finntill Lübeck
Jun 21, 2009
Trip type: Family
If you want to be for yourself, like natur, a wonderful beach and if you are able to enjoy life without pool and all inclusive you will love this place; if we can manage it we will come a third time. Ulli.P.
Date of stay April 2009
Visit was for Privat
Traveled with Familie mit Teenagern
Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Ja
2. “One of those places you’ll prefer to keep secret”
Jun 20, 2009
There’s a place for everyone and this one is for all those of you who love Nature, simplicity and tranquility. A personal favorite, find it a few years ago looking for a hideaway. Been there several times since.. with my dog, with my family and with my friends. Always a great time surrounded by the -magic- of the caribbean jungle. Just a handful of houses built from local wood by Daan and his crew, you’ll always feel at home and a few steps from the beach.
Date of stay January 2008
Visit was for Leisure
Traveled with Solo Traveler
Age group 25_34
Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
3. “BEAUTIFUL, private rental on the Carribean coast”
NatureLoversx2
Springfield, Missouri
May 12, 2009
Trip type: Couples
Reviews are very subjective, so let me first explain who we are, so you can better estimate your likelihood of enjoying the place as much as we did. Our party was two 30 something couples, no kids, from Missouri, USA and are all nature lovers. We enjoy traveling, camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, etc, so we are not afraid of bugs, animals, sweat or getting dirty. We do know how to clean up and enjoy metropolitan activities as well, but we are not “sissified”. We work hard, but we also play hard.
Congo Bongo was a great choice for the Carribean coast of Costa Rica. It is several miles south of Puerto Viejo, but this proved an asset for us. If you want to be in the middle of constant activity with other people surrounding you, this is not the place for you -Puerto Viejo may be a better choice. But, if you want natural beauty and privacy Congo Bongo was the best choice we saw in the area. We lucked out.
Daan, the owner, is from Holland and speaks English well (which was good for us, since we’re sadly your typical English-only Americans). He and his family also live on the property.
The grounds are beautiful with great walking paths between the houses and the beach. Parking is near the houses and was very adequate. There is a gate that is locked each evening at 7 p.m. that leads down the road to the property, which gives you an added sense of security.
Many beautiful native flowers and plants all over the grounds. Wildlife we viewed from our porch included tucans, howler monkeys (if you’ve never heard these guys, it’s a real treat), sloths, the BEAUTIFUL morpho butterfly, paca, crabs everywhere, many other birds and lizards, and your expected rain-forrest sized bugs.
We traveled in late April/early May and had the beach solely to ourselves the entire time. The water was a bit rougher than we’re used to at other beaches we’ve vacationed at, but certainly didn’t spoil the fun.
The TINY village of Manzanillo is just around the cove. There is a small grocery store there, but we prefered a larger grocery store on the road between Congo Bongo and Puerto Viejo. Manzanillo has a couple smaller restaurants. Maxi’s was pretty good and served dishes true to native cooking, but also had some familiar items to us.
Our MOST FAVORITE restaurant by far was north of Congo Bongo a few miles – El Refugio Grille. If you visit the area, you MUST eat here. The owner is also the chef. Argentinian natives, he and his wife run the open air restaurant and they are lovely people. I would LOVE to see him on the food network. He could give them a run for their money! – homemade pita bread, hummus, guacamole, fresh-fried tortilla chips, wonderful mussels, sea bass, tuna, spinach crepes, dessert crepes with homemade caramel sauce, and the list goes on. If you go, you must try their Caparica drink (I’m unsure of how to spell it), but it had fresh lime juice and passion fruit (which she grows in her garden out back), as well as some kind of alcohol. It was the best drink i’ve ever had by far.
We LOVED Congo Bongo and can’t wait to visit Costa Rica again. Any questions – let us know. We’d be happy to answer.
Date of stay April 2009
Visit was for Leisure
Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
Age group 25-34
Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
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