This is a difficult review to write. The location is fabulous, and for the primary purpose of our trip, birding and photography, one of the most spectacular venues I have seen in my five trips to Costa Rica and Ecuador. BUT ... and this is a very big but ... there are some very specific and real downsides to staying here that you need to be aware of, primarily the condition of the standard rooms, referred to as "Bungalows Clasicos" or "Casitas". They are, not not to mince words, aweful. In a nutshell, they boast ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR (at least my unit, #5 did) views of the surrounding area, but are cold, dimly lit, have a strange chemical kind of smell (insecticide?) and have highly erratic plumbing. The little bungalows are not tiny, and mine came with an extra bed so I could lay out stuff on it, so size wasn't really an issue, especially since you will be spending very little time awake in your room if you are on an active birding itinerary. But the lack of heat other than a tiny space heater, grudging or no hot water, a bathroom so small that you cannot sit on the toilet without banging against the tiny sink, lighting that is primitive and dim even by contemporary Costa Rican standards, which already lean very much to the low-wattage LED bulbs nailed precariously to the ceiling at odd angles aesthetic, end up making it a very unpleasant place to stay. When you first enter the room and inspect the bedding, which seemed to be clean and free of vermin, you are amused by the multiple layers of plush blankets and a quilt that weigh down the bed. By the time you realize how cold and damp the Talamanca Mountains actually can get in the Winter you are really grateful for them, particularly since the supplied heater is so small that it makes very little difference, and you are a bit cautious about leaving a flimsy electric heater running all night in a highly flammable room while you sleep so when you have to get up and use the bathroom in the middle of the night you realize that the room is REALLY cold. My brainstorm was to use the extension cord that I always pack (What, you don't? Silly you!) and prop the heater in the doorway of the bathroom so that it was toasty warm for my morning ordeal. Out of two nights, I had ample hot water for my shower one morning and only a tepid "not quite cold" supply the next. Running any water was an adventure, since the pipes were constantly passing hissing bubbles and making weird noises. Several of my traveling companions reported no hot water. Also, note that the rooms are not serviced at all unless you request - nothing, not even collecting the bathroom trash can into which you are supposed to put used toilet paper, sweeping up the dead bugs or wiping the drips from the tiny leak in the roof. So why do I not give it 1 or 2 stars? Location, location, location - this is one of the best places in the world to stay for bird photography and local bird watching including the iconic Resplendent Quetzal, and probab
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