Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa

The dinner was delicious!

A long-standing hotel, with sprawling grounds and the lovely Savegre river close by. The rooms were spacious as were the bathrooms. The bed mattresses sagged a bit. There was good heating available. Plug points for charging were inadequate especially to plug in the coffee maker. There was a strange grass/plant outside our rooms (224 and 225) which gave off a very smelly garlicky odor which made sitting outside impossible. The breakfast buffet spread was good. We had dinner two nights. The vegetarian offerings were few but tasty. The service in the restaurant after 8.30 pm was very patchy with our requests often forgotten. The staff greeted my daughter for her birthday with a song. We had taken along a cake which they stored for us.

I visited over the weekend and stayed specifically for bird spotting/photography. I am a local of Costa Rica. Within the first 30secs of arriving I spotted a quetzal on the tree behind my car, and then two (male and female) the next day on the same spot. Was so busy walking around the property photographing birds that I didn't even have time to go to the trails. *** Arriving/Leaving the area *** I drive a small EV hatchback (Video atttached) The drive from the main road into the area is about 9km to the hotel and there are indeed some very steep curvy roads, however it is entirely manageable with proper technique and car settings (in case of an EV, can't comment for ICE cars). Once you are past the initial part, the rest of the road is a mix of asphalt and gravel, but there are some spots with pot holes, loose rocks and mud. The majority of the road is also tiny and two cars can barely drive past each other if both are positioned correctly. The drive back up can be difficult for smaller cars due to the conditions mentioned before, but going slowly and avoiding sudden acceleration should be fine. I would absolutely not drive back up during/after rain with a small car, so make a point to leave early if visiting during rainy season if concerned about that. You do not need a 4x4 to drive up or down (assuming the road is dry) with the state of the road as of today, but a smaller/lower car needs to drive slowly. The road is probably too narrow for a tow truck so make sure your car is in good working condition before going down. *** The room *** As I was traveling solo, I was assigned a single-bed room with a little living room area (two small sofas and a coffee table), a desk and a closet (with an additional blanket that I didn't know was there until I was sweeping the room before checkout). The bathroom has shampoo/conditioner/body wash/hand soap, towels and toilet paper, and also hot water on the sink. The room also has air conditioning/heating. There are a few windows that open/close that might be worth closing at night (I didn't notice they were open for the first night and was freezing even with the heat on). There are large windows with curtains that you can keep closed for privacy, but it also makes the room dark even with the lights on (I needed my phone's flashlight to be able to see where to plug my charger). Outside there are lights that turn on with movement but don't seem to turn off (I woke up with them on), and also a light that you can manually turn on/off. *** The restaurant and staff *** Breakfast was included with my reservation and followed a buffet style with local stuff like gallo pinto, eggs, pancakes, plantain, sausage etc, but also cereals, bread and fruits. For lunch and dinner, there were a few options including salads, shrimp and fish, chicken, red meat and pasta. My absolute favorite was the San Gerardo chicken (i think that was the name) and the sauce was fantastic. The apple pie is also delicious. I do find the prices a little high for the type of food (speaking as a local) but I guess that's expected from a touristy area. I spent about $150 in lunch/dinners over the course of about 2.5 days. You can ask for the food to be sent to your room. You have the option to either pay on the spot or charge to the room and pay at check-out (this one can get dangerous fast lmao) The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu, and after a couple of visits could remember personal preferences/needs. I cannot comment on their languages as I was speaking spanish but I imagine they can also speak english and maybe others. *** The property *** The hotel area is pretty big and well organized, although there are a lot of dead ends around the rooms when walking around (the rooms aren't fully connected to each other and you have to walk around some areas, not really a problem but when looking for birds it can get tricky lol) There's a building for reception, souvenir shop (the coffee is fantastic) and the restaurant. There are little gardens around some of the rooms with a bunch of flowers that attract hummingbirds (they are loud and easy to see), and tall trees that bigger birds (including the quetzal) perch on. There are several parking areas, some for visitors and others for guests, the roads are accessible to all vehicles but very narrow and with people (sometimes children) walking around so move with caution. There's also a little area with a hose that some people were washing their cars in, and a L2 EV charger that seems to be working (I didn't use it but saw another car plugged in). There's an area with a bunch of plants that might have been for sale, but I ended up forgetting to go there so could have been something else. The apple field is smaller than I expected, and it is closed unless a tour is paid (which makes sense), but easy to see from different areas of the property as the apples attract bunch of birds. I did not do the tour but saw a few pass by, and there seems to be some goodies for the visitors. I didn't enroll to any tours but there are a few 4x4 cars and tour guides around the property, I got to talk to a few of them and they're all very nice and are willing to share their findings even if you're not on the tour with them. The favour was returned when I spotted something interesting too. I did not end up going to the trails, but they seem to be huge and the 4x4 trail can also be walked and takes about 30min. The largest trail (Los Robles) is considered to be high difficulty but the others are manageable for most people according to the staff. *** Overall the experience (except the drive lol) was fantastic and I'd love to come back some other time and stay longer to be able to explore the area fully.

El personal es increíble. Gracias por la dedicación.

We had the most wonderful 2 night stay in this gorgeous hotel in its deeply forested and beautiful valley, learning much about Costa Rica’s bird life. Raul was an exceptional guide (descended from the original founders) and fun to be with during our 5 hour tour. We saw the famous Quetzel several times as well as many stunning hummingbirds in the colourful flowery bird friendly gardens. The food was exceptionally good and very reasonably priced as were the Happy Hour cocktails. We as a family, with daughters aged 21 and 19, loved the experience of seeing such beautiful and rare birds. All the hotel staff were utterly delightful. This is such a worthwhile visit- a definite highlight of our holiday!

The drive to get to the hotel (5 miles) is very difficult. Took us 30 min for 5 miles. Great breakfast and happy hour. Staff are very friendly and even help us look for quetzals in their garden. We are lucky to see this beautiful quetzal twice in their property.

A beautiful hotel with lovely gardens, lots of hummingbirds and on my visit, several Quetzal bird sightings. The restaurant had very good food and there is a comfy lounge to gather with friends for a drink in the evening. The room was comfortable, no TV or air conditioning but neither are needed. There are some trails on the property to explore the surrounding forest and hills as well as a nearby butterfly garden and spa though I didn't visit those. It is a very quiet, serene place. I would certainly stay here again if given the opportunity.

Excelente hotel! Siempre feliz de volver!

This family-owned resort is tucked away high in the mountains and down deep in the valley along the Savegre River. The staff are so kind and set up a quetzal tour for us that could not have been better with family member Raul. I would definitely book my birding trip through the hotel again. The breakfast is great, and you will have never tasted apple juice like theirs! We also went horseback riding through the hotel and got a couples massage, both excellent!

I get that it's a pristine natural reserve. Savegre and the staff are great. It's beautiful there. Self guided hiking is great. However, prices for food and drink are really high for what you get. The beds/pillows and bathrooms were not super, they were ok. If the food/drinks were a little cheaper I'd give it 5 stars because it's an amazing place.