Leaves & Lizards was a great place to stay - very warm family feeling and a great experience. Definitely having a car and GPS is extremely helpful to put the longitude/latitude coordinates in to get to it! We were happy to have our 4 wheel drive as well as the roads are quite the obstacle. The drive is worth it to get to this secluded little place - an eco-friendly stay with wonderful food/views and many birds to enjoy.
For the common area/meals: We loved the breakfasts - watching the birds while enjoying the fresh fruit and food so wonderfully prepared by the cook. It was a little cloudy so only one day we saw the volcano fully, however, it is still such a beautiful view. The open-style room, the amazing lizard painted on the wall - I loved it! This was the only place we were able to receive internet since it wasn't available in our cabin (Monkey) but to us this wasn't a huge deal. The dinners were good as well - depending on how many people are staying you may have a sort of family style dinner with everyone while you are there.
We also enjoyed getting up early to help milk the cow - Carlos was very nice to us even though we weren't the best at it. The waterfall horseback ride was out of this world...Oscar and Carlos helped out with the horses, showed us many things in the forest, and we loved the secluded little gem of a waterfall we were able to enjoy.
Although we had a tough time finding the Hot Springs (Eco Terminales) at dark - we loved experience (I will write another view on their site). We also visited the Hanging Bridges which were OK although there was so many tourists there as it significantly slowed us down and Arenal Volcano - again just OK but we were not able to go up as high as we thought we'd be able to go.
We unfortunately missed the owners due to a family situation in the US but extremely enjoyed our stay and would recommend the hotel to anyone with similar goals on their vacation - non touristy spots, good food/good relaxation and wildlife.
- Also Known As:
- Leaves And Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat Hotel
- Leaves And Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat Hotel La Fortuna De San Carlos
- Leaves And Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat Costa Rica/Arenal Volcano National Park
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
-
This secluded resort is located on 26 acres with spectacular viewing of the Arenal Volcano near La Fortuna. Enjoy the panoramic vista of Arenal and Cerro Chato from a hammock on your porch or from your comfortable, orthopedic, queen sized beds with Egyptian cotton sheets. Meals prepared using locally grown ingredients at the Lava Lizard on-site dining facility. Guests are invited to help with daily 'chores' on this working farm. Milk a cow, collect eggs for breakfast or groom a horse. Enjoy private horseback riding, professional guide service, on site spa and 2 km of on site nature trails. The vision at Leaves and Lizards is to create the perfect blend of adventure, discovery and tranquility for each guest.
...
more
less