We loved our 2 nights in the observatory. The breakfast was generous and wait staff willing to accommodate all our needs. The highlight was the bird feeder outside the dining room. The grounds had well kept nature trails and a frog pond with frogs we saw at night. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. This may be a difficult place to enjoy if you have limited walking ability.

We’d had this booked a while and had high expectations. We had a Smithsonian room and it was great. Two double beds facing the volcano in beautiful clear weather!.. we loved everything about the place , grounds breakfast, reception, parking , and our room. The friendly and helpful bar staff , let me borrow a bottle opener for my room and was also helpful with some directions for me. Sitting out with a drink on the veranda with a drink was so nice. Our kids loved the pool, and they swam in the waterfall!... we all climbed to the top of the Nest and it in seriously high!... I spent 15 mins watching about 20 spider monkeys quite close at the same level as me !... I wish I’d booked an extra night here!... thanks AOL

My husband and I just spent three nights at this lodge in a Smithsonian Room. This is a wonderful property for people interested in being close to nature. The lodge is set in a large track of land right at the base of the volcano. There are beautiful tropical gardens, pristine rain forest, miles of walking trails, a river and a waterfall. The rooms are spread out into multiple building, some near the restaurant and lobby and others out in the gardens. There is a lovely spring fed pool and a large hot pool for relaxing. We had a dead on view of the volcano out the wall of windows in our room. We were lucky to have very good weather so had a clear view of the volcano everyday. We also could see many colorful birds and even monkeys from our room, but saw much more on the guided tour and our walks on the trails. The lodge is not a luxury resort. If that’s what you want there are many in the area. This is a wonderful casual lodge with simple but comfortable decor. The bed was great, the service was fantastic, no AC but a very strong ceiling fan that was enough. We even had pretty good internet. The food is surprisingly good and reasonably priced. I would suggest the menu include less heavy pastas and more salads and meats with lighter sauces highlighting the delicious fruits and vegetables grown in the area. Finally we didn’t have a problem with the road in. It’s only a few miles of gravel right before you get to the entrance gate. The road within the lodge is paved. We drove on miles of very bumpy gravel roads in Costa Rica, but not at this lodge. We loved staying here and highly recommend it.