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lisamtravels003
East Gwillimbury, Canada

Authentic living - Basic but comfortable.

4.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 16 May 2023
I traveled alone but stayed with 4 strangers in a house, we had all signed up for a wildlife photography workshop. Loved Chosa Manglar and how authentically we were living. Its rustic but comfortable. NO tv...no distractions. We had a kitchen and all the necessities. The bedrooms are basic but comfortable. The beach is within walking distance which was perfect as there is no pool on the property. Nature though, is truly front and center stage here. You can see crabs, monkeys, macaws, iguanas and other countless species here. The rooftop observation deck is absolutely a peaceful way to start your morning, or end your day. There are other people around but its not very often you see them as everyone is out doing their thing. It's a great home base for exploring - surfing, or if you are planning a trip to Corcovado Park. This is NOT 5 star all inclusive resort where you are waited on hand and foot...but rather a rustic, authentic way of living the simple life. I absolutely loved it and the closeness to nature.
Date of stay: May 2023
Room Tip: Find a good driver if you plan on going further, plan meals ahead if possible, there is a fridge...
Trip type: Travelled solo
4.0 of 5 bubblesValue
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew Gray, Owner at Chosa Manglar Nature Retreat, responded to this review
Responded 15 Jul 2024
We are very happy you enjoyed what we offered. Pura Vida!
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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    Reviews (101)
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    All reviews palapa hut scarlet macaws hot water clams drake bay osa peninsula corcovado park andrew capuchin mangroves animals closeness property guide nature tour
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    1 - 6 of 101 reviews
    Reviewed 20 April 2023 via mobile

    Andrew and Jackie have created a one-of—kind place in an amazing part of Costa Rica! They are eager to help you get the most out of your stay and provide great info on things to do. So glad we chose to stay here for our time in the Osa Peninsula! It was a unforgettable experience!

    Date of stay: April 2023
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank travelfan1951
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 27 July 2022

    This place lies in de mangroves, which makes this very good place to see a lot of animals which is nice. The staff is very pleasant and helpful! (They knew we wanted to see animals so when they saw something they pointed them out to us.) The rooms were very basic and ours a little damp. It was advertised as having a 'river view' but I wouldn't really call those mangroves a 'river but it was nice enough. We saw a racoon there :)

    Date of stay: July 2022
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank harmen_1984
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 4 June 2022

    I’ll go straight to facts. When I checked in, the lady at reception took my payment for a room in Chosa Manglar. Then, AFTER THE PAYMENT, she told me that she has 2 rooms available, one at the back and one at the front. Of course, I thought it was 2 rooms in Chosa Manglar, which corresponded to the price I paid, so I answered : ok I will have the one in the front so I can be closer to the raccoons (never even saw one but that’s not the point). So I got the room in the front and was really disappointed, it didn’t look like what I saw on the pictures of my reservation. The room was ugly, the tap barely working, the decoration almost non existent. I would never have paid more than 70 euros for that. The day after, she told me that I actually stayed in Palapa hut and not the Chosa Manglar I paid for. Palapa Hut is half the price of what I paid. I felt scammed. Why didn’t she tell me that there was a price difference between the 2 available rooms? If I knew, I would obviously have chosen the Chosa Manglar room I paid for!!! But she never mentioned the price difference, she let me stay in that cheap room even if I had paid double the price. No compensation was offered, only a rude attitude when I asked about a solution to this problem. I should have trusted all the negative reviews I have read about them. This lady is dishonest and only cares about making money. The rooms are bad and way too expensive. I have stayed in 12 different lodges in Costa Rica, all of them amazing, and this place was the only disappointment. To avoid!!! Worst customer service ever

    Date of stay: May 2022
    Trip type: Travelled solo
    Thank 649tiphainec
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Andrew Gray, Owner at Chosa Manglar Nature Retreat, responded to this reviewResponded 4 November 2022

    Here's what you really need to know about the place.

    The quoted text below was written by a fellow traveler and left here on Trip Advisor, who really understands the essence of the place, unlike someone who is upset with room pricing and because the business had the nerve to NOT adjust the room price downwards after they asked the staff to move them to a section of the property where their friend was staying so they could be closer to each other. We did move the guest at no charge AFTER the guest asked us to do them a BIG FAVOR! Some Big Favour huh?

    "Don't listen to any negative reviews. We have toured around Costa Rica and Panama for a month now. We're in our mid 30s so we avoid hostels and stay in places that are basic and clean.

    All accommodation under $100 a night is basic in CR. If you can get A/C and hot water then you're winning. This place had a shared kitchen which admittedly was a mess but only because of a few younger guests. The poor hotel staff cleaned this up every night.

    This place was everything we needed and had the added bonus of beautiful nature and great staff."

    Pura Vida, Andrew

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 18 January 2022

    We absolutely loved it here. On the grounds we saw capuchins, scarlet macaws, toucans, raccoons, tiger herons and frogs.

    The room was basic but clean with hot water and decent A/C.

    What makes it though are the owners. They really cared about our stay. I took a bad fall and they cleaned me up and checked in on me.

    We booked the Corcovado day hike through their guy. It was incredible. We paid a bit extra to get dropped at Drake Bay after the tour and to have our own guide. It was worth every penny.

    Don't listen to any negative reviews. We have toured around Costa Rica and Panama for a month now. We're in our mid 30s so we avoid hostels and stay in places that are basic and clean.

    All accommodation under $100 a night is basic in CR. If you can get A/C and hot water then you're winning. This place had a shared kitchen which admittedly was a mess but only because of a few younger guests. The poor hotel staff cleaned this up every night.

    This place was everything we needed and had the added bonus of beautiful nature and great staff.

    Date of stay: January 2022
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank Buzzybev1985
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 1 August 2021 via mobile

    The owner is very friendly and full of recommendations.
    Waking up and seeing monkeys in the trees is amazing, the place is accessible, right next to the meeting point for the excursions in the parc, and the city center is sufficient for a couple of nights
    The shared space is cosy, the room has a mosquito net which is especially useful around the moistures area

    Room tip: Look for the big signs naming the hotel, google maps isn’t leading to the main entrance
    Date of stay: August 2021
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank 482arnaudh
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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