This place is amazing!! From San Jose the trip is about 4 hours and the roads are very curvy. My girlfriend felt a bit sick on the way, it's not an easy drive, but it's worth it. Also, I recommend a 4WD car. The last section of road to the hotel is not paved and I imagine in rainy season it might be a bit tough. You can do it with 2WD, but definitely need an SUV. You'll punish a car with lower clearance.
The first thing you notice as soon as you pull-in and park your car is the level of attention. Immediately, someone came to greet us at my car, with cold towels to freshen up from the trip. They walk you to reception and immediately hand you natural drinks. As I mentioned, the drive is not easy and that was a super nice way to start.
After check-in they bring a little golf cart to pick your bags at your car and drive you around the property, like a mini-tour that ends in your room where they explain where things are and how they work.
The rooms are beautiful and spacious, the mattress and linens are very nice, and super comfortable. We had a balcony facing the forest, which they charge more for, but the forest is so thick, that at least from our room, you couldn't see very far, so it wasn't really worth it. The bathrooms are huge and have a large tub, great for couples. The rooms also have like a tiny private garden area with an outdoor shower. I don't think they even advertise it on their site but it was amazing to take a shower outside with the mountain air.
The place is like a kilometer away from Tenorio Park where you would go see the river and then I found out that they don't actually let you swim in the river at the park... very disappointing. However, this hotel has a private little hiking trail, it takes a about 20 minutes, very easy to do and it leads to a point that is perfect for lounging in the river. The rocks form a natural little pool. Also there are a lot of large boulders you can climb and take amazing pictures. The river is a shade of blue you would only see in Disney movies. It's spectacular. Talk to the team before going, they'll tell you the best time to see the river depending on how the weather was the night before so you can really appreciate the color.
All of the staff is incredibly nice and helpful. In the dining room we had a long conversation with Greivin, who was outstanding and gave us tons of great information about the river and the area. The food is delicious. You can tell they put a lot of care into their ingredients and dishes. They also have a great pool, that they keep very clean and adjacent to the pool, they have several hot pools. Super relaxing.
I have no complaints about the establishment. Easily the best place I've been to in Costa Rica and the fact that they allow you to swim in the river is like the cherry on top. I would have been disappointed to just have pics of the river and not experience being IN the river.
Okay, so I've stressed how amazing it is, but it wouldn't be an honest review without at least one criticism. No matter how minor, there is always at least one right? Well, these are very, very minor, but the cocktails weren't so great. We had piña coladas and.... not so good. I haven't found a hotel bar that is very good at cocktails, again a minor thing. Also, the place is pricey. It's amazing and worth it but it's pricey. They were having a deal where the rates were 40% off due to low season, I highly recommend it if you can do it. Low season meant less people and that also meant when we went to the river, we had it all to ourselves, amazing. The food is expensive and without driving elsewhere, you don't really have other options. Again, it's delicious food, but a bit expensive.
So there you have it. Easily 5 stars, but a couple of criticisms for good measure. I definitely suggest that you get out there if you can. Especially if you took the time to read my long review. ;-)
