This is a beautiful, elegant lodge with really considerate, courteous staff. We had a great stay at this place and also managed to arrange a trip to Achiote Rd. We saw lots of birdlife on the road just past the lodge and in the gardens, although found the paths in the grounds a steeper/muddier than expected. Rooms and food are great. (No swuimming pool or camping though as it says in the Lonely Planet. This didn't bother us at all but I guess it could bother others if they were expecting it. You can walk to a natural pool though.)

My husband and I spent 3 nights at Sierra Llorona Lodge in February 2008. It's a pretty location with about 200 acres, I believe. Our room was simple, with a nice back porch for hearing jungle sounds and watching firefllies at dusk. We saw some capuchin monkeys along the entry driveway one morning, but didn't see too many birds on our own there. Our room was hot the first afternoon, due to no afternoon rains and no A/C. It cooled off fine at night, though. The real highlight of our stay was our fabulous birding guide, Michael Castro. He's an amazing person. He's great at identifying birds (and monkeys) by ear. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to him calling to all the birds and monkeys (and a caiman). He speaks English just fine for being a birding guide and is passionate about protecting Panama's forests and wildlife. The food was good, too, and plentiful. The new management of the lodge is really shaky, though. We had a very hard time making our reservation; our e-mails weren't answered for weeks. We decided to pay for an international calling plan and reached the new manager a few times, but the phone was never answered the last few times I tried right before our trip . So, when we left for Panama, we didn't know for sure if we had a ride taking us to Sierra Llorona , what our birding plans were, or what the plans were for our ride to our next destination. We were met promptly at the airport by the very bright, interesting, funny musician son of the owner. The new manager wasn't there, and we never did see her. We were led to our room, but had no idea when we would see our birding guide, what trips were planned, or when meals were served. When Michael showed up, everything improved considerably. He even drove us to our next destination. A cute little 8-year-old boy, who spoke no English, charmingly showed us the frogs on the Sierra Llorona Rana Trail. The hummingbird feeders were fun, too.

We stayed at SLPL for 7 nights and had a nice experience here. We had originally booked a single room for our stay, but Maria upgraded us to the upstairs suite for the same price. Very nice! There are a total of 8 rooms here, but only 4 or 5 were ever filled while we were there. The grounds were beautiful and the Panamanian cuisine was very nice. All 3 meals each day were a little different and we never knew from day to day what we would have, but each meal was delicious. Maria Isabel was a delight and we enjoyed her company very much! She is leaving to begin a new life and business on her own and we wish her the very best. She will be a great loss to the Lodge!! Our main birding guide, Sam, is leaving as well and we will miss him too! He's the best birding guide we've ever had. He truly has a passion for birds and he was a real pleasure to be with on our Pipeline Road and Achiote Road birding tours. We missed much interaction with Micheal because he went home to spend the holidays with his family. The lodge was experiencing some electrical problems while we were there and our water pressure would come and go, as well as the lights in our room. It made for interesting showers! So, Maria, we bid you a fond farewell and Via con Dios! We are glad that had at least a short time to be with you and you were the best! Adios, friend.

This was a fantastic, magical place nestled in the jungle with the glorious sounds of birds surrounding the lodge. The manager Maria Isabel was extremely accomodating and met our every need. The rooms were spacious and the interior of the lodge was beautiful. The meals were provided at a very reasonable price and were fabulous. If you are a birder, the resident expert Michael Castro was the best. Enjoy walks around the grounds with him and learn about the beautiful species inhabitating the area. A pure joy!
Transportation was provided from the train station in Colon and to the airport at Albrook. This was a wonderful lodge with an ambiance and tranquility that can't be matched. A real find!