Las Orquideas is located at the entrance of Santa Elena. We checked into a large, spacious two room hotel room equipped with a queen bed and dining table and bath in one room and twin bed and captains bunks in the other. There was a carport, which was a very pleasant surprise. The grounds were immaculate with amazing gardens throughout and a wonderful view!!!! The breakfast was amazing and homemade, cooked to order as we sat down (eggs, black beans and rice, fresh fruit, cheese, toast and of course coffee and juice). We were able to feed the pizotes (sp) just like other reviewers mentioned.

We walked into town for dinner both nights. We ate at the Tree House restaurant which was really good and quite unique. We enjoyed a canopy tour and hanging bridges hike with Selvatura and had a wonderful time!

We will definitely stay at Las Orquideas the next trip to the Monteverde area.

The rooms were clean and the owner lives there and she was very very helpful. They have a viewing platform at the back which is fantastic. Breakfast was included and freshly made, the only pity is that we did not know :-s our fault though. Even though not directly in the center of town it is only a short walk away. Internet connection was very good. The only downside of it was that it did not have any heating system.

We stayed here one night during our visit to Monteverde, the hotel was reasonably priced but not in a great location, being on the outskirts of town but not in the direction of the main attractions and being right on the main road. The hotel is very small and combined with the house that the owners live in, which makes for a bit of a strange vibe. I think if we were to return to Monteverde I would look for alternate accommodations.

After being trapped in San Jose for several days while we had dental work done, Monteverde was a breath of fresh air, quite literally. November is the off-season and we had our pick of rooms at Las Orquideas. The one we chose had lots of windows, although the bed was a bit lumpy. On our final night there were other guests and we realized just how thin the walls are. I say all this in explaining why I took off one "star" in my rating.

Otherwise, the place is delightful. The owner, Nidia, lived in Mississippi for many years and speaks excellent English. She was helpful in finding us things to do and making sure we got to where we needed to be on time. (She also came up with some pills that helped alleviate a bad toothache.) Breakfast every day consisted of tropical fruit plus some kind of eggs, meat and/or pancakes. The walkway and deck overlooking the valley gave us a stunning view. In the morning her little granddaughter fed the capuchin monkeys and coatis (pizotes) right out back. On a more mundane level, there is free wi-fi throughout.

If a helpful, comfortable environment and good value trump the need for luxury, we would highly recommend Las Orquideas. We would definitely stay there again. BTW, right next store is an open air restaurant, El Fogon, that serves up typical Costa Rican dishes in a relaxed atmosphere at good prices. We spent one delightful lunch watching clouds race up the valley and dive-bombing hummingbirds a few feet away from us. And we didn't count it a negative at all that we came away smelling of wood smoke.