We made bad experiences at the Amazonat Jungle Lodge. As the owner lives far away, the place seems to be run by the employees without any control. So the food happens to be old and poor quality.

And what is most dangerous, the excursions are run without professional guides, so there is no safety equipment at all. We were almost lost in the big Amazon river area. That's because our guide decided by sunset (!!) to split up with the other boat although the other boat already had motor problems before (!!). We got into the dark and there was not any sufficient illumination of the boat, no flash lights and we were running out of gasoline. Fortunately we - the guests - could buy some gasoline from a local, still in the dark and on the water. In fact our guide started to look - with us on board - for the other group and put us into dangerous situations, crocodiles and piranhas everywhere, no safety equipment on board and only a tiny boat (we were by 7, with small kids on board!!). It was completely irresponsable and ever since I wil check all boats carefully before getting on a new boat trip.
At the end the guests of the other boat got to the meeting point and also told us they got lost ...

I love the rainforest and its beauty and we preferred staying in the forest instead of Manaus area. So our expectations were basic ones. But the most important is to make sure that you have reliable and responsable guides with you.

The main problem is that the owner is far away and everything organised by the stuff gives you the impression is cheapest and without qualification. The lodge for sure was nice till 2006/2007 but now it is run down and you can see that in almost all equipments.

Let me tell you, I have read the bad comments on this lodge, and I have to totally disagree with everything. Some of them, obviously, completely disregard the fact that you are in the Amazons. It's like going to a lodge in Africa and complain because the Elephants make too much noise in the morning.

I went there this June with my wife. What can we say... we both absolutely loved it.

Regarding food, it was great and tasty, we were never hungry. The lodge itself is extremely well design. It even has it's own lake and beach. The room was clean and appeared new. Keep in mind that you're in the Amazon region of Brazil, and despite that, everything in the room and in the lodge was excellent.

The excursions were great and is something that all of us most definitely do at one point, just to see how small we actually are. The guides were very gentle, good humor, and extremely eager to show us all the species in the Amazon. They spotted monkeys, lizards, birds, dolphins, etc. at the spot! sometimes, 20 or 30 yards away. Also, the excursions are extremely well planned and organized.

We even had plane problems and arrive later and they changed the order of our excursions so we don't miss anything.

All the trip was excellent, timed to perfection (you can definitely see the work of a great engineer -the owner- on this).

Very recommendable, excellent stay, excellent food, everything perfectly timed.

If you want to visit the Amazons and have a great experience, don't doubt it, don't go to another lodge that are in other regions (more touristy for example).

Location: I don't mind the location, as some other reviews mentioned. 2 and half hour drive from manaus, next to a bunch of farms. The road is bumpy and full of holes because of government neglect, good thing I dont get car sick.

Facilities: I get the feeling the facilities have seen better days. At one point it must have been pretty nice, but we had no hot water and the pool was out of commission.

Staff: the lady who was in charge of food was very nice, food was excellent!! Our guide is a character and passionate and enjoys his job and we never felt like we burdened him, he seemed like he was having as much fun as us. English was ok, rough around the edges, but thats part of the charm.

Management: Jacques is very nice, knows a lot, great guy. Very hands on.

Activities: jungle hike was good, very limited wildlife to see though, but lots of vegetation. River tour was amazing, beyond words. We were only 4 fit adults in our group and it meant we were fast, flexible, and adventurous. I cannot imagine groups of more than 4 getting more out of the tour than we did. If we had to hold back because of small children I think I would not have liked it.

Bad stuff: not cheap at all, no hot water for showers, no AC in the rooms (which was ok because it really feels like you are in the jungle), and I dont think the guides carry radios or gps or anything. No back up flashlights, no first aid kits, we even got a ride from the river lodge back to land in the dark with a driver who didn't speak english armed with nothing but a light attached to a car battery. While we had a great crazy time, there were so many times where if things went wrong, we would be screwed. Which is nothing new in brazil, but we paid so much for this...

Conclusion: great food, great guides, great river tour, average hiking, average facilities = average value for your money. A few small improvements would have made this the perfect stay.

We were travelling with my 14 year old daughter and had been looking forward to a stunning encounter with nature in a pristine rain forest. Our expectations were clearly far too high. The lodge is not in the middle of the rainforest - it is situated on 2 hours down the main road from Manaus, you can here the traffic from the cabins. If you want to be really deep in the rain forest go to one of the lodges that can only be reached by boat. This is not a place where you will be able to enjoy the peace and quiet . The lodge obviously caters to Brazilian families - it was teeming with loud children under 5. Our first day excursion to the amazon river to see wildlife (birds mainly), piranha fishing etc would have been idyllic had we not had 4 under 7s racing round the boat, shouting and generally being how kids are. We completely missed the sounds and feel for the Amazon as it felt more like a day at the funpark.
The jungle walk was also to include the children, however we complained and the hotel arranged a separate tour for us which was probably the closet you can get to walking in the rainforest. The two guides are excellent and a mine of information about everything to do with the Amazon. Ours could show us all the plants the indians use, plus digging out a tarantula and tracking wild pigs. It is pot luck as to which animals you see - it is not unusual not to see any. They guides genuinely do try very hard and are on hand all the time.
The rooms are essentially very basic but clean. We had no hot water, nor did other guests, so I assume there is none! That alone would make me never want to go back.
The food is simple but good. It is local food, everyone eats the same thing, so it might not be for everyone's taste.
The swimming pool is very small and during our time full of small children. The lake looks a bit to intimidating to swim in.