To tell you from the first: the Finca Valverde is the less beautiful hotel we got to know in Costa Rica. Although there are new bungalows around the hotel in nice surrounding, we had to quarter in a fusty barrack out of wood. As some other German guests, we met later, also had to house there, we assume that the new apartments mainly are given to guests of other nations. But well, these two days you also may bear up in the Finca Valverde – especially if you spend the biggest part of your time outside of the hotel.
After having passed the round arc at the lower end of the approach, we arrive at the parking in about 100 metres.
The way to the reception desk leads us over a bridge, the check in proceeds quickly and the valuables and important documents can be locked into the hotel safe.
Since we arrive on New Year’s Eve, the employee asks us if we would like to have dinner at the hotel.
As the hotel was fully booked, we are recommended to make a reservation.
What we don’t know is that the menu card is changed and instead of an á la carte-menu we get a menu without any options, but including high prices. So we would have had to pay about four times higher prices compared to the normal dishes.
But at least the staff is willing to let us leave, as soon as we tell them about the obvious misunderstanding. (Later we had pizza: It’s cheap, it’s a lot and one doesn’t eat alone).
On the way to our room (No. 25) we cross a rope bridge. “Don’t be afraid”, says the boy who is carrying our suitcases, „ the bridge is very solid and it tilts over only very rarely.”
Good to know. The bridge is followed by a wooden building. The rooms are located at both sides of the building and surrounded by a veranda. Therefor the rooms are dark on the inside. Unfortunately there are only few lamps, so we’re in the dark.
Instead there are plenty sockets and the water for a shower is warm soon. Also, the blankets are much warmer than in Tortuguero. After all we are in the mountains and by night it’s getting severely cold in Santa Elena.
Like in the Gran Hotel, the breakfast is clearly arranged here, too, but instead we are served friendly. Then there’s a little surprise: A gang of capuchin monkeys lives near the hotel and collects its ration of bananas in the morning. Although they aren’t really trusting, behaving calm, it’s still possible to watch them quite a while. Beautiful.
