El Silencio Lodge & Spa

The accommodation, food, service, location are fabulous. We were spoiled by the quality, choice and the amount of food available. The only tiny criticism we would have was that dining in the evening was very formal, waiters in suits which seemed a bit over the top when everyone is fairly relaxed in outdoor gear etc.

We stayed at El Silencio Lodge for 3 nights and loved it. The grounds are a beautiful mix of garden and jungle with the mist of the cloud forest creating a magical atmosphere. Our room was so comfortable with double sliding glass doors so we could sit in bed and look directly out to the lush greenery and hear the rush of the river in the background. The cool misty weather made the canopied outdoor hot tub the prefect retreat. We arranged for a private tour of two of the area’s best waterfalls, guided by Angelo whom we loved. He also recommended we hike to the 3 waterfalls at the back of the property, which we did the next day and this should not be missed! Beautiful…deep in the cloud forest all by ourselves. But perhaps the star of the show was the food. We ate all of our meal there for 3 days, trying new dishes every night, one better than the other. Our waiter Fabian was super helpful and particularly good at helping us select the best wine paring with our meals. We went to El Silencio as a special celebration for my 70th birthday and it was all I had hoped for and more.

We stayed at El Silencio for a four-night mother-daughter retreat into nature. Everything about Ell Silencio was wonderful, especially the staff. Yes it is pricey, but it was worth it. Our villa was beautiful and comfortable with all the amenities we wanted. The balcony looked onto a wooded area and the jacuzzi was so relaxing. We slept very well in the comfy beds. The food was delicious and, when compared to other Relais & Châteaux properties, very reasonably priced. We especially enjoyed eating food that was harvested from the property, such as the trout, eggs and many of the greens. We participated in 4 activities: the mystic hike, magic waterfalls, private bird watching and Arenal Visit. For each, our guides were fantastic, with a special nod to Daniel and Estivan (with apologies if I am not spelling correctly). My daughter and I are fairly serious birders and we would not recommend the birding for first time birders, but for us it was wonderful. We were glad we brought light jackets, as the cloud forest can be quite cool, but this was very refreshing. We liked all the walking we did to get around the property and were so happy to get in "all our steps, and then some" while exploring the most excellent property. We give a shout-out to forest restoration. We were glad we had a guide for the waterfall hike, as without a guide we probably would have gotten quite confused about the paths.

Despite some very unusual cold and rainy weather, we had a marvelous time. We stayed in a private, quiet two bedroom villa (#20) that had a gorgeous view of the mountains and rainforest, along with a variety of birds and a coati! The immaculate space had lots of glass for natural light, comfy beds, a large kitchen plus a steaming outdoor jacuzzi. Two in our party hiked to the waterfalls which they professed to be the best hike they had during our stay in Costa Rica. Bajos del toro is the land of waterfalls and well worth a visit to this remote location. Standouts at the resort were exceptional cuisine and service in both the restaurant and bar. Bryan, the mixologist was outstanding. Take advantage of the spa and wellness treatments. Linneth was a fantastic therapist! It is no wonder that this resort is part of the Relais & Chateau Hotels. Well deserved.

The place was beautiful and very well kept. We loved the room. The food was good. Breakfast was great. Andres, Steven, Nelson were amazing during our adventures. Ericka gave me a fabulous massage. There are many waterfalls in the area. For some of the more difficult ones, I would recommend a guide. This place is very eco-friendly, which we found impressive and appreciated it.