 4 only because the screens were dirty, but I am not sure how often they would need cleaning in that environment.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cool location but very expensive.
Very remote area but they do offer a water taxi during certain times of the day to help you view the area. Overpriced hotel but I can see why in the remote area. Nothing is included in your stay, you pay for everything on top of your nightly charge.

10/10 Excellent

robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel on the edge of the rainforest
Location right on the river is amazing, guides for the boat trips are very knowledgeable. Food very good even if the menu is a bit limited. Staff really friendly. Overall an excellent 3 days

8/10 Good

amy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique
Hard to get to but worth it! Mystical, magical, beautiful, Hard to be gluten free but not impossible. Amazing pool, jungle access, and total zen environment. Monkeys and scarlet macaws on parade.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely jungle hotel!
I had a wonderful time at this hotel. Wonderful for R & R, informative jungle walks, and a accommodating staff. It's best to get a room that is not next to the steps, since people have to go past your window to get to their rooms (privacy issue). There's not a lot to do at the hotel besides wildlife watching and relaxing, so if that is what you are looking for, it's a gem.

10/10 Excellent

Fay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous location. The staff weee very friendly. The food was excellent.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

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