San Rafael Holidays from £843

Had to ask to get towels delivered to the room after they took them and didn’t bring any back. The swimming pool is closed earlier than expected. Didn’t restock the amenities in the room. The food was OK but worse than what I was expecting.

Playa Cativo Lodge is a wonderful place and the accommodations, food and staff were absolutely perfect. It was nice to be so close to the gulf which was calm, warm, sandy and perfect for swimming. My only complaint was that the entire front area of the lodge has been landscaped with grass and ornamental plants, many of which are not native. Because of this large open area few birds or animals come near the lodge. Bird watching was disappointing compared to lodges that have left the rainforest intact or revegetated. Also with the large, unshaded open area the lodge is blasted with intense afternoon sun making the rooms very hot. Despite this our stay was great and unless you are a hard-core birder and monkey watcher you will love Playa Cativo!!

Fabulous stay in a wonderful location. The staff are truly top-notch. Attentive and friendly. Every request was answered with “Of course, with pleasure!”. Food was excellent. Morning coffee with steamed milk delivered to our room early morning so we could sip and watch the sunrise from our balcony. A variety of on-site tours are included. The guides are excellent. Special shout-out to Sandra for finding the small Red-eyed tree frogs during the night tour. Scarlet macaws flying all over the lodge, monkeys everywhere, all sorts of beautiful birds and interesting critters right outside your room. The grounds and views are beautiful. Hike to a waterfall within ten minutes. Pool is nice too. They will take you down to the secluded beach and set you up with chairs and cooler. The beach is beautiful but very rocky. We had the Matapalo suite. Very nice though close to the entrance and main road so the intermittent traffic noise was a minus. We had a small issue with a large wandering spider and then a bark scorpion getting into our bathroom (each just once) but they responded within 3-4 minutes both times. They installed a door sweep on the bathroom door within hours to prevent them entering the bedroom- very speedy response. The view was outstanding however. Overall Lapa Rios is an outstanding lodge with wonderful staff, and I cannot recommend it enough. Five stars.

The staff at this resort were incredibly helpful and friendly. The food was top notch, and the rooms were spotless.