Have you ever stayed at a hotel where you dreaded the moment you had to leave? You savored each second of your last night, already planning the day you’ll be back because the hotel made your stay that very special. That’s how we felt at Casitas Tenorio B&B in Bijagua. This cute casita hotel captured our hearts the moment we stepped out of our car.
If you’re looking for a place that is full of nature, close to Tenorio Volcano National Park and has all the comforts of home, you will love Casitas Tenorio B&B.
This post has affiliate links which we may earn a small commission from if you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. Any prices listed may not reflect current pricing. It is the readers responsibility to research current pricing. Prices are quoted in USD. More info: Disclosure
Casitas Tenorio B&B
We had been wanting to visit Rio Celeste, the enchanting sky blue river for a long time and I wanted to stay in a hotel equally as magical.
Casitas Tenorio made our trip to Bijagua even more memorable. The hotel is only a 30 minute drive from the Tenorio Volcano National Park to hike the Rio Celeste river.
The Rooms
Casitas Tenorio is made up of several casitas, or small houses, kind of like apartments. Each one provides a true natural experience as your views are only flowers, trees and the visiting wildlife. We stayed in Casita El Volcan that has a view of the gardens and the forest with Tenorio Volcano in the back.
The casita was incredibly comfortable and had a kitchen, microwave and mini-fridge. There’s a large deck with rocking chairs for visitors to enjoy the lush forest scenery. Everything you need to feel at home.
We fell asleep every night and woke up every morning to the sounds of nature: rain, birds chirping, trees blowing and some other noises I wasn’t sure which creature it belonged to. I truly felt like I was sleeping in the middle of the jungle all while snuggled in our warm comfy beds.
The Property and Wildlife
One of the things that makes Casitas Tenorio B&B so special is their location. Bijagua is an area rich with wildlife due to the surrounding primary growth forest. Naturally, I was expecting to see lots of wildlife at the national park but we actually saw more at the hotel.
This is due to the primary and secondary rain forest that lies on part of their property and the many beautiful gardens. Casitas Tenorio landscaped the land perfectly in harmony with the casitas, so that every visitor has a chance to see a plethora of flora and fauna straight from their porch.
They constructed walking paths through the forest for visitors to practice spotting the many animals and birds that live there. If you wander the trails, you may see a sloth taking a nap, an anteater looking for lunch or colorful birds flying about. We saw a 3-toed and 2-toed sloth and two different toucans as we meandered through the trees.
Then if you make your way over to the mirador, you get a gorgeous view of the Tenorio Volcano and the surrounding rain forest. There is a little gazebo where you can sit back and enjoy Mother Nature’s symphony and lush forests as far as the eye can see.
And don’t forget to bring your camera when you go to breakfast, there is a garden with bananas that attracts many birds. No better way to enjoy a farm-to-table meal than in the company of beautiful feathered friends!
Wildlife lovers will have the best time scoping out rare birds and mammals on the hotel property. From the breakfast area and our porch, I spotted over 10 birds I had never seen before!
Why Stay at Casitas Tenorio B&B
Besides the nature, wildlife and comfortable rooms, Casitas Tenorio B&B is one of the best hotels near Rio Celeste for these other reasons:
- They support the local community by hiring locals and accepting volunteers to practice English, learn about hospitality and farming, etc. As members of Pack for a Purpose, they help visitors gather and bring supplies to the local community and schools.
- They are also a working dairy farm and working towards being a sustainable rural tourism project. They produce their own cheese and guests can even learn how to milk a cow! (I did this and it was so much fun, plus the milk I milked was used for breakfast the next day!)
Sue Green says
Hi, looking at booking Casitas Tenorio this month (jan 2023) Would like info on road up to Rio Celeste from Bijagua and onward to La Fortuna. Is it paved so would we be ok with sedan car. Route will be from Liberia airport to Bijagua over road passing Rio Celeste (route 197?) then road 142? to Arenal? Then back road lake back onto route 1 down to Puntarenas. Any advice gratefully received. Regards Sue
Sammi says
The road directly to the hotel is not paved so in a sedan, go slowly. Everything else is pretty much paved like Fortuna to Liberia to Bijagua and to the Tenorio Volcano NP.
jessica says
Hello, planning to stay one night in Bijagua and really wanting to stay at Casitas Tenorio. We will be driving from la fortuna. Trip is last week of November. Do you recommend a 4×4? We rented a regular sedan. Now I’m nervous….
San Jose – fortuna- bijagua- San jose (does this itenarary make sense?) thanks so much!
Sammi says
I would switch your car to a 4wd, end of November is our transition time to dry season and it can still rain a lot in Bijagua and La Fortuna and the potholes are at its biggest, so you will want a bit more clearance and the 4wd for Bijagua and Fortuna (depending on where you go in Fortuna though)
Jeff says
Strange question but should I worry about mosquitoes in May?
Sammi says
Mosquitoes are present in Costa Rica year round so yep!
Patty says
Hi,
Planning on going over Thanksgiving. Would you recommend Casitas Tenorio for all 7 nights? Plan on doing day trips.
Sammi says
I wouldn’t use Bijagua as a home base personally, it’s best for 1-3 nights and then you can spend the other nights you have at the beach.
Miriam Edelson says
What would the rate be per night. We’re looking at February or March 2021.
Thanks.
Sammi says
You can check their website for rates!
Angie says
I have a small dog , can I bring it?
Sammi says
No dogs allowed at Casitas Tenorio
Roxanne Youssi says
Without air conditioning, how hot do you think it will be in the bungalows? Will will be visiting in mid-July.
Sammi says
It’ll be a bit humid and hot in July and it can get up to high 70’s. It’s hot but it’s bearable and not that bad and you can sit outside the little houses as they all have a patio/terrace.
Andy says
We’re booked to stay here 2 nights in early May…super excited! Payment is by cash only…but we don’t want to travel with big sums of cash. We are going from Arenal to Bijagua. Should we just stop at an ATM on our way out of Arenal and get cash? What do you recommend?
Sammi says
Hi Andy, there is an ATM in Bijagua or you can get it in La Fortuna depending on what time you arrive in Bijagua. Enjoy your stay 🙂
Rose says
Planning our overnight to Bijagua and Rio Celeste. Does Casitas Tenorio B&B have a swimming or water feature? Do they have WiFi for guests?
Thank you.
Sammi says
Hi Rose, they don’t have a pool, they do have Wi-Fi in their lobby and restaurant.