Lodge Margouillat

Guests arrive down a forest track four kilometres from Tambor's main road, where the trees close in and the noise of the coast falls away. The lodge sits on four hectares of planted garden and jungle, its grounds left thick enough that monkeys and coatis move through daily. Two outdoor pools break the greenery, one looking out over a slope of jungle and mountain that turns orange at sunset. Birdsong and the calls of howler monkeys carry across the property most mornings. Villas come with a small kitchen and a porch. Rooms have air conditioning, mosquito nets, and private bathrooms; breakfast is continental, taken on-site each morning. Panica town lies a kilometre off, Tambor Beach about four. Montezuma, with its waterfall and zip-line circuit, is ten kilometres further, and the Curú reserve and Cabo Blanco park are within reach for a day out on horseback or by kayak. A car is worth renting; the lodge is a short drive, not a walk, from the main road. It is a small, family-run stay, and the owner handles most of the guest contact directly, down to booking dinner at nearby restaurants.