Every bungalow consists of one or two bedrooms with private bathroom and a terrace. The four-person bungalows have a living room with a fully equipped kitchen. All the rooms offer a spectacular view of the valley with its cloud forest covered mountains. A walking trail system provides access to the nearby nine hectare private cloud forest reserve; some bungalows are only 50 meters away, others are inside the forest.

Terrace

Every bungalow has its own terrace situated at the southwest side, combining the warmth of the sun in this temperate climate with a view that enables you to oversee the valley and primary forest. Ideal for bird watching from a comfortable chair. The terrace is covered so that neither fog nor rain will disturb you.

Bedrooms

All the bedrooms offer a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. Large glass windows, some 6 meters wide, give you the impression of sleeping in the forest itself, under the brightest stars. All Standard rooms have queen-sized beds, goose-feather duvets, heating, mini bar, coffeemaker, Satellite TV, Jacuzzi, hairdryer and safe deposit box.


Living room (four-person bungalows)

There is a lounge with electric heating, a satellite television and an enormous window that enables you to view spectacular sunsets. Next to the dining table there is a fully equipped open kitchen, with stove, coffeemaker, fridge and warm water, for those who want to prepare something on their own

Suite

The Suite is larger and has additional to the standard rooms a fireplace, a sunken Jacuzzi with two large windows and a private forest garden with its own trail. Breakfast will be served in the Suite, on it’s terrace or in your little private forest garden.

Restaurant services

We provide breakfast à la carte, which is included in our rates, from 7 A.M. onwards in our light-filled dining room or in the early morning sun on the terrace. Lunch can also be consumed at our restaurant. For dinner there is a typical Costa Rican restaurant with very good local food just 500 meters up the road. It is possible to order dinner to be served at your own bungalow.

Pick-nick

If you want to take the lunch with you on a walk or trip, just let us know, we prepare delicious lunches in an old-fashioned pick-nick basket to take with you.

Playground

For families with children we have besides special rates and 4-person bungalows also a playground in the open air, so parents can sit at a table enjoying the beautiful view, while the children play next to them.

Tours

We offer tours in the surroundings with our own English speaking guides. Don’t miss our quetzal and bird-watching tours, furthermore the are excursions to the surrounding National Parks (Los Quetzales and Tapanti), the Cerro de la Muerte (Costa Rica’s second highest peak with its unique Paramo vegetation and amazing views) or a ride on horseback to the waterfalls. If you want to make a reservation in advance (recommended) we can send you our rates. Otherwise just ask at the reception upon arrival.

Laundry service

Washing, Drying and Ironing
Delivered before 11 AM ready before 7 PM same day
Delivered after 11 AM ready next day before 10 AM
In your Lodge you can find a laundry bag to put your clothes in, and a check-list.

Massages

We offer massages in your bungalow, day and night, seven days a week. All massages include consultancy and nutritional information. Jocelyne Veilleux, our therapist, speaks fluently English, Spanish and French. It is recommended to make a reservation at least two days in advance.

Trails

Our nine hectare private cloud forest reserve has an ideal trail system for bird-watching and the lodges are directly connected to these trails. The trails are made in the most natural way to minimize the impact on the forest and its inhabitants. Our forest is under protection of the Minae and only visitors staying at our lodge have access to the forest.

Almost 4 km of trails guides you through different types of primary forest with a crystal clear mountain stream, as well as various stages of regenerating forest. Orchids are flowering in the rainy season (August-November) and the beginning of the dry season (December-January). Many green bromeliads thrive on the forest floor while the red ones crown the canopy some 40 meters above you in this realm of the Quetzals.

Bird watching

Over 80 bird species have been counted in this region, most of them you can encounter just walking on the trails or sitting comfortable on your terrace overseeing the nearby canopy and the adjacent mountains. Here you will find yourself in the clouds, with parakeets and hawks flying below you. The different primary forest types as well as the stages of regenerating forest alternated with clearings make this area ideal for bird watching. We provide Quetzal-tours into the valley.

The birds

The reason for many to visit the cloud forest or even Costa Rica is to see a glimpse of the Resplendent Quetzal. But the forest has a lot more to offer; red-tailed hawks, acorn woodpeckers and long-tailed silky flycatchers rest in the canopies of the old oaks, wood-quails walk in front of you on the trails, black guans and emerald toucanets move through the dense vegetation just above you and mixed flocks of treerunners, flycatchers and redstarts surround you. And this all accompanied by the beautiful metallic sound of the black-faced solitaire.

Have a look at the bird-checklist of this region.

Mammals

A variety of mammals can be found here, although it is not that easy to see them. The diversity of species, especial the larger ones, is possible thanks to the interconnection of the many national parks and reserves in the region.

In this way the Los Santos Forest Reserve is connected directly to the cloud forest corridor that reaches from Cartago in the Central Valley to the Barú Volcano in Panama. This allows you to encounter species like the tapir, cougar, peccary, ocelot and deer in this region. But you are more likely to see porcupines, squirrels, capuchin monkeys or tayras.

In the valley

For most people it is almost a must to see the Quetzal. We offer tours with the best guides in the valley to spot them, normally early in the morning. But with a bit of luck you can see them from the lodges or walking on the trails anytime of the day.

The road continues downhill for another 6 kilometers. At the end starts a trail that brings you to the most beautiful waterfall of the valley, through lush lower montane forest. The hike is not too easy and will take at least 3 hours. There are some nice trails in this lower region with beautiful fern-trees. The presence of some restaurants makes it ideal to combine this day-trip with a fresh apple or peach juice.

 

Around San Gerardo de Dota

Following the Pan-American Highway a few kilometers towards San Isidro, you can visit the Paramo vegetation of the Cerro the la Muerte. From here you can see spectacular sunrises and on a clear morning it is possible to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

Less than an hour from here you reach San Isidro del General, a small and pleasant town, although it is the biggest in Southern Costa Rica. Nearby San Gerardo de Rivas is the starting point for walking up the Chiripó, highest peak in the country.

From San Isidro it is only 40 minutes more to reach to Pacific coast (from the lodges it is a 1.5 - 2 hours drive) at Dominical. Make sure to visit the nearby Parque Nacional de Ballenas.

From San Gerardo towards San Jose there are some private forest reserves worth visiting, like Madre Selva, Yök Ami or Finca Eddy Serrano. Within an hour you reach the Central Valley, with the main cities San José, Cartago, Heredia y Alajuela and the Poas and Irazú volcanoes.

While staying at our lodges we are happy to provide you with information.