First, this is the very first negative review I have ever posted on the web. I recently spent 4 nights at Alby Lodge in Cahuita, Costa Rica with my wife and 2 children -ages 2 and 5. I think Alby Lodge is fine overall and might even recommend it for one or two nights for couples, but would not recommend it for travelers with children for the following reasons. 1. The neighborhood is full of barking dogs starting at the same time or before the howler monkeys at around 5 or 5:30am every morning. Kids just will not sleep through this so your day will begin very early. 2. Unaccommodating and -more so- inhospitable are the best terms for describing the owner who also serves as the manager. The common area with kitchen is a nice feature as the cabins are small and do not lend themselves to much beyond sleeping. However, the owner hovers over you like a hawk while using the shared kitchen and eating area and clearly does not want you to linger there with your children. Statements such as "do not let the children stand on the seats. I just washed the cushions this morning" are common and lack any "please", "thank you", "could you please...", etc. I was uncomfortable whenever we used the kitchen. 3. When we told the owner on day 3 of our stay that we needed to cut our visit to Cahuita short by one night we were informed that we would be charged 50% of the room cost for the cancelled night. While I understand a lodge has every right to have such a policy I believe it should be written on either the lodge's website or provided when checking in. No policies are provided. Instead it was rather harshly relayed to me verbally by the owner followed by a questioning of our reason for leaving early, which was then followed by a series of other reasons people might checkout early including inclement weather, poor road conditions, etc. -none of which were the cause of our leaving early- that all ended with the owner saying bluntly "not my problem or fault". I have traveled extensively internationally and good lodge and hotel management never treats customers this way.

We loved it here - perfect for families.

We stayed for 4 nights with our two children, aged 6 & 8 and wished we had stayed longer.

The huge gardens are beautiful and regularly attract monkeys - the kids loved watching the monkeys jump about in the trees. (they can be noisy!).

Thomas & Yvonne provided great advice on trips we could do, and they provide so many lovely touches. Such as a big kitchen area where you can cook, a fridge full of drinks on an honesty system, a basket of free to use suncream and starfruit you can pick from the trees.

The cabins are lovely, clean and comfortable. We had a cabin with two double beds, which was cosy but had enough space for the four of us.

The best thing though is the huge grounds with all the wildlife surrounding you.

My husband I and recently stayed at Alby Lodge for seven nights for our honeymoon. It was perfect for us - private, romantic, and beautiful scenery and gardens with fruit trees, monkeys and lots of other cool animals.

I love almost everything about this place. The kitchen is clean, well-equipped and a huge money saver. Thomas and Yvonne are warm and helpful, but very respectful of guest privacy. There is a lovely pond and you WILL see monkeys and LOTS of them:).

The cabana was cute and clean. My one complaint is that the beds are a bit small and the mattresses aren't entirely comfortable. I am a pillow snob and if you are too, bring your own pillow. Ours were extremely lumpy and a bit smelly. But the bed was super clean and the sheets were changed every couple of days - I just think they need to get some new pillows!

Alby is only a few hundred meters from the best part of the beach in Cahuita and is centrally located without being in the hustle and bustle of the more active parts of this tiny town. I suggest it to anyone, especially couples who want a romantic setting. Could be uncomfortable for three or four in one cabana, because the little cabins are quite small.

Plan to rise early with the monkeys (around sun-up). We didn't mind at all because we are early risers, but party people might not appreciate the howlers at 5am. I loved the sounds. I love how Thomas and Yvonne run their little place and we will ABSOLUTELY be back again to visit Alby Lodge.

After spending a fabulous week at Bosque Del Cabo/ Osa Peninsular on the Pacific side of Costa Rica in the rainforest, I thought the abundance of the wildlife sightings would be over, I was wrong!
I arranged with Yvonne in advance to be collected by their driver at San Jose airport. A very friendly Dean was there to collect us as arranged and drove us to the wonderful Alby Lodge in a very comfortable mini bus. I was really impressed with our lodge, it was very clean and had a lovely romantic feel and a great hot shower. The lodge is in an ideal location, just a short walk to bars/restaurants and very close to the beach and Cahuita's national park.
Thomas and Yvonne were very helpful and friendly. We spent many hours relaxing on the balcony and on the relaxing chairs around the pond, the grounds were beautiful and there was plenty of wildlife around us. My 9 year old daughter felt safe to wander around the grounds and really enjoyed seeing the howler/capuchin monkeys and sloths on a daily basis. The communal kitchen area worked well where we enjoyed breakfast most mornings and we liked the honesty system for drinks. We had a great day snorkelling in two areas near the national park with Roberto's tours and we used the local bus to visit the Sloth sanctuary and Peuto Viejo, the bus station was easy to find, the buses were on time and the timetable was very reliable. Thank you to Yvonne, Thomas (and Dean) for a very memorable holiday. I would recommend this Lodge as there was nothing that I disliked and so much that I loved.