Puerto Viejo Hotels: The Best Eco-Friendly Options in Costa rica
BY JARED DILLINGHAM
TRAVEL GUIDE: PUERTO VIEJO HOTELS
You’ll have a lot of different options when it comes to hotels in Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.
You can use this interactive map to plug in the dates you’re considering and check out what’s available:
Options range from hostels to upscale resorts to to eco-lodges in the rainforest. My favorite two hotels focus on sustainability, with several factors designed to create both beautiful, environmentally-friendly properties.
Aguas Claras in Puerto Viejo is part of the Cayuga Collection of hotels, which deliver five-star sustainable luxury in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.
Down the road, the Shawandha Ecolodge is possibly the best deal in the Puerto Viejo area. It features 14 chalets at very reasonable prices, in a secluded rainforest environment.
Aguas Claras: 5-Star Puerto Viejo Hotel
Aguas Claras bills itself as a “modern, bohemian hideaway,” but it’s so much more!
It’s a relatively new hotel, but the property has a rich history, and the bungalows are some of the original homes on Playa Chiquita. A mother-daughter team from San Jose only recently renovated the property into the five-star resort it is today.
Sustainability at the Hotel
Aguas Claras is one of the Cayuga Collection hotels which offers “behind the scenes” sustainability tours for visitors. You’ll get a first-hand look at their sustainability efforts in their kitchens, gardens, and general operations.
They say they’ll even take you fishing, if you’d like to experience that (it’s on my list for next time!).
The water is safe to drink, thanks to a water filtration system on site. There are no plastic bottles here, whatsoever. Instead, Aguas Claras will provide you with reusable stainless steel water bottles to fill up.
When it comes to the AfroCaribbean comfort food served at Aguas Claras, each meal is made from locally-sourced ingredients. The food is fresh, from farmers in Limon and local fishermen.
That goes for the beachside meals at DaLime (Aguas Claras’ beach club), as well as at the beautiful poolside restaurant, Papaya:
Playa Chiquita: The Beach
While Aguas Claras isn’t on the beach, it does have its own private beach access, and its own beach club, called Da Lime. You don’t have to cross any streets to get to the beach. Instead, it’s a nice path through some trees down to a very pretty spot on Playa Chiquita.
The staff frequently serves breakfast on the beach for guests, complete with locally-sourced eggs, fruit, and Costa Rican coffee.
Playa Chiquita is a nice swimming spot, and is one of the seven (or so) main beaches in the Puerto Viejo area.
You’ll enjoy eating at the tables, or drinking juice or a cocktail out of a coconut on the beach chairs.
Of course, the straws are made locally from bamboo, which is compostable.
The suites and Bungalows
Aguas Claras features a series of bungalows and suites, each of which is unique.
Plus, they’re historic! The bungalows which are now part of this Puerto Viejo hotel were the original homes on the beach (Playa Chiquita) which have now been renovated into contemporary lodges.
Several bungalows have outdoor bathrooms. Not just outdoor showers, but full outdoor bathrooms!
The lush gardens and surrounding rainforest give complete privacy.
I also love the bright, airy Caribbean style of the main part of the hotel, and the lobby you first walk into.
KuaKua Bungalow
We stayed in the KuaKua Bungalow (which means “butterfly” in the indigenous language in the Puerto Viejo area) which is almost 600 square feet, surrounded by private tropical gardens.
The outdoor shower is surrounded by walls of orchids and bromeliads.
Each of the bungalows has an indoor and outdoor space, with a private porch.
KuaKua’s also includes a small kitchen on the patio:
It’s directly next to the large yoga building, and a short walk down to the beach access at Da Lime.
The KuaKua Bungalow goes for around $400 a night, depending on the dates, etc.
Rainforest Wildlife
On your first night, you may be surprised by the chorus of noises coming from animals outside your bungalow!
From the frogs to the howler monkeys, you’re bound to be reminded that you’re staying in a retreat that’s been built in their rainforest!
Shawandha Ecolodge: Secluded Puerto Viejo Hotel
The Shawandha Ecolodge is a few miles south of the town of Puerto Viejo.
The hotel’s bungalows are set back, in a a five-acre section of the rainforest. Shawandha was built 20 years ago, in a way that blends the resort into the ecosystem.
This is a truly stunning, unique property, which comes at a great price. I was surprised to see the chalets and huts go for $120 – $150 per night! It includes an excellent breakfast each morning.
You’ll truly feel secluded, walking the tree-lined paths to your private quarters.
The Chalets
Shawandha Ecolodge is made of 14 chalets, and six teepees (or tippies). Each is private and secluded, surrounded by rainforest. The buildings are made of hardwoods, bamboo, and palms, and designed to blend into the surrounding forest.
The tippies have thatched roofs, which are definitely waterproof (based on our experience during several downpours!). The huts are somewhat open-air, though entirely encased in screens to keep the bugs out.
They have great patios out front, overlooking the other huts, and the beautiful long, rectangular pool.
Shawandha also rents entire villas, which will house between 5 and 12 people, for between $200 and $400 per night. That’s a tough deal to beat, for such unique accommodations!
Don’t expect air conditioning or televisions. While many modern conveniences are left out, you’ll have WiFi access throughout the property. Plus, while I was concerned about the lack of air conditioning, I slept just fine under the fan in my tippie.
The Pools
There are two beautiful pools at Shawandha.
One of the pools is right up front, surrounded by a lawn and gardens.
The other is more secluded, at the back of the resort property, lined by the teepees.
Sustainability at the Shawandha Ecolodge
Walking around Shawandha, you’ll see the efforts made toward sustainability.
The food in the excellent restaurant is 100% locally-sourced. I loved both the dinner and breakfast (which comes complimentary with your room reservation). The menu changes, to allow them to use seasonal ingredients and produce in the meals, served in their open-air restaurant.
It was especially enjoyable to sit here with a drink as a storm rolled through.
Some of the steps they’ve taken toward sustainability are out in plain-sight, while others are well-hidden.
Visitors will easily find filtered water stations on the paths, where you can fill up canteens and pitchers (provided) with drinkable water.
You’ll have to look behind the bushes to find large tanks where they store water.
Shawandha collects rainwater, and uses wells and tanks throughout the five-acre property to collect, filter, and use as much rainwater as possible. It’s so smart, and I loved seeing the extra effort made by this hotel!
Shawandha’s Ceiba Tree
A gem of the Shawandha Ecolodge is the towering Ceiba tree. Think of the gigantic “tree of life” from the “Avatar” movie.
They say it’s 400 years old!
A dedicated path leads through the rainforest, behind the huts, to the Ceiba, which is also known as a kapok.
The trunk has to be 10-feet across. The tree is 200 feet tall, which has it towering over the surrounding rainforest.
The “tree of life” is home to many species of birds, plants, and other animals. As for humans, we’ve used the wood for dugout canoes, the oils in the seeds for soaps, and other parts of the tree for medicinal purposes.
The Beach
You’ll feel like you’re inland, surrounded by the jungle, but Shawandha Ecolodge is just a quick walk from the Caribbean Sea.
Even on stormy days, it’s a beautiful sight to see:
While Shawandha isn’t on the beach, it’s a nice walk down a private path and across the street, down to Playa Chiquita, a white-sand beach.
It’s a quiet strip of beach with clear water, and the staff at Shawandha will provide towels for you to bring along on your walk to the beach.
Surrounded by Wildlife
You’ll be treated to a wide-ranging chorus of noises all day and night, reminding you that you’re in the Costa Rican rainforest.
The sounds of howler monkeys, tropical birds, frogs, and other wildlife may first catch you off-guard at night!
You’re bound to meet my favorite animal inhabitant of Shawandha Ecolodge: Simba, the (very shy, but friendly) dog who lives here.
Now, a word of warning for people not fond of spiders!
I’d encourage you to wave a stick ahead of you to knock down any webs, built by the area’s abundant population of orb weaver spiders. They’re not dangerous to people or pets, and they provide an important role of controlling pests! Still, they’re huge, and I came far too close to walking into them (face first) in their giant webs, spanning between trees!
Getting to Puerto Viejo Hotels
You can fly from SJO (Juan Santamaria International) in San Jose on Sansa Airlines to the city of Limon. It’ll be a 60-minute drive south to Aguas Claras. They’ll pick you up from the airport, if you’d like.
➡️ BOOK a Transport: Private Driver (from San Jose’s airport or hotels)
➡️ BOOK HERE: Rental Cars in Costa Rica
Driving from San Jose will allow you to see much more of the country. It’s about a five-hour drive, and the main highway between San Jose and Limon is finished, it’ll be much faster and easier!
Costa Ricans use the Waze App for guidance. We encountered some problems with Google Maps, so maybe a combination of both is best!
Things to do in Puerto Viejo
Costa Rica’s Caribbean Beaches
There are several beaches to check out around Puerto Viejo. The prettiest is likely to be Punta Uva. You can drive into it, and find plenty of parking along the tree-lined dirt roads. A lot of people camp here, too.
Also, check out Playa Negro, with its very fine black sand, just north of Puerto Viejo
Playa Cocles is also pretty, with a large, rocky island off-shore.
I mentioned Playa Chiquita, which is walkable from both Aguas Claras and Shawandha Ecolodge.
Playa Grande runs south, turning into Playa Manzanillo, which is also lined by several restaurants. Plus, Manzanillo is home to a shipwreck, which is pretty cool to check out on the sand!
📍 BOOK a Tour: White Water Rafting Trip on the Pacuare River
Cahuita National park
Cahuita National Park is a beach, a large coral reef, and a rainforest, all of which you can visit in Limon, north of Puerto Viejo.
There are several draws. People love the walk (which turns into more of a hike) along the path just inland from the beach. You can walk for several kilometers, spotting sloths, monkeys, and other wildlife.
📍 BOOK a Tour Guide for Cahuita & its “Hidden Waterfall”
We were lucky to see baby sea turtle making their first crawl from the sand out to the Caribbean Sea on our visit!
For snorkeling, the best months (for the clearest water) are said to be Feburary, March, and April.
Just be warned: Cahuita has a strict closing time of 4pm. It’s kind of odd, but those are the rules.
An adjacent town has plenty of local restaurants to check out, and several places to stay, too, if you’re left your hotel in Puerto Viejo to continue your trip elsewhere.
Jaguar Rescue Center (Animal Sanctuary)
The Jaguar Rescue Center is basically directly across the road from Aguas Claras, and just down the road from Shawandha.
It’s the best animal sanctuary I’ve been to, simply because: the recovering animals are put first, ahead of tourists’ desires to interact with them.
In fact, most of the animals they’re helping are never even seen by humans! Their goal is to release the injured or traumatized wild animals back into the rainforest.
The sloths, monkeys, birds, and other animals which are part of the tours are non-releasable due to injuries or other factors.
On the tour, your guide will give you the stories about each animal, and information on their road to recovery.
Also, there are no jaguars! The biologists who founded the place decades ago were once brought an ocelot, which locals thought was a jaguar.
📍 BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center + Cahuita National Park
📍BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center from Limon’s Port
📍 BOOK a Tour: Jaguar Rescue Center + Punta Uva Beach & Jungle
Puerto Viejo, the Town
Puerto Viejo is a five-minute drive, if you have a car, or a 20-minute bike ride from both Aguas Claras and Shawandha.
It’s a bustling little town, which we found to be very safe, full of boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars.
📍 BOOK a Class: Chocolate Making
📍BOOK a Tour: The Chocolate Forest
The Weather in Costa Rica
I’m including this because it’s confusing to figure out how to pack for Costa Rica, and climate change has made it more of a challenge.
The rains have become more unpredictable in recent years, so the “defined” rainy season Costa Ricans are used to doesn’t really exist anymore.
In general, you’re close to the equator, so it’s always warm. No mater the time of year, you can expect daily highs from the low 70s into the mid-80s.
On Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, July is the wettest month, while September and October are the driest. Still, it’s the rainforest, so expect some rain when you visit! The tropical showers come and go, and it’s actually enjoyable to sit in one of the bungalows in your Puerto Viejo hotel while they pass.
➡️ BOOK HERE: Rental Cars in Costa Rica
Sustainable Travel in Costa Rica
Post-pandemic, there’s a genuine effort among Puerto Viejo hotels (and hotels in other parts of Costa Rica) to come back in a more sustainable way, which balances the needs of the traveling public with the needs of the local communities and the needs of the planet.
They include a focus on:
- Off-the-beaten-path sites, which go well beyond the traditional tourist hot-spots, and the newer Insta-famous sites. This allows us as travelers to have more authentic experiences, and connect one-on-one with local residents.
- Off-season travel, which will help the local communities, economies, and ecosystems achieve more of a balance and year-round sustainability. Frankly, there really is no “off-season” in Puerto Viejo.
- Staying in smaller, locally-owned hotels, rather than the mega all-inclusive resorts (think the huge properties in Cancun!). This also helps the surrounding community, by encouraging visitors to venture out to local restaurants for food.
- Local sourcing, to bring all ingredients in from the surrounding farms, merchants, and the Caribbean. Cayuga refers to it as their “Dock to Dish” sustainable seafood program.
- And getting back to bans on plastics. There was an influx during the pandemic of single-use plastics, but now you’ll find: most of the Puerto Viejo hotels are switching back to reusable glasses and waterbottles, and compostable materials made of bamboo or agave.
Check out some of the videos, which are full of advice on travel in Costa Rica:
