Manatus Hotel

A stunning setting at the edge of the national park. The lodges are all situated by the lagoon, the setting is great. The staff were all super helpful and very friendly. They made our stay. Our guide Louise was the best. We did 2 tours to see wildlife. We saw amazing birds, Iguanas, a Cayman, a sloth high up in a tree, a crocodile very briefly! But to see all of these animals in their natural habitat is a chance of a lifetime. My husband and son did the night tour to see the sea turtles on the beach and actually got to see a turtle laying eggs. It was a super special experience. There is also a lovely pool to cool off after doing your tours. The area can be a bit buggy at night though so best to cover up and use insect repellent. Overall is super experience and the boat trip out to the main road at the end was amazing fun also.

Excellent hotel. Grounds are beautiful. Rooms are very spacious. Food was wonderful. Jhon was our waiter/bartender/whatever needed to be done person. He was by himself most of the time we were there and handled everything with excellence. He is a real asset to this hotel. The tours were magical. We got to see the turtles and the hatchlings, crocodiles, numerous varieties of birds etc. make sure Luis is your tour guide. He has lived there all his life and is very passionate about his town and job. He can spot every animal and bird out there for you to see. I hope to go back!

We loved everything about our stay at Manatus. The staff was fantastic, always willing to please. Considering the limited number of options and amenities that are available in the Tortuguero area, we were very pleased to stay at a hotel that included delicious meals, multiple canal tours, and daily visits from howler monkeys right outside our door. There are only 12 bungalows which was a perfect fit for us, not crowded and plenty of personal attention from the staff. The rooms themselves are very comfortable. The beds are firm and comfy and the A/C blows cold - a luxury we were very glad to have in July. There was a TV but we did not use it - the sound of the howlers was entertainment enough! Depending on what time of year you visit, consider splurging for the late-night turtle nesting tour led by Manatus staff. We were there as the season (July-October) was just starting, but were lucky enough to see a large turtle crawl across the beach and enter the water after laying her eggs, and then just when we thought we were done we were alerted to another one that had just gotten started. With the guide using a red light for minimal distraction, we were able to watch from just a step away as she laid her eggs in the nest she'd dug. Then she spent a long time attempting to cover it all up, no easy task for a large and likely exhausted turtle. Quite an amazing scene, and we were there to see it!

For our pearl wedding anniversary we chose Costa Rica, The Manatus was our first destination on the holiday. We had a fantastic time here, the hotel staff & guides couldn't do enough. Our room / lodge was very well maintained. Food was excellent. All the trips to see wildlife were great, baby turtles running to the ocean , to the night walk in the forest . Highly recommend

A nice small hotel for Tortuguero, they only have 12 rooms. Staff are great, it’s all very clean. Tours are included and pretty good. The highlight was seeing baby turtles hatch on the beach, which was amazing. We didn’t see a lot on the canal tours and almost nothing on the night walk round the property - but it’s nature and you can’t guarantee anything (and the baby turtles rushing to the sea was worth everything), on our last morning I did spot some toucans in the grounds. The showers are amazing, easily the stand out point of the rooms. Food is decent and fine for a couple of days (the menu is the same for lunch and dinner) but if you stayed longer it might get a bit dull. The barman’s cocktails are really good! Have one of the ones with Guaro! A few minor niggles: 1) the amount of light in the room at night - all from the aircon unit. Its display really lights the room up, you can almost read by it!! I finally managed to turn that off but it has a bright light behind it. In the end I stood on a chair and covered it up 2) the waste situation is annoying - if you have non recyclable waste there is literally nowhere to put it in the entire property, so you end up putting it in the toilet paper wastebin. If you have recyclable waste then you have to take it down to the dock - it’s not far at all but from the furthest room it’s a few minutes, this is also the only place to get drinking water 3) coffee. Most people stay 2 nights, some stay 3. You get a coffee maker in your room with one single use sachet of coffee. This does not get replaced. So you get coffee in your room for one day only. Finally - let them do the transfers. We organised a private transfer there from Cahuita and it wasn’t great. We should’ve spent the extra and got them to do it. Pre communication with Jenny was excellent as well

What a beautifully kept small hotel with amazing service . The experience starts with a 1 1/2 hour boat ride thought the rain forest canals and rivers to get to the hotel . There are only 12 rooms on the site all very clean . Being so small the staff are very attentive. The tours of the rain forest on their boats are incredible, very small groups of people and the ranger with you is very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend this boutique hotel