Aninga Lodge

Our 2 day package at Aninga Lodge was perfect for our family of 4. The property is basically glamping. Each room is a small stand-alone casita/house with a private bathroom. It’s worth noting that there is not glass on any of the windows, only screens. So while the bugs stay out, the humidity comes in & noises of the jungle, and rain (and any other guests) become the soundtrack of your stay. The cabanas are far enough apart with dense foliage that it still felt very private and we didn’t hear the people next door unless there was a loud kid (which, by the way, it seemed like they placed all the young families in neighboring casitas so they only bothered each other) The roofs have nice large overhanging roofs to keep water out and rooms have a ceiling fan for airflow. The only thing missing from our casita was any bathroom amenities besides hand soap dispensers at the sink and in the shower. I forgot to pack any shampoo and there’s no hotel gift shop with supplies (but maybe somewhere in town— I didn’t go looking). All meals were included in our package. Tortuguero is remote and while you can take a water taxi to the village of Tortuguero, there aren’t many restaurant options. The Aninga buffet was generous and tasty with a good blend of local cuisine and “American” choices (pasta, omelettes, etc) I was especially grateful for salad fixings at lunch & dinner since fresh vegetables can be hard to find on the road. Pool was fun (not heated while we were there but my kids still enjoyed) and the guides for our various activities and transportation were friendly & informative. They’ve put together a wonderful experience for guests and we enjoyed all of it. PS The weather advice you’ve read about Tortuguero is real— torrential rain can and will occur at any moment. Thunder was rumbling throughout the day. Combined with the humidity, nothing ever dried once it got wet. Even dry things left in our casita grew damp. If we were going to plan our Costa Rica trip again, we would visit Tortuguero at the end of our trip so the damp things could go straight into the dryer at home. This trip we had to rearrange our packing to have a “wet/damp” suitcase for a week.

The Lodge was great, nice and private. There are no windows, but you are protected from mosquitos. There are guides included in the 2 night package, and we rally appreciated that two of the ones we encountered were locals that live close and not from other parts of the country. Hope they continue to use the locals, as this makes everything more authentic. Noel was a perfect guide, and he knew a lot about every little thing.

This was our 3rd visit to Aninga Lodge, this time for four nights. The wildlife on site is amazing and we enjoyed monkeys, green macaws, butterflies, many birds and more. The staff are amazing and courteous and very much contributed to a great visit. Special shout-outs to guides Johnnie (he's amazing) & Margel, the best boat captain ever - John, Barbie & Emelin in the office, Henry & his teams in the dining area, and also Deikel who handled all our booking needs with kindness & professionalism. Thanks to all of you and all the staff for making our visit so special again. See you next time!