My wife and I are in our 50s and well traveled. We spent 4 nights and 5 days at The Lost Iguana. First of all the place is huge. You can spend 4 hours just on their jungle trails. BTW, these are not trails for the timid. Bring water and a snack! The resort itself was beautiful, private, with lots of nooks and private spots. The staff is all Costa Rican, friendly, attentive but respectful of your time and space. They go way out of their way to be helpful in all aspects from dining, to accommodations to selecting day trips. The open air dining was peaceful, elegant in a simple way, and made you feel comfortable. No worry about did I wear the right thing. Each morning at breakfast the wait staff puts out fresh cut fruit and within 25 feet from the tables the most beautiful tropical birds arrive from the forest for breakfast including two huge Toucans. It was amazing. A naturalist traveling with his group of travelers were enthralled. The food was delicious. We are vegetarians and thoroughly enjoyed the variety. Also the chef put together anything we wanted. The gift shop was very nice - quality tropical type clothes for women, lots of interesting jewelry and wooden crafts that were good quality not junk. Rooms were spacious with outdoor jacuzzi, stained smooth floors, with perfect view of the volcano. The only down side was that it is a sizable place and the rooms and private cottages are a bit of a walk, some up or down drives or walkways that can take 10 minutes to walk. The staff is happy to drive you to and fro in a electric cart anytime you want.

This place was perfect for us. The setting was so very tropical in a natural way, not contrived at all. The rooms, grounds and common areas were all just what we were looking for. We stayed for 3 nights and ate every meal here. The food was good and reasonbly priced. Since we partook in the afternoon happy hour 2 days, we chose not to drive in to LaFortuna for dinner. We may have found more variety in town, but the convenience of staying at the hotel was preferable.
This hotel offered the conveniences of a large hotel but was actually not very large. It had a small hotel feel.. The staff immediately tried to remember our names and address us by name. The staff always went out of their way to assist us in any way. Everyone was friendly and helpful.
My husband and I had a couples massage at the on-site Golden Gecko Spa. The spa atmosphere was unbelievably peaceful and serence. The massages were first class.
I would say that the prices paid for the rooms, food, drinks and spa was were all reasonable and would say this hotel offers a good value.

To make a long story short, we both were extremely disappointed with our stay, price / value by no means is balanced.

We did arrive somewhat late, around 9pm, the check you could not call welcoming, the bell boy service to the Room was nothing special with out any friendliness at all.

The room was equipped with the minimum, and the smell was not inviting, Mini Bar selection questionable and the bed comfort also of lower standard. I fully understand that the Financial Crisis World Wide did hurt Businesses however if one does lose focus on prime values the deal is off.

Sorry to say our experience was not a great one, maybe next time.

Just Returned on February 4th from Costa Rica. We traveled with 3 other couples (8 Total)

Three Couples had second story rooms and my wife and I had a first floor room #5. All rooms have a wonderful view of the Volcano which has not seen a lava flow for 8 months.

Fist it is not a place to go and sit in the sun. It is a place to be active.

There are a number of things to do (Zip Lines , Hot Springs, Hanging Bridges. White Water Rafting).

The biggest draw back is traveling to and from the airport. As a group the cost was reasonable as a couple it is very expensive for transfers or to rent a car.

The food at the Resort is very good and the prices are reasonable compared to La Fortuna which is a $25.00 cab ride away (It is only $30.00 for a group of eight so it is worth getting a group together at the Resort to go over together). We asked the Van driver to pick us up at the Church in town at a certain hour and he was very prompted

There are great Restaurants in La Fortuna . Don Rufino was by far the best (Gourmet food in an open air restaurant).

It was high Season But Lost Iguana only had 10 rooms filled one of the four nights we were there.

We travel a lot south of the boarder and this resort's staff is one of the best. They are very friendly and extremely helpful. Prices are fair and in fact their store had prices under those of the town. I bought two shirts for $20.00.

Each couple used the spa and the experience was well worth the cost (Very Professional).

There were Monkeys and Toucans on the property as well as other wildlife. There was rain (on and off) 2 of the 4 days.

The property is still first class but they need to update some of the walkways and the trails into the rainforest (Which could be a huge plus) are in disrepair and very dangerous in spots.

Their Liquor prices were fair and very good at Happy Hour (2 for one on some drinks and Beer from 3PM to 6 PM). Beer was a little high compared to La Fortuna but acceptable at Happy Hour.

I would highly recommend the resort for a 3 or 4 night stay and I will definitely return.

I believe it is best combined with 4 or more nights on the Pacific coast (We stayed at Villa Alegre on the Pacific near Tamarindo which is a separate review).

I hope this was helpful.

Jeff