Don’t be fooled by the photos.

We stayed in the stand alone villa. There are a few things you should know.

PROS:

1. The view from the pool is amazing.
2. Restaurant food was good and affordable, but very limited menu. Only 3 menu items.
3. The staff is lovely and very helpful and friendly.

CONS:

NO AIR CONDITIONING - And this is one of the hottest parts of Costa Rica. The villas are at the bottom of the hill, not at the top which gets a good breeze. At the time of the booking the website said there was a/c (it is now under construction) and the booking site we used also said there was
4x4 REQUIRED - You need 4x4 and good tires. Getting to the entrance is fine, but driving from the gate to the pool/restaurant where you check in is VERY steep. We were driving a 4wd truck with good tires and still were fishtailing a little on the gravel.
NO WIFI - There is wifi at the restaurant, but not at the villas
NO CELL SERVICE - My cell phone wouldn’t work here… and I have a Costa Rican cell phone.
GATE LOCKED - We arrived during the day but the gate was locked. We buzzed, but the buzzer didn’t work. There was a note to WHATSAPP reception, but none of our cell phones worked at this location. Finally another guest pulled up behind us, jumped over the gate, then buzzed us in. So not really secure if you can just jump the gate to buzz people in.
VILLA UNLOCKED ALL NIGHT - And while the gate to get in keeps you locked out, the villa is wide open. They gave us a million keys, yet none actually locked the doors.
Do not come during rainy season. Just don’t.
NOT KID FRIENDLY - The villa designer paid more attention to aesthetics than function. The kitchen and only bathroom are downstairs. The stairs are outside. The bedrooms are upstairs and open to outside. So if you need to go to the bathroom during the night, you have to walk outside and have the key to downstairs if the door locks. They only gave us one set of keys. So I’m not sure how you’re supposed to lock both bedrooms, and then get back in the bathroom.
NARROW STEPS - Not ideal for anyone with problems going up and down steps. The steps are very narrow and tiny steps. So we ended up leaving all our luggage downstairs in the kitchen bathroom area.
NO CURTAINS - Be prepared to get up around 5:15 every day as there are no curtains at the sliding glass door. You are basically in a fishbowl in this villa.
The bedding although attractive is polyester which is very hot. Actually it’s just plain mean to have polyester bedding and no a/c. I would recommend the hotel let all booking sites know that there is NO A/C anywhere at the resort, and also buy some 100% cotton sheets. It doesn’t need to be a fancy thread count, but 100% cotton.
MILDEW SMELL - When we arrived there was a horrible mildew smell in the villa. The manager said that it was because it has been closed up for a long time. LOL. Usually when hotels know that someone is coming to stay, they open up a place and air it out.
NO HOT WATER - But this is probably for the best because you’ll want an ice cold shower before you go to your stuffy room.
LOTS OF BUGS - There were already tons of bugs inside when we arrived. We kept the screen doors shut the whole time, but I couldn’t decide if that was preventing bugs from getting in or preventing bugs from getting out.
NO OUTLETS - And not that it really matters because there’s no wifi or cell service, but there is only 1 outlet in the bedroom to power the lamps.

NOTES:

We knew this before we arrived, but the Avatar Eco Resort is about 20 minutes outside of Puerto Jimenez and about an hour from the surf beaches.

NO VIEW - There is a view from the top where the pool and restaurant is, but there is not at the bottom where the villas are. Not a big deal but worth knowing about.

They charge your credit card the day before you arrive.

The website said that there is A/C. There isn't. The website is now under construction.

I don't know why this Avatar Eco Resort has 2 listings on TripAdvisor. I assume because the other listing has such horrible reviews. But there is only 1 Avatar Eco Lodge in Puerto Jimenez, so read all the reviews before you book.

It is a great place to stay as long as you are okay with going WITHOUT: a breeze, air conditioning, a door that locks, a view, cell service, wifi, and easy access to a bathroom during the night.

We stayed at Avatar Eco Lodge last week and it was amazing. We took a tour with an amazing guide who spent an entire day with us. We saw all four species of monkeys and many more species, then ended up having coffee at his little cottage in the forest. We highly recommend taking a hike with Eric's cousin. Do it, you won't regret it!