Our room was broken into and the safe as well, $$$ and computer stolen. Inside job say the police and all others. Management was new, BEAUTIFUL PLACE if they fire the manager, employees OK, though I believe some of them were on the take also. Rooms do not have anything but a door-knob lock, easily gotten past.

We heard this was a wonderful spot and the only room available to our agent was a "family suite". We agreed, and when we got up the long. steep winding road were thrilled with the beauty of the property. When we were taken to our room ( a small cottage) above the main lodge, we we horrified. It was a dank, aged unit with 2 small bedrooms with old cot type beds, small, clean, but grubby bath rooms with a connecting kitchen area. There was no view and no outside seating area.I am 75 with some walking issues and did not feel that I could walk up and down the steep hill to the lodge. I also did not want to spend even a night there. We walked down to the main lodge, carfully using our trekking poles, and asked if there was a unit in the main building. We were given a wonderful room, with a balcony overlooking the volcano. There were several other cottages on the property. I don't know if they were all as "rustic".There is a free morning nature walk around the property and free horseback riding.
The lodge is old, but very charming. It might be best suited to younger people, but we enjoyed it very much. It is a longish drive down the hill to get to the area attractions. The $160ish rate was fine for the lodge, but exhorbitant for the cabin.The full hot breakfast, included, was excellent, and other meals were good too.

Our family stayed here in January 2013 and we had a fantastic time! It was so lovely to be up in the jungle and on the mountain. It made the view of the volcano not only clear but also quiet (there really are no roads nearby)! What you get instead of roads is parrots who visit the deck and other animals that wander through the green space in front of the hotel. You really could sit on your deck all day and just watch and read and be quite content...however if you wanted to explore, there are some great little hikes and our kids had a great time riding the horses.

The staff are wonderful and we loved it here!

After a long drive from the Caribbean coast, my wife and I took the road up the mountain to the lodge, and when we were greeted by the sign that said: "You made it!" we immediately felt welcome. Rebecca, the receptionist emphasised that feeling with a welcome drink and an absolutely beautiful smile.

Some comments about the other reviews I've read here: I have no idea if the clock, coffee maker or tv worked. Never used them. We never had any problem getting coffee at the lodge, and I didn't come there for the tv or especially the clock. We slept so soundly that it took some howler monkeys to wake us up. The sound of a nighthawk lulled us to sleep on a bed that I describe as good as my home. Our shower gel and shampoo dispenser was also not marked but is that really a problem worth mentioning? The shampoo is (usually) golden in color and the shower gel a different color.(here it was blue) One squeeze into your hand would reveal that.

The shower was huge (We mean huge) and bright and clean. We didn't look for and therefore didn't see any missing trim etc. The water stream was strong and hot and a refreshing way to start the day. A short walk to the main lodge for a delicious breakfast in a room that overlooked the Arenal Volcano was the highlight of the trip for us. What an unbelievable view! And to make the whole picture even more beatiful, birds everyhere. The feeding platforms maintained by the staff atracted the most beautiful and colorful birds...more than we saw in 2 treks into the rain forest.

We ate lunch and dinner in the hotel 4 times. Each meal was delicious. The service is impeccable and the quality excellent. We also ate at several local restaurants and they served very good food, but none had the view that the lodge did. This was our 3rd trip to Costa Rica and our most enjoyable. You can tell that this is a family owned lodge. The attitude of the staff (as well as their command of English) was very impressive.

This trip so exceeded our expectations that we are already planning another trip here again, there is still so much to see and do.