Trapp Family Hotel

A quirky hotel set high in the Cloud Forest above Monteverde and my personal favourite hotel of the trip. If you like timber lined rooms with a ski lodge ambience then this is the place for you. The rooms are large and comfortable and have a decent amount of storage space. The staff are unfailingly polite and helpful, particularly in the bar and restaurant. The restaurant menu is reasonable and varied. Be aware that the Cloud Forest is at in excess of 1500m and in the dry season is very cool and windy (trade winds) - you'll definitely need some warmer clothing here.

This definitely was our least favourite, although the staff were great and the restaurant OK. We felt that there was really no where to go except our room, when we were not out on a trip. There was very little outside space (in stark contrast with everywhere else we stayed) and the lounge/bar were gloomy, so it felt a bit claustrophobic. In hindsight (being a wonderful thing) we would have paid a bit more to stay elsewhere.

Fantastic location within easy walking distance of the National Park. However, I was a bit disappointed by the room facilities. They are rather dark and sombre, and did not even have tea/coffee trays, let alone a fridge or mini bar! There was also rather limited useable outside space for resting, reading and so on. The bar staff occasionally seemed more interested in chatting to each other or watching the local football on the TV in the bar than serving guests. So, overall, this is fine as a base for hikes in the cloud forest, but there is not really much to do at the hotel afterwards.

Excellent location though.

The hotel was a little tired but the rooms were comfortable and spacious. Breakfast was limited and not as good as other places we stayed at but perfectly edible.

We were disappointed with our superior room because it was cold and draughty with single glazing and no heating. Talking to other guests we all suffered from sleepless nights due to the noise of the wind rattling the windows and roof of the hotel. It might have just been our bit of bad luck with the weather as we seemed to be in a cloud all the time with very strong wind. When our tours dropped others off at hotels in St Helena it was noticeable that they were in the sunshine and our hotel was in the cloud. The staff were friendly and the restaurant was fine.

It took a while to love this place. It was a shock the weather being so cold and windy and the room was quite cold in the bay window but still nice sitting there with a lovely view. We knew we could have requested a heater but we were lucky and didn’t get wet so we managed. It was lovely and warm downstairs, the Cocktail happy hour was great and nice opportunity to catch up with other guests. The restaurant and food is great, very reasonable and tasty. Very comfy bed and I loved the hotel decor so in keeping with the area.

Walking distance to the National Park, but quite a trip to town. With hindsight we would have done better with a hotel closer to town. The hotel was good, but the provision of seating for guests wanting to sit outside in the sun was woefully inadequate. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

This was the only hotel/lodge that did not have a Wow factor. Nothing particularly wrong with it - but just a bit underwhelming and it felt rather old fashioned. They provided a heater for one chilly evening. We had to send back one meal after they covered it in Balsamic Vinegar (without that being on the menu) - and they seemed bemused that we were vegetarian.

I shall start with its best attributes. The food in the main restaurant was excellent the breakfast in the room on the hill was mediocre however this is not a hotel where you can expect to eat and drink into the night. At 21.15 the lights in the restaurant went out and the bar closed at 20:30 . Make sure you have warm clothes tracksuit etc as the hotel is cold due to its elevated position and no heating in the rooms. The bedrooms are a good size with excellent views over the forest. The bathrooms are small and would benefit from a hot towel rail To warm the damp cold towels. The rooms would have benefited from tea and coffee making facilities. Especially as they were not available after your evening meal. We did find an excellent restaurant in a Santa Elena called Morphos after the butterfly and the taxi was $10

Though close to the Monteverde National Park, it is in an isolated location. The decor and furnishings are a little tired. But the staff were very helpful and friendly. Would have preferred to have stayed in Santa Elena

Any place we headed to straight after the stunning Pacuare Lodge was going to be at a disadvantage and, with its Austrian cabin feel and extensive use of wood inside, Trapp Family Lodge did have a slightly unusual feel and it's not in its first flush of youth. However, on a practical level, there is good wifi in the rooms (something our sons appreciated in particular!), there is a HAIRDRYER which was a godsend after four nights in rainforest eco lodges (our luggage got soaked on the first day so was soggy until we found the Trapp hairdryers!). The buffet breakfasts are nice and served in a sunny room with pretty views, but above all it's the location that makes this place a winner. You are literally a two minute drive from the entrance to Monteverde National Park and if you choose to walk it, it's about 10 minutes on the return journey (which is downhill). It's also a very well organised place, a short taxi ride from the small town - where we found a fantastic restaurant, Mar & Tierra.

Lots of wildlife to watch from the terrace including butterflies monkeys and hummingbirds. The hotel was clean and practical and the staff friendly.

Pleasant staff , nice restaurant

Hotel was a bit tired but fine in the context of Monteverde. Very close to the cloud forest park but quite far from town. Perhaps it lacked facilities for when it was raining outside

The room was nice, and clean, but more spartan than the other ones, and we arrived on a surprisingly cold day and there was no way of heating the room. The distance to the local town meant taxis each way for meals out but there were loads of good restaurants in San Elena. Food at Trapp Family lodge was the best of the hotels we stayed in.

A bit dark and dated but we had a great trip

High up in the cloud forest, it was within walking distance of the national park but isolated from anywhere else without a taxi ride. It was very windy and there's no double glazing (I wouldn't expect it) which meant we didn't sleep very well at all as cold and noisy. The restaurant meals were excellent but we found the breakfasts, served in a different room to be very basic and not much variety.

This didn't have great reviews and was selected on a "best of a bad bunch" basis, but actually it's great. Large, very comfortable rooms (if a bit chilly), great staff and personal service, and a very good restaurant. It's right up in the Cloud Forest, so very atmospheric, and only a few minutes' walk up the track to the Monteverde National Park.

Following Arenal Springs, this unusual hotel struggled to compare positively. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable with a separate seating area in bay window. The extensive wood panelling made the room seem very dark and the lighting was soft. The welcome was warm, the dinner was excellent and the convenient location for the cloud forest reserve was second to none.

A very environmentally friendly accommodation where there was a large emphasis recycling and saving energy. Walking distance from a natural reserve. Also, a short bus ride in to town.

Very friendly staff. Very helpful in recommending and biking trips. Could be a little cold in the bedrooms.

Again we picked the hotel. We found the rooms a bit austere but OK if a little cold (we had to get a heater!). The hotel is convenient for MonteVerde national park but a $10 taxi ride out of Santa Elena but on a short stay this was not a problem

One of our favourites. Lovely staff, very accommodating. Because of the location we appreciated the fact that it had a comfortable place to spend the evening meaning we didn’t have to out. Lovely rooms with beautiful view of the cloud forest. It is worth warning future travellers that at 5000 ft it is cold and we were glad of our warm clothes.

Very far out of town so taxis were necessary to go anywhere and were expensive. Wherever you were picked up it cost $10 even for a mile or two. A regular hotel shuttle a couple of times a day would have been appreciated. But we had some wonderful tour experiences from this location in Monteverde. Even got to see the Resplendent Quetzal!

Well we had heard that Monteverde would be chilly and a heater provided for the room was well received. Breakfast fine. Had a friend living in Monteverde so he spent time with us and showed us around. The taxis fares are way too expensive and TFL only reached by taxi. Closer to town would be better and not in the cloud. Functional lodge.

Thumbs up • Location : Great location for the cloud forest park. It's the closest hotel to the entrance and is easily within walking distance for repeat visits either to the park or to the little café at the park entrance where you can watch a multitude of hummingbirds at the feeding stations. This café is a golden location for any wildlife photographer. Thumbs down • Location : Too remote for anything other than the cloud forest park. It's about a 30 minute walk into Monteverde for the local shops (Stella’s bakery) and requires a taxi to reach Santa Elena where the main shops & and restaurants are. • Atmosphere : Apart from the bar & reception areas the hotel is beginning to show some signs of wear and tear and looks a touch dated. The rooms and corridors could do with a refresh to make them feel warmer and more welcoming. This is more noticeable than at other hotels as the weather here is often very windy and any gap in the window allows drafts and creaks to whistle around the bedrooms. Didn’t get very much sleep at all while here. A large section of the soffit outside of our bedroom(Room 11) had fallen foul of the winds at some point which exposed the rafters of the roof. Not a hotel that I’d hurry back to unless some serious refurbishment is done.

Very nice hotel, but prehaps a bit isolted for familes from Monteverde town, meant you could not easily go out on evening, unless you have your own car, its a good 10 minute drive out of town. On the Plus side just a 15 minute walk from Monteverde reserve entrance and cafe with Humming Birds everywhere. Food in hotel was nice, as expected it was cooler here so a long sleeve shirt doe not go amiss. Totally recommend to do the Superman Zip lines and Tarzan Swing at 100% Adventura, extreme but amazing, Also the Hanging bridges tour at Selvatura was great we got to see a Tarantula and had a very good guide.

The perfect location for access to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Only a ten minute walk from the entrance - and its amazing hummingbird gallery. Huge room with its own garden room enclosed balcony. Very helpful staff when we decided to book additional activities. Multi-tiered gardens full of wildlife and with excellent views.

Comfortable rooms, hot shower and brilliant Lemon grass body lotion which also an insect repellent - very close to the entrance to the national park. Not surprisingly the Cloud Forest is very wet and quite chilly, the hotel provided us with a portable heater. We used this as a base, leaving early in the morning and getting back in the evening.

Very good accommodation. Excellent location for exploring the Cloud forest reserve. 2 Km from the town so a taxi or bus to get there for evening entertainment ie bars and restaurants.

Disappointing. This hotel was suggested by Tribes, but only on our request for a cheaper hotel than the one they originally suggested so perhaps it was our own fault! The hotel looked lovely in the pictures - and had a great location, half a mile from the entrance to the cloud forest park - but the room was dark and had a very limited view, and the food was very average. The room was cold (though admittedly the outside temp was only 15-20C at the time) and we had to ask for a space heater in the room! We got wet and cold outdoors and could not dry anything in the room. The towels also stayed wet. So that probably coloured our opinion.

Spacious room, though rather cold; asked for space heater! Food 7/10 Guided walk of  Curi-Cancha with guide Eric = good, but wet, windy, cold conditions – not ideal! (Impromptu walk to) Hummingbird café 1km up the road from hotel = fun – a bit touristy, but so many hummingbirds !

Very efficient service, but the hotel lacked warmth

Staff were good. Only downside was the room in the basement was quite cold. With not a great view. But facilities and everything else was great. Bit gutted the Postcards we have reception to post haven't landed 4 weeks on ? Great hotel to base yourself and explore Monteverde.

We didn't feel that this place had much to offer us - the accommodation was quite basic, as was the food (albeit the portions were plentiful), the staff were ok but not as welcoming as at the other places we stayed.

It was windy but you are at altitude and it's expected but the view from the hotel window was absolutely stunning.

Hotel was very good. Really friendly and helpful staff. Disadvantage was being in the cloud forest, It was very cold with a strong wind blowing all the time. Absolutely no chance of being outside. Whereas a mile or two down the road there was no wind and sunshine. So given the chance stay a little lower down