Almonds and Corals Rainforest Lodge

This beautiful rainforest lodge lies in the middle of a private wildlife refuge just on the outskirts of the National Wildlife Refuge Gandoca Manzanillo, located in the province of Limon. The location of Costa Rica lodge is perfect as it combines the elements of the exuberant Caribbean rainforest with the beach, which is right in front of the lodge. The design of this lodge was very well thought and carefully planned complying with the Costa Rican building standards and restrictions used for wildlife refuges areas. One of the best assets of this Caribbean lodge is that its' design and the placing of each room and every building is such that it lets the rainforest rap around it. It has been with great taste that this rainforest lodge has been decorated and luxuriously furnished.

Facilities:

With 25 rooms ranging from cozy standard to spacey suites with Jacuzzis; this rainforest lodge offers comfort, luxury, and closeness to the Caribbean rainforest to meet different budgets. It has a unique and pleasant restaurant that merges beautifully with the rainforest and the cuisine is just marvelous combining the flavors of international plates with special touches of the local cuisine. To heighten your enjoyment of the rainforest and the relaxing effect that it can have on you; this Costa Rica lodge offers massages on the beach front or inside the lodge. There are also numerous exciting tours available to all ages and to different tastes. You can choose from sailing in search of dolphins, snorkeling on the Caribbean coral reefs, flying in between the tree tops on rappel lines, hiking or bicycling between rainforest trails and through Caribbean villages, and sea and river kayaking, among many other activities. This lodge also has a souvenir shop next to reception where you can find nice and unique local crafts.

Location:

The seclusion of this Costa Rica lodge, added to the surrounding beauty, and the many activities that can be done inside the lodge area and in the surrounding areas; make this rainforest lodge the perfect place to relax on your vacations or to spend a sublime and unforgettable honeymoon. The rain and the sun alternate, almost daily, to keep the evergreen rainforest exuberant. Over the Caribbean the rain is not an obstacle to make your vacations fun and enjoyable, as it actually adds a natural and relaxing element to any outdoor activity and is also gives a nice comforting melody to the rainforest. As this lodge is located a few kilometers from the main Limon villages you also have a chance to tour around the villages to learn more about the Costa Rica Caribbean culture. Snorkeling on the coral reefs is a very famous activity in this area; you just have to be careful not to step on them as this kills the corals.

History of the Costa Rica Caribbean:

The Costa Rica Caribbean, where this magical rainforest lodge is located, is a newly discovered destination for many travelers. In the past decades most of the tourist favorite destinations have been either on the pacific coast or on the central valley of Costa Rica, recently the province of Limon has been discovered and proven to be a great destination as most of its areas remain pristine. This province started to get populated by Afro-American and Jamaican slaves around the 1700s, when the area of Limon was designated as a banana plantation area. This area was also used for the plantation of cacao. Along the centuries, Limon was used for large plantations of different fruits taking advantage that the soil is very rich and the climate is perfect to produce amazing crops.

Many immigrants around the 1700s came to Limon to find jobs in the flourishing agricultural area of Limon; they came from different places as Jamaica, Africa, Italy, China, and Spain. The area of Limon did not develop as it could have been supposed from all the agricultural activity that took place in it; mostly the contrary is what happened. Big enterprises established their plantations and hired many immigrants and locals to work on them, but usually didn’t care for the development of the province. The province of Limon ended up as one of the most struggling province of Costa Rica, where many different cultures meet and strived to survive together. The final product resulted in an area that is rich on cuisine flavors, on art crafts, and on ways of living with the beautiful background of the evergreen rainforest and the lush Costa Rica Caribbean. This Costa Rica lodge is located right after the towns of Limon Center, Cahuita, and Puerto Viejo. The Manzanillo Village lays a few kilometers away from the lodge. Most of the habitants of the towns that surround this rainforest lodge in Limon are descendants of immigrants or slaves that came from Africa, Jamaica or other Caribbean islands centuries ago.

Sustainable Development:

Currently the whole province of Limon is approaching tourism and social development guided by a framework of sustainable development. This Costa Rica lodge is a good example of how a luxurious comfortable lodge can be built inside a wildlife refuge while complying with all the environmental measures to protect and display all the natural beauty that the Costa Rica Caribbean has to offer. The design of the entire lodge has been carefully thought to minimize power needs, noise, and contamination all together. Waste is carefully processed, recycled, and disposed. Only biodegradable soaps, detergents, shampoos, and conditioners are allowed in lodge. A custom made water system was built for this rainforest lodge to assure that there would be no contamination to the area. Additional to this, the owners of this lodge constantly work with the community to spread a consciousness of sustainable tourism in many different areas; such as recollection of trash on the shores, giving speeches and preparing activities in the surrounding schools to cultivate an early environmental consciousness, organizing police patrols on bicycles, and assembling a garbage recollection system for the entire area of Manzanillo, among many other activities that they have been involved in since this lodge was built.

The Owners:

The Owners of this enchanting rainforest lodge just fell in love with the Costa Rica Caribbean, especially with Manzanillo since they first visited it decades ago. They have years of experience working with tourism and sustainable development. This couple has really put their hearts and souls to make what this Costa Rica lodge is now; a piece of paradise in the middle of the Caribbean. Words fall short when you try to describe the magical feeling that this lodge embraced by the Caribbean rainforest gives you once you visit it. It’s just a feeling that you need to experience by yourself. This is the treasure that the owners of Almonds and Corals lodge want to share with the rest of the world.

Specifics included with the room:

This rainforest lodge has showers with hot water on all the rooms. The more upscale rooms have Jacuzzis with hot water. Because of environmental measures this Costa Rica lodge does not have air conditioning on the rooms or other areas of the lodge, fans are used throughout the rooms instead, but are usually not necessary as the structure of the lodge was designed such as there is a maximization of the natural ventilation. Continental buffet breakfast, a small snack at lunch, and dinner is included with the room. If you have any specific dietary needs please let your reservations representative know before hand to check if they can be accommodated.

For an additional price you can have:

Private or shuttle transportation from San Jose or the airport to this rainforest lodge is offered. Mini bar service is available in each room with the usual little bottles of liquor, chips, chocolates, bottled water, nuts, and the like; the consumption of any of these goods from the mini bar is charged to your room bill when you check out. Laundry service, massages, and all sorts of exciting tours are available for an extra cost. Kayaks, bikes, snorkeling equipment, and boogie boards are available for rent.