Hotel MontaE-a de Fuego

The free night walks were a lovely touch, and the staff were so friendly. We had a great time soaking in the hot springs while it rained, and even tried the volcanic mud treatment at no charge. Breakfast was fantastic, and the restaurant portions were generous and delicious. Our superior bungalow more than lived up to expectations. From its balcony, the volcano and the property looked spectacular. We spotted frogs, monkeys, flying turkeys, basilisk lizards, toucans, plenty of other birds, and lots of plant life around the grounds. We also hiked down to the Arenal River and saw waterfalls on the property. A small tip: we put a towel along the bottom of the door at night to keep bugs out. Once we did that, we had no trouble. We loved our stay and would recommend it to anyone hoping to enjoy Costa Rica's rainforest, wildlife, and scenery while relaxing.

If birds and wildlife are what you're here for, this place is hard to beat. We spent four nights and saw toucans, kiskadees, hummingbirds everywhere, grackles, Montezuma oropendulas, parakeets, howler monkeys, a sloth, green tree frogs and other frogs after dark, a vine snake, and loads of insects on the night walk. We even saw more wildlife on the hotel's nearly daily free night walks than we did on a separate night walk tour. There are trails through the rainforest behind the hotel, and the thermal pools are lovely. The rooms, though, are very old-fashioned and dim, with little furniture beyond a bed, TV, table, and curtains. Privacy is limited unless you keep the curtains closed, and there is no room service. The service we received was nice, and breakfast is included and was pretty good each morning. Outside amenities are great, but don't expect a resort-style room. There’s a resident cat named Pepe who wanders around during breakfast hoping for eggs and ham. He's cute, and I liked that he could roam freely, but I wish staff looked after him more and kept him clean and combed. He seemed in poor shape, even though staff often see him.

The Christmas dinner was the big disappointment for us. It was mandatory, and we had to pay $80 USD per person in advance without knowing what we'd be getting. The food was okay, neither great nor awful, but at best it felt like a $30 meal. Drinks weren't included and service was barely there. Paying $320 for dinner felt like a complete rip-off, since we could have had a lovely meal at a very nice restaurant for that amount. When I raised it at checkout, the woman said she'd “make a report.” I couldn't see what good that would do. The restaurant was otherwise good, though breakfast overlooking the ATV area wasn't relaxing. Our room was clean, if a little dated, and at least one of our rooms had that dated feel. Staff were friendly. The hotel was nice enough overall, but that dinner left a bad impression.

Fernando, Jorge, Leah, Joaquin, Luis, and Justin all made us feel like friends. They were excellent and always helped with a smile. The property itself is beautiful, with lots of amenities, a great location for excursions, and a lovely view of the volcano. We also enjoyed the food and drinks.