The top 10 most incredible rainforest hotels and jungle lodges in Latin America include Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa, Andaz Papagayo, Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, El Mangroove, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, Hotel del Parque, Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, Lapa Rios, and Mashpi Lodge.
Latin America has everything: iconic historic sites, snow-capped mountains, verdant jungles, and beachside idyl. Costa Rica in Latin America is the land of volcanic peaks, scenic waterfalls, hot springs, and rich flora and fauna. This is where many Latin American rainforest hotels can be found. Its national parks, wildlife refuges, quaint villages, historic sites, and countless golden beaches provide a fantastic vacation destination.
1. Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa, Costa Rica
Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa is set in the heart of 900 acres of lush tropical jungle reserve at the base of the majestic Arenal Volcano, home to Costa Rica’s largest network of naturally flowing hot springs. The pristine thermal waters flow into waterfalls, cascading pools, and hidden bathing spots throughout the resort.
This amazing resort is hidden under a canopy of trees with two restaurants, four bars, and a world-class spa. The sunny azure blue pool offers the perfect place to relax. You can explore the rest of the resort from here, with each building hidden down windy paths. At vantage points off these paths, you will discover loungers placed on plateaus above the jungle springs, overlooking calm pools and tinkling waterfalls.
Everything within the resort is designed to make the most of the inspiring setting, from the rooms’ design to the thermal springs that feed its internationally-renowned spa. Completely in harmony with nature, this hotel has also been awarded five out of five leaves for its sustainability by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT). Stay in one of the 103 luxurious guest rooms, and you can reach out from your balcony and become one with the verdant green jungle foliage. Immerse yourself in the Costa Rican rainforest wildlife from howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, toucans, and coatis. There’s nowhere else on earth quite like Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa.
2. Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica
If you are looking for the perfect beach, a superb pool all framed by a backdrop of jungly mountainsides, the Four Seasons in Costa Rica is your best luxury hotel choice on the coast. The resort stretches over 250 acres, with a bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. This is one of the best luxury beach hotels in Latin America and also features in our best Four Seasons beach resorts in the world.
No setting sun is more gorgeous than one dozily sinking behind the ocean, which is why Costa Rica is one of our favorite beaches at the day’s end. With warm gulf waters, pristine white sands, and tropical trees swaying inland, the Gulf of Papagayo is paradise. Four Seasons Costa Rica sits on a hillside by a picture-perfect beach and just up the peninsula from the Andaz Papagayo.
The entrance gate is cleverly positioned where the bay first comes into view, making the Vista look straight out of the movies. The hotel foyer is an airy mix of pillars and bamboo ceilings. Head down the stairs, and the room opens up to showcase two of the hotel’s pools, including a main pool and sundeck and a separate family pool. Staff cannot do enough, offering towels, cool washcloths, and ice water, plus the stations supply complimentary sunscreen or after-sun.
To one side of this Four Seasons peninsula is a grey–sand beach. On the other, a crescent of palm-shaded white sand. Other facilities include an excellent spa, golf, numerous eateries, and a lobby bar.
Wherever you are in the world, Four Seasons hotels are consistently one of the best hotels in that city or resort. There isn’t a Four Seasons loyalty program, so you will never be able to book a free stay by racking up and redeeming points, or by collecting points on your credit card and spending them at a Four Seasons hotel. It can’t be done. But you can get discounts at Four Seasons hotels and benefit from special rewards at Four Seasons hotels for no extra cost by booking your next stay via our luxury travel concierge.
3. Andaz Papagayo, Costa Rica
Nestled where the Gulf of Papagayo meets the sapphire blue waters of Culebra Bay, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort extends over a vast rainforest-covered hillside with breathtaking views over the ocean and to the mountainous behind. The reason to travel to this Andaz Papagayo Resort is to bathe in infinity pools shaded by jicaro trees and framed by views of the cobalt blue bay.
The 153 deluxe vibrant yet stylish rooms become one with the lush natural vegetation found behind the resort. There are two cascading outdoor pools. The main infinity pool (complete with complimentary suntan lotion) overlooks the trees where monkeys pass by. Sit out by this pool in the evening and expect to see families of white-faced monkeys jump past in the trees, making their way down to the beach. There are also iguanas and lizards, hummingbirds, and butterflies attracted to the flowers in and around the resort.
Spend the afternoon on one of two of the resort’s secluded sandy beaches. The Prieta Beach Club, which is about 15 minutes away by shuttle, is offered exclusively to the Andaz and Four Seasons guests. The black sand hotel beach is closer, shaded by trees with a drink and towel service, countless beach chairs, free kayaks, and snorkeling gear.
The Andaz Papagayo is stunning and has made it onto “The Hot List” of Conde Nast Traveller in the UK and USA and Travel + Leisures IT LIST- so it’s not just me that thinks this place is rather special.
4. Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, Brazil
Belmond Hotel das Cataratas is the only hotel located within Brazil’s Iguassu National Park. This rainforest hotel has an unbeatable location in the jungle, just a short stroll from Iguazu Falls, one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls. Guests have exclusive access to the magnificent surroundings in the evening and at dawn when the park is closed to other visitors.
The hotel was originally a Portuguese-colonial residence and even today, it exudes the ambiance of lounging and relaxing. You could waste weeks lounging on a veranda or beneath sub-tropical palms. Rooms have been meticulously renovated by the designer responsible for the décor of its famous sister hotel, the Copacabana Palace in Rio, which is one of the best luxury hotels in Rio De Janeiro. The hotel offers helicopter trips over the falls and jungle treks to view amazing wildlife, including colorful toucans and giant butterflies.
5. Lapa Rios, Costa Rica
Lapa Rios Lodge protects 1,000 acres of Central America’s last remaining tropical lowland rainforest. In this immersive destination, the real luxury is living and breathing the jungle, a pristine environment where nature thrives in its rawest form.
The 16 private bungalows line three ridges overlooking the pristine point where the Golfo Dulce meets the Pacific Ocean. These lodges are situated 350 feet (100 m) above sea level. Lush walking paths and stairs that meander up to the main lodge connect all bungalows. Home to monkeys, macaws, pumas, toucans, tree frogs, and thousands of other creatures, a trip to Lapa Rios Eco Lodge is a rainforest lodge to remember.
6. Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador
High up in the Andes, a few hours west of Quito, you will find Mashpi Lodge situated in a reserve, where the biodiversity of the Ecuadorian rainforest is protected, and the wildlife thrives. The strikingly contemporary lodge was designed as the ideal springboard for exploring the vast and biologically diverse world of its 2,500-hectare (6,178-acre) cloud forest reserve, which lies within the Metropolitan District of Quito.
Explore the wonders of the forest, in the company of expert guides, aboard the mile-long Dragonfly cable car system, astride a sky bike, from the observation tower, at rivers and waterfalls, or along nature paths. The lodge, hosting 48 guests, is the perfect cocoon to return to after your explorations, thanks to its high standards of comfort, service, spa treatments, and gourmet cuisine.
The views of the forested mountains on one side and the forest right up close on the other are showcased through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in this lodge. The decor is minimalist, mixing warm earth tones, notes of bright color, clean lines, and striking angles and vistas. Here, you can venture into the forest to come into close contact with countless species of birds, as well as monkeys, peccaries, or even puma.
7. Blancaneaux Lodge, Belize
Francis Ford Coppola’s secluded mountain retreat, Blancaneaux Lodge is every bit as dramatic and inspiring as one might hope. Guests choose from an array of luxuriant accommodations, including the owner’s villa, with its open-air living area, and the peaceful riverfront cabanas, with their decks overlooking the waterfalls of Privassion Creek.
Active types enjoy riding horseback to hidden falls, hiking, exploring caves, and “discovering” hidden Mayan cities. Of course, there are myriad spa treatments, a swimming pool, a hot tub, and two gourmet restaurants (Montagna and Guatemaltecqua) to boot.
8. Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica is an eco-luxury lodge on the banks of Amazonian Peru’s Madre de Dios River. It has 35 wooden cabanas inspired by the Ese’Eja culture. Five hundred forty bird species have been inventoried in the hotel grounds deep in the rainforest.
Exotic yet accessible, Reserva Amazónica Lodge is situated on the banks of Amazonian Peru’s Madre de Dios Rive, surrounded by a vast rainforest. As Peru’s pioneer in nature travel and research, Inkaterra provides an unforgettable introduction to the amazing realm of incomparable biodiversity and takes jungle luxury to the next level. The lodge’s 35 thatched-roof cabanas offer simple, low-impact elegance with their hammocks, crisp white linens, lanterns, and organic bath products. From your bed, you can watch the sunset through the treetops, then fall asleep to a toucan serenade, all with your personal butler, just a walkie-talkie call away.
The property offers a varied selection of à-la-carte excursions, including a visit to the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, a bridge system at 30 meters above the ground, allowing adventurers to enjoy a privileged view of the Amazon. In 2013, Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica was selected by National Geographic Traveler magazine among the world’s 25 best eco-lodges.
9. El Mangroove, an Autograph Collection Hotel, Costa Rica
Panama Beach in Costa Rica’s north-west corner is home to the trendy El Mangroove, an Autograph Collection Hotel. El Mangroove sits on 17 acres of lush, tropical grounds and takes its name from its location in the dense mangrove forest on the chocolate sand shores of Playa Panama.
It is also situated on the Papagayo Peninsula, where you will find the Hyatt Andaz and the Four Seasons. The bustling Playa del Coco offers tranquil waters ideal for swimming, snorkeling, and paddleboarding. Golfers are well served by the nearby Arnold Palmer signature golf course, and scuba divers should try the shark-friendly Bat Islands.
This eco-sensitive property promises “20 minutes from touchdown to sand” as it is the closest resort to Liberia International Airport. This means that you can be lazing in the Presidential Suite in under half an hour and enjoying its plunge pool and direct beach access.
10. Hotel del Parque, Ecuador
Hotel del Parque is Guayaquil’s first luxury boutique hotel and one of the features that makes it unique is that staying here feels like you are staying in the heart of a rainforest.
In the 1980s, historic buildings were moved, rebuilt, and renovated plank-by-plank on the banks of the Daule. Hotel del Parque was one of these buildings. Now you find this elegant hotel sitting within a vast tropical botanical garden. Inside you will find an eclectic mix of modern and antique furniture, and beyond this graceful setting, there is a constant backdrop of tropical foliage and flowers. The green surroundings and the river beyond give the entire hotel a peaceful and tranquil ambiance.
Staying here is like stepping back into the past, stepping into a grand, historic mansion complete with original features. Hotel del Parque is a magical time capsule hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the great Pacific port of Guayaquil. It is definitely the best luxury hotel in the city.
Spacious guestrooms and suites are thoughtfully adorned with boutique hotel touches like grand beds, premium linens, luxury amenities, and stunning marble bathrooms. Once again, the historic 19th-century setting is the highlight, with rooms featuring original detailing and high ceilings. Bathrooms have been designed using stunning white marble and are modern, with huge showers and double basins.
Finally, two alfresco patios adorned with greenery offer relaxing outdoor spaces. One serves as the alfresco part of the restaurant, while the other is ideal for relaxing and reading a book amongst the flowers.
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