My second overnight trip after moving to Costa Rica nearly 10 years ago was to this locally-owned & operated lodge/hotel near the village of Tarcoles, less than an hour west of Atenas, Villa Lapas. I did not get many bird or other wildlife photos compared to later trips other places, but you can see what I got in my Trip Gallery: Villa Lapas, July 2015. The appeal then and now is that it is located next to Carara National Park, where, with a good guide (that I did not have then), you can photograph a lot of different bird species as you also can on the right Tarcoles River Boat Safari. Since then I’ve discovered lots of better lodges for birds and other nature photography (even in that area – see bottom of post), so why am I returning now? Because of a recent announcement about this little-known place with some rooms arranged as a “Colonial Spanish Jungle Village” becoming a Marriott Resort . . .
in the Transitional Forests of Carara National Park.
Marriott to add Villa Lapas to their “Autograph Collection”
The Tico Times Article where I read about it has too many junky ads!
So I’m copying the parts about Villa Lapas below which will be easier to read and I eliminated the parts about a water resort they are expanding in Golfito in the South Pacific of Costa Rica.
“The newly announced Villa Lapas Autograph Collection and Marina Bahía Golfito Autograph Collection properties will start welcoming guests in Q4 2025, according to Marriott. The planned additions will complement Enjoy Group’s existing portfolio of Autograph Collection hotels in Costa Rica – the acclaimed El Mangroove and Punta Islita resorts.
“Marriott Chief Development Officer for the Caribbean and Latin America, Laurent de Kousemaeker, hailed the deal as reaffirming Marriott’s commitment to further elevating Costa Rica as a premier global tourism hotspot. He also noted the robust appeal of the Autograph Collection brand amongst travelers and hospitality developers alike in identifying one-of-a-kind accommodations.
“Nestled within lush rainforest just outside Tárcoles, the 86-room Villa Lapas property will immerse guests within breathtaking natural vistas unique to Costa Rica. The hotel will offer spacious event facilities, an updated restaurant and bar, state-of-the-art fitness amenities, an outdoor pool and abundant outdoor recreation spaces.
“The new hotel will be a haven for travelers looking for scenic drives, whale watching, biking adventures, fishing or relaxing on the nearby beaches,” de Kousemaeker envisioned.” (CHARLIE NOTE: They are 30 minutes from the beaches of Jaco and other nearby beaches, but a long drive to Uvita for the best whale-watching.) 🙂
Improvements Made Since My Last Visit
- They now have “Treetops Bridges” they call a Skyway Tour on their property which is popular with tourist and I kind of enjoy, though not good for birding as it is usually noisy with people that scares off the birds! 🙂
- They have also added a “Jungle River Wagon Tour” in a tractor-pulled trailer that can drive up creeks and cross a river and go to other backwoods places like ones I’ve been on at Danta Corcovado Lodge and at Arenal Lodge. Another tourist-pleaser! 🙂
- And of course Marriott will add some plushness to the rooms and build a totally new restaurant and bar + Exercise Room, plus who knows what else?! Other than increased prices! 🙂
So basically I just wanted to see one of my first adventure places one more time before it became an expensive Marriott! Just 2 nights with 2 or 3 guided birding tours and I will check out their new treetops bridge but probably not the tractor ride. And that first time I went in a rental car which I will not do this time (Walter takes me), so I will not repeat the drive up the mountain to the Pura Vida Gardens, which if you go in a car is worth visiting. See my above linked Trip Gallery for photos of the gardens & waterfall. 🙂
Photo was made at a roadside overlook above the hotel in 2015.
¡Pura Vida!
Expect blog posts from there over the next few days or week! 🙂
Along with photos of fishermen with their catches and some mending nets, plus the most Macaws there!
And disclaimer or explanation about birding and nature photography in the Carara/Tarcoles area:
- I have also been once to nearby Cerro Lodge which is much simpler but had many more birds on property and provided a better birding guide for Carara on my later visit there than Villa Lapas did in 2015.
- But my favorite lodge in the area is hands down: Macaw Lodge on the same road off the highway as Villa Lapas, but a much longer drive to the top of the mountain behind Carara Park with much greater immersion in nature in my opinion! Plus more birds and other wildlife! It is worth the longer drive! I’ve been there twice and will go again!
- Hopefully this visit tomorrow will lift my opinion of Villa Lapas for my nature photography – we will see! 🙂 “Proof’s in the pudding!” Or in my photos in this case! 🙂
What a beautiful place to stay! Of course I would like it when the Marriott is finished.
Thank you for a wonderful journey!
xoxoxo
🙂 “Charming” is a good description with some of the rooms in a colonial jungle village, and even though I did not photograph as many birds my first visit, I still liked the place and hope that Marriott doesn’t plush it up to unaffordable! Plus the Pura Vida Gardens a 30 minute drive uphill from this hotel is really nice with some Pacific and waterfall vistas! And that is in addition to their hotel activities and the national park next door plus the nearby Tarcoles River boat tours!
Hi Charlie. I am planning a trip to Carara NP in April for a “power birding two days” and struggling to come up with the ideal lodge. Your thoughts would be most welcome!
– Villa Lapas would have been first choice for many reasons – proximity to the NP, on-site trails & the bridges walk – but there is a dearth of information about whether Marriott kept the trails / bridges in place. Has the construction basically scared all the birds off for the next little while?
– Hotel Cerro Lodge has changed hands and is apparently not quite as good. I understand the previous owner of that has opened something new up (Tarcoles Birding Lodge? which has a bird watching tower apparently), but both it and Cerro are on the ‘other side’ of the bridge (should I worry) which can slow things up sometimes especially since I see there is construction on the bridge.
– Macaw Lodge looks great, but is a drive from the park. I am happy to forgo an early morning start at the park if the Macaw Lodge has encouraging opportunities and a place to sit and watch nature wander by.
– There are some DIY places in the area, which could work, but add a bit of logistics to food.
TIA
Duncan,
You’re a man after my own heart and think like me I believe. 🙂 I was going to try the Marriott that bought and fancied up Villa Lapas but can’t figure out their reservation system and it is really too expensive for me now. And after my cancer surgery & radiotherapy I am doing less travel.
Though I was over there last week for a day trip with some Canadian friends at both Carara & Rio Tarcoles on Crocodile Jungle Safari 8:30am boat trip which is by far the best on the Tarcoles for birds. In 1.5 hours I photographed 39 species! We then went to Carara and it was too late for many birds there and never as many as on Rio Tarcoles.
I’ve been to Cerro Lodge twice under the old management and okay as an overnight place, but don’t know about his new place.
I love Macaw Lodge and been there 2 or 3 times and with possibly more birds seen there than in the park, just different, as it is on a mountain.
FYI, my top two lodges for the number of birds photographed are: (1) Maquenque Eco Lodge in Boca Tapada and (2) Arenal Observatory Lodge, the only lodge inside Arenal Volcano National Park.
Have a great trip!
Thanks very much for responding Charlie. I hope your treatment has a vector to a positive outcome for you! I appreciate the advice. I decided to do a ‘power birding’ trip to CR while my partner is on a retreat elsewhere. I’m shooting for 300 species in 13 days but would be happy with 200.
I’ll go on the Tarcoles river tour – I think that will have to be the second (of two) mornings there. The first morning will be Carara NP.
I have some status at Marriott so I will keep my current booking to stay at the new development – strictly as a public service of course 🙂 – and will report back on how it was. I did have initial trouble contacting them and then managed to get an email address directly to their Adventure Centre and they have been very helpful since.
Finally, thanks for the tip about Boca Tapada. I have been struggling to hear back from another well known lodge in the area, I am there for two nights, so will book at Maquenque instead.