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Hotel Belmar, Monteverde

Upscale chalet-style hotel with an onsite brewery, farm-to-table restaurant, and private preserve.

Overview

Stay in Hotel Belmar, Monteverde's second-ever hotel, a chic mountain lodge inspired by Austrian design. All rooms feature hardwood elements, airy spaces, and balconies or terraces with cloud forest views. Suites add perks like outdoor porch swings, spa-like bathrooms, and indoor gardens. Spend your time exploring the hotel's unique amenities, including a farm-to-table restaurant, microbrewery with live music, cocktail-making classes, visits to a private reserve, and more.

Kimkim's Take

Brittany
Brittany McNamara kimkim staff
Based on kimkim staff visit, July 2022 (Learn more)
Pros
  • This property has a unique history as the second hotel built in Monteverde, established in the 1980s when the area first received tourism interest.
  • The on-site farm-to-table restaurant and microbrewery are special perks and feature live local music on the weekends—a popular spot for locals, too!
  • The hotel has been carbon neutral since 2016 and focuses on significant sustainability efforts, prioritizing local community connections and support.
  • Guests can partake in the complimentary sustainability tour and yoga classes held weekly.
  • Other notable activities include tours of the hotel's 17-acre (7 ha) private preserve, early-morning bird-watching excursions, and visits to the offsite farm to learn about sustainable agriculture.
Cons
  • Though not necessarily a con, just a heads-up that the hotel features Austrian design, so it doesn't quite have the same authentic Costa Rican feel.
  • It's a longer trek to downtown Santa Elena or offsite restaurants than some other recommended accommodations in the area. 

Additional Notes From Brittany

You'll not often find locals hanging out at a hotel bar, but that's what you can expect on weekends at Hotel Belmar's microbrewery and beer garden. Guests and locals pack the place, standing under umbrellas, beer in hand, listening to local musicians—a great way to end the day! The Belmar also offers a treasure trove of other unique experiences, including a visit to a private farm 20 minutes away, a garden-to-glass cocktail class where participants pick herbs and create cocktails, and more.

Authenticity

As an area staple, Hotel Belmar was the second-ever hotel in Monteverde, opening in the 1980s. This era explains the design inspiration to mimic Austrian mountain huts, a popular and appealing style at the time. Besides its history, Belmar provides authentic experiences like tours in its private Savia Reserve and a cocktail-making class using herbs from the on-site gardens. 

Location

You'll be a bit off the beaten path (adding to the hotel's charm), meaning a car or transfer is necessary to visit downtown Santa Elena and other area sites. Plan for about five minutes to the town center and roughly 15 minutes to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and Sky Adventures Park.

Rooms & Bathrooms

Hotel Belmar is a quaint boutique property with just 26 rooms set in a few different chalet-style buildings. Most units have a lot of hardwood detail, including floors, walls, ceilings, and furniture, yet remain airy and bright. Upgrade to a suite for more space and perks like living rooms, indoor gardens, and porch swings. Maintaining the hotel's sense of tranquility, you won't find any TVs in the rooms. You also won't find air-conditioning, but each room has ceiling fans.

Other Highlights

There's much to love about Hotel Belmar—more than we can even list here! Enjoy a complimentary yoga class three times per week, take a sustainability tour of the property or its private reserve, or visit the hotel's farm on a little excursion. You can also relax in the hot tub (which you'll need to reserve all for yourself), dine at the organic farm-to-table restaurant, and sip a beer at the property's microbrewery, which also serves some grub and hosts live music on Saturday nights. 

Sustainability

Hotel Belmar has a strong focus on sustainability and one full-time staff member who works exclusively on sustainability efforts. You'll find an entire composting system on the property, which has been completely carbon-neutral since 2016. Other notable practices include solar panels, air-drying facilities, rainwater harvesting, and using a biodigester to treat wastewater (and harness its byproduct as energy).

Hotel Information

Hotel stars icon 4-star Hotel
Hotel phone icon +506 26455201
Hotel address icon 300 meters east of the gas station 5655

Traveler Reviews

4 total ratings, 2 with reviews
5.0 out of 5
Feature ratings
Authenticity & Character
5.0
Location
5.0
Staff
5.0
Cleanliness & Comfort
4.5
Iris
Iris M.
Harbeson, DE | Reviewed on Jan 27, 2023
Hotel location, rooms and dining were fabulous. Read more

Hotel location, rooms and dining were fabulous.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Stayed in January 2023
M
Marissa B.
Enfield, CT | Reviewed on Mar 21, 2022
Beautiful hotel. Great views and loved the sustainability aspect to everything (organic products, their own farm for fresh veggies/eggs/etc). Provided us with a welcome drink upon arrival and everyone was super friendly. Read more

Beautiful hotel. Great views and loved the sustainability aspect to everything (organic products, their own farm for fresh veggies/eggs/etc). Provided us with a welcome drink upon arrival and everyone was super friendly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Up a steep road but close to everything
Staff
Very friendly
Cleanliness & Comfort
Stayed in March 2022