Name: La Leona Eco Lodge
Address: Playa Carate, 00000 Carate, Costa Rica, Rincon, Rincon, Rincon, 00000, Costa Rica
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

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Spanish

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Hiking

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Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

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Puerto Jimenez Airport

Drake Bay Airport

Golfito Airport

Palmar Sur Airport

La Leona Eco Lodge

Rincon

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not-guaranteed

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This is an incredible location.  We saw so much wildlife just around the lodge, and really enjoyed the trails.  The crew at La Leona Eco Lodge is a group of wonderful people, who took time to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and had what we needed.  They were super friendly and always available if we had questions, and helped us arrange tours and accommodations to work for our group.  We enjoyed getting to know people there.  For anyone interested in this region, this is an excellent place to stay.

Paradise

From Quepos/Manuel Antonio to Carate on the OSO peninsula next to Corcovado park entrance it is about a 5-hour drive. Three of the 5 hours are spent driving on pavement and the other 2 hours are on a well-maintained dirt road. A 4x4 is a good idea but not necessary unless. The drive from Manuel Antonio is beautiful once you get off the main highways. Incredible mountainous country roads through the jungle and fincas. It is truly stunning so don’t be in a huge rush. We saw Coatimundi, Toucans, and neat tropical forest birds like the Great Curassow. Never saw that before!  You will also see an awesome display of every finca animal you can think of. 

Once you get to Carate, La Leona has a base camp where you can securely park your car as you set out for about an hour-long hike to the beautiful La Leona Eco Lodge. You need to get there by 3 or 4 pm. I would not suggest walking in the jungle at night.  If you get there early enough or perhaps decide ahead of time, they can bring your stuff to the Lodge via a very charming horse carriage (see pic) that they use to bring supplies, weary travelers, and heavy bags. Nevertheless, if they know you are on your way, and it gets late, they will collect you to ensure you safely arrive. Normally, this would be no different from arriving at your campsite, but La Leona is so much more than that. My expectations were high and I was not disappointed. 

They have wonderful cabinas that provide what you need. For me, that was a beautiful view, with no Wi-Fi, street noise, and unlimited opportunities to see animals and nature and just get away and relax.  There is no electricity in the cabin or WIFI. But you do get a lot of candles and the walkways are well-lit. I used my phone flashlight. A regular flashlight would be better. Also, maybe an easy-to-carry stationary light for the cabin. 
They serve breakfast lunch and dinner but there is no menu. We had breakfast and dinner and had smoothies in between. If you give them enough notice, they can probably accommodate any reasonable diet restrictions. 

The staff is truly fantastic. It was great to see everyone working well together. Sometimes, the restaurant was at full capacity, other times, it was maybe half full. Regardless. we received fabulous service.  Felipe came and got us on your first day, Frank and Hidekel were like the ambassadors for the lodge. Always on hand to answer all our questions about the lodge, trails, the park, and animals.

One of the best things about staying there was the Coconut Spa. They have 3 different types of body treatments (Chocolate, Coffee, and Coconut) that combines fabulous exfoliating and hydrating creams and serums. Plus, they have a full range of massage options. I got the Coffee therapy; my friend got the Chocolate. There is something wonderful about getting a message in the middle of the Jungle.  

We stayed for a long weekend so arrived on a Friday and left on Monday morning. When you get there, you will find fabulous trails, plants, and wildlife all around you. Plus, you are just a 15-minute walk to the Corcovado Park ranger station and entrance. It was very important to me that I see the spider monkeys. I was not disappointed. A little troupe came down from wherever bounced around in the trees and did some flippy thing with their tails. Did you know that, unlike their other monkey counterparts, Spider monkeys only have 4 fingers? This is probably because their tail is so awesome. It is like another limb, they can hang upside down, etc. 

Overall, it was a wonderful stay in a truly fascinating and beautiful place. 


La Leona Lodge is well worth the trek for a much needed break

We had the best time ever at La Leona. The best feature really is that this is the “end of the road” and you are surrounded by pristine tropical jungle paradise. There are all sorts of trips that you can go on into the jungle with experienced guides (beware of the chupacabras) but from the comfort of a hammock you can see many forest creatures come to you. We had ant eaters, tayras, monkeys, huge sea turtles, basilisk lizards, other reptiles and all sorts of butterflies and giant moths just come to us and say hello. The staff are exceptional. They really made it for us, there is nothing they won’t do to make your stay as happy as possible. Olger is like the Dad and he takes care of everything, the bar staff (Edekel and Felipe) are charming and make the best cocktails and smoothies you’ll ever taste, the food is very healthy and delicious and the rooms are kept spotless by the cheerful cleaning team led by Maria and Juancarlos: they’re like super human scampering around from dawn until dusk. You wake up to the sound of the sea and the animals of the forest every day feeling completely refreshed. I went with my nine year-old daughter and she loved swimming in the cool and crystal clear waters of the little river next to the lodge. It’s a great place for kids -  I recommend you stay a week to really relax and settle into it. Pura Vida!

Perfect Place to Escape the Rest of the World

This trip was our first to Costa Rica and this place was amazing.  The trek there gave us a little pause but once there we fell in love with everything.   We stayed in tent 1 on the beach and after walking up to see the Monkey Cabins I am glad we opted for the beach ones!  The howler monkeys were our very early alarm clock but this is why we were there right?   We did the half day tour in the park with Alvarro and found the whole experience delightful even with it being so hot for us northern folks.  If you are looking for a unique and off the beaten path experience come here!!  We’ll certainly be back

Great place to get away from it all

We returned ten years from our first magical visit delighted to find the magic remained, the family and staff were as warm and helpful, and the three meals a day even more delicious! Our tent cabin was very comfortable with its en suite including the outdoor garden shower. The staff were helpful arranging our hikes in Corcovado National Park, for bird watching and anything else we desired. Playing in the surf, reading in a hammock, enjoying a relaxing massage, sipping fresh fruit smoothies, watching the glorious sunrises and sunsets, it was the perfect eco lodge vacation yet again! The office staff made all of our arrangements including the transportation from and to Porto Jimenez for the week at La Leona plus a week at Saladero Ecolodge. The two weeks were a very special way to celebrate our 51st anniversary.

A magical ecolodge vacation in our favorite country

We stayed in beach front tent, was very beautiful. Service & Food was also very good.

We made a half day tour into Corcovado national park and where able to see many of animals & birds.

To get to the resort you need park your vehicle in La Leona base camp parking and from there walk for 45-50 mins along the beach. Your luggage with carried by a horse cart.

Overall a magical experience.

Beautiful resort

It is for sure a bit of a trek to get to La Leona, but we found it well worth the effort.  The   location is stunning...right next to the beach, and to the entrance to Corcovado National Park.  The (tented) cabins are spacious, comfortable and clean, with the novelty of an open air shower.

The beach is long and lovely and seems pretty much for the exclusive use of La Leona.  Great sunsets at the western end, and sunrises at the eastern end.

It's a family run enterprise, and Felipe the manager was a very helpful and gracious host.

We took a guided walk in the Corcovado park, but there are also nice jungle walks within the extensive grounds of La Leona as well.

If you value special experiences, somewhat off the beaten track, but still with a friendly and comfortable base, this is a place which is well worth considering.

Amazingly beautiful getaway, with great hosts

If you don't mind the ~hour long hike in, along the beach, this is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Osa Peninsula!  Candlelit pathways, screened in rooms, outdoor showers...all add to the feeling of escape!  We wish we could have stayed longer! (As recommended by the very gracious and kind owner, don't leave valuables unattended as the cabins aren't secure - no locks.)

Beautiful escape!

First of all - La Leona is only recommended if you want to go hiking. You have to go for a long travel all around osa peninsula and walk between 30-45 minutes from the drop-off place (If you're by taxi) or 45-60 minutes from the parking lot on your own. The luggage will be transported by the hotel. 

If this isn't a problem for you you will find yourself in a remote paradise. At the moment they are still in the first steps of reopening - therefore we were just 3 couples there. They tried to provide all things we need (Everyday room cleaning, full board) but for tours it was necessary to book at least one or two days in advance. 

The rooms itself were clean with a surprisingly comfortable bed. But there is no AC/ Vent provided. So it's important to choose a beach front room to have at least a nice breeze from the sea. Every tent has its own outdoor toilet and shower. The tents it self are more or less closed (There's a cat who can easily open the tents by itself, but she's friendly xD).

On the first day we did a small hike to the pathway above the lodge. There were two stunning lookout points and we even saw a group of spider monkeys from close! The staff itself was always interested in showing you animals around as well. It can happen that you find one of the members in front of your tent and waving you the way to a tapir. We were even lucky enough to watch a turtle nesting at the beach! 

On the second day we took the guided tour to the Nationalpark, where we could see some coatis and spider monkeys and even some aras. It was interesting because our guide told us a lot about the park, the animals and costa rica generally. But to be honest, we were a little disappointed because we nearly saw all animals on our trip before. We expected a more dense, primary forest, which is just the case in the area from la sirena above. 

The beach in front of the hotel is perfectly for long romantic walks and sunsets. You can play a little bit with the waves while low tide, but swimming is dangerous because of the current and sharks while high tide. But there's a small natural river pool right between the lodge and the main entrance to corcovado where you can bath in refreshing sweet water. 

What we liked the most about the lodge was the great food supported by Jocksan who was our chief for the days we were there. Theres only one menu but he tries to accept all food restrictions and surprised us three times a day with delicious creations. As I understand he just represented the main chief of the hotel but what I heard he's a good chief as well.

Beautiful cast-away

This was a real cool place. If you need AC and Internet just don't go. We loved disconnecting and getting into the nature.  The tents had very comfortable beds and really neat bathrooms. We missed the memo that we had to hike into the park but that was a great trek in. Said it would take 45 minutes took us 1.5 hours, but, that was because we were loving all the wildlife on the way in. Monkeys, Macaws and so much more!!   Our guide for the day hike was Kathryn and she was so sweet and knowledgeable!!. If you want a wild adventure and a unique experience this fits the bill. Only thing be prepared it is HOT!!

La Leona Eco Lodge

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