Obviously this place is great. Unique, all though I do not recommend reading every single review (keep reading mine, though) and looking at every single picture...that takes some of the fun out of it.

There are a few things I know we'll do differently if I ever return, so I will tell all you future Team Eros members now.

First we would stay on the property more. The grounds are great, it is the most luxurious and relaxing spot you will find on your vacation. You are paying a lot of money for a reason. I wish I didn't try to think of excursions or trips everyday. The most fun we had during the trip were on the days we stayed and swam, ate, napped, and had massages all day.

The food was amazing. I would take advantage of the "bocas", which are meals prepared on nights where free dinner isn't served. Their tenderloin is increible; best steak I've ever had (if you have the spicy tenderloin burritos, let me know how they are...). Make sure they make the tiramisu. Lastly, the wine with the green top is the best.

The sunset massage with private dinner is a must and that's all that really needs to be said about that.

The staff was great. Specifically, Hanniah (sorry if misspelled) stood out above the others. She was very friendly and approachable. One of the nights was my birthday and some of the workers built me a cake. Hanniah brought it down after the private dinner and sang happy birthday (solo) in Spanish. Very nice and sweet touch. They didn't do that for me at the La Quinta last year. All of the drivers are super friendly and genuine.

If you go into Tamarindo for dinner eat at La Nibbana, mention the owners girlfriend, who works at LADE, and you might get a free round. Make sure to get the pizza. If you get the urge to smell it, that's normal...it smells real good.

We didn't go into this thinking we would come away with newfound friends, but we met some really great people on our trip (even if they were Candians or British).

Every single person we met, and every single thing about LADE was *quite* nice.

A great honeymoon for those looking for down to earth friendly luxury.
The food was fantastic. Sharing mealtimes at a common dining room table with the other guests was very interesting.
Offers the perfect balance of relaxation, alone time with the choice of sporty/ adventure trips and mingling with the other guests.

Staff are super genuine and friendly ; cater for your every whim, in a charming and relaxed manner, as opposed to a stuck up artificial pretentious 5 star resort way.

Make sure to visit the many choices of beaches and take Oso the dog for a 5.5km morning walk.

Yoga lessons overlooking the forest, Couples sunset massage, the half day spa, Blue dolphin catamaran cruise, surfing lessons, canope zip line, Conchal beach and Lola's were a dream.

We visited Los Altos on our honeymoon in late July. This place is amazing! When making our travel plans I had a few concerns about the casual booking policies (all you do is email a copy of your e-tickets and they save you a room...they write all reservations in pencil on a calender) but Francisco was right on time at the airport in Liberia waiting to greet us when we arrived with a cooler full of drinks! We made the beautiful (although bumpy - the roads really are terrible but made us feel adventurous) drive to LADE and Ari gave us a tour of the property when we arrived. This is a beautiful place! We were so thrilled with our room, the pool, the spa, EVERYTHING!

The food is great as well - We found there was plenty but it might depend on how big a crowd you have eating....Breakfast is huge and the dinner they serve on Tuesdays and Saturdays is wonderful. There is always a cooler of beer, water, sodas, etc available and wine as well.

Service - as everyone says - is unreal. We loved every single person we met in Costa Rica. The hotel takes care of your every need - laundry is done every day, when you go to the beach they pack you a tote bag with towels and water and then bring beach chairs and a boogie board down with you as well! We never tried to contact the staff while we were in town but they were always waiting for us when and where we had agreed. I wouldn't recommend renting a car in Costa Rica because the roads were terrible and confusing! We stayed in town a few nights but were always ready to come home by 9 so never had to rely on a cab. Also, we tipped at the end which is nice because you don't have to have cash on you at all times....

Excursions - Definitely do the full day tour! You have to go with another couple from the hotel but it was really fun - canopy tour, mud baths, etc. We also had surf lessons which were great. The catamaran tour was also fun - it rained on us the entire time so it turned into more of a booze cruise but was still pretty good - and my husband loves the free t-shirt - ha. The couples massage at the spa is unbelievable - as well as the romantic dinner.

We were completely happy with LADE and can't wait to visit again!!! Thank you for making our honeymoon wonderful!!!

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.