Hotel Rincon de la Vieja Lodge

The reviews that call this place basic or rustic really aren’t kidding! My expectations were fairly low and I was still unpleasantly surprised. It’s not awful but really it’s like cabin camping and also somewhat run-down. On the upside, it was clean, hot water shower, and the breakfast was good. Other meals were so-so. Downsides include cold water only in sink, corrugated metal roof and a general state of disrepair. Worst part was the power went out one night and they were totally unprepared for this—no back up lighting anywhere (including restaurant), no candles, lanterns or flashlights for guests to use. If we hadn’t packed a small flashlight we would have been in total darkness in our cabin. I had a candle but they had no matches! Very dark and twisty walkways from restaurant to cabins. This seemed very dangerous and irresponsible to me. No one took charge and we were on our own. I do have to say the young women staffing the place were trying their best and one was accommodating with food (toast and papaya all day!) when my husband was under the weather. And regarding the weather, there are extremely strong winds here at certain times and the flimsiness of the cabins made this very nerve-wracking. Couldn’t sleep for fear of trees falling on us.

This place is a gem! We're so glad we came across this place and booked it. The staff was very friendly, food was yummy and the rooms are cute. It was excellent for our one night stay. Obviously, this is not a luxury hotel, so the rooms only have the basics and are super simple, but the surrounding areas are beautiful and it will definitely helps (in my experience) disconnect from the busy city noise. Please note the entrance is through a private property, so there is an entrance fee (about $1.50) per person 15 min or so before the hotel. Also, once you pay that fee you'll have access to the bike trails. The entrance to the national park is just around the corner so this is the perfect place to stay to enjoy the park. I'd definitely recommend this place to friends and family.

Rooms/ cabins are fairly rustic, but plenty adequate for the price, especially with the included breakfast. We also ate dinner there and it was very tasty, but service was a little bit slow as the dinner area must be a distance from the kitchen. The grounds are beautiful, and there are hiking trails just off the property. There is a trail off to a local hot springs, we walked about 2/3 of the distance, but needed to come back. My guess is it is about a 4 hour round trip hike. The pool was clean and very adequate. I definitely suggest this place to anyone on a budget. It is a great value!

Great location. Lovely room. Friendly staff.

Nice place but very difficult to get to and leave without a car

Pros: The grounds on this property are very lovely. Lots of beautiful landscaping, plants and flowers. Paths are well-maintained. Restaurant was ok. Close to Rincon de la Vieja park (maybe 10 minute drive). Horses on the property. Breakfast included was typical (eggs, toast, meat, fruit, tea/coffee, juice, cereal). Cons: Rooms are very outdated. We stayed in a cabin on the back of the property. They look cute from the outside (hammock on the porch) but inside was another story. Very basic bed/bedding - not uncomfortable but by no means great. Bathroom was just ok. Shower pressure not great, had to wait 10+ minutes one morning and still no hot water (but it did work faster the next day around 2pm). Floor was covered in paint drips from previous paint jobs (like all over the place). Wi-Fi not available in our room. For the price I didn't feel like it was worth it. They need to seriously update their rooms - then this place would be great!

It’s a nice basic hotel near the park entrance. The food is typical Costa Rican like you may find in a middle class home on a Saturday night.

The only thing good about this place is the beautiful landscaping and the location. First room had fire ants in the bed and they had to switch us to another room that didn’t have a key. So we had to hunt someone down to let us into our room every time. There was also no hot water. When it came to dinner they charged us incorrectly and did not refund or accommodate us. The staff was kind and nice, but did not seem to have training or experience in hospitality.

Cercanía con el parque Rincón de la Vieja y limpieza.

The grounds are beautiful. That is where effort is made. The rooms are basic which I knew about and accepted. But lots and lots of bugs came into the room. After one night we moved another room and again it quickly filled with bugs. We left late at night to find another hotel because we were getting bitten in our beds.