Ara Ambigua Lodge

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.

Surely the location is good for visitors willing to discover the beauties of Sarapiqui / Puerto Viejo, but neither the food nor the room (ours was terribly dark, humid with dirty curtains and mildew one the wall). Again a nice and smiling team, but surely not enough to consider it as an experience to positively remember.

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.

This property is a little bit out dated but is equipped with all basic amenities. The lodges are surrounded by nature. This hotel has international cable TV, which is not available everywhere in Costa Rica. The hotel has a gift shop and a restaurant with good food. The restaurant also serves fresh pizza and room service is available. This hotel also offers you different tours. The night walk tour on the property was worth it for only $20 p.p.

It was very hot and humid when we arrived. The rooms are quite small with cramped bathrooms but quite clean. Unfortunately our AC was barely adequate. It was on but not cooling well - they had 2 people check it, but it made basically no difference - by nighttime it was tolerable (running at max capacity for several hours) but not great.The staff seemed mildly annoyed that we wanted it cooler and there was no fridge in the room (although they did allow us to keep items in the restaurant fridge), so it was hard to keep comfortable. That said, there is wildlife everywhere and amazing trails (although also a lot of mosquitoes!). We saw howler monkeys, green macaws, sloths, white collared manakins, trogons, red eyed tree frogs, Jesus Christ lizards and more. The pools were good for wildlife viewing but not very clean. Great place for birding. Breakfast was nice, good selection of hot and cold items. Overall the restaurant has perfectly decent food, nothing great, ok prices. I would come back for the trails, but not sure if I would stay the night again.

This lodge was wonderful! The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The grounds were very well taken care of and had lots of paths to explore. The buffet was also delicious. If I were to visit again then this lodge would definitely be added to our trip.

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 were really surprised when we arrived to this Lodge. There are lovely walking trails around the property and lots of wildlife all around. Our room was large and clean. Staff was very friendly and helpful. We look forward to going back in the future.