My husband and I recently stayed at the Peace Lodge for 2 nights of a 2 week trip to Costa Rica. We had done a lot of research and had high expectations for the Peace Lodge, but the hotel, grounds and staff surpassed these expectations.
While there, we took a fantastic guided tour with a great guy named Michael, ate delicious meals at the on-site restaurants, and enjoyed a wonderful couples massage. We also adventured on our own, attended the daily hummingbird feeding session and took all of our breakfasts in bed .

I've read reviews which describe the Peace Lodge as Disney-style Costa Rica and agree somewhat. It's ridiculously luxurious and most of the animals and birds you will see are confined, but that's why we went there. We needed a few nights of pampering and we enjoyed seeing birds and animals that we were unable to find in the wilderness. Our guide explained that the birds and monkeys they keep caged are animals rescued by the Costa Rican government who are too domesticated to survive in the wild.

I highly reccomend the Peace Lodge. It is a very romantic place for couples, and seemed like an interesting destination for a family trip.

We stayed at the Peace Lodge for 1 night and it was absolutely beautiful and fantastic. We paid about $400 for a deluxe room and it is beautiful. The room had two Jaccuzi’s – One on the patio overlooking the gardens and the rain forest and the other in the bathroom. The bathroom was beautiful with a waterfall, rain shower, water fall shower (separate from the waterfall). There are two levels and our room was on the higher level (may be all deluxe rooms are). I would highly recommend getting the rooms on the higher level as the patio is above the tree (plants) immediately in front of the building giving a wonderful view of the mountains.

We had lunch at the restaurant by the lake and swimming pool, which was very nice. The dinner at the main restaurant was fairly decent as well. They offer body massages in the rooms only and it was very nice and good value for money. The resort has a netted area where you can see birds, similar one for butterflies, one for frogs, snaketarium, humming bird park etc. La Paz waterfalls (five waterfalls) are a within the complex and absolutely beautiful. Overall, this was one of the best resorts we stayed in Costa Rica and although expensive, it was value for money.

General tips: We were in Costa Rica for a week and rented a car. If you rent a car, do get GPS as signs are rare and far in-between. The GPS was a life saver. Roads were not terrible as I expected although I would not compare it to any thing in the US or Europe. People seemed friendly and we did not feel scared or threatened at any time and we drove to every where (local restaurant in La Fortuna and in San Jose). I would not recommend driving in San Jose down town area unless you have already driven in other developing countries with aggressive driving. If you are renting with Europcar, be aware that they do not have a counter at the airport (most other car rental companies do) and you have to call they to be picked up or take a cab. It was very frustrating as we called and were told 10 minutes. We called every 10 minutes and were told the same thing with no shuttle 90 minutes later when we took a cab. The office was very disorganized. The car was nice and return was easy. Most car agencies have similar cars so go with any reputed rental agency.

This is a luxurious and unique accommodation to say the least. My husband and I arrived around noon and hit the ground running - that is literal. We ran the fern trail loop three times, and it was the best run I have ever experienced. We also toured the bird sanctuary and hiked the La Paz trail. Both were great. The rooms were fabulous - a running waterfall in the bathroom along the back wall, waterfall shower, sound system throughout with complimentary CDs, fireplace, hot tub (indoor and outdoor), and a comfortable bed.

The dinner was a bit more formal than we were expecting, but a nice surprise. We brought our complimentary bottle of wine (only provided to honeymooners - or at least to second honeymooners in our case). We would suggest attempting to arrive early on the check-in day with a full day touring the grounds and staying one night. You could stay an extra night and check all of the fun animal feed times, animal show times, etc. There is absolutely nothing negative that we could say. It's more expensive than other accommodations in CR, but it is certainly well worth a night or two. Skimp on other places.

P.S. Totally get the complimentary 15 minute massage. Wow.