We just returned from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica that was marred only by this horrible hotel. The room (we were in #31) had a terrible musty odor and the toilet did not flush properly. However the worst part was how absolutely overrun the bathroom was by bugs - between the toilet and the bugs we pretty much had no bathroom for our entire stay and the hotel's response was simply to comp breakfast - which most upscale hotels in Costa Rica provide with the room rate. And the breakfast was awful. The only redeeming quality for this hotel was the lovely pasta dinner we ate.

I would tell anyone I know not to ever book a stay in this hotel.

My two friends and I stayed at the Hotel Fonda Vela for two nights during our seven night stay in Costa Rica. The hotel is located approx 10 minutes from the main town and about 15 mintues from the majority of the Monteverde attractions (skywalk, canopy, etc). The room was above average in cleanliness. My only gripe is that a few ants made their way into our bathroom through a space in the wall. Although unforchunate, it sort of comes with the territory of staying in Monteverde. Considering the location (high in the mountains and quite rainy), a few token ants is nothing to complain about. The maid service took care of the situation and we were insect-free for the rest of the trip.
We had breakfast both nights and dinner on one night. The breakfast was very good and we found dinner to be fair. My friends enjoyed their fish, while I stuck to grilled chicken which was prepared well. The hotel also offers free internet access on two computers in the reception area. This was greatly appreciated.
I would reccomend the hotel to anyone staying in Monteverde. The guest rooms are huge! The space alone was greatly appreciated!
During our stay we visited the Don Juan Coffee Plantation (cute, with free coffee and desert at the end of the tour!) and the Skywalk (breath-taking as well as a calmer alternative to the canopy tour)

This hotel is only short walk from the spectacular cloud forest.

The rooms are well designed in small blocks which give them an "in the forest" sort of feel. They have a TV too which is good for if you tire of all the nature around you. Rooms are clean and well appointed.

The property at Fonda Vela is so beautiful. The rooms were nice, lots of wood. The bedding and towels were needing to be replaced and the bathroom was kind of gross. Mildew caulk in the tub & shower. Pretty dated.

The property and hotel are way out of town. Nice that way but not easy to just run grab something to eat. Never tried the restaurant but LOVED Stellas and Morphos. Also Sophias was pretty spendy but SOOO worth it. The restaurant was gorgeous, awesome service and delicious food.

Arranged a private tour of the reserve through Fonda Vela and loved the tour guide they set up for us. He was able to find 4 quetzals. Pretty cool. Also did a night walk that they set up and loved it...saw all the critters that come out at night, huge spiders, sloths, frogs, and lots of cool bugs. We were glad we did it.

Fonda Vela was nice but would be better if they fixed their bathrooms and got new linens.

Great staff!