Nepenthe B&B — Hotel in La Fortuna

We had a lovely stay at Nepenthe. The staff were incredibly helpful and hospitable. The breakfast provided every morning was wonderful. The views truly cannot be captured in photos (we tried but nothing is quite the same).||||The staff arranged some tours for us upon arrival. In retrospect I regretted doing this. I don't feel that the details of the arrangements were clearly communicated to me. As a result we rushed to things that in truth had no time restrictions/time scheduled but were late to other activities that had hard and fast start times. ||||The value for money was great. We had a hard time finding places in this area that had a separate bedroom from living space that didn't cost a fortune. Nepenthe provided ample space and comfort a very reasonable price. ||||We stayed in family room which worked well for us (we were traveling with our baby and toddler). The set up was a bit odd, there was a queen sized bed right as you walk in the door next to the kitchen and the first bathroom. There is a dividing curtain you can pull across to separate the bed from the living room. The living room is a decent size with a small futon couch that could sleep a child or very small adult in a pinch. Past the living room is the separate bedroom (this one has a door) with its own bathroom. There is a small wrap around patio with hanging chairs and amazing views of the mountain side. ||||Somethings to note: ||1) No AC only ceiling and pillar fans (we were comfortable when we stayed in May but I think in hotter months this might be a deal breaker for some people.)||2) Some of the screens at small holes that allowed insects in. This meant we couldn't open up the windows for more ventilation. ||3) You need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to access this place. It is really up on a hillside and the paving leaves something to be desired. It was unseasonably dry when we were there so we had no problems but if it were really raining hard I don't know if we could have...

We had a great stay at Nepenthe!! The location is on the southwest side of Arenal so it's closer to the hiking trails (1968, Observatory Lodge, etc) than it is the town of La Fortuna, but you still get to all the main activities including the hot springs within 30 minutes. We stayed in Villa 7 which is nicknamed the "Hidden Villa" and it has amazing views! If you can stay in this one, it is highly recommended. the views of Arenal Lake and the surrounding hills are amazing. We saw all sorts of different birds and animals every time we looked.||The restaurant onsite, The Phoenix, is really great! Breakfast is included in the room price and there are a few options to choose from. We didn't eat lunch there, but did eat dinner there every night and we were not disappointed. A good mix of local Costa Rican dishes as well as some more "kid friendly" options like pizza and pasta.||We really didn't have anything bad to say about the stay, but the only thing to be aware of is the drive up the hill to get to the hotel is not for the faint of heart. Once you do it once, it gets easier, but the first time up it's highly recommended to do in daylight. We did not have a 4x4 and made it up with no issue, but our rental car did have fairly high clearance which came in handy. There are a few spots where some concrete tracks were laid down to make things easier. Use those, take the turns wide, and don't be afraid to accelerate uphill and you'll...

Super scenic location with friendly staff. I am going to start by saying we enjoyed our time here and the staff did as much as they could given the weather lately. We arrived after a long drive and the property had no power. We were told this is not normal and was due to a tree fall. Power was on the next morning but out again the next night as well as during the following day. This made things hard as the property is removed from town (30 minutes) and the lack of power makes it hard to charge phones and other devices needed to navigate and book excursions. There was no communication from the office about the power outages after we checked in. The restaurant stayed open no matter the conditions and provided amazing services every time we visited. The included Breakfast from our booking was delicious. The room was nice with a good view. The shower could used a new shower head - and there are some other little touch ups that could be taken care of. The weather did not allow us to take advantage of the pool but it was very nice and has an amazing view of the lake from the top of the property. I highly recommend having a car if you stay here to make it easy to get to the action in la fortuna and 4x4 would be best. Overall a good option for those looking to stay close to the lake and still easily...