Monteverde Lodge Review, Costa Rica

From La Paloma Lodge in the Osa Peninsula, I headed to Monteverde Lodge via a plane and road transfer. After my stay at La Paloma I had high expectations about the next location that Costa Rica Expeditions had recommended.

Fortunately my expectations were met. The lodge was in a good location just on the edge of town with easy access to a supermarket (which I used to grab some snacks) and coffee shops (including one that I had lunch at one day). The lodge was surrounded by a well-maintained garden and on the edge of the garden was the rainforest.

The temperature was great – not too hot or cold. Rain would come and go as you would expect in a rainforest. The one surprise was the wind which was non-stop. This was an odd experience high winds make me think of a coming storm whereas here they're normal and mean nothing.

The staff at Monteverde Lodge were great with the woman (I've forgotten her name) at reception a real standout for being helpful and patient. The room I got was clean and comfortable with nice balcony overlooking the rainforest. For me, this sort of arrangement is paradise. The only surprise, and I don't mean this as a negative in any way, is that a scorpion had decided to settle into the folds of the curtains. No problem though, the front desk sent a couple of guys over with a glass to scoop it up. It looked easy when they did, but I had never dealt with scorpions before so I was happy to have someone else handle it.

Some of the activities I signed up for included a guided walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a night hike into the nearby Ecological Sanctuary, and a trip to the Frog Pond (a series of terrariums reproducing the environment for the frogs each contained.

Breakfasts were made to order and were very tasty, but as is typical with Costa Rica the options were similar to what you'd find in North America e.g. eggs, pancakes, french toast.

Monteverde Lodge was also very quiet. I didn't hear other guests at night (even though I typically go to bed early in preparation of early morning hikes). Nor did I hear the rain or wind neither of which are a problem during the day, but can make for a fitful night for me. Curiously I'm actually pretty sure I don't have perfect hearing and yet sounds at night always seem loud to me.

So Monteverde Lodge gets a thumbs-up for me and Costa Rica Expeditions once again lives up to expectations.