Although most people offer brilliant reviews of Los Altos, I have mixed feelings.

First, understand that this is an inn not a hotel or resort, so this will have its drawbacks or strengths depending on what you’re looking for.

1. Meals: since this is a small place, these are scheduled, so if you get hungry at any time other than scheduled meal time, you’ll have wait till the next meal, ask for a smoothie (which are delicious by the way.) or make do with left-overs I think of eating left-overs as a way to not be wasteful back home, but if I’m away on vacation, it’s just not appealing, especially if I’m paying the price Altos charges!
Also, no seconds. Los Altos seems to be health-conscious so if you want to limit your portions, this is a good place, but if you want to indulge every now and then, chances are there won’t be enough for seconds, although you will want some seeing as though the food is really good. You’ll be eating with others, which again, might be fun to socialize but if you want privacy, you’re out of luck.
2. Communication: this was my biggest gripe with this place. There is no one manning the phones at all times so if you’re in town trying to get in touch with them, good luck! You have to plan ahead the time you want to be picked up, so you have to hurry up and get what you want done before it’s time for them to pick you up. You may as well say you have a curfew because after about 8:30 or 9pm, they stop making trips to town. I guess you can pay for a cab, but if they say they drive you everywhere, why should you pay for a cab? It’s up to you to decide though if this would be an issue for you.

The biggest problem came though because my husband and I rented a car. We like to be independent and not be bound by scheduled trips. Needless to say, we don’t like to hang out at a resort or inn all day, we want to get out and experience the places we visit. Well, on the first day I called and scheduled a time for a driver to meet us in town so he could lead us to Los Altos. I spoke to them in Spanish so there was no language barrier.

We were running late so we tried calling, for 2 hours before someone picked up!!! Granted, we didn’t sit by a phone and called consecutively for the entire 2 hours, but we shouldn’t have to. We finally got to the place 2 and ½ hours after we had arrived in town. I was already aggravated at the place, but was pleasantly greeted by Leo when we got there. Leo is the absolute best hostess you will ever meet. She is absolutely and genuinely, and wonderfully awesome!

On our second night there, we tried to schedule a time for someone to meet us in town again, to lead us back to the inn. Mind you, you need someone to lead you because the way to Los Altos from Tamarindo is about a 20 minute terrifying windy, unpaved, unlit, uphill journey with absolutely no signage. None! Well, no one showed up to get us, so we waited for an hour and then decided to venture out and see if we could find the place and manage to not fall into a ditch on the way, because there are many. It is scary driving. After lots of guessing which way we should be going and not to mention sweat, we found the place, but I was so upset I was ready to go. I left a note on the desk for the morning person telling them that we were checking out. My husband took the note away because he said I should calm down before I made a decision, but that just got us into our first fight as a married couple. Not what I was hoping for at the place “somewhere between heaven and earth”.

But yes, the service is unequalled, the food is excellent (although expensive compared to other third world countries we’ve visited) and the view is beautiful. We ended up staying just because we didn’t want the hassle of looking for another place and I ended up enjoying myself the rest of the time I was there.

All in all, I think this would be a fun place to stay with family or friends. It’d be like renting out a cabin on a hilltop with a cooking and cleaning staff (they wash your clothes for you –real nice!). Plan on a relaxing time, somewhat secluded.

Words cannot describe Los Altos. This is a 5 star hidden gem. From the moment we were picked up at the airport to the moment we were dropped off, the service was outstanding. Not only were we waited on hand and foot, the staff booked day trips and provided any information we needed on things to do.

The hotel (more of a B&B feel) was over the top in quality and cleanliness. The bed sheets are a higher thread count and all rooms have AC. The hotel has only 5 rooms, all of which over look the pool and an insane view of the rain forests and ocean.

In the cost of the room, breakfast and lunch are included. The kitchen staff are locals, so the food is not only regional, but the type of cooking you would expect from your grandmother. Water, soda, beer, and wine are unlimited (and trust me, you barely finish one drink before they bring you another).

Their spa is the best I have EVER experienced, and trust me, I have been to a lot of spas. It is an open air spa (private of course) over looking the rain forest and ocean. There is also a work out center, yoga studio, and 3K walking trail on the property.

The one thing with Los Altos, as with all of Costa Rica, is the roads. Be prepared for the bumpiest ride of your life. Not to mention the cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, monkeys, toucans, frogs, lizards, and other wild life that you will see (sometimes just sitting in the road looking at you) on your ride up to Los Altos.

It was the best part of our trip to Costa Rica! The personal service and food were exceptional !!!!! You must do the sunset couples massage and dinner at least one night of your stay. We loved the rooms.. the smoothies... the views... I would go back today if I could :)

My new wife and I stayed at Los Altos de Eros the week of the 9th 2008 and we loved every minute of it! We wanted try to soak in as much of the culture and country of Costa Rica as we could in 12 days so we spilt the time up between a large beach front resort and Los Altos. Although we enjoyed our stay at the resort, upon arriving at Los Altos, we decided that we should have spent all of our time there. The staff are some of the nicest people we have ever met, the setting is absolutely breath taking and the hotel itself is indescribable. The spa is fantastic.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked attributes of the hotel is the availability of a staff that genuinely wants the guests to have the best time of their life and they will do almost anything to ensure that happens. Leo, Ari and Luse anticipate the needs of the guests and take pride in the opportunity to provide complete stangers an experince they will remember. During one of the many late night parties/conversations with Calvin and the other guests, we concluded that being a guest at Los Altos is like staying at a friends house; it is very comfortable, intimate and everyone in the place loves life. This is the only place I have stayed that I looked for an excuse to come back as soon as possible.

As a feable attempt to summarize Los Altos, the hotel is very simple, immaculate and well done and for those who want to get away from the gimmicks of resorts and have something that is refined and intimate, there is no better place on earth than Los Altos.

Stephanie and I thank everyone at Los Altos for giving so much generosity, hospitality and friendship. Please know that we will always remember your smiling faces and wonderful country.

-Kyler

kyler.kanady@gmail.com