Reviews of All Rankins Eco-Lodge

Tortoguero is an amazing place. The location is amazing. We enjoyed the food which was fairly priced though the choices are understandably restricted. The boat trip was great and we saw loads of animals. We managed to see a green turtle laying her eggs which was amazing although the turtle tour felt quite crowded and a little rushed. We enjoyed the little pool. All the staff were friendly.

It was very hot and humid in the rooms. Sadly we weren't able to go kayaking as there weren't any boats for us despite me asking about it several months ago.

Beautiful setting for a hotel. We loved the boat trip there, and the nightly boat trips into town. Willis 3rd was a great guide, pointing out the wildlife on the way. The hotel is in a lovely setting, very well maintained with a nice size pool for cooling off. Everything was kept very clean and the food we had was very good. We loved relaxing on the hammocks, and were really lucky with the turtle tour to see a turtle laying her eggs within minutes of starting the tour. An experience we will never forget! Thank you.

We unfortunately didn't get the boat tour we were hoping for. Miscommunication somewhere, so it is worth requesting before you arrive I would suggest. The bedrooms don't have aircon, but we knew that before arriving so it wasn't an issue, and the fan in the room is a good alternative.

Such friendly helpful and knowledgable staff - thankyou to Willis senior and junior for their hospitality

Nothing

Super friendly staff, super helpful. The lodge is run as a and with the whole family. The lodge area is beautiful with nice plants, birds in the trees and a swimming pool in the middle.

We used the 4-person cabin. It was quite small, really basic and lacked maintenance due several years. Nothing was broken, but in this area we expected the general standard to be higher. Even for an ecolodge. Besides this, and this is not unique to this ecolodge but common practice in the whole of Tortuguero, electrical work looked like it was installed by sloppy 10-year old. OMG, the electrocution and shortcut hazards are everywhere. E.g. open junction boxes and (main) circuit breakers rusted and exposed to the rain. I made sure the kids weren’t touching anything electrical.

Very friendly and helpful staff Nice and peaceful location

Room was small (but clezn) Getting to the village and back requires some good planning

Great location to the Nesting beaches

Very dirty owner was aggressive

Swimming pool and public beach, daily cleaning, quite place. Green and well-kept complex, lots of birds. Relaxing place by the water with hammocks. The first and last transport from the city to the accommodation is free of charge.

It was declared that the accommodation was in the centre, but in reality it was several kilometres away and it was necessary to pay for a private water taxi for each individual trip into town. Meals at the accommodation had to be ordered several hours in advance and it was not possible to arrange a breakfast pack, even though activities at area started early in the morning. The room was not painted and lacked the ability to close the windows, there were ants everywhere and once there was a cockroach in the bed. The advertised fast Internet was unusable and coverage was inadequate. Electrical cables in some areas of the site less than two metres high.

We loved this property and the beautiful gardens. The bungalow’s are spacious and offer great value for money. We also loved that it was set in its own grounds away from the main village of Tortuguero, but book your tours directly with the property because then you don’t need to go to Tortuguero to start your tour.

There was nothing we didn’t like but it’s important to take into consideration that this property is quite some distance from the main village, restaurants and start of tours etc ( you can walk it during the day but too far at night). They offer a free boat shuttle morning and collection in the evening but it’s pretty early so you have to eat early or pay for a taxi boat if you don’t fit in with the shuttle timetable. Likewise, it’s better to book tours directly with All Rankins, then your tours start at the lodge and not in Tortuguero.

Beautiful setting on the river with stunning gardens and a lovely little pool to cool off in. Breakfast was great, there’s a cool ‘hammock’ area and a great ‘communal’ space. The cabins are quite basic but comfortable and this is reflected in the price. It was all we needed for our stay. You don’t go to Tortuguero to spend time in your room 😀

Looking a little worn in places but perfectly comfortable

Fantastic nature, garden and direct access to the Beach. The son of owner took us on a wonderful canoe trip, where we saw all the birds and animals you could think of in this jungle. Huge experience.

The location was fantastic, with direct access to the beach (not swimmable) from the back of the property. The entire Rankin family were incredibly welcoming and kind. I highly recommend the night tour with Alonso – Willis’ brother, who grew up in Tortuguero and was incredibly knowledgeable about the local wildlife – and the morning boat trip with Willis’ son, Willis IV. It was the most wildlife I encountered during my entire trip!

Was very happy here - the rooms are small but you’re not really there to spend time in them!

The only way to the lodge was via boat and this was an experience in itself. It's a real family hotel with 3 generations involved in the enterprise. The lodge was in a perfect location to explore Tortuguero and offered a canoe tour along the river where we saw a great selection of wildlife including crocodiles, macaws, a river otter and 3 types of kingfisher. This also included entry to the national park which we visited in the afternoon. They also provide a helpful courtesy river taxi to Tortuguero village at specific times. The gardens at All Rankins are lovely and we saw a good variety of birds there.

Not the hotel's fault, but be warned that to park at La Pavona was quite expensive - as much as the return ferry to Tortuguero.

The liaising to get me to the lodge was superb, as was the help throughout my stay from the young and older Willis. The gardens were lovely and I spotted some nice birds and lizards and things. It rained most of the time, and I was furnished with a poncho and umbrella. The room was very comfy as was the bed. The breakfast was great and the one night I had dinner there it was lovely and fresh. It was a nice 35 minute walk to the town if you did not want to wait for the boat, so that was good. They organised a number of tours for me and I was happy with all of them.

nothing really. It was all what it claimed to be.

a beautiful setting between ocean and river channel. owned and operated by three generations of a pioneer family. fresh food, fine accomodarions

sluggish toilet

Location and staff. Gardens were very pretty too.

Nothing

The 3 generations who run the place. The position on the waterline (few passing boats). The hammocks at the front, the local maals. The willingness to help book tours (btw, the Kayak tour is a must do). Eco means no airco , but you'll love the fan ;-) Don't forget to enjoy the boatride in and out! Remember, things will work out.....

We booked Kayak and hike. Well, go-kayak, ignore the hike. It's just a hour walk in a straight line with a few monkeys and either the same line back or a sun-burning hike on the scolding beach. Just go and visit the Village;-)

It is like paradise! With birds and butterflies flitting about!! On a practical level, it has everything you need, pool, meals available, tours arranged, hosts with a sense of humour!

Rooms are quite basic. Could have done with table lamps by each bed so we could read, and our fan was very noisy so we had to turn it off one night.

All Rankin Eco Lodge is ideal if you are looking for a low-key, relaxed, quiet stay. It set away from the main village just behind the airstrip (a few light aircraft a day - not a problem!). It has lovely gardens, waterfront dining and bar and a small pool. They arrange collection from/return to the main pier. Daily wildlife tours are available from the lodge. Although canoe and kayak tours are available, the boat tours are advised. These are very personal with only four guests the day we did it, and two the next day, which is a bonus compared to the 20 people crammed into boats from the larger lodges and commercial operators. They arrange the park entry fee and the trip also includes ferrying to the park entry later in the morning to walk the Jaguar Trail (unguided) and pick up from the village afterwards.

The accommodation could do with some updating and some extra pool furniture would be welcome. The food is well-made, but the options are very restricted. Not sure what the "Eco" in the name applies to - saw no evidence of solar panels etc.

Breakfast, pool, cleanliness, friendliness

Needed to get a boost to travel anywhere the hotel shuttle only left at 4pm

It was lovely being amongst the nature. Willis and all the family were very helpful and friendly. We really enjoyed the tours that Young Willis and Eddy gave us. The breakfast was very tasty and the evening meal was good but limited if you are staying for several nights.

We would have liked to know that we could walk into Tortuguero. Also Ian got a lot of bites from in the room at night, despite wearing repellant. Maybe a mosquito net over the bed would be good?