Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
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5.0
#6 of 63 hotels in La Fortuna de San Carlos
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Boutique hotel with luxury rooms, located in the vicinity of "Rio Fortuna Waterfall" surrounded by lush biodiversity.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis emerges as a serene tropical haven where guests revel in the exceptional service, often noting the staff's attentive and personalized touch. While opinions on value vary, with some travelers finding costs higher than expected, the hotel's atmosphere is consistently praised for its tranquility, complemented by live music and the soothing sounds of wildlife.
The unique amenities, including outdoor showers and a frog sanctuary, alongside the spotless rooms and well-kept grounds, are popular highlights. Its prime location near La Fortuna Waterfall and local amenities also garners appreciation from many visitors.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Tranquil
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Mixed
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Outstanding
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Ti-Fakara delivered far above expectations! My sister and I had the BEST time in this gorgeous piece of heaven. The food was delicious, the atmosphere - outstanding, and the beds were SO comfortable! Great AC, too! As great as all those aspects of Tifakara were, the staff are by far the most amazing part of this stay in Costa Rica! Randall, Camila, and Kevin were absolutely fabulous, helping us with a myriad of things and their recommendations were top-notch! I’ve traveled to 22 countries and I’ve never had a hotel that I’ve been able to message through WhatsApp about literally anything we needed or had questions about. It felt like they truly cared about our safety & enjoyment of their beautiful country. Above & beyond in every aspect of hotel service! Additionally, Steven, Melanney, Charlie, Alicia, & Leo made the restaurant and room service experience an absolute delight! Their meals and service were truly wonderful - chef’s kiss! A glowing review of Tifakara is not complete without mentioning the awesome Darien! He showed my sister toucans and showed both of us a ton of fascinating different frogs! He helped us understand how to work the safe and was so respectful, kind, and happy to share the flora & fauna with us! Costa Rica is now in my top 3 favorite countries to visit- and the staff at Tifakara have a lot to do with that! If you would like to experience the best vacation of your life - it’s waiting for you at Tifakara in Costa Rica! ❤️
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:September is off season so the tours and hotel experience was so personal. No crowd worries in...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Owner at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 09 Sept 2024
Thank you very much for this wonderful review! we are very glad that you enjoyed your stay at Tifakara!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tifakara is an lovely place to stay and an excellent value. I did quite a bit of research on where to stay in La Fortuna and there were many "rustic" places at a low price and a decent number of luxury accommodations that were pricier than 4-5 star hotels in cities like London and New York, no thank you.
Tifakara is the best option if you are looking for comfortable accommodations at a reasonable price. It had clean, updated rooms, good location, really really good food and a super helpful staff.
The rooms: The rooms are very comfortable. We were in #3 and had plenty of space, AC that worked well and comfortable beds. The bathrooms were fine. I had mixed feelings about the open air shower, as I felt the light in the evening attracted bugs. But it was never really an issue. The water pressure in the shower was good. There is also a nice and spacious balcony/veranda. It was quite cloudy while we were there so we couldn't see a view of the mountain, but I'm sure we would have spent time on the balcony if it were a clear day.
Food: Restaurant is also excellent! The prices are higher than other restaurants in town, but the quality and taste of the food was far better. We tried two different steak entrees, the seafood with rice, and even the burger was very good. In the morning you get complimentary breakfast which includes coffee, juice, option between a few entrees. All were tasty and plenty of food.
The staff: Everyone that works at Tifakara was wonderful. The staff works really hard to make sure you have everything you need. Thank you to Daniela and Andrea for all your help in booking our activities. Erick made sure we had a smooth check in and took us on evening frog tours where we saw more frogs than we did at our nature trek and animal tour combined. We also had the pleasure of having Denny as our server who just started working at Tifakara and went above and beyond.
Some minor details would have made our stay even better. It's very dark at night, and it would have been nice to have some lighting on the grounds so people can get around more comfortably. There was also no phone in our room so if we needed to speak to someone at the front desk, we had to walk over to reception.
Would recommend Tifakara!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie G, Propietario at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 18 Jan 2020
Thank you for your valuable feedback! we are glad you enjoyed Tifakara!
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We had two of the more modern lodges for 3 nights and we were delighted with our stay. The location is excellent, away from the Main road but just a few hundred metres from the La Fortuna Waterfall, within 20 minutes drive of the Arenal Nat Park, and within 40 minutes of the Hanging Bridges. The grounds are tremendous, with jungle creatures to see everywhere, especially birds and frogs. Well equipped and clean pool area with 2 jacuzzis. The lodges are a good size and are well equipped with fridges and air con. The rooms were kept spotless with daily cleaning and the cleaner liked to leave us with little extra surprises every day, which was a really nice touch. The restaurant was really good for both dinner and breakfast and the English-speaking reception staff were helpful and very professional.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 28 Mar 2022
Thank you very much for your review! we are very glad that you enjoyed your stay!
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This gorgeous hotel is about 10 min from all the attractions but nestled up the hill with beautiful bungalows , outdoor showers and amazing hotel staff. The food was more than fairly priced, the hotel spa package was absolutely worth every penny and much cheaper than any other resort options, Rebecca comes to your room and sets up your personalized treatment and take her time with you . The location is truly perfect with rainforest all around , beautiful bird sounds throughout the day. The hotel staff are extremely kind and attentive , laundry services were inexpensive and quick turnaround. Please do no look any further than Tifakara when looking to stay in Arenal !
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 11 Jul 2022
Thank you very much for your great review. We are very glad that you enjoyed your stay! :)
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Such a great small hotel in La Fortuna. Each “room” is its own mini bungalow surrounded in nature— complete with a mini balcony and an outdoor shower. We loved waking up to the sounds of all the birds and nature each morning. The staff was also so friendly and accommodating, shout out to Rosa! She helped us book all our adventures and provided the best recommendations based on our preferences.
The hotel is a little bit further up into the mountains compared to the strip of La Fortuna but the secluded location is actually really nice and only a quick 5 minute drive into the main town. It’s also a 10 minute walk from the La Fortuna waterfall so very convenient to get there quickly in the morning before other tourists arrive.
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 19 Apr 2021
Thank you so much for your review! we are really glad that you enjoyed your stay! :)
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What a gem of a boutique lodging in La Fortuna. Located a mere 10 minute walk down from the Waterfall, Tifakara provides clean, comfortable and affordable rooms. We had one of the "older" bungalows, but could not be happier with our room. The bed was so comfortable; the bathroom was clean and open air (we never had a problem with any little "buddies" coming in); lighting, electricity and internet was excellent. Yes, one can hear nature sounds at night, but isn't that why we are in a lodge in Costa Rica, to be around nature's beauty and abundance?
Every staff member was very professional, polite and friendly, going out of their way to make our visit pleasant.
The restaurant/bar offered delicious food and drink at reasonable prices. Though it was not important to us, I noticed that the restaurant was able to provide almond milk to another patron as well as foods that fit her diet) What a surprise to see complimentary coffee/espresso/cocoa/tea/water and juices throughout the day! Thank you!
We will definitely be booking Tifakara for our next trip to Costa Rica, as well as refer our traveling friends and families!
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Date of stay: February 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 16 Feb 2022
Thank you very much for your Review. We are glad You enjoyed Tifakara! :)
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We stayed at Tifakara accidentally as we flew into Costa Rica a day early. We only wish we had spent our other three nights in La Fortuna at this hotel! It was fabulous. Our room was large and comfortable with a beautiful view of the forest - we especially loved the semi outdoor shower with great water pressure. The bed was also really comfortable. The pool and hot tub area was so pretty and inviting. We loved the staff. The barman was fantastic - so kind and hospitable, and he made an excellent mango margerita! The inclusive breakfast was great, and we enjoyed our dinner as well. I would definitely stay here if we return, and I would highly recommend this small boutique hotel!
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Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Choose a suite if you can!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 23 Jun 2021
Dear Karen, thank you very much for your wonderful review! we are very glad that you enjoyed Tifakara!
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We had a really nice stay at Tifakara! The outdoor showers were amazing, the bungalows were super cute and the pool area was really nice. The sounds of nature were beautiful singing us to sleep every night in the rain forest.
This place has so much potential! There are a few things though that kept me from giving them 5 stars: -The food at the restaurant was not good for the most part. Even though the breakfast was included, most days we opted to eat elsewhere. The fruit bowl every morning was really great! My husband ordered the dinner special one night and it was good, but I ordered a chicken sandwich off the menu and it was pretty terrible. -The towels had a nice Tifakara logo on them, but they were in poor condition. They were not soft and had threads coming apart and such. In fact, they were a bit stingy on towels completely. When we went on our day adventures, they would only give us one towel per couple to take. In the rooms, I never saw a washcloth, so I had to wash my face with a hand towel. Also, it was not infrequent the housekeeping service would take our towel from the floor and hang it on the rack by my swimsuit - this kind of grossed me out.
Overall, it was really good stay. The place just kind of needed some TLC. The side tables in our room (11) looked like they were about to become dislodged from the wall. The kitchen at the restaurant looked pieced together with a grill top and a microwave (they use the microwave frequently which is not a good thing.) And it would be simple to go get some new towels that are soft and not coming apart.
The staff was really great. Daniela was really nice and gave us a great frog tour. We enjoyed our stay!
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all the, the nice, fancy rooms in the picture do not match the reality. When we asked the front desk about this, we were told that some rooms were new, and some were not (ours). The rooms were worn and dated, as was the path to the rooms (pic included). In the room we had, there was an outdoor shower, which is great in principle, yet there was no door/wall to the outside, meaning that the bathroom had only three walls, i.e. not enclosed, and this is not great when in the jungle with many insects/mosquitoes. Even worse, the door separating the bathroom to the mainroom was glass, and therefore not sealed!!! Meaning there was about 1/2 inch between the frame and the glass door (picture included). So anything/anyone had easy access to guests in the room! The lobby and the furniture (both in the lobby and the rooms) was cheap, outdated lawn furniture. And the menu was very touristy basic, like burgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc. The staff was very nice and accomodating (they switched our rooms from the room with no door/wall on the outdoor shower/bathroom), yet we felt so uncomfortable there still that we left with one day remaining on our reservation. Lastly, this place was $135/night, not cheap, I wouldn't have complained if it was approximately $60-75 night, but at that price it is certainly not a good value.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Propietario at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 19 Feb 2021
Thank you for your feedback, we will do our best to improve with your valuable review
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Me and my husband stayed here for 5 nights and I wish we could have stayed longer. The staff is so friendly and helpful. Rosa helped us book our ATV and zip line activities, and she recommended some places for us to have dinner in town. Daniela is very sweet and always had a smile on her face when we went to the dining area for breakfast. The food at Tifakara is DELICIOUS. The chef is super friendly and you can tell he takes a lot of pride in his work. Me and my husband loved the breakfast and dinner options. Our room was clean, beautiful, and had air conditioning. The outdoor shower is super cool and you can hear the little birds singing as you get ready for the day. This hotel is only a 10 minute walk from La Fortuna Waterfall and about a 20 minute drive from other activities like hot springs. Overall I really loved this hotel and hope to be back soon!
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Abie Grynspan, Dueño at Tifakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis
Responded 19 Apr 2021
Thank you so much for your review! we are really glad that you enjoyed your stay! :)
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed in a Tropical Forest Bungalow which did have a mini fridge even though it is not listed on the hotel's description. I would contact them directly to ask about the Basic rooms.
There are more places to choose from in the La Fortuna de San Carlos area.
PRICE RANGE
R 4,882 - R 7,986 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of AlajuelaArenal Volcano National ParkLa Fortuna de San Carlos
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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