We stayed at La Colina while in Monteverde/Santa Elena a year ago and we enjoyed our stay so much that we decided to come back again. La Colina Lodge is very comfortable and charming. Nanci, the owner, has done a beautiful job showcasing her artistic talents in the rooms with her paintings and her mosaic tilework. Nanci is very helpful in arranging tours and was very accommodating in making vegetarian meals. La Colina has a very friendly, home-y vibe without a lot of extra frills (we all had a good laugh after someone inquired about the room with the jacuzzi... as there isn't one!). Truly a great place to stay!

La Colina Lodge (LCL)was the best way to start out our vacation in Costa Rica! Nancy and her staff were extremely accomodating and knowledgable! She set us up with transportation in/around the area and with many of the local tourist attractions as well as attractions that were off the beaten path--perfect for us! Nancy also made some of the best food that we had while in CR. The other great part of LCL is that it is a family-run business. It is easy to see that everyone takes pride in the work and services provided at LCL.

We didn´t do more than check in, get to our room and walk right back out. The beds looked filthy, like you wouldn´t want to get under the covers (or see whats under them). No safe, no toiletries whatsoever (not even soap), no AC or fan, the windows had screens with holes in them so bugs could come and go at leisure, no wifi (even in the lobby). The room was also very small and cramped and had another entrance into the room to an unfinished hallway with unstable floorboards. Its in the middle of nowhere in the mountain. You cannot walk to any restaurants or cafe´s nearby. The staff seemed miserable and I don´t blame them. They also said they gave us a room with a view and the only view it had was of an old overgrown fire pit on the side of the yard. <needless to say we left and went to the main part of town and stayed in a place called the Treehouse for only $45 per night.

La Colina is more of a hostel and not a hotel--perfect for backpackers with their own gear. We had planned to stay for two nights but instead stayed for only one night. At check in, we were not greeted; instead a teenage girl said nothing at all and led us to our room, then handed us the key--not typical of Costa Rican hospitality. The room and bathroom were not clean and the bed linens had not been changed from the previous guest; when we pulled the sheets back, they were dirty and there was a cigarette lighter in the bed. When we left the room for a few minutes that evening, the door automatically locked when we closed it and we accidentally had left the one key in the room. There was no spare key and we were left waiting for an hour while another guest kindly climbed through a high, narrow window to get into the room and unlock the door. We were in no way expecting luxury, full service accommodations; just a clean, comfortable room for a few nights. We moved to the Fonda Vela less than five minutes away--much better. We were refused a refund for the 2nd night that we had prepaid even though we checked out shortly after noon.