Hotel Fonda Vela
Monteverde
One of the closest lodges to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Hotel Fonda Vela, offers a quality off the beaten path eco-lodge in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Guests will enjoy a natural experience with simple rooms surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens and lush cloud forest. Hotel amenities include a restaurant and bar, heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi, tropical gardens, trails, and WiFi in some public areas.
Monteverde attracts visitors from all over the world who come to see the tropical cloud forest and many highland bird species that call it home. With expansive jungle at over 4,000 feet in elevation (and much higher on some of the mountains), the climate is damp, cool, and often rainy. These conditions create an ideal habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna that call Monteverde home.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is not far from the lodge. A quick drive or a long hike will bring you to the famous reserve where one can discover the wonders of the cloud forest and enjoy world-class birdwatching. This area provides an opportunity to see rare and exotic highland species such as the Bellbird, Trogons, Hummingbirds, Emerald Toucanettes, and Resplendent Quetzals. We recommend using a professional guide with a spotting scope to maximize your time at the reserve.
Monteverde offers plenty of other activities as well. A horseback ride through the countryside or a visit to a local coffee farm are both fantastic ways to learn about the culture. Adventurers will love canyoneering and rappelling down cloud forest waterfalls or going on a high-speed ATV ride on the backroads. Monteverde is also home to some of the best canopy tours in the world. A zipline adventure allows you to soar like an eagle through the cloud forest treetops. A hanging bridges tour is a wonderful way to explore and walk through the cloud forest canopy. These and many other tours and activities are available from this fabulous eco-tourist destination.
With over 30 acres of mostly forested land, Hotel Fonda Vela is a beautiful place to see nature up close. Most species of animals found in the Reserve also pass through lodge's grounds. The tropical gardens and fountains attract many birds so don't forget your camera when you are walking around the property!
Fonda Vela is one of the few lodges in Monteverde that has a heated swimming pool and two Jacuzzis. This pool area is covered and also has a bar, pool table, and ping-pong table. For your convenience, this area offers lockers, dressing rooms, restrooms, and showers.
The lodge offers guests two restaurants, the Galleria and the Fireside Room. The spacious Galleria Restaurant has large windows to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings and serves a fusion of International and Costa Rican cuisine. A wood-burning fireplace adds to the ambiance of the cozy Fireside Restaurant, which also serves Costa Rican and International dishes. The Canopy Bar is a perfect place to enjoy tropical cocktails and sports events on the TV.
Rooms at the Fonda Vela Hotel are spacious, accented by Costa Rican art and hardwood furniture. Both room categories, Standard Rooms, and Junior Suites offer cable TV, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and telephone. While the rooms offer similar amenities, the Junior Suites are larger than the Standard Rooms.
Latitude: N 10° 18' 0.58"
Longitude: W 84° 48' 22.31"
12/31/2019
We absolutely loved Fonda Vela! The rooms were wonderful with many windows to observe the beautiful vegetation and wildlife. The beds were comfortable. The restaurant was excellent, especially the waiters and other staff. We fell in love with the Monteverde area, and the cool temperatures. We hope to return.
12/24/2019
This hotel had the BEST, most comfortable beds of our trip!
06/18/2019
Service was excellent! Food was Great.
02/17/2019
Nicely done. beautiful view. Comfortable. More than ample breakfast. Could not use pool as it was too cool.
02/06/2019
Rooms are huge, but dark and feel more like cabins. They could use a refresh. The bathroom was small and had several trip hazards. They have a wonderful pool with 2 jacuzzies, but only 8 lounge chairs. By far not enough. And it's not for a lack of space. There is room for at least 20. Dinner at the restaurant was outstanding.
02/05/2019
Yes,a most enjoyable stay.
07/13/2017
The bar staff were the nicest people! We also met the owner, he was great. The rooms were nice but the bathroom very small for 4 women to share. A mirror outside the toilet area would be nice.
05/06/2017
The restaurant/bar services and cleanliness were below expectations. The dining room had ants everywhere no matter where we sat; we were surprised they didn't spray. The food was good. Poor drainage and hilly dirt roads which made it easy to twist an ankle. They tried to be a 5 star hotel, but only managed a low 3 status. The best thing going for them was their staff which were very friendly and accommodating.
04/16/2017
This was not one of the better hotels. The hotel itself was good. The staff was not friendly at all and the service was mediocre. Also it was far away from the town and expensive to go back and forth. The restaurant at the hotel was v expensive.
03/21/2017
helpful front desk
03/11/2017
Only issue was distance from the activities we did--would have been nice to have a better sense of where we were relative to those activities, as our time could have been used more efficiently. Nonetheless, we loved the property, room was HUGE and had a great view, and we enjoyed the amenities (pool, restaurant--great breakfast!)
02/22/2017
Huge rooms in this hotel had sitting area and nice views. We were late for breakfast one day and the staff brought food out for us even though we should have known the rules. Great spot.
02/17/2017
This hotel was too remote from Santa Elana to make this experience enjoyable. Guests who are dependent on taxis to get around should not stay here. The room was musty and the bathroom was in need of repair. Although breakfasts were of good qaulity, dinner was extremely expensive and of very poor quality. Would not recommend PTW book guests without their own transport into this facility. Such guests should only be booked into facilities in the townsite.
02/09/2017
No everything was great about this hotel except the Wi-Fi reception was horrible and I didn't get any they really need to improve this amenity immediately.
02/01/2017
There were a few little glitches like wifi only working in the reception area but the staff was very helpful and welcoming and the grounds were beautiful.
01/08/2017
it rained the entire time we were there, the dinner at the restaurant was not very good - if I was to recommend this hotel to anyone, I would recommend to eat elsewhere. It was a bit out of town, I would choose something closer to town and the restaurants.
11/22/2016
Parts of this hotel were amazing and other parts needed upgrades. The pool was ice cold and the hot tub needed work but they got is working while we were there. The wait staff was great, very slow, tico time for sure. We were luckily not in any hurry while here. Stuck her for the hurricane. Beautiful hiking trail (dry creek trail) on the property. I walked it several times. The beds were not very comfortable at this location either.
08/19/2016
The rooms were spacious but could have been cleaner. The grounds were very nice.
07/13/2016
lovely location but a bit inconvenient to get to town unless by a taxi. hotel is rather dated, but we loved the location and the rooms were large and clean.
02/28/2016
Beautiful grounds.
05/07/2015
Wonderful upgrade! Hotel front desk staff spoke very little English which was difficult. Good food.
