Reviews of Calala Lodge
1km South of Rio Lajas bridge, 60100 Cabuya, Costa Rica
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Reviewed: 22 August 2025 · Stayed in August 2025
Verified reviewLocation is amazing. Sea-view, inside a mini rain forest. Staff is super friendly and helpful. Food is excellent.
As the Lodges are close to a road you will hear some noise early morning. It did not massively bother us or our 2 kids (8 and 10 yrs) but without the noise it would have been a 10/10 :)
Reviewed: 11 August 2025 · Stayed in August 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 3 August 2025 · Stayed in July 2025
Verified reviewPerfect location, open shower outdoor but private was nice, very great experience
The beach has rocks all the place making impossible to enjoy it. No flexibility with the bar and breakfast timings.
Hi anonymous, thanks for your visit and review. The breakfast is until 9.30 and then kitchen staff starts with preparations for lunch. Unfortunately they aren’t able to sirve if you arrive an hour later. Yes, the beach is rocky, pebbly and parts are sandy. We try to make this clear in the pics and descriptions as many people (specifically kids) enjoy the tide pools that form and the warm water. Pura vida, Matt
Hi anonymous, thanks for your visit and review. The breakfast is until 9.30 and then kitchen staff starts with preparations for lunch. Unfortunately they aren’t able to sirve if you arrive an hour later. Yes, the beach is rocky, pebbly and… Show more
Reviewed: 24 July 2025 · Stayed in July 2025
Verified reviewNice location. Set up of cabin was nice. The food was good, especially the tofu poke bowl and smoothies! The pool was lovely and surrounded by greenery. The staff were friendly and accommodating.
They played some great music, but it would have been nice to have some quiet to hear the sea and the birds sometimes.
Reviewed: 21 July 2025 · Stayed in July 2025
Verified reviewBeautiful location!
Cabina needs a serious refresh, no AC, swimming pool not welcoming (loud music, water doesn’t look clean).
Reviewed: 18 July 2025 · Stayed in June 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 24 June 2025 · Stayed in June 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 19 June 2025 · Stayed in June 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 22 May 2025 · Stayed in May 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 2 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 30 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewWe enjoyed our time at Calala Lodge, it is very beautiful and we loved how small the whole facility is. However, in the amenities list online it said there was air conditioning but it was really just a stand up fan. It ended up being fine and we turned it off every morning around 5 am but would have appreciated a cool place to go back to after returning to the lodge. The “mini bar” included one glass water bottle that we would have appreciated to get refilled everyday as there was daily housekeeping. The cabins are great otherwise, beds are comfortable and the scenery is amazing!
Thanks for your visit Gianna, glad you enjoyed your stay! I'd like to clarify that we do not state that we have aircon anywhere on the description. We do have a bigger cabin that has aircon, TV and a fully equipped kitchen. Maybe that caused the confusion... We will make sure the housekeeping refill the bottle, however the tap water is purified and potable so it would be used for this purpose. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip! Matt
Thanks for your visit Gianna, glad you enjoyed your stay! I'd like to clarify that we do not state that we have aircon anywhere on the description. We do have a bigger cabin that has aircon, TV and a fully equipped kitchen. Maybe that c… Show more
Reviewed: 23 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewThe location is excellent, just off the beach and palm setting. The pool is inviting and the food is great.
Can’t surf at this location but a location not far away works.
Thanks for your visit and review! We will do our best to have a surf spot right here for your next visit ;)
Reviewed: 20 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewWhat a wonderful experience to stay in this unique, private oasis. The grounds were beautiful and full of native plants. The pool area is lush and very relaxing. The dining and reception area is beautiful and inviting. The chalet we stayed in is cool with an outdoor shower and upstairs balcony as well as ground level patio. The property is right on the beach and has relaxing seating there to enjoy breakfast or watch the sunset. Last but not least, the staff is awesome, there to help in any way. They are as professional as what you would have in the finest hotels anywhere.
The access to the property is on an unpaved bumpy road but once you arrive, it is worth the drive.
Thanks for your visit and review Gary! It was a pleasure to meet and host you. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit!
Reviewed: 19 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewgreat location, friendly and quick service, beautiful grounds/trees/plants, well kept and clean, better than average food, prices fair, safe, friendly stray cat that we enjoyed petting, the eating area by the sea is really beautiful, good towels, coffee in room, breakfast, the soaps and shampoo provided were good quality, everything was really nice and we would be happy to stay here again.
AC would be nice but it's ok, wash rags for showering also would be nice, the road is close so there was dust and some noise but it was not a big problem
Thanks Carla for your visit and kind review! We do have a cabin with aircon and will have two more ready for next season to welcome you back! Pura vida, Matt
Reviewed: 6 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewLovely location
I paid for beachfront accomodation expecting to look straight out to sea - it was more beachside
Thanks for your visit and review Pepita! We are as close to the beach as legally possible in this part of CR. Great to hear you enjoyed your stay!
Reviewed: 5 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 3 March 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewBreakfast and dinner were excellent; appetizers not very good and overpriced. Lovely location on the beach and beautiful pool. Relatively quiet. Nice porch.
Some of the staff were rude and dismissive. We rented the tiny house and my husband who is tall, could not stand up straight in the bathroom. A/C would've been great. Movie night outside was extremely loud and we could see the movie from our cabin which contained violence and nudity at an hour inappropriate for families.
Sorry to hear about your experience Caitlynn. Very surprised to hear about our staff! We will look into this and talk to them, our highest score is usually staff as they are very friendly and always happy! The Tiny house is as advertised, TINY and has no aircon. I'd like to clarify that the ceiling is 2 metres high! We do have Movie nights on the beach every Tuesday during high season and it's an amazing experience that most guests enjoy. We will make sure the next movie selections aren't as loud and more family friendly. Thanks for your comments. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip! Kind regards, Matt
Sorry to hear about your experience Caitlynn. Very surprised to hear about our staff! We will look into this and talk to them, our highest score is usually staff as they are very friendly and always happy! The Tiny house is as advertised, … Show more
Reviewed: 27 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewThe staff was really friendly and put a lot of effort into making guests feel welcome! The location close to Cabuya was very peaceful and perfect for a few relaxing vacation days. They have a pool which was nice as the ocean/beach is less suitable for swimming. The breakfast was great!
While I did not mind the simplicity of the room at all, it seemed extremely outdated. The bathroom had a bad smell, some mold, the sink was not properly attached to the vanity and we must have missed the lacking AC unit while booking. This place would benefit a lot from a renovation.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing! Great to hear you enjoyed your stay. Apologies for the inconveniencies, as soon as we saw your comments we fixed the issue in the bathroom and glued the vanity that had come unstuck. We could have fixed in straight away if you'd commented this to our staff during your stay. We will continue with more renovations during the next few months as it's never ending so close to the beach! Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip. Pura vida, Matt
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing! Great to hear you enjoyed your stay. Apologies for the inconveniencies, as soon as we saw your comments we fixed the issue in the bathroom and glued the vanity that had come unstuck. We could have fixed in st… Show more
Reviewed: 26 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewFriendly staff and beautiful grounds. The cabins were a great size and very clean. Food was excellent!
Too small of a”kitchenette”
Hi Andrea, thanks very much for your visit and amazing review! It was a pleasure to host you and your family. Just to clarify; the cabin you booked and stayed in doesn’t have kitchenette. All cabins have fridge and coffee maker and two of them have fully equipped . Hopefully for your next visit! Pura vida, Matt
Hi Andrea, thanks very much for your visit and amazing review! It was a pleasure to host you and your family. Just to clarify; the cabin you booked and stayed in doesn’t have kitchenette. All cabins have fridge and coffee maker and two of … Show more
Reviewed: 19 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewBreakfast was good. Staff was awesome. Old growth Jungle setting was beautiful right on the ocean. Private little Aframe cabins. Wonderful.
We really enjoyed our stay. Had an Authentic Typical Tico cold shower but would have preferred a warm one.
Reviewed: 13 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 9 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewTop location, lodges at the beachfront, beautiful property, nice seating area at the beach with hammocks, swings, yoga deck.
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Reviewed: 1 February 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified reviewFriendly staff, beautiful pool, located against the beach.
No desk in the cabins, the beach is not good for swimming (shallow and rocky) except at high tide
Reviewed: 20 January 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified reviewThe location is incredible. And the layout of the grounds is really cool. You really are right at the beach, and the little walkways to the cabinets are so beautiful. Also the shower was SO GOOD. I absolutely recommend watching the tree tops at dusk for some gorgeous wildlife. We loved the food and the drink options. Also, there's a very cute resort dog and a resort cat that say hi to you if you're comfortable. We enjoyed spending time with them.
People on this site keep complaining they had a few ants in their lodge? Yeah, it's a beach in Costa Rica. There's gonna be a few bugs. We didn't care about that. The beds were very firm, bordering on hard which I've found is standard in Costa Rica. The toilet in our lodge would leak water when it was flushed, leading us to bunch towels around the bottom.
Reviewed: 15 January 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified review