I stayed at the Samay Lodge in November 2004 on one of their 2 night Jungle Safari Packages. The lagoon and jungle tours were great. We had a really good local guide who showed us all manner of interesting animals, birds and plants. He didn't speak any English, and we speak very little Spanish, but he managed to somehow make it feel like he was giving a full commentary.

Now for the bad part. Unfortunately the hotel is in a very sad state of repair. A guy on our trip told us he had stayed there in 1996 and it was a great place then. Given its location, I was prepared for the accommodation to be simple and probably a bit eccentric. I was not prepared for it to be a dump. Our room had light switches in the bathroom and plug outlets in the bedroom hanging off the wall with bare wires exposed. The bathroom had no door (not an architectural feature - you could see where it had been removed from its hinges). The bed had a matress a couple of centimeters thick, through which you could feel every slat of the frame. There was a single towel for two people and the toothmug had not been cleaned. Outside the walkways had missing sections of roof and missing or rotten planks.

The staff were friendly enough, but very dispirited with the state of things. They gave us the impression that money for repairs was no longer forthcoming. It's obvious that in a harsh jungle/beachside environment, repairs against the action of the elements will be constantly required. Once you stop, then the decline is very quick.

Don't believe the photos and reviews on the Samay Lodge website. They must all date from some time ago. The 'welcome cocktail' they promise turns out to be someone shouting out 'anyone wanna beer?!' The 'hearty breakfast' consisted of scrambled eggs and toast.

Don't get me wrong. The food was perfectly edible and the room was not actually dirty (well not very). If this was a beachside flophouse costing $10 a night I would have been content. At $278 per person, I was not. In fairness that sum is for 2 nights, the boat journeys and 2 jungle trips, but I still feel very ripped off.

All in all, it's a damned shame. The location is wild and atmospheric, the wildlife is abundant, the boat journey is exciting, so it's a great pity to spoil it all with a crashing disappointment at the hotel. I do hope they can get some funding and bring it all back on course, but I don't think that will happen and frankly, I don't expect the Samay Lodge will be with us much longer.