Pensión y Cabinas Colibrí Monteverde B&B

The best part for me was the chance to experience local family life. The hosts are warm and welcoming, and you can practice your Spanish here since no one speaks or understands English. Breakfast, the best I had during two weeks of traveling in Costa Rica, is served in the family kitchen and prepared by Victor. He built the whole wooden compound himself. The younger kids play beneath your window, while Victor Jr. keeps a watchful eye on everything. He always looked angry to me, though I might have seen him smile once. Macha is the one running the show, a lively, very sweet and helpful woman who made all the decorations shown in other reviews. She recommended Manolo's seefood restaurant, which had reopened only two days before I arrived. It’s a 15-minute walk from the pensión, and the place didn’t look inviting, so I probably wouldn’t have tried it without Macha’s enthusiastic recommendation. It turned out to be the best meal of my two weeks in Costa Rica. They showed me the fish alive first, then cooked it and brought it out. It was delicious and reasonably priced at 9,000, which is rare in Costa Rica these days. I hope they keep the quality up and prices low, and improve the decor, though the baño looked cool 😃. It was only the second day after reopening, so we’ll see how things go. If comfort or even a little luxury is what you want, Pensión y Cabinas Colibrí will disappoint. The rooms are basic and small, the beds and pillows are very uncomfortable, and I’m not picky, I can sleep on my office floor when I’m tired. There’s no AC, and hot water is unpredictable, meaning a bit less cold than the cold water. Highway noise is bothersome, though it gets better after midnight. It pains me to say anything negative because the hosts are so kind and welcoming, but that’s the full picture. I was looking for adventure and had a blast, and you can too if you set the right expectations. P.S. The dog is called Max. The cat is sweet but shy and never introduced herself. Himself? I never saw him.

For what you get, this place should cost $15 a night. The rooms are tiny and extremely basic, the pillows feel like wood, and the main road nearby makes it very noisy. The people seem lovely and well intentioned, except for one grumpy man who walks around looking at you angrily. They don’t speak English here. For $10 more, you can stay closer to town and the attractions in a really nice place.

The rooms are all wood paneled, ornately decorated, and colorful, which made the whole stay a lovely experience. We stayed two nights at Matcha and Victor’s six-room motel/homestay. Victor is a number-one husband and made a wonderful breakfast. Matcha loves it when people compliment Victor. Be sure to try Matcha’s homemade pineapple/orange marmalade, it’s delicious. We cooked dinner and shared it with them. At the time of this review, Matcha’s hair was vino colored.

We were welcomed by a very friendly Costa Rican family at this clean, cute place. The delicious breakfast was typical pinto de gallo, served in the family’s main kitchen. There’s a beautiful tree outside and comfortable hammocks. We stayed one night in Monte Verde and would recommend it. I’d return if I’m ever back in the area. Muchas gracias por su hospitalidad Victor y familia.