When planning our trip to Costa Rica, we were told by many people to stay on the Pacific side as the weather was always beautiful and it was safer than the Caribbean side. We researched the country and referenced tripadvisor.com for places to stay/eat/tour. Cashew Hill Jungle lodge was one of the places that really appealed to us as it had its own kitchenette, beautiful beaches, and was within walking/biking distance to all the surrounding attractions Puerto Viejo had to offer. We booked a week a the Cashew Jungle lodge and despite all the advice to not stay on the Caribbean side, we decided to take our chances, and in the end, we were happy we did.

We flew to San Jose, and rented a vehicle and made our way to Puerto Viejo. Upon our arrival to Cashew Hill, we were warmly welcome by Edwin. He generously offered to carry our very large/heavy bags to our lodge and welcomed us to our “Home away from Home”. Our lodge; Salsa Brava, resembled a work of art from the detailed wood work of a large tree on the front door, colorful tile work on the dining room table to the beautiful Indian-inspired bedding on the two beds upstairs. We settled in comfortably and unpacked our belongings and headed out into the town.

Everything was in walking distance from the Cashew Jungle lodges. We rarely needed to use our rental car. Our first day, we rented bikes from the Lodge and biked all the way to Manzanillo (Approx 13 km from Puerto Viejo) following the beachside the whole way. There were many beached along the way if you are into “Beach- hopping”. Cashew Hill had everything from bikes, boogie boards, snorkel gear, library, beach towels, pool table, laundry service, pool including outdoor shower and a bar in the main lodge.

If you are a light sleeper, I would suggest you bring ear plugs as the jungle can be a bit loud. Also, if you a deathly afraid of spider, frogs, geckos, snakes ect… this is not the place for you. Although the lodges were fully screened in, we would get the occasional visitor.

We enjoyed cooking our own food in our jungle lodge. Everything was provided for us to cook a gourmet meal (Except the food of course). The WATER IS NOT POTABLE. Some will tell you that the water is safe to drink; however, we were both very ill drinking the tap water. Don’t take any chances, only drink bottle water, especially in restaurants. We unfortunately wasted a whole day in bed recovering. Being from Northern Canada, Sunscreen was absolutely essential. The sun is really intense and frequent reapplication of sunscreen is important. I sun burnt a couple of times, and I especially regretted it at night when my skin felt like it was on fire and the bed sheets felt like sand paper.

We were only supposed to stay in Puerto Viejo for 1 week and then venture north of Costa Rica for our second week; however, we decided to stay a few extra days as there was so much more we wanted to do and see. We asked the Lodge owner, Sue <3, if we could stay longer. We knew we were taking a chance as she had previously told us how busy and booked she was for that time of year. We got lucky and we moved into “Playa Negra” which was equally beautiful to “Salsa Brava” for another few days.

Here are a few activities that are offered in Puerto Viejo that are an absolute MUST DO/SEE: Jaguar Rescue center (Don’t forget to leave a donation as it is a charitable organization) Zip Lining (Where ever it is offered… do not leave Costa Rica without doing it once), Chocolate Making (Available in Puerto Viejo), Stashu Con Fusion (Check out my comments and photos on Trip Advisor...An Absolute mind-blowing culinary experience) Sel et Sucre Creperie (Best Crepes I have ever had!) Mango’s (Bar beachside… Awesome owner, great people, altogether good vibe) and of course all the beaches only a bike ride away ie. Playa Chikita, Punta Uva, Cocles, Manzanillo.

Puerto Viejo is a paradise of its own and Cashew Hill Jungle Lodge is the treasure. We loved the staff and Reese (Guard Dog) and thank everyone for the hospitality. We hope to return someday.

Stayed January 2012- Great Way to start a New Year!

My wife and I stayed here (in 2010) and loved everything about our stay. Having a full cabin with a kitchen suited us very well. On our trip we had a car, but most things in town were easy to walk to so we only used it occasionally. This place was perfect for having our own space yet being close to everything (we stayed in the Sloth cabin). We really enjoyed the entire family hosting us. We were very comfortable with them, their pets and the people in this wonderful town. As an added bonus vegan food is EVERYWHERE here! ...and if you love animals this is a great place to visit!

The writer of this review and my wife were "tag along" participants of a three week long tour of Costa Rica which we started out at Cashew Hill. The trip had been planned months before by our daughter's husband and another couple, their friends. Another couple, part of the original plan, backed out and it came upon us to celebrate my recent retirement by filling in for them. Not having considered the possibility very much before we went, I had no clue what to expect.

The early impressions I got of the Caribbean side with potholed roads lined with shanty houses were not particularly good but things changed drastically when we arrived at our destination. We were met at the gate by Edwin the lodge's Costa Rican manager who immediately started helping to lug our luggage up to our cottage called Todo Bien. There were six of us adults and four very young children so you can imagine the amount of luggage and the weight thereof. From that point on both Edwin and Andrew, the property owner just blew us away for the entire week we were there with the service and friendship provided, from doing our laundry, to serving us drinks in the lodge's bar facility, to helping us arrange parts of our travels coming up in the next few days and much, much more.
For us Canadians, the lodge's grounds were a tropical paradise with none of the potential jungle threats conjured up in the novice traveler's mind about mosquitoes, bugs and other forms of wildlife All the ones we wanted to see, from birds to monkeys, from iguanas to butterflies, all harmless and fun to see in the wild.

The pool on site was a great respite from the tropical temperatures and a perfect place for the small children to burn off some energy while we adults lounged nearby. Even the pool seemed to have a cooler temperature to it that was a relief from the heat and humidity of the local climate.

All in all, Cashew Hill Hill Jungle Lodge was the best kind of surprise, a very enjoyable week's stay and great way to begin a three week adventure from coast to coast in Costa Rica. Our departure and sad goodbye's were the only negatives of our stay there.

This is an overdue review for a good establishment. Last year we stayed in the Playa Negra cottage for 4 weeks and we enjoyed the warmth of the hosts and the activities in the surrounding area. Cashew Hill is an ideal location for experiencing a natural surrounding and still be located close to town. I recall reading an earlier review that there are sounds of the town which is true as we would hear on some nights the sounds from the soccer field or the evangelical church but we all slept very well. To us, these were part of the reasons for being there. The vibes from town and the interaction with living creatures are not for everyone. You will see bugs, many of which we thought were beautiful, and you may also see toucans in the canopy while eating your breakfast or greet the amazing frogs outside your front door in the morning. We chose to go here instead of an all inclusive resort on a Caribbean island to see life in the forest, the air and the water. (Also no worries of hurricanes in fall at this latitude). Cashew Hill did their best to make sure that whatever was missing for our 1 and 4 year old children would be there if it was locally available. We really enjoyed the beaches and we did some day excursions such as horseback riding, jaguar rescue centre, dolphin watching and scuba diving. The dip pool was real treat on hot days with the kids. A big thank you to Cashew Hill.