Folinazzo

This one is a favorite from the trip. The rest can be seen here.

Dates: January 23-27, 2008
This place exceeded our expectations. I was afraid it was going to be more on the dumpy side, just as I was expecting The Palms in Puerto Jimenez to be a lot nicer than it actually was. We were pleasantly surprised to find the lodge situated on gorgeous, manicured lawns, surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees. There are approximately ten different buildings; some are individual cabins that accommodate one party. Other buildings have two or three rooms to them. There is also the main office/reception area, as well as la cocina. That is where the owner’s wife cooks a delicious breakfast for guests every morning. We had comida tipica to start out each day: eggs, pinto (black beans and rice), fresh fruit, toast, coffee, and orange juice. Breakfast is included in the price. Speaking of price… the rate is $20 per person, per night. I think it’s a steal. We had a clean, spacious, simply decorated room; private bathroom with REAL hot water; a powerful fan (no need for AC in these parts); and a hammock outside on our veranda which faces Arenal. It was perfect and so very peaceful. Lunch and dinner are also available at the lodge but guests must notify Miguel, the guy who runs the place, at least one hour ahead of time. The menu is quite limited and the cost is extra but other guests told us that the meals are fantastic. There is internet service at the lodge. It consists of one computer in the main office. It’s free to use but guests may use it only during the hours of 9am and 5pm. The connection is pretty decent.

Miguel is an incredible man. He is extremely friendly and helpful and he loves to talk. Even when we didn’t need anything we would stop in the office just to say hi to Miguel. It was so fun just to listen to his stories. He lives at the lodge with his wife and two children. The whole family is awesome, actually. Cerro Chato Eco Lodge is highly recommended.

Posted by Francesca

Date: January 27, 2008 On our last morning in Costa Rica we were up before the sun. We had to have the rental car back at the company’s airport office by 9:00am, and the drive to the airport from ... [Continue reading this entry]

Date: January 26, 2008 After that hike up Cerro Chato, Mark and I were dirty, sweaty, and hungry. We quickly showered and drove into town for dinner at our new favorite restaurant, La Choza de Laurel. We ... [Continue reading this entry]

Date: January 26, 2008 We awoke Saturday morning to the clearest sky we’d seen since arriving in La Fortuna. That meant we saw more of Arenal than ever. In fact, the very top of the volcano was almost ... [Continue reading this entry]

Date: January 25, 2008 Friday morning started out a bit slowly as we had to wait for the Poas representatives to bring us the replacement rental car. We didn’t set off from the hotel until about 11:00am, the latest ... [Continue reading this entry]

We put our rental car through hell on this trip. Not only did we drive down almost the entire spine of the country and then back up again, but we did about half of such driving on roads that ... [Continue reading this entry]

Date: January 24, 2008 Our first night in La Fortuna was relatively calm. We just checked into our hotel and then went in search of dinner. While in town we stopped in the office of Desafio Adventure ... [Continue reading this entry]

Date of travel: January 23, 2008 We knew the drive to La Fortuna would be a long one so we were up and on the road before sunrise. I was looking forward to seeing a new part of Costa ... [Continue reading this entry]

Dates: January 18-23, 2008 Looking at The Palms’ website, one is led to believe that all of the rooms at the hotel are newly renovated, are colorful and cheery, have fancy bathrooms, and have hot water (read it for yourself ... [Continue reading this entry]