Overview
Located in a serene cloud-forest. The rolling in and out creates a dream-like trance that is brought to life by all the animals and waterfalls in the area. If you’re looking for a complete Costa Rica experience, this is definitely the place to be. You can get a day pass for just 50 to see the animals and the waterfall, but to truly get the full experience I highly suggest staying on site for a few days. We stayed for 3 days, and I think it was the perfect amount of time. This was the last stop of our trip as it’s only an hour away from the airport!
Getting There
Being so close to the airport, the transportation was thankfully rather easy. We stayed at their sister resort The Springs Resort & Spa beforehand and took a shared van here. We were able to split the cost with another couple so the 2 hour-trip cost us only 35$ total. They are extremely organized and can arrange airport pickup for you if you don’t plan on renting a car.
The Rooms
You get your own private secret hideaway in the middle of nature. The lodging part of the Peace Lodge is actually very intimate. There is only 14 guest rooms, and you really do feel at home. Each room has a fireplace, a balcony with your very own hummingbird feeder, and spacious wood rooms.
The Bathroom
Yes, this deserves its own section because THIS WAS THE NICEST BATHROOM I’VE EVER BEEN IN. I kid you not. We stayed in the deluxe room, and the bathroom had its own waterfall inside! I actually think the square footage was almost the same as the actual room itself, it was huge! It had two showers, two Jacuzzis, and entire garden (surrounding the waterfall), and very spacious countertops with two sinks and well-lit vanity sections.
Food
I don’t mean to be dramatic, but I HAD THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE here. I ordered fajitas, and received a plate from the hands of God himself.
Moving on, all of the food here was exceptionally good. They are not included with your room, but prices are not bad (Fine-Dining around 20$, Lunch around 10$). They also have a buffet that’s received 4 forks (cute, right? But it’s the highest buffet rating possible!) and have special menus for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten free. I was so impressed with the food here.
Animal Conservation
Fun fact: there are no zoos in Costa Rica. The Animal Conservation on-site is actually a sanctuary of rescued animals. They have an amazing variety of animals, and the most amazing hands on experiences I’ve ever seen! I’m an animal lover and absolutely recommend doing them ALL. Here’s what they have:
Hummingbird Feeding:
- Such a unique experience! You hold syrup with a red top (which the hummingbirds are trained to go to) and they come right up to you! Depending on where you place your hand they might even perch on it! Fun fact: hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Butterfly Release:
- This was the COOLEST thing. Each day they have hundreds of new butterflies that have never flown before. The butterflies get placed on you while they build up the courage to fly and figure out how to use their wings, and you can literally hold them. It was amazing an amazing thing to be a part of and such a unique experience.
Toucan Feeding:
- You’ll get to see how curious these beautiful birds are! You’re not allowed to hold them, but you can get as close as you want and can hold out a tray for them to feed from. Be careful with getting too close to them with your camera, they might just go for it!
Sloth Feeding:
- You’re not allowed to touch them, but that doesn’t take away from getting to know them! This cheeky girl even went in for a kiss!
Milk a cow:
- You literally get to milk a cow. It’s located near a traditional Costa Rican house and you get to see real coffee beans and try some traditional goodies!
Cats feeding:
- A must do. They have jaguars, ocelots, puma, and more!
Night Frog Tour (10$):
- We went through the frog area during the day but they are mostly all sleeping. At night, they all wake up and you can see how beautiful and amazing these creatures truly are. *Fun fact: frogs are only poisonous if they eat poisonous things. In the wild, they will usually eat red fire ants, but here they only eat cockroaches and other bugs. So, the “poisonous” frogs you see here are not actually poisonous! You can even touch them!*
You can do all of them in one day, for the feedings with 2 times I definitely recommend going to the earlier ones.
They also have this really cool Trout Lake and Bar where you can fish your own trout, and then have them prepare it for lunch or dinner!
Waterfall Gardens
Also on site are the amazing waterfalls! Most well-known for the La Paz waterfall, the trail actually consists of 5 waterfalls! From start to finish it should take you about an hour to see all of them (or 3 hours if you’re constantly taking photos and videos like us! Everything was so epic and pretty!). Once you’re done they have shuttles running constantly to bring you back to the park entrance.
Other things to Do
- On-Site Spa
- Go on a walk through the beautiful trails
- Visit Poas Volcano!
- Visit a Chocolate Plantation
Final Thoughts
As you can see, I really did enjoy my time here. It’s perfect as either your first stop or last stop, since it’s so close to the San Jose airport. Other than the beaches, between this place and The Springs you really get to experience a lot of what makes Costa Rica unique! Have you been? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
To check out the equipment we used to capture these awesome moments look at our Travel Gear!
For more photos visit our review on TripAdvisor and follow along on Instagram!
**Disclaimer: we were hosted by Peace Lodge & Waterfall Gardens as guests, however all thoughts, photos and opinions are our own.
1 comment
Enjoyed reading through this, very good stuff, thanks.