Calle San Gerardo 1.2 km Oeste de la Escuela La Lidia, 11701 San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica
#1 of 15 hotels in San Gerardo de Dota
Guests' ChoiceBased on 133 hotel reviews
9.5Cleanliness
9.7
Comfort
9.7
Location
9.4
Facilities
9.5
Staff
9.7
Value for money
9.4
Free WiFi
9.1
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End of dialog contentReviewed: 28 August 2025
Marcin
United StatesThe rooms are very tastefully designed and decorated, most luxurious I've stayed at in Costa Rica. The Dota area is relaxing. The hotel gardens were very pleasant.
Stayed in August 2025
Reviewed: 21 August 2025
Kim
NetherlandsNada
Best beds in Costa Rica! Very friendly staff in the restaurant. Helped us to get a quetzal guide where we did see them! Restaurant food is good for a good price. The room was beautiful and more then worth of the money.
Stayed in August 2025
Reviewed: 25 July 2025
Paul
SwitzerlandEverything was great, just didn't like leaving!
We arrived late at night in a taxi after our car had broken down. The taxi crept down the steep hill in the dark and fog at 10-15kph. It all felt very ominous, but we were very warmly welcomed at the hotel and we arrived just in time for dinner before the kitchen closed. Food was fantastic, sevice, impeccable and the rooms were spacious with certainly the most comfortable bed I had slept in, during our vacation in CR, possibly more comfortable than our bed at home. Seeing the valley in sunlight the next morning was fantastic and we were only sad that we had not decided to stay for another night...!
Stayed in July 2025
Reviewed: 3 June 2025
Donna
United StatesThe lodge was great. Staff was friendly & attentive. The cabin was clean & comfortable. The food at the restaurant was delicious & they give large portions. We would stay there again. Plus they have a lovely garden to walk through & a great guide for spotting quetzals!
Stayed in May 2025
Reviewed: 2 June 2025
Pablo
Costa RicaNone
Super comfortable and very clean place ! I loved the smell of the wood and the feeling and listening of the raining
Stayed in June 2025
Reviewed: 17 May 2025
Marion
United StatesNothing
Beautiful and large bedrooms surrounded by nature. Note that some bedrooms have a view on the parking lot.
Stayed in April 2025
Reviewed: 27 April 2025
Sylvia
GermanyThe bungalows are built in a traditional way and surprise at the same time with a modern and very comfortable interior. The Lodge comes with its own huge garden (like a park) full of wonderful flowers and birds and offers a path for the visitor to enjoy the beauty. Lauraceas Lodge offers birdwatching tours and especially one to see the Quetzal with an experienced guide, who is the owner of the lodge. Breakfast and dinner were really tasty and the staff (partly members of the family) is really friendly.
Stayed in April 2025
Reviewed: 20 April 2025
Judy
United StatesThere were no negatives
Everything
Stayed in April 2025
Reviewed: 18 April 2025
Mathieu
FranceThé room was Not refreshed on second day
Restaurant is excellent and rather Good Price
Stayed in April 2025
Reviewed: 6 April 2025
Lauren
United StatesEverything was great!! My only caution is to be careful stepping onto the bathmat by the shower because it can slide on the smooth floor. Like any place in San Gerardo de Dota: be prepared for the trip in and out and you'll have a great time. Fill up your gas tank before entering, as there are no services in the area. Pre-download your map so you can track your location if/when you lose cell service. Take the road slowly, and yield to uphill traffic when the road is narrow. Time your arrival before nightfall as the visibility can be poor when ascending to the mountain peaks into the foggy mist, and this is 10x harder at night because there are no streetlights. Plus, the drive is gorgeous; you'll get to actually enjoy it if you drive during the day!
We loved our stay at Lauraceas (AKA the "Avocado") Lodge. I would recommend it wholeheartedly, and I would stay here again when returning to the region. All of our meals were wholesome, fresh, and fulfilling. The breakfasts were included with the room rate and had a great variety. I wish I could have ordered the smoked trout by the plate while I was there or bought some vacuum packed. We used the kettle and french press to enjoy coffee and tea routinely for a warming afternoon treat, and we enjoyed walking around with our mugs to soak in the scenery. The cleaning staff was very attentive. All the cabins are raised above the road level so you can look out into the trees and to the creek ambling through the hillside. I worked remotely and the WiFi took care of business! When my project ran long, the staff kindly held my breakfast and served me after hours. THANK YOU. The beds were so cozy and comfortable. I loved the big heavy curtains to divide the room- this helped our space heater keep the "bedroom" extra toasty at night, and meant we could sleep in past the sunrise. The place is family run, and we saw the effort and care they put into every aspect of our stay. Glenda was incredibly helpful and informative. She and her family (the Chacon-Moras) are all descended from the pioneers who settled in San Gerardo de Dota ~70 years ago, and she was happy to inform us of some of the history of the region. Your stay includes access to the Lauraceas Botanical Garden at any time, and it is well worth a visit. It is vast and incredibly well curated; the textures and layers of the garden as they've integrated flowing water sources (creeks, ponds, fountains) felt magical. The plants species were quite different, but there were areas in the garden that reminded me of how I felt walking through Monet's Gardens in Giverny, France. FYI: we booked a horseback riding excursion for 2 hours and had a blast! Recommended if you have an interest
Stayed in March 2025
Reviewed: 7 March 2025
Victoria
United KingdomNothing
Great breakfast, choice of hot options, fruit, yogurt, very good coffee
Stayed in March 2025
Reviewed: 6 March 2025
Jenny
CanadaNothing - the lodge is a great place to stay and I would recommend it to anyone.
We loved staying at the lodge. Our room/cabin was spacious and comfortable and a great location for walking around and bird watching. Everything was spotless and a it was clear that a lot of attention was paid to small details and the needs of clients. We hired their guide, who was great and very helpful. The restaurant was probably the best in all of our trip and very reasonable. We were sorry not to have spent more time here. Its a lovely area.
Stayed in February 2025
Reviewed: 24 February 2025
Gail
United KingdomIt was chilly in the evening but there was a small heater and lots of blankets etc.
Beautiful lodges situated right in the valley with a nice restaurant and a garden with a bird viewing platform. All the staff were very friendly and arranged the Quetzal tour for us when we arrived.
Stayed in January 2025
Reviewed: 13 February 2025
Chris
United StatesBedding is magnificently rich -- a necessity given the frigid p.m. temperatures. Rooms go from oven like during the day to 48 degrees F in the early a.m. Tiny space heater inadequate for such a large room. Also, at a place of this caliber, I expect better than dime store cutlery in the restaurant. And b'fast should include both juice + coffee, not either/or. A fridge in the room should be included given the room cost
Spacious rooms set cabin-like away from each other. Grounds are truly beautiful with wonderful garden path winding upward thru the bird-populated property. The restaurant is quite good, too, and not a bad value.
Stayed in February 2025
Reviewed: 6 February 2025
Marco
United KingdomNothing
The rooms are really very nice and look much better than in the photographs. Yes it gets a little bit cool at night but the bidding is more than adequate and we didn't have any problems. There are lots of beautiful hummingbirds in the garden and The meals and cocktails are very good and reasonably priced. We did the quetzel tour with Marco and he is a very accomplished guide and we managed to see a number of quetzals of both sexes. All in all I can't rate this hotel highly enough.
Stayed in February 2025
Reviewed: 26 January 2025
Rachel
United KingdomN/A
Great location, lovely large rooms, very friendly and helpful staff, great food. Loved the botanical garden.
Stayed in January 2025
Reviewed: 12 January 2025
Emolema
NetherlandsMany reviews refer to the cold. While it was also cold during our stay, we felt that sufficient blankets were provided and we had a great stay.
Stayed in January 2025
Reviewed: 27 December 2024
Santosh
United StatesAlicia, Marco, and chef lady(forgot her name) were excellent. We had a great time with no worries. The garden was very beautiful. The Quetzal bird tour was beyond my wildest imagination.
Stayed in December 2024
Reviewed: 18 December 2024
Charlotte
NetherlandsX
Location, breakfast, space in the room
Stayed in December 2024
Reviewed: 2 October 2024
Riccardo
GermanyThe place is not on the mainroad and it take a while (approx, 10km/30 min…better with a 4x4). So better spend a few days and enjoy the remote location. It can get cold - compared to other locations in CR - a heating system would be helpful.
Very spaceous room with balcony and a nice view towards the river & hills. This family owned business is providing goos service, rooms as well as breakfast and dinner. On top, you can eat local food (booth trout & avocado from the garden. The nature offers a lot, including to see the Quetzal bird…if you are lucky. On top, we enjoyed a nice botanical garden - as guests for free.
Stayed in September 2024
Reviewed: 20 August 2024
Claudia
United KingdomThere are extra blankets provided but it’s cold at night, if you travel with kids you won’t be sitting there playing Uno, they’ll be in bed with a lot of blankets.
Great location, easy check in and check out.
Stayed in August 2024
Reviewed: 2 July 2024
Anne-marchien
NetherlandsNothing
We loved it here, location, view, food all was perfect
Stayed in July 2024
Reviewed: 2 July 2024
Tricia
United StatesWe could've used a little bit of heat in the late night/ early morning, but we didn't have any heaters and at that hour, we couldn't ask for one. We came from the coast and some of us didn't have sweatshirts or jackets. We very much appreciated the coffee and tea provided in the room, but there were no caffeine-free options for a tea before bed (even the mint tea was a black tea/mint blend). We drink our coffee with milk, but there was no milk or creamer provided. Also, a refrigerator would have been great to freeze up our ice packs and keep our cooler food cold. Many of the other places we stayed at were not so nice, but did come with refrigerators.
Our cabin was clean, cute and comfy, in a beautiful location with a view of the river. We loved that it was spacious, with a couch, table and chairs. The bathroom was very nice, and we very much appreciated the nice, hot shower (after so many places we stayed at in CR had cold showers). We enjoyed walking through the botanical garden, too. Breakfast was amazing, all 4 of us were happy with our food and were pleasantly surprised by the warmed/frothed milk that was served with our coffees!
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: 30 May 2024
Bart
NetherlandsFamily-owned Lauraceas Lodge is a wonderful place to stay in the beautiful San Gerardo de Dota area. The team was super friendly and helpful, the locally sourced food and drinks fantastic and the scenery of the area is breathtaking with so many great opportunities to hike through the cloud forest, see beautiful birds and just enjoy the natural beauty. From the Inter-American Highway it’s about a 10km winding way down, but it’s safe enough and, there aren’t too many tourists, although those in the know are well aware of this paradise. Do visit, and stay here instead of at the Savegre Hotel!
Stayed in May 2024
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