The Cloud Forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica, is a fascinating place to visit. We came to this mountainous region mostly for the hikes, but also to learn more about the Costa Rican coffee, chocolate, and to discover the varieties of butterflies, birds and bats.
If Costa Rica’s high temperature isn’t your favourite thing, then Monteverde will be a haven for you. Moreover, families will definitely enjoy the cute little town and the friendly Ticos, which will make your trip to the Cloud Forest region a delight.
There are a lot of accommodation options in Monteverde, but not all are created equal. Our stay at Hotel El Bosque made our trip to the mountains a lot of fun, easy and stress-free.
Getting there
The only way to get to Monteverde is through dirt roads, so renting a 4WD is the best option. We drove a compact car, to save on the rental cost, and it all went very fine. It took us a little longer to travel, but that’s the journey that’s important, not the destination, don’t you agree?
In this case, though, the destination was one of the highlights of our trip!
Hotel El Bosque is located southeast of Santa Elena. It is easy to find with a map, or if you ask around.
The Hotel
Hotel El Bosque, which means “The Forest” is a family hotel that knows how to welcome families. The very friendly staff takes good care of everyone’s needs and desires.
Located right next to the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest, the hotel’s property offers beautiful gardens and a 5km of trails for hiking, bird watching in the morning, and nightly creepy crawling tours.
The property is designed to please everyone. From the kids’ play area, to the relaxing hammocks, the free wifi and the 5km of hiking trails, all family members wants to enjoy the amenities longer than they were planning to.
The breakfast area is definitely the gathering spot, with an overwhelming feeling of harmony with nature and relaxation.
The Rooms
Our family room was very spacious and spotless. All walls, and the high ceiling, built in dark wood give a warm feel to this mountain haven. Not all rooms have wooden walls, but all are a simple inviting haven for your family. We really appreciated the fridge, the comfortable beds and the closet area.
Surrounded by nature, all rooms offer a luxurious view of colourful flowers, breezy trees and exotic bird species. Of course, all guests have access to free wifi and breakfast, and tap water is potable.
The Food
The delicious breakfast prepared daily is offered from 6h30 to 8h30, at the restaurant located in the center of the property. I very much enjoyed my cup of coffee swinging in a hammock, on the deck of the breakfast area, watching the monkeys and birds in the massive tree overlooking it.
The fresh and mouthwatering wide choice of fruits was our favourite way to start the day. The yummy pancakes were Emma-Kate’s top choice every morning, while Clinton and myself preferred the tasty scrambled eggs, rice and toasts with jam.
Activities
Is there a better way to enjoy life than swinging in a hammock? I don’t think so! We even played bumping into each other, Emma-Kate and I… that was our morning routine, after breakfast. The play area was also a big hit with Emma-Kate.
We hiked Hotel El Bosque’s trails one afternoon, and it was a lot of fun to walk through a bamboo forest, then discover a plethora of birds in the tropical forest and a refreshing river to calm our tired feet and play in the mud.
In Summary
Hotel El Bosque is a nature retreat in the Cloud Forest, perfect for families. The convenience of having free wifi and breakfast, and the dedicated care of all family member is without a doubt what makes this hotel a haven, and not only another place to sleep.
Traveling around Costa Rica is a popular choice for discovering its precious fauna and flora, and Hotel El Bosque maximizes its offers to their guests by surrounding every room, every living area, designing every activity around nature.
Hotel El Bosque makes things easy and stress-free for families, and we thank them for that!
More information
Hotel: Hotel El Bosque
Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica
Accommodation: 3 Star
Price Range: $
We want to thank Hotel El Bosque for hosting us during our stay in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Hotel El Bosque didn’t ask me to write a positive review. All opinions are truly my own.
