Shawandha Review
I will start by saying that I travel a lot, both for work and leisure, but I very rarely take the time to write reviews. That said, I feel the need to review the Shawandha Lodge both to give them accolades for our wonderful stay there and to provide another viewpoint for those who may be considering a stay but are questioning it after reading a couple of recent reviews that were absolutely scathing—which frankly, my family and I just can’t comprehend.
We arrived at Shawandha very late at night after a long day of flying and a very long shuttle from San Jose. Upon our arrival, we were given a warm welcome and a cold drink from the bar. Genesis made us feel totally welcome, walked us to our cabin and showed us around. It was absolutely beautiful…. But it’s important to remember that it is in the RAINFOREST. There is no AC or TV, which was clearly stated everywhere we did research for the trip. There are huge (and beautiful) golden orb spiders in their webs in rafters along pathways. The howler monkeys WILL wake you up at 4am. The sounds of the jungle are everywhere, and the animal sitings are frequent.
The beach is a short walk away, and it is incredibly beautiful, as the jungle ends directly at the sea. It is not a white sand beach with fancy drink service and umbrellas, it is rugged, full of coral rock and tidal pools, and the water has some strong rip currents—but again, it is awesome.
The bar and restaurant service was great, and Lenin and Fabian were wonderful and kind hosts who always went out of their way to help with a drink, an afternoon snack or a candlelight dinner. The breakfast every morning was very good, and the fresh fruit was amazing.
Overall, the Shawandha provided an amazing experience for our family. The ladies at the front desk helped us to schedule some great excursions and to rent bikes to explore the area. The hotel was a great starting point to access Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. The pool and beach access were perfect for our family. Ultimately, we got the full South Caribbean Costa Rica experience, with its laid-back, diverse, eco-friendly vibe set to a calypso soundtrack—and we owe so much of that to the Shawandha eco-lodge. If you want 5 star luxury, air conditioning and a white glove treatment, go to a big name hotel on the Pacific coast or in Turks and Caicos. If you want a family friendly, nature-loving rainforest experience on the Caribbean coast, we highly recommend this hotel.
