Valle Escondido Nature Reserve Hotel & Farm
A private reserve with waterfalls, an organic farm and night tours at the end of the road
Valle Escondido Nature Reserve Hotel & Farm, at the end of the road below the Butterfly Garden
The road ends in the hotel's parking lot, just south of the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, and beyond it is a private reserve of 17 hectares (42 acres) running down to a stream and its waterfalls. The views run out to the Pacific and the Gulf of Nicoya.
It opened in 1984 as the Monteverde Inn, one of the first hotels in Monteverde, and a new family bought and renovated it in 2014. It suits families and nature lovers who want to step out of the room and onto a trail.
Why we choose it
- Trails from the door. There are 4 km of trails with viewing platforms and wheelchair-access routes, three of the five waterfalls on the stream can be seen from them, and there is a hammock garden inside the reserve.
- The forest at night. The certified night tour leaves from the hotel at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm (6:00 pm and 7:45 pm from November to April), and the morning bird walk regularly turns up over 50 species.
- Food from its own farm. The restaurant cooks with organic produce grown on the property and bakes thin-crust pizza in a wood-fired brick oven.
Rooms and views
The rooms are simple and set up for families and groups: standard double and family rooms with double, single and bunk beds and a balcony or patio, a family cabin, and rooms with their own kitchen in the group house. Some look out over the valley toward the Pacific. Tell us who is travelling and we will pick the room that fits.
On the property
Farm to Table Escondido serves its regular menu from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm, with vegan dishes and choices without gluten, and a happy hour from 4 to 6 pm on a terrace over the valley. Breakfast is a buffet from 6:30 to 9:00 am.
The organic farm doubles as a regenerative education centre, with greenhouses, aquaculture, chickens and a soil lab, and the farm tour shows how it works. The hotel has planted 1,700 endemic trees, collects rainwater, heats water with the sun and uses no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. There is a mountain studio for vinyasa and aerial yoga, and massages in your room.
Location and getting there
The natural history walk on the reserve runs from 7:00 to 10:00 am, after the bird walk. Check-in is from 2:00 PM; if you will arrive after 8:30 PM, we let the hotel know. We arrange the private transfer up the mountain. Read more about the Monteverde cloud forest.
Hotels we book in Monteverde
From our own hotel records: stars, themes and amenities. Nothing here is a price.
| Valle Escondido Nature Reserve Hotel & Farm | Hotel El Bosque | Trapp Family Lodge | Claro de Luna | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Team favourite | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Check availability | See hotel | See hotel | See hotel |
Where it is
Your Costa Rican driver waits at arrivals and stops whenever you like on the way: fruit stands, a sloth in a tree, a bathroom.
If this hotel is full, we would look at
Your Costa Rica, starting in Monteverde
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