Ara Ambigua Lodge

Restaurant quality is disappointing. Ordered a main dish vegetarian pasta pesto. The portion was very small and the pasta very dry. The view from the restaurant (the frog garden) is nice though. I would not recommend to come here only for the food. We did not stay in the hotel/lodge, so cannot comment on that part of the establishment.

The grounds of Ara Ambigua are very nice and the staff were friendly. Food was average to good. The wifi was not great and the room was dated. Our bathroom (room 48) had a high small screened opening so it is not air conditioned like the bedroom. It smelled a little and they have a plug-in air freshener to mask any smell. There was no shampoo, conditioner or bar soap so bring your own. The AC worked great but was not on when we arrived so the room was hot and musty smelling. They had a coffeemaker in the room which was good but I had to request coffee pellets and extra towels at the front desk. Pool towels are also at the front desk. The lower pool was nice but there is only a small covered area if you want to sit in the shade. There is a 6’. wide raised ledge around the pool where the longe chairs are and the end of the lounge chairs go right to the edge of the ledge. One has to be careful and conscious so you don’t fall. Oh the toilet seat in our room was broken on one side at the hinge and the shower was difficult to moderate the temperature. The room was very clean. I’d stay elsewhere if given the chance again. The no ac in the bathroom seemed weird and we didn’t want to leave the bathroom door open and lose ac.

The grounds for this hotel are absolutely beautiful. We saw a lot of birds that we hadn't seen yet on our trip! The pool was nice and big for the large group of students that we had. Food was good, service was good. There was a bar attached to the restaurant.

Rooms, staff and service were basic. There was not much happening at the lodge. The front desk lady was very friendly but the other staff did not show much enthusiasm that we were there. The pool did not look attractive to swim in at all. They stated they have a hiking trail. I was excited to go into the forest as we could hear the monkeys from our hotel room. Unfortunately the hiking trail was really unclear of where to go and it had multiple paths going different ways so we got lost. Thankfully after a while and using the GPS on our phones we found the way back. This is definitely something they should work on as soon as possible.

The lodge is situated a 5/10 minute drive outside town. In its own gardens set back from the road . It’s set out in bungalows around the grounds with a central admin area which contains a large dining area and bar overlooking a frog pond and short trail. It is open to the elements. The rooms are ok , perfectly adequate for overnight stays - we were there three nights. They are not super comfortable and quite a few people we spoke to described it as a backpackers lodge. It’s a matter of opinion. The bathrooms are small and cramped and are quite old, the rooms do not have modern facilities - electrical wiring is slightly suspect and they tend to be a little dark. So not for spending much time in. The good we found was adequate - reasonable breakfast with everything we needed. Lunches and dinners were actually very good. A good variety and nicely presented . Also well priced by comparison. If you are moving with your then they will come and collect you - if not and you have to get from A to B you need to allow $5 or local equivalent to get into town and the same back - they do not provide local drop offs. Wi Fi seemed to work well in reception and dining area and we did have some sporadic coverage in the room. What makes this place work and work quite well is the family that own and run it, so very helpful, happy to book things for you such as restaurants, taxis and activities . I also had a medical issue on arrival and without their help would have been on difficulty, they directed me to a facility which assisted and resolved the issue. They asked every day how we were doing and liaised with the clinic as we don’t speak English and we’re just so helpful. So overall if it’s somewhere to lay your head, have a decent breakfast and dinner after a trail walk is great. But don’t expect a spa. Excellent value for money.

We stayed here as a stopover between La Fortuna and Tortuguero and it's a decent if basic hotel. Our room was spacious but a bit dated, furniture a bit old fashioned but perfectly serviceable. The bathroom is very basic. The communal area/restaurant is nice and welcoming and the pizza was excellent and very good value. We had to leave early in the morning and they kindly packed us a breakfast to go.