Adam Gomez

I stayed at Hotel Helen Bergen at a recent kimkim work trip. Lovely hotel, in a great location. The hotel is only a few block away from the main old town/cathedral, and also just a few steps from the main shopping districts, but is set away far enough such that it feels like you are in the neighborhood. The hotel is very understated, actually looks more like a restaurant at first glance. In fact most of the ground floor is the hotel restaurant, which seems to be busy for afternoon coffees, pre-dinner drinks and dinners. When ever I walked by, there were people there. The rooms were modern, and well setup. The desk is a good size to work from if you are there to work. The only complaint I would have is that the room is a bit on the small side. The other thing I really appreciate is the care the hotel put into ensuring the noise from the outside streets is well insulated. When the windows were closed, you didn't hear anything from the streets. Bed was comfortable and the team were very friendly.

Outstanding location — directly off the main Cathedral square. You step out of the hotel and the Cathedral is right in front of you. Many rooms have a balcony with a direct view of the Cathedral — this is the defining feature of the property. The building looks historic from the outside. The interior is a complete contrast: glass, steel, mirrors, and marble throughout — very modern and grand. The entrance is impressive: a large glass door opens into a marble and glass lobby, leading to double marble staircases that rise to the upper levels.

What a fun experience! Our guide/master chef Juan was super fun. He was able to keep it easy to follow, and also helped the group really get to know each other. The Paella was delicious, I can't want to try this with my family.

Very relaxing, and a beautiful way to see the lagoon. The trip for us was all about the sunset, they put us in a small boat with a bottle of wine, and tapas, and took us into the middle of the lagoon, we were able to just relax and enjoy the view and the food & wine.

Beautiful experience. I felt it was just the right mix of guided walk around the old town and relaxing at the venue. The venue was in a very unique location, and the team there provided a lovely set of tapas.

Lomas provided the closest to a tree bungalow feel. Location at the base of Arenal Volcano is excellent.

The location of the Cloud Forest Lodge atop the cloud forest is simply spectacular. The view is breathtaking and staff were extremely personable.

Amazing views. Best pool. Great restaurant. La Mariposa is a great hotel to end our trip.

The nocturnal walk is a must to see some of the Costa Rica animals in their natural habitat. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a great eye in spotting the animals. We thoroughly enjoyed the walk.

The hotel was very nice, quaint and small. They had really good food at their restaurant. Giving 4 stars only because we wished they had a pool. Overall great experience here. Great location- walking distance to downtown and close to many restaurants and shops.

Absolutely stunning hotel. The grounds are lush and beautiful- so many plants and wildlife in the resort. Stunning views of the Arenal volcano. It never felt crowded. The pools and hot springs were fantastic, and the wait staff extremely friendly. Was also very clean. Wished we could have stayed longer!

Stunning scenery, saw and learned a lot about the wildlife. Highly recommend!

The cloud forest was beautiful. We spent a lot of time waiting for Quetzal birds in a couple different spots, and when we were hiking, we moved a little fast. Would have liked to see a little more wildlife- our guide was very focused on finding the Quetzal birds. Still a beautiful hike with stunning scenery.

We had a private tour, and we got to meet the 7 sloths that live at the sanctuary. We also got to help make them lunch and watched them all eat. It was an incredible experience I will never forget!

The waterfall was beautiful... just be prepared to walk up and down a LOT of stairs. Definitely worth it.

Unconventional shower/toilet design would greatly benefit by adding to toilet bidet and waste bucket.

Hotel should not allowed to operate until underground comprehensively marked, for example; every part has its own color code, similarly to marking trails in a forest.

Vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Similar to Madrid, vehicle suspension is not adequate. Display with city map and interactive vehicle location should be added.

Catalina was very knowledgeable, friendly, and spent time to know us.

I gave it five stars because it was exactly what I expected. Local authenticity but great clean accommodations at a fair price. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful enough and it was right in the center of town near shops, restaurants and city parks. Loved our stay there!

I loved it! The hot springs were amazing, the pool was clean and warm, the atmosphere was like out of a movie-so much flora and fauna. Rooms were clean, I didn’t see one bug, not sure how they managed that in the middle of a rain forest! I woke up to howler monkey calls and even spotted them. In the trees one day. The breakfast buffet wasn’t over indulgent but had an array of things to choose from and local food which I loved and always a little something for my picky American daughters. Cheese, fruit, fresh breads and pastries, rice platter, local sausage, omelet station, cereal and even pancakes one day. If you are expecting a 5star luxury hotel this isn’t for you-you’ll have to pay more for that and sacrifice authenticity. But if you want to see Costa Rica, be immersed in the wild life and be comfortable and clean doing it this is the place for you! Only thing I didn’t like about it was the distance from the airport. The 4 hour drive was long and windy.

My favorite of where we stayed. The atmosphere was amazing with little wooden walk ways through a huge mango tree and other local foliage. A large teekee hut that had a meeger bar and breakfast/snack spot. The pool was clean and warm. And every morning a whole family of howler monkeys visited the mango tree to feast. The next day a family of iguanas visited the pool to sun and get a drink. The service for onsite drinks and food was kindof like if you want something-go find someone and they’ll make it for you. Which worked well enough for us, we had a pitcher of margheritas one night and my husband enjoyed some cervesas by the pool. But most of the time you just walk down the street and choose from one of the many local spots in town. The beach was 5 mins away and beautiful, warm and eclectic. Definitely an experience I’ll never forget!

great location, beautiful setting, nice breakfasts

Great location- walking easy to beach and town, very helpful and friendly staff.

Great location. There was a feel of a resort without all the fanciness. If you're not into ziplining, rapelling and tubing, there are fewer hiking options, though.

Our guide Marcella was great. The waiver process was cumbersome and didn't seem necessary

Nice and quiet and we had a great guide, Roberto, all to ourselves. He was into birds, trees, spiders- couldn't have asked for more.

Our guide, again- it was Marcella- was wonderful. Santa Elena was a busy place but going with a guide allowed us to see way more birds and have a good understanding of the ecosystem.

Our guide, Rio, was born and bred in Nosara and his family goes back generations there. It was worth getting up for a 6 am birdwalk. Rio's spotting scope was broken, but he was able to spot birds easily since he's so experienced.

This park is VERY busy and there are limited trails but very interesting to see fumaroles, mud pots and water pots. Our group was fairly large and the guide was fair, but not superb. The Oropendola waterfall hike was great!