Lodge Review: Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa, Costa Rica

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Eighty-nine kilometers (55.3 miles) south of San Jose in a private natural reserve of 400 hectares and just 9 km. (5.5 miles) from Los Quetzales National Park, Hotel Savegre is the ideal starting point for exploring Costa Rica’s magnificent tropical cloud forest in all its beauty.

This outstanding eco-lodge in the tiny town of San Gerardo de Dota was my favourite lodge of the trip!  The lodge and rooms are warm and comfortable.  The food was fantastic and reasonably priced.  The garden is full of hummingbirds, tanagers and other birds…………..and there are Resplendent Quetzals just down the road!

GETTING THERE

I covered the bus ride in the previous post.  If you advise the lodge you are enroute, they will meet your bus at the 80km spot and drive you to the lodge for $25 each way.  If you need advice on how to get to Costa Rica, see my posts on Central America awards and Costa Rica.

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THE LODGE & ROOMS

We were there in August which is low season and there weren’t a lot of people there.  Even though I had booked the cheaper room online, we were upgraded to a Junior Suite.  Everything is rustic looking but immaculately clean.  The reception area has a small gift shop next to it (yes I bought lots of Quetzal stuff).  The garden paths are well-maintained and we got a room right next to the bar (how convenient).  The fireplace kept us warm in the chilly mornings and got our laundry dry.  It was nice to have a bathtub to relax in and the back glass door that opened into the rainforest.

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I was amazed at how good the food was, and it was reasonably priced too!   I didn’t get a shot of the dinner menu but there was a chicken dish cooked with some kind of fruit that was superb!  Since there weren’t many people, all meals were a la carte.  Breakfasts were excellent, especially the Ranch Style Eggs!  The windows look out into the garden and there are nice photos of the local birds and some bird art around the restaurant and adjacent bar.

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A cute little Collared Whitestart managed to get in.  We were happy to have company but he found his way outside again.

IMG_1291 IMG_1292 IMG_1293 IMG_1295 IMG_1298 DEL RIO SPA

This was a great place to relax and I love a jacuzzi with a view!  The one thing I would have preferred is a stronger massage.  The masseuse had a very light touch which was relaxing but didn’t do a lot for my aching muscles.  You can use the facilities as long as you want when you have a massage so it is a relaxing way to spend the afternoon while the birds are also relaxing.

IMG_1303 IMG_1304BOOKINGS

Although you sometimes see this property on hotel booking sites such as Hotels.com & Expedia, I was unable to find availability so I am not sure if they still partner with these sites.  It is easy to book it online on their own booking engine.  Sometimes there are specials available.  Reviews on Trip Advisor are excellent, everyone loves this place!

Coming next: Birding Savegre!