We stayed at Marenco in late March 2007. If you are someone who likes/needs air conditioning, whirlpools, shopping, gormet dining options, or room service you will not be happy here. On the other hand, if you love being close to nature, hearing howler moneys outside your room, hiking on trails connected directly to the property, and eating well prepared food that is nutricious you will have a good time. Everything gets to this lodge the same way the quests do, which is to say you take a small plane to a small gravel air strip, take a 20 min taxi ride that crosses 2 or 3 creeks (without bridges), then board a boat for a 20 min. boat ride. There is no electricity at the lodge so leave your hair dryer at home. They have a generator that provides lights in the evenings til 10pm or so. We loved our stay there and also liked the fact that the guests are largely from countries other than the US. One thing to keep in mind - it's very humid and quite hot, which takes some adjustment for northeners, but after a couple of days I found I got used to it.

We just got back from 10 days in beautiful Costa Rica, 4 of which were spent at Marenco. Of almost 300 pictures we took, almost 200 were taken here - if that tells you anything of the absolute beauty of this place.

The Bad:
The rooms were rustic - small huts, no A/C - there is a fan but when the generator is turned off, so is your breeze. You'll wake up sweaty - the cold showers are welcome in the afternoons, but not so great in the morning.

There are also LOTS of bugs. It's a battle to keep them out of your food!

You have to walk up a steep hill to Marenco. But it's worth it.

(This is an isolated place in the rain forest, and these conditions are expected - just know what you're getting into)

The Good:
This is where the list gets long.
SERVICE: Fantastic. The staff was extremely helpful - from arranging tours - we went on the snorkeling trip to Cano Island - well worth it. We saw dolphins, turles, even a White Tip Reef Shark! Another couple there had a rough experience horseback riding - so you may want to skip that. Also, you'll find the condition of Costa Rican horses aren't quite as nice as you'd get here in the states. We didn't go on any of the guided hikes, but heard good things about them from other guests.

ROOMS: The views are great. We had monkeys - white-faced and howlers - come right up to our deck. We even had one jump up on our roof! We had a lizard get in our room once - which bothered my wife more than me. A few taps on the wall scared him off. The cold showers are rough in the morning, but are great in the afternoon (especially if you've been hiking). It's more "room temperature" than cold - so don't be put off too much by the lack of hot water.

WILDLIFE: Amazing. We sat in the grove area by the boat landing and had monkeys playing all around us. You will be within a few feet of these animals if you want, or watch from a distance. Plenty of white faced monkeys, howlers, spider monkeys, lots of birds - we saw a McCaw right when we arrived. Make sure you have plenty of film/memory cards before you arrive.

FOOD: Some of the reviews say the food was not good. I thought it was some of the better food we had in the country. If you're going to Costa Rica, a place where red beans and rice are eaten at each meal, you're not there for the food anyway. Marenco's restaurant offered a good variety over our stay - roast beef, marlin, and chicken were our dinner choices. The breakfast is great (try the Ham/Cheese Omelette!).

If you're checking out Marenco,I really hope you will stay there. It is DEFINITELY remote, but you will leave with one of the greatest experiences of your life.

And if you see a black Lab-mix hanging around, give him some food for me.

I was nervous about this leg of our journey...whether it would be too rustic and relaxed for our four children. They were entranced with Marenco. We loved the "rustic" rooms with the mosquito netting over the beds and the quiet porch which looked out over the rainforest and ocean. Million dollar views, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon when white-faced moneys AND spider monkeys would go through the trees right in front of us! There were lots of activities...we went diving at Cano Island (outstanding) and had a guided hike/canoe trip/snorkelling day (very fun). There were other choices and we could have been busy all the time, but we loved being at the beach and just watching all of the wildlife from our porch or the restaurant. It was lovely, you had great views and was a pretty place to just relax. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because the food isn't great. It's ok but not good. The staff is so nice! They have a few essentials for sale in the office, but not enough (like they don't have batteries) so come prepared and with flashlight batteries. Truly a place you don't want to miss.

We stayed for five nights at Marenco Lodge and loved it. We had a basic wooden room with a balcony which looked out over the gardens and to the sunset over the island. The accommodations were rustic but exactly what we were after. The lodge has its own guides who are able to organise hikes to Corcovado National Park, as well as night hikes and trips to Isla Cano. There are also trails from the lodge through the rainforest which you can do independently. The staff were always on hand to answer any queries we had. The food was pretty good - the meals were big and varied and the dining area was great for relaxing all day long. You do have to pay extra for meals though - about $30 per person per day, and there's no shops anywhere nearby. Oh, and be prepared for cold water showers! We saw toucans, scarlet macaws, agoutis and lots of other animals and birds in and around the lodge. We felt that Marenco had a great secluded location and highly recommend it.