My husband and I were scheduled to stay at Princesa de la Luna for two nights in January. We were definitely caught off-guard by the remoteness of the place and by the extreme poor condition of the road going up. When we arrived, Jonathan was asleep in his room and we didn't know where we needed to check in, so we entered the nearest structure and called out "hello?" We were greeted by a groggy man, dressed in filthy clothes, who had clearly been caught off guard by our arrival. A supposed explanation for his unpreparedness, he placed the blame on me for not emailing him our arrival time. He showed us to our room, which was nice enough; very large (overly so, with a lot of empty space), and then took us on a tour of the property. Everything, from the furniture to the building itself, seemed to be in a state of squalor or decay, and when we got to the kitchen that state of squalor was disgustingly apparent in dirty dishes and pans, insects co-mingling with rotting fruits on the counter, and stray cats on dirty countertops(I assume they are strays because when I asked Jonathan what the name was of one of the animals, he replied, "cat" before aggressively pushing it off the counter.)
I wouldn't have minded as much if the dirtiness had been confined to furniture and other common areas, but to see it in the kitchen was overwhelmingly off-putting. Paying over $100/night, you should not have to be confronted with your worst nightmare of a college boy bachelor pad gone awry (I indeed saw kitchens like this in college, but at least those were small-scale and I wasn't paying to eat food made in them.) When Jonathan asked us what we would be eating for dinner that night, I replied that I didn't have anything planned and I hadn't anticipated such a rough drive into town. Jonathan then told me that I should have let him know if we would be having meals at Princesa, re. an email that had been exchanged months prior that I hadn't replied to at the time. Jonathan, when you are running a business, sometimes you need to follow up. A week before our arrival, you could have checked in with us. I know it is annoying when people don't respond to the first email, but a follow-up is standard and necessary in these instances if you haven't heard back within an appropriate timeframe.
My husband and I took a short walk through the property, which is beautiful, and we spent some time on the deck overlooking (in the far distance) Arenal volcano. After reviewing our options, we decided that, as we were on our honeymoon, we would be upfront with situations that weren't satisfactory to us and would move on to another place. We told Jonathan, trying not to be offensive in explaining our reasoning for wanting to leave, as he is a nice enough man who just seems to be clueless on running a business in the thriving tourism industry of Costa Rica. My husband ended up saying, vaguely, "this place doesn't really have amenities we were looking for on our honeymoon." More honestly, we were both disgusted by the dirtiness- not "outdoor" induced dirtiness, as another reviewer said, but human-caused dirtiness that comes from neglect and not taking proper care of your property- that we encountered at nearly every turn at Princesa de la Luna.
The property has so much potential; the rainforest flora is spectacular, and the layout of the place is really unique and beautiful. My impression, however, is that Jonathan built the lodge and doesn't have the money to keep it up. Also, that he himself finds his surrounding state of squalor normal and acceptable, and he can't understand why other people do not feel the same. Upon us leaving, Jonathan said that he couldn't understand why; that this had never happened to him before. Reading other negative reviews of this place, I see that it has indeed happened with other guests. Reading the positive reviews, these travelers seem mostly to have been traveling in large groups; I can see how this would be fun, if approached like jungle camp for grownups, as long as travelers overlook the kitchen completely and justify the dirtiness as "rustic".
One positive: Jonathan did refund our deposit completely, for which I give him a lot of credit. Other proprietors we encountered on our trip would not have done this. Again, Jonathan is a nice and interesting person, but his lodge needs some major updates, cleaning, and he needs to learn how to interact with clients who are giving him their money with the expectation that they will in turn find lodgings that meet the standards of basic cleanliness, comfort, and professionalism.

The Princessa de la Luna is very well-located on the side of a hill accessible via a short car ride from the town of La Fortuna. The location is idyllic with a great view of the Arenal volcano, filled with a staggering range of flora, and a pathway down to a private pool complete with a nearby waterfall (there is also another waterfall further away on the property).

Jonathan, the owner, was very proactive and helpful in attending to our needs and requests, as were the rest of the staff. The truth be told, we began to view the Princessa as home towards the end of our stay and stayed a couple more days than originally intended.

I would recommend the Princessa highly to anyone open to new experiences and looking for off-the-beaten track B & B's to put their feet up at during their stay at La Fortuna.

We ended up staying an additional 2 nights based on how much we loved the place and perhaps more importantly, the people.

This lodge does THE single thing that would behoove all places in Costa Rica to do: let nature speak for itself. Princesa is teeming with plants, wildlife, and stunning views of the volcano. Princesa itself is not sanitized--you won’t find polished wood furniture with ridiculously chipper waitstaff. You will, however, find hammocks and no-frills curtains pulled back to show off the views. Princesa de la Luna is a lodge, in most every sense of the word: you have your large patios, communal eating spaces, and lounges.

But to call Princesa a simple lodge wouldn’t do the place justice—it’s also a home, if you open your heart to it. As cheesy as that might sound, it’s true. I wholly recommend diving headfirst into the experience and just treating the place as if it’s yours. Use the kitchen, stock up on beer or wine (and be willing to share, of course!) and leave a book or two in the lounge. The longer I stayed, the more magical the place became. I usually took a spot in the corner hammock and did some writing or meditating, and it was one of the most enjoyable ways to wake up. The views are incredible.

I’d recommend travelers think hard about what they want from their vacation before booking Princesa: Do you want an eco lodge where you’re part of nature and don’t mind bugs, or do you want to keep an arm’s length while the staff maintains a manicured landscape of it? Do you want a place that offers entertainment packages during your stay, or do you want a place to rest and relax after hitting hiking trails on your own? Do you want a full service menu and bar, or do you want to let the house cooks use available ingredients and surprise you with their creativity? It’s okay to prefer the first options, but if so, Princesa (and any other eco lodge, for that matter) is NOT for you.

As for Princesa’s staff, don’t expect to feel like a guest of the place. There are no wide-eared smiles and monosyllabic answers to questions. For this reason, expect to feel like a neighbor, friend, or long-lost visitor. Some people might not like this aspect: we do, as we’re the type to feel really awkward when we’re in places where the staff is more like a furniture fixture for our beck and call rather than a person with life experience to share. I was glad that on our first night, Jonathan sat up with us as we all exchanged stories. On the second night, we had a blast with the staff over some delicious dinner and drinks. It was so much fun to be in the kitchen trying to make a banana flower salad for the group (though um, that dish definitely won’t be on the menu any time soon)!

What we really liked about Princesa was the sense of family gained from staying here. There is something to love about every single person at Princesa, and it can be discovered over dinner, a walk near the poolside or while getting a ride into the city from Diego. We enjoyed learning about Jonathan's interesting life, Diego's ambitions to build homes, and meeting Maurene's lovely family.

The hospitality is exuded in unexpected ways. You won't have welcome cocktails, or a sign from the housekeeper thanking you for your stay. It's.. well, it's better than that. For instance, Jonathan loaned me a rain jacket for ziplining and actually cleaned my boots for me upon returning. Maurene is such a sweetheart and it was a ton of fun trying to converse with her in my terrible Spanish and her only-slightly-better English.

The place offers more activities than would meet the eye: There's the on-site hiking trails to the waterfall, walking into town (yes, we walked to La Fortuna and it was amazing walking through scenic valleys, cloud-covered mountains, cattle farms, over rushing rivers and fruit plantations), massages on the deck, etc. I'd recommend asking Jonathan what to do: he might send you to watch a game of football with the neighbors, arrange for a fishing trip with the Spanish-speaking locals, book a ziplining trip for you, take you for a fruit tree tour along the property... you never know!

Princesa definitely won't be for everybody. Some will be off-put by the bugs, or the dirty dishes, or the absence of housekeeping. But if you're looking for a gorgeous taste of Costa Rica complete with some really interesting personalities, I couldn't recommend this place more.

Princesa De La Luna, What can I say...One of the best experiences of my life. I have been to Costa Rica 7 times before and its the one country that keeps calling me back. I decided to show my love for this country by bringing some of the be
st people in the world, my friends! So there are 11 of us driving up this bumpy dirt road, just outside one of my favorite cities, La Fortuna. We arrive to a sign that points to Princesa De La Luna and we take that path. The path is a small road covered in beautiful plants and flowers...it looks amazing! We arrive to a driveway and to the left is the main part of the lodge, in front is one of the cabins attached to the main lodge and to the right are 2 other separate cabins. There are 2 levels to the main lodge. The bottom level is a huge lounge area with a stereo, comfy seats, great for hanging out...you step down a couple steps from the main lounging area and thats where you will find a beautiful old school, all natural HUGE kitchen area with a wood burning fire pit, stove, sink, over and refrigerator, along with every other kitchen item you may need. Just past that is this amazing dining room area with an adoreable bar area. All of this is surrounded by rainforest. All out in the open, at one with nature. Just past the dining area is a natural jacuzzi surrounded by the rainforest. AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL. On the second level there are 2 huge bedrooms, not attached both leading out onto a deck overlooking the rainforest and the famous Arenal Volcano. There are swings, lounge chairs, leather couches.. beautiful area to hang out in. There are a total of 5 bedrooms. 2 which are attached to the main lodge and 3 which are separate from the house. Each room has a couple of beds and each has its own bathroom and shower. The second level has an outside shower, facing the rainforest... that was the shower we used the most, it was awesome! The first level has an additional bathroom and shower. And this is just the lodge. On the property you have acres of rainforest. We hiked to a waterfall which was so beautiful. It was about a 10-15 minute hike and there was also a pool as well which is a natural spring fed pool. The property is stunning and just walking around during the day you will find all kinds of treasure, flora, fauna and all kinda of wildlife. Not to mention Paco, the dog, who lives at the property and will be your best little snuggle partner. With all this being said, my favorite part of Princesa De La Luna is the owner and the neighbors there. We met Johnathan the first night and were amazing at what a very sweet down to earth person he is. The next morning, the neighbors (staff) came in to cook us all breakfast. The food was delicious and they were so kind and so sweet. It felt like home instantly. We were there a total of 5 days, over Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving we asked all the neighbors, friends I have in town and Johnathan to please come and join us. It was absolutely on of the most heart felt moments of my life. We were all cooking, cleaning, enjoying each others company...Even with the slight language barrier for some of us, it felt like we were family. We all ate together and it was beautiful. The next night, they all came and made us an amazing dinner which we all sat and had together. Johnathan, the owner of the lodge, was so helpful and kind. It is amazing to see him help the local community-so much humanity. Its not something you see in the US all that often. By the time we had to leave, we were all teary eyed. It was so hard to leave what had become our home in just 5 short days. We fell in love with the people..the kids.. the neighbors, the house.. the rainforest. Ive been back for a few days now and I am missing it so much! Princesa De La Luna is magical to us. Our friendships have grown stronger, it changed us. The place is perfect for those who want a REAL Costa Rican experience. Perfect for groups of people who want a few different common areas to hang out it and also have privacy in their personal rooms. A Huge Thank YOU to everyone at Princesa De La Luna for changing our lives! We love you :)