Hotel Vista del Cerro

This hotel is basically a motel set on the main road through La Fortuna. The town is a dusty, touristy place not very charming. The hotel is about 2km away from town and a bit isolated if you don't have your own car. Being right on the main road it is quite noisy and despite being at the back of the small hotel we could hear the road. There is a nice little pool with jacuzzi out back, but this is very small and not secluded. Rooms are simple and bare, with a TV and 2 queen sized beds. Ultimately you get what you pay for and if your budget is ~$50 this is ok. However, you can spend little more $80-$100 and get a much nicer place further out of town

“Very average - you get what you pay for”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

“beautiful place- great service”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This was a little oasis for us in Costa Rica. The room itself is very secure and clean. The cable TV was nice for those afternoons when it was raining. The hotel also has a nice pool and jacuzzi outside. The location is convenient between Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna, close to the hot springs, waterfall, and right across the street from a nice supermarket. Very easy to book activities, and most will pick you up right at the hotel. We rented a car, but would never rent a car in CR again. Better to use the bus and then let all the sightseeing/adventure operators pick you up at the hotel. Melania was very helpful and delightful to talk to.

“Came as guests, left as family”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

Sometimes you go on vacation to get away from it all, and end up stepping into a whole new world!

We felt as if we got a little taste of typical Costa Rican life, in addition to the usual tourist experiences. As others have noted, the hotel is owned and run by Melania and Gilberto as well as their several children, ranging in age from 6 to over 20! They really made our stay a memorable one!

First, after booking on their website, I received an email from Melania confirming the reservation. I asked about transportation from San Jose, and she was able to arrange a private taxi for our family of four to meet us at the airport. Although it wasn't extremely cheap ($30/person), it was reasonable for a private car. The alternative would have been public buses, which would have required us to make changes, etc...

Upon arrival, we were greeted at the airport by Manuel, the van driver. Speaking to him was enjoyable during the roughly 2.5 hour trip, and he pointed out various things along the way, and taught us a little bit about life in C.R. Being vegetarians, it was helpful to have him along, as he was able to explain to the waiter exactly what we wanted (it was delicious and filling!)

We arrived at the hotel, and were greeted by Gilberto. The room itself was basic but clean-- A/C, TV w/ cable, etc. There was also a nice view of the volcano from all the rooms, which was nice to wake up to.

As another poster mentioned, they have a MagicJack hooked up to their internet connection in the lobby, allowing for free calls to the U.S/Canada.

As soon as Melania arrived, we were able to plan out our next 3 days in Fortuna, and opted for the Zipline, waterfall, Canyon tour, hot springs (Ecotermales) and volcano tour. On the last night, we went to go see the lava, which was a memorable experience.

Breakfast was good, typical tico fare, and reasonably priced at a few bucks a person. We also had a lunch there on one occasion, as well as an evening snack.

The pool/garden area is fairly small, but lush and relaxing.

We also came very close to the family. On one occasion, the youngest daughter also accompanied us on the Canyon Tour!

The last day happened to be Costa Rica's independence day, although we were sad to miss out, since we were leaving in the morning. To our surprise, they had celebrations right in the middle of the airport terminal! That was a sight to see!

We would wholeheartedly recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a taste of typical tico life at a very reasonable price! We came as guests, and left as family!

“excellent place to stay”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

The Tico family who own the hotel are excellent hosts and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. It is interesting to note that purchasing tours directly from the hotel is cheaper than going directly to the tour company. The hotel owners consistently offered us a better price than was available from other sources.

The rooms are clean and well maintained. There is air conditioning (which is not often available in this price range) and cable tv. The back of the hotel has a lovely garden with a pool and jacuzzi and gorgeous landscaping. The view of the volcano is excellent.

Breakfast can be included for a small additional cost at the restaurant next door which is also part of the family business. You can also get other meals there or in town which is only 2 kilometers away. The taxi to town is about $2.

“Couldn't be better”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

I don't even know where to begin...great location, phenomenal price, spotlessly clean, decent food, beautiful pool, great prices on tours, free calls to USA, free internet, and a wonderful family to take care of you...how could you go anywhere else?! My best friend and I booked here for 1 night and ended up staying 3. Melania and her husband, as well as her family, were helpful and fabulous people that go WAY out of their ways to make sure your stay is perfect. They drove us to town on numerous occasions and even drove us to our bus stop 1.5 hour away! The food is really yummy and well priced. I loved that they were right across the street from a supermarket too. Melania will give you great prices on tours (we did white water rafting, volcano and hot springs and zip lines) with the one caveat being that you will need to pay in cash. The ATMs in town offer US dollars and Colones for great rates, so, this was never a problem. I absolutely adored this place and could write so much more. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. The only thing you won't get here is a view of the lava side of the volcano...but, for $40 dollars FREE PHONE and FREE INTERNET, I never cared!

“Great hotel, great service - highly recommend this one”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

Melania and her husband made the difference. The service was fantastic, and the whole family was helpful.

The rooms were very clean unlike many other hotels, and the internet (which is only found in the "lobby") was relatively fast.

This hotel is about 2 kilometers from the main town (La Fortuna) and approximately the same distance from the hot springs Baldi, which the hotel sells discounted tickets for (normally the charge is 28 dollars per person, the hotel charges 18 dollars). There is also a supermarket right across the hotel. The restaurant which is 10 meters from the hotel is run by Melania's daughter. Melania and her family help out. The food was decent, but it was nothing out of this world.

There is a great pool and hot tub at the back - we did not get a chance to use it but saw a number of people using it. There are a couple of hotels nearby - and they all had little to no activity - whereas Vista Del Cerro was busy due to its good reputation.

“stay here- you will love it vista del cerro, la fortuna costa rica”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

We had the great fortune to stay at Vista del Cerro in La Fortuna with the Rojas family. Melania runs the hotel along with her family and her daughter Melanie owns the restaurant next door. From the minute we entered the hotel we were treated like one of the family. Melania is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet and she does an excellent job of asking what you want to see and do and then effortlessly puts your plans into action. The hotel is very clean with large rooms and a nice swimming pool with hot tub located in the back of the property. It is only 10 rooms so you really get a personal touch. Her daughter Melanie has the most delicious breakfasts that I had in Costa Rica and also let my children ride her horse. The family lives behind the hotel and we got to go see their animals one afternoon. You also can use the computer in the lobby and may get to talk to their son Jonathon also who is hilarious. You will not regret staying here- the personal touch and Tico hospitality is great. I look forward to returning someday.

“A great family-run hotel with a perfect location for the area.”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

My two friends and I stayed one night here. The place is clean, new, has hot water, A/C, friendly/family staff, quiet and even has a great little restaurant shack next door (also owned by the family). We had them charge us a couple of dollars more to have breakfast included and it was worth it! We enjoyed the food so much we went back for lunch. This hotel also has an amazing-looking pool, that unfortunately we did not have time to enjoy. Also, if your plan is to go the Baldi Hot Springs, buy your entrance tickets from this place! MUCH cheaper than anywhere else (about $18). Also, you need to hike up (or take a cab) to the entrance and then go in and see the Fortuna Waterfall. Gorgeous! Back to the hotel, it is definitely a great deal for the price, plus there is a computer with internet access and one of those internet phone lines so my friends and I were even able to call home!

“great deal, good freebies, worth the price”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This place was a gem in this town. Just slightly removed from the noise of the city. Clean, neat, and super friendly. They offered FREE internet and FREE calls to the US. It was cool. The pool is really nice and the folks were great. I suggest you take a look at this if you want to see the volcano from your room, but save a penny on lodging.

“Seriously, Fabulous.”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

Malania and her family were so kind to us during our first two nights in Costa Rica, and that hospitality followed us around the entire country.

The room was perfect, with a great view of the volcano!

We did not have a rental car in La Fortuna, but Malania's husband drive us to his favorite restaurant for dinner our first night, and again to the hot springs at night.

Malania's daughter was lovely, as she ran the restaurant next door - which was delicious. You know it's good when it is 7am, and it is packed with locals on their way to work! And it was!

Jonathan, Malania's son, was super helpful to us and just as friendly as the rest of his family.

Our stay was memorable because of the hospitality and we will be back someday!

“A Home Away from Home”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

From the moment we arrived at Vista Del Cerro, we knew we had made the right choice of accomodations in Fortuna. The owner's son, Jonathan, knew who we were, before we even said anything. He brought us to our room, which is simple in design...but very cozy and IMMACULATELY clean. Instantly our 6 year old son, had made a new buddy.

The next morning, we went to the restaurant next door, and met the owner, Malania. We felt like we had gone to a family members house. We had this amazing home-cooked breakfast every morning (the Tipico). Malania and her entire family was a part of us for the next four days. She is also the one and only place you need to go to arrange any tour in Fortuna that you desire.

On the morning we left, we weren't just checking out of a hotel, we were saying good bye to friends, and our son to his Tia (Aunt) Malania. You could spend more money, and go to a hotel that will give you more glitz and amenities; for us, none of that can compare to the impeccable service and attention we received at Vista Del Cerro. We will be back one day!

“Beautiful view and super nice owner!”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This hotel was great. Melania and the rest of the family are super nice, caring, and enthusiastic! They were helpful and wanted to make sure we had a terrific stay. They accomodated our every need. The room was spacious, had a great shower, AC, and cable TV. There is internet and phone access at the hotel. The pool is really cute and there is a spectacular view of Arenal Volcano. You can get breakfast for an extra 4 bucks from Melania's daughter right next store.

“Great family run hotel! Loved it!”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

We orginally booked for 2 nights and ended up staying for 4 nights!

This is a great motel style hotel with large, clean, air conditioned rooms with cable TV. It is just 2 km from La Fortuna which is only a $2 cab ride. The grounds are beautiful with a great pool with a small waterfall and a volcano view in the background - spectacular gardens too! The property is extremely well maintained and taken care of.

The family that runs the hotel is fantastic! Melania is great at arranging tours and giving advice on what to do in the area. Her daughter, Melanie, serves great breakfasts at the small cafe next door which is open for breakfast and lunch.

We were very glad we booked this hotel and would love to go back anytime!

“great local family owned and run, top value”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This is a great place to stay in La Fortuna - it's motel style and on the highway about 1 mile from La Fortuna.

The lady who runs it is a sensation. It is very clean, new, good air conditioning and good TV. You won't be troubled by the traffic and at $40 per night the value is exceptional.

Great base for visit to La Fortuna.

“Very nice for the price”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

We spent one night at Vista del Cerro and it was nice, clean, accessible and had air conditioning. (we spent 2 nights at Cerro Chato Lodge which didn't, so we were happy to have ac). There is a nice, cheap place for breakfast as well, right next door. Staff were also very friendly and helpful. At $40 a night, it was a great deal!

“Would definitely stay here again!”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This place is right outside La Fortuna, so although you need a car, it's easy to get there. It's on the main road, but there were no noise issues. It's right across from a grocery store too, in case you need some supplies or beer. Rooms were well-kept and large, and the bestt part was that when you open the curtains you have a direct volcano view!! The owners were very friendly and full of info to give tour suggestions to all budgets.

Upon welcoming us around 6pm, they asked if we planned to go to the thermal springs that night, or instead, if we would like them to turn on the jacuzzi for us. They offer $17 passes for Baldi hot springs, and they are normally $27 at the door. (Note that Tabacon charges $60 for a day pass and $45 after 7pm --- I haven't been in 15 years, but not sure what could possibly make it 3-4 times better than Baldi).

We didn't eat at the place next store, but went to town and had a delicious breakfast. ***Watch your car!!! A townie was "fixing his hair" in our car window, meaning he was checking out what was inside, which was just a sweatshirt, and then his friend came to our table, where I had the keys, and I grabbed the keys before he could mumble something and take the packets of mayonnaise. Scum can be found everywhere, so just don't be a victim!!

For an incredible dinner, try Don Rufino's -- take a 4 Seasons chef and local CR ingredients, and you have a great menu, yummy food, terrific service, and many entree prices in the mid teens.

Be sure to hike to the waterfalls, but also watch your belongings!! It's such an idyllic place, that people leave things around, and while we were there, someone's video camera was stolen. You can't lock thieves out of paradise, so be smart!

There are so many tours to do in the area, and the owners know everything about them, so you don't need any other tour guides. This is a killer deal on this hotel, and the only negative would be that the bath towels were small by US standards (and no, I'm not fat!)

We would definitely stay here again.....and by the way, we were very glad we rented a car for this trip, but you could probably just take the bus to La Fortuna, take a 2-minute cab to the hotel, and then have the owners set you up on tours or take taxis as needed.

Lastly....you can book and get more info via www.montezuma-hotels.com

“Wonderful hotel with great service”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

We got a recommendation from a busdriver at 'grayline' to visit Vista del Cerro if we wanted to stay in the area of La Fortuna and Arenal. We found a great little hotel with clean rooms, AC and lots of hospitality! We stayed here for two nights á 40$ but the advises and the local knowledge that the owner and her family gave us is worth a lot more. The hotel has a pool that is free to use and a little café right next to the main building with reasonable prices and good coffee. We ate our breakfast here every morning and the service and food is very good. In the area there is a lot of restaurants and only two km to the main village of La Fortuna. The hotel also offers a splendid view of the Arenal volcano. When we stayed here we took a walk 4 km to La Fortuna Waterfalls wich is an excellent way to spend an afternoon. We also went to the hotsprings at Baldi and, of course, visited the volcano.

“Delightful Hotel”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

My wife and I had a very nice 2 day stay here. This is a 10 unit family run hotel located about a mile from the La Fortuna town center. The owner and her family were very nice. The hotel is about 2 years old and has a nice pool that was completed about 6 months before our stay. Restaurants are within easy walking distance. The rooms are very nice and clean and look out toward the volcano. Second floor rooms may have a little better view. Prices are fair. If we visited again we would stay here.

“Great place to stay”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

I agree... choose this place to stay! As mentioned, it's a family business and they're very proud of it. Melania and the rest of her family go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The clean rooms offer outstanding value, with air conditioning and cable tv. The new pool and spa tub are a nice bonus. The food served by Melania's daughter at the cafe next door was tasty and very inexpensive. The location was good, just outside town with a few restaurants and souvenir shops within a couple minutes walk. Melania arranged a tour for me (volcano hike + Baldi hot springs) which was cheaper than I had seen advertised on the tour operators' websites, so be sure to book through the hotel. FYI... if you do book this tour, I recommend NOT getting the Baldi buffet option (food was bland and overpriced) and eating somewhere near the hotel instead, which Melania had said would have been $6 -8. I only stayed one night at Vista del Cerro... I wish it could have been longer!

“Amazing Hotel!!!”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

I have never written a review before but alwasy use them when booking a hotel so I figured I should give back and write one myself. This hotel is amazing. I have honestly never met nicer people in all of my travels. The family works hard to keep the hotel very nice and extremely clean. The hotel is about a mile from town and a cab is a little less then two dollars. Its nice because you are close enough to get there easily (they will always call a cab for you) but yet removed enough to not hear the noise all night. There were days when we were going into town and the owners would give us a ride because they were headed that way. We ate breakfast there everyday and it was wonderful. The typical plate comes with eggs, rice and beans cheese and bread and is delicious. We planned on only staying two nights and ended up staying for four and wished we had more time. After the first night and once we were knew our way around we felt very comfortable and safe at this hotel. Anytime we came back from a day out the owners were there to see if we needed anything. They arranged our tours and helped us with everything. They let us use the inernet whenever we needed and made sure we had everything we needed. I really enjoyed staying at this hotel and would recommend it to anyone. I am a very picky traveler and was very pleased with this hotel. Its a great place and is even a great price. I will definitly go back and recommend anyone to stay here. Its in much better location then the other much more expensive hotels and it s very nice, clean and the people really make it.

Chris and Trish - New Jersey

“Pick This Hotel!!!”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

We stayed at this hotel and we had the best time! The rooms were very spacious, pretty and clean and they offered delicious food to a good price. The family who runs it are awesome! They will help you with anything, you will feel like home! Can only give this hotel (and the family) our best!

Andreas & Erika, SWEDEN

“Just perfect”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This litle family run hotel is perfect both for a family and a couple. It's cheap, clean, pretty and the rooms have a perfect size and least but not last, the view is amasing right under the vulcane. It's close to the city, but also a little outside so you don't have to be in the middle of the tourist race inside the city. The host is Melani, she her husband and their children run the hotel together. We were so lucky that we got invited home to their house to eat the best fishdinner ever (don't expect this though - we just got along well). Also they are the most helpfull people ever and the spa is perfect after a long active day

Astrid Denmark

“loved it”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

This is a great hotel on the road to the volcano leaving La Fortuna. However, the hotel is close enough to town that you can walk there. They had just opened up a very nice pool a week before we got there and are in the process of building a restaurant next to their property. The hotel is family run and the owner is very nice and helpful. Our room was very clean and all the rooms have good views of the volcano. It seems like this property is still somewhat undiscovered by tourists, I just happened to come across this property on a previous visit. For only $40 a night we got a/c, cable tv, volcano view, and a pool. We are definitely planning on staying here again!

“Great Hotel”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

Our family stayed at this hotel and we were very pleased.

The hotel has a great view of the Volcano

Walking distance to resturants and stores

Hotel was very clean

The owner Melania was very helpful with arranging our tours. She and her family are GREAT people!!!!!

I highly recommend this hotel, excellent value.

Kristy

“Los dueños hacen que uno se sienta en casa”

Hotel Vista del Cerro

Melania y su esposo hacen que uno se sienta como con la familia y en casa. Son super atentos, y se encargan de mantener las habitaciones limpísimas, la comida, como decimos aquí en Venezuela, casera.