An absolutely delightful place in a tranquil setting. If you are looking for somewhere a bit off the beaten track, close to nature, to stay somewhere spotlessly clean, comfortable and beautifully run look no further than San Rafael Ecolodge. You can easily miss the area as it’s not really mentioned in the Rough Guide, and because it’s outside of La Fortuna, it is an area you might think of missing (La Fortuna is a tourist town and was never a town before the tourism trade), but the area around La Tigra is absolutely stunning and along its many rivers it is part of the wildlife corridors linking the plains, with The Eternal Forest of the Children (the reason that Monteverde exists is the hinterland of this vast protected forest) to the Monteverde cloud forest itself. We saw the most birds and animals while staying here and had been to some stunning locations before. Giovanni and Luis are the perfect hosts - they really do go out of their way to make your stay as comfortable and memorable as possible. As La Fortuna is nearby, we were not interested in trips to adventure parks so we asked Giovanni if he knew any good nature guides, and he delivered spectacularly. Giovanni’s first recommendation was the wonderful Alberto, a Spanish biologist who teaches Wildlife Management at the National University, and we did two fantastic tours and walks with him Our second guide was the amazing Victor, a local biologist and great birder, who took us to Papa’s Place for some of the best bird watching we’ve done on Costa Rica (three species of Toucans at once). if you’d prefer a somewhere with a delicious cold beer on your own balcony, looking at trees, watching fireflies and listening to the frogs and insects by a stream, a lovely pool for a refreshing swim after a forest walk, and delicious home cooked food then I highly recommend staying here. Giovanni will arrange everything for you (he takes no commission) and if it’s quiet will drive you around himself - highly recommended!

Everything! Five-star hospitality at a serene and stunning spot. Costa Rica is a gem and San Rafael Ecolodge is truly exceptional. Owners Giovanni and Luis are not just hosts; they are true ambassadors of hospitality. Kind and dedicated professional who truly care for their customers, who feel at home right away, and for their place, and who are also committed to protect local wildlife and maintain the surroundings impeccably. San Rafael is a very special place, sited at a rainforest, which makes it unique. Rooms are very comfortable and spotlessly clean. Breakfast is delicious! Muchas, muchas gracias, Giovanni and Luis. No question I will be back!

Everything was perfect.

Breakfast was delicious; lovely fresh fruit and juices each day. The environment was quiet and attractive allowing for a very relaxing time.Giovanni and his staff are warm, hospitable and very accommodating. Everyone was extremely helpful and took initiative to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. Everything we asked was made possible and always with a smile and a genuine desire to provide the best experience for us. Giovanni and Luis helped us organize reserve amd get to interesting activities and their recommendations were wonderful, enabling us to have experiences that were authentic, less touristy and supporting local business . It was a great pleasure to spend our time at the ecolodge and to get to know Giovanni, Luis and Elizabeth. They are all the loveliest of people and this ecolodge is a delightful little treasure. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Lighting for reading and Furniture in room to hang and store clothes and keep other items could be improved. But efforts were made quickly to address our needs which was greatly appreciated.

Very nice Lodge in the jungle . Beautifully renovated common area with jungle views and swimming pool. Breakfast good.

A day before arrival owners advised by email that the guests are not allowed bringing own alkohol. I am very happy to order a drink from the restaurant but don’t like to be restricted in any way. The owners are charming and they were very nice and helpful during our stay but the warning email wasn’t a nice welcoming gesture.

Breakfast was good. We got in later than we expected thanks to the Costa Rican roads but they waited for us and even offered to cook us dinner which we gladly accepted and enjoyed. The setting is beautiful and it has a small pool to cool off in.

As someone who is OCD about construction some parts of the building were irritating like the curtain rod that fell every time you opened the curtain which covered the glass door to the room, The tiling was also not centered properly in the bathroom but that is just my tile setting OCD kicking in. None of the other places in CR we stayed in had good tiling either and some had even bigger construction issues. Everything that needed to work worked well.

The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. Breakfast was outstanding. Amazing coffee, fresh fruit, and a hot main dish. Great guard dog!

It's a bit out of the way - that is, you have to drive maybe 20-30 minutes on windy roads to get anywhere. On the other hand, if you like being in the jungle, you are in the jungle! There was a sloth right outside our cabin.

The owner and staff were very attentive and really seem passionate about their hotel as well as their country. They have built an amazing, beautiful and quiet oasis amongt the adjacent jungle. Our villa, with two bedrooms was spacious and clean with a balcony looking straight into the jungle. The food we had was very good and the staff are always very happy to help with any request. This was exactly the type of ecolodge we wanted to stay in when we visited Costa Rica.

Nothing to dislike

We really enjoyed the high quality customer service—service was excellent as the owner Giovanni and his staff Luis and Elizabeth went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable. They prepared our meals fresh each day, and even catered to special requests made by our group. Our rooms were cleaned every day during our stay. The sounds from the creek were amazing, it helped to create a sense that you were inside a tropical oasis, away from the sounds of the city.

Nothing.

I was traveling to la fortuna for business, location is perfect and the staff was great providing service and facilities. I had wished to stay there for more time but business don't allow to stay more days. For sure I will return with friends to enjoy that marvelous place. Breakfast was so delicious and healthy

Giovanni and team received us very well. They showed great care, were very friendly and tended to our every need. From great housing service to dinner and breakfast served in time that suited our plans and even washing our clothes. They were also particularly helpful with guiding us in what to do in the local area. They actually booked the activities for us by calling them on our behalf (booking can be difficult sometimes through the companies' Costa Rican websites). The lodge itself is truly a small true paradise with comfortable newly renovated cabins and great common areas (even a pool). The Wifi is perfect. This is great for people who don't want big hotels but would like something smaller with personalized care. Really happy we chose this place even though it's a little drive from some of the activities. I don't think I have been received so well like this before. Highly recommendable.