Casa Chameleon is a beautiful, friendly resort with 'knock your socks off' views.
I'm rating it a 5 star because I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged from going even though I have a few comments that might not be considered 100% positive.
It absolutely IS a 5 star resort in many of the most important aspects and that is what matters.
Staff: The staff is absolutely lovely. Kind, attentive, friendly. Ask and you shall receive. We spent 8 days and 7 nights during low season but there was always a staff member at hand ready and willing to get you anything you needed with a smile and a Pura Vida for good measure.
Grounds: Since we were there at the end of the green season, everything was lush and beautiful. The main pool is designed to provide you with an amazing view of Costa Rica's mind blowing sunsets. There is a nightly gong ceremony as the sun sets that seems a bit cliche when you first hear about it but is borderline spiritual the first time you see it. Just trust me (and every other review that mentions it), it's something to behold and no pictures, no matter how well they are taken, can do it justice.
Since the resort is so intimate and exclusive, there is no problem getting a chair or cabana and, although we didn't participate, there is a drink hour of sorts that occurs on the restaurant level (above the pool area) where people gather as well.
Accommodations: Just beautiful. The patio has your private saltwater plunge pool. The resort provides a special floatie that defies physics and provides you with flotation without being bulky and gauche (No need to ruin the ambiance with your poop emoji floatie). You are provided with Yoga mats and small hand weights. There are two chaises, a nice deep couch, a small table with chairs. The patio alone is spacious and comfortable.
The inside is just like every picture you see. Big beautiful bed with a mosquito net (which we used every night - probably mostly because it just felt neat). Plenty of drawers - smallish closet though (for hanging). There's a fridge/minibar etc. I have some issues with the setup but I'll talk about them later.
Amenities: If you're like me and love taking home shampoos and lotions from the hotel, you're out of luck. : ) One of the most amazing things about the resort, and Costa Rica in general, is the Conservation ethos. There is shampoo, body wash, conditioner, lotion - even natural bug spray, but it is all refilled as you use it rather than provided in little plastic bottles. Honestly, this is a positive complaint - LOL. I would have loved to bring home some of the products but appreciate that they don't have a lot of waste.
Food: I'll start this by saying I am not a foodie but my boyfriend is. He loved every single meal we had at Sentido Norte from the complimentary breakfast, to "snacks" at poolside, to amazing gourmet dinners. The food, even in my limited culinary appreciation, was top notch, locally sourced, super fresh and served as you like it. I don't care for certain foods so I often requested some sort of change to the meal (ie: no tomatoes, no onions) and they always accommodated every request. My body loved how fresh and clean all of the food was.
The rest of this review is all subjective. Consider these simply comments, items of notice that I, personally, wish I'd paid more attention to when I was looking at reviews. They might not matter at all to some people but I wish someone had posted more about them.
We stayed in the lower tier of the Sunset bungalows. This gave us amazing sunset views but also meant that from about 1pm till sunset, the patio is full sun. It's just inescapable if you're outside. Since you're about 10 inches from the sun, it's very hot and UV exposure is considered "extreme".
Being on the lower tier also means that you walk 60 or so steps up and down every time you want to leave your room. If you're healthy and/or young, this might not seem like a big deal. For me and my knees, it got to be difficult - particularly if i was dressed up for dinner and in heels. ALSO - and I can't stress this enough - the steps are steep, barely lit and the walkway is narrow. You can use your phone light to help but everything around you is pitch black by about 6pm so if your phone is the only light in the vicinity, anything flying around wants to check it out. If you aren't worried about bugs, that's great, but I almost fell a few times.
About the bugs - There are mosquitos in abundance but the bugs I struggled with were the grasshoppers. They are huge and I'm terrified of them (for no good reason) and the walkways are narrow and dimly lit and there is foliage on both sides. During the day, I tried to just walk through it without looking sideways. At night, I avoided using my phone light and risked falling down the stairs.
The restaurant is open air and, again, the only real light in the vicinity. During dinner, you're plagued by mosquitos, ants and anything else that crawls or flies. There are many geckos running around the ceiling and on the walls (this didn't bother me) but everything is trying to eat everything else in Costa Rica and it can be daunting if you aren't prepared.
Newer resorts seem to feel that if you're on a romantic vacation with your significant other, it's totally okay to have no privacy at all. (This is not exclusive to Casa Chameleon). The bungalow has an open ceiling throughout and the toilet is hidden from the glass shower/outside by a pony wall but otherwise out in the open. I sent my boyfriend out on to the patio many times while we were there so I could have some semblance of privacy. I will be thrilled when resorts stop using that design. It just makes things awkward.
As amazing as the food is at Sentido Norte, it's expensive. For someone like me who prefers simple food, I wasn't able to appreciate it as much as other people. The resort in general is high end so I suppose it should be expected that the food be expensive as well.
The only other thing to comment on is the noise. They are building the town of Las Catalinas below the resort and the Costa Rican work day seems to be from Sun up to Sun down 7 days a week. It gets to a point where it becomes background noise but, there is no doubt, it is constant during the day. Since we were on the lower tier, there was a building going up right below our patio. The resort has privacy canvas which keeps most of the work from being seen but regardless, I watched several workman while I lounged in the pool. If I can see them, they can probably see me. I never felt uncomfortable but its something to be aware of when asking for your room. The bungalows are placed well within the resort so you barely notice other guests but I was surprised by just how much activity and noise happened during daylight hours.
So, to finish this off, I found Casa Chameleon beautiful and luxurious and the staff amazingly friendly. I loved that it was adults only and small and intimate but found the wildlife to be more than I was really comfortable with. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you then definitely put this resort on your list. It is a great 5 star experience.
