Day 5: La Fortuna – Monteverde
After a few restful nights at the Arenal Manoa, it was time to move on. The morning of our departure, the clouds cleared and we got one last peak at Arenal Volcano, glorious in the sunlight. A driver from Travel Excellence CR picked us up at 9am, and we were on our way to Monteverde, about three hours away.
The driver warned us that it would be a winding road and that many people get carsick. He came prepared with barf bags and wipes just in case. Fortunately we didn’t need them.
The drive was scenic, and some parts were very curvy. At the halfway point, we stopped at a roadside cafe for bathrooms and a snack. It’s a popular stop for tourists making the trek to Monteverde. There were long lines for the fresh fruit smoothies.
The last part of the drive took us through St Elena, a cute tiny town about 10 minutes from our hotel. The last stretch of the drive was a narrow gravel path, up a hill leading to our hotel.
Cloud Forest Lodge Costa Rica
Our room at the Cloud Forest Lodge Costa Rica wasn’t quite upon our arrival so we headed to the Endémica Restaurant for lunch. The restaurant had a beautiful view of the cloud forest. Hummingbird feeders surrounded the patio, attracting dozens of colorful birds. We watched the bird show while we dined. The lunch menu included some local foods like a chicken and rice dish, sandwiches, and pizzas. While we finished eating, our room was ready.
The lodge has two rows of bright red buildings, featuring suites, all with large porches. Our room was spacious, with a king bed and two twins, plus a huge bathroom. The interior was modern and simple. Our porch overlooked the woods. We saw a few animals scurrying outside. They were white-nosed coatis, locally called pizotes. They’re a relative of the raccoon.
We didn’t have any afternoon plans. After a brief rest in our room, we headed into town for shopping and dinner. We had the reception desk call us a taxi. The town was very small, just a few blocks, but it had a few stores, and lots of restaurants and coffee shops. A storm rolled in and the power went out for awhile, causing all the storefronts to go dark. We found a place with the lights on, and stopped for dinner.
We got back to our hotel in the early evening and settled in for the night. We like to pack some games with us when we travel. On this trip we played several rounds of OK Play. Because it got dark so early, we were ready for sleep much earlier than we typically are.
Keep Reading: click “6” to read about our adventure high above the cloud forest.
