Trapp Family Lodge — Hotel in Monteverde

This place could feature in ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, ‘The Shining’, ‘Salem’s Lot’ or any other horror film of your choosing. ||The place seems nice enough on entry up the massively steep driveway into the property but once you step inside that’s where Wes Craven starts…||What looks like Count Dracule’s relatives work in reception and give off a creepy vibe as has been mentioned already elsewhere.||No offer of a cold drink (or anything else) on arrival. ||After the standard ‘room’s not ready’ act, we were eventually shown into ours - our collective jaws hit the floor on entry. I don’t think any semblance of any upgrade, maintenance or lick of paint has been witnessed in that room since the asteroid hit; dark, gloomy, depressing and howling wind blowing through 1930s windows and the roof - which felt like it was going to blow off any second, every second. It is also very cold in there. Always.||The colour tone of the room is dark- very dark - with dark blue carpet to boot (!).||Every item of furniture is probably what your great great, great grandma threw out all those years ago. Well, they’ve been rescued here.||The room also had a weird ‘feeling’ to it - like something bad had happened there years ago that we will never find out about.||Given its location on the hills, it is VERY VERY windy and damp (to be somewhat expected). But the howling wind was very much not kept at bay due to the poor windows and general build of the place.||The wind and therefore the noise coming into the room and the roof banging all night is quite something. Not the best tonic for a good night’s rest. It was constant. As in, all night.||Bathroom facilities are what you’d expect in post war Soviet Russia - very functional with zero charisma.||Breakfast is in another building a short walk away and was actually ok. Staff really nice here and breakfast is a la carte with a few good options and hot drinks and juice.||The lodge is literally the last building before the cloud forest at the top of the never ending hill, ergo you are miles away from the town centre. Or anything else. You can pay for an overpriced cab there and back (10 mins) or get an Uber. (Uber still new here and only a couple operate- we got lucky and he was a super friendly guy who gave us some solid restaurant recommendations).||This place was recommended to us by our travel agent (a well known brand name) and I will 100% be feeding this info back to them - quite what they are thinking by using this place I have no idea.||Save yourself the aggro, stay in town and deal with getting up the hill to the cloud forest on the day of your tour. At least you can walk around town, have a coffee, dinner whatever you want.||To say I would absolutely avoid this place like the plague is an understatement.||Avoid at all costs.||Sorry for sitting...

We had a very nice stay at this hotel and I would recommend it, if this is the type of experience you are looking for. There is nothing at all wrong with this lodging, but we had just come from a luxury resort in La Fortuna, so for us it was quite a change from that. Not bad...just very different. First, the location is reasonably remote. We were on shared transport and were the very last ones dropped off. This location was both good and bad for us. We were so close to the Monte Verde Cloud Forest Reserve you could almost walk there. The view from our room was beautiful, and the surroundings were peaceful and quiet. Getting into town on the other hand was a bit more challenging because you are about a mile or so back, up (up,up) a bumpy dirt road. I walked down to Monte Verde once, and once only. Taxis were about $15 each way from Sta. Teresa, which was sort of a touristy town and not really what we were hoping for. The events the hotel will book for you often provide transportation, sometimes for free, or for a better price than taxis. I would say this is a good location over all. Just be aware of where you will be. It is pretty, but a little remote.| The hotel itself was nice. It was not luxurious, but that is not the experience they are catering to here. They have three different buildings you can stay in; the main lodge, which also has reception and a restaurant, and then two lodging buildings up above on the hill. You have to walk up a reasonably steep covered ramp to get to those. We stayed in a Mountain Suite room in the top building. It was worth the walk up because the view from the room is pretty. Just be aware, it is a pretty steep walkway and you are at altitude. The furniture and the bathroom look a little dated, but they are perfectly adequate. The king bed in this room was the most comfortable bed we had during our entire visit to CR. | The whole staff was wonderful to us. They were all kind, friendly and seemed dedicated to helping us have a good experience staying in their hotel. (Pura Vida!) The breakfast they serve, in a separate, dedicated building just above the lodge, was delicious. You can choose from several different pre-set meals offered from a menu. Everything we tried was tasty, fresh and served promptly by cheerful staff. We also ate two dinners in the handsome restaurant (and bar) in the main lodge. (Lunch also offered) The food there was very good too. We liked the sea bass (served two ways) and also enjoyed burgers, a club sandwich and a Casado. I would recommend you try at least one meal here, especially if you don't feel like taking the trip down to Monte Verde/ Sta. Teresa.| We had a very nice stay here at Trapp Family Lodge and I would definitely recommend this hotel to you. We were glad this was our "base camp" for exploring...

My wife and I stayed here for 1 night, on March 23, 2021. Well, what you're expecting is definitely going to impact what you think of the place. If you want a 2021 Mercedes, then this isn't the place. If you want a 2005 Toyota FJ, this may be it. We loved the ambience here. Although located directly off of a main drag, the lodge was cozy and felt nice and secluded. There is no view of the cloud forest - at least from where we were. Our room and terrace looked out over the pool and the grounds, which have several wonderful ancient trees, packed with plant life and diversity. If you look and see "some trees," as other reviewers have, that might not appeal to you. As of when we were there, the owners are on the premises and actively work on the premises. We had a lengthy conversation with Nubel and Karin Trapp. Lovely people. We had dinner there the night we arrived, and it was very good and not expensive. A great value. The free breakfast was wonderful. It was not busy, so had personalized table service. Pinto (rice and beans), scrambled eggs, orange juice, toast, mango and pineapple jam, coffee, tea. All of it, excellent. We thought the value here was excellent. Our room was pleasant and clean. No odors at all. Shower worked great. Switches and power outlets easily accessible. Wi-Fi strong and fast. Bedding, linens, blankets well provisioned. Here are some caveats, as, reading through the reviews, I can see that some people are rather picky and are expecting 5 star hotel accommodations (no coffee in room, no view of mountains, dinner service closes at 8): The rooms do not have climate control. No A/C, no Heat. If you prefer your space in the world to be 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit in every nook and cranny, consider staying at the Hilton. The bed was large, but firm. If you sleep on a number-control mattress and cannot tolerate variation, Hilton. Kitchen closes at 8. People. 8. Not 6. The owners are owners/operators. If you simply must have a full meal at 10 pm, consider the Hilton - there is a Chuck-E-Cheese within walking distance that's open to 3 a.m. Second to last, the main drag leading to the Lodge is a parking lot at the end of the work day, when we arrived. I'd suggest calling to get the best times to pull in. Lastly, they request that you don't fire toilet paper down the toilet. Yes, that's going to be a little different for most of us from the U.S. But the septic/sewer systems in Costa Rica are all a challenge to maintain, so do your part - not a big deal at the end of the day. We thought this was a great value, we really enjoyed the immediate environment, and we thought the food was a great value. We will...