Savegre Mountain Lodge was the first of 3 locations on our 9 day Costa Rica adventure. We rented a car from U-Save near the San Jose airport. We had a good experience with U-Save overall except for a little issue in the begining...they didn't have the compact sedan that we reserved. We explained that we wanted to get to Savegre before it got dark. They gave us a multi passener van/bus that was intersting to navigate through the bustling city, the Pan-American Highway and the very narrow, bumpy, twisty, hilly road to Savegre Mountain Lodge (they brought the compact car to us and exchanged vehicles the next day). We arrived to an expectedly chilly evening. The weather in the mountains was actually a nice transition from our cold Wisconsin winter. We had a standard room, which was clean and had all of the necessities. The room could have used some updating however, including a brighter light fixture, new tile, fresh paint, etc. The grounds and public areas were very beautiful. The grounds were covered with a gorgeous array of flowering trees and shrubs teaming with hummingbirds galore. We enjoyed 2 mornings and 1 night birding with the legendary Marino Chacon. I truly do mean legendary. Marino's father established Savegre Mountain Lodge many many years ago and Marino has been guiding birdwatchers for over 30 years. He was phenomenal, not only in his birdwatching knowledge and skills, but in his communication and people skills. He made our time at Savegre absolutely fun and memorable. It was certainly a pleasure to spend the hours that we did birdwatching with Marino. He is a great person and among the very best guides we've ever had. When we just mentioned his first name anywhere else that we went in the country, everyone immediately knew who Marino was. We will not soon forget the time we spent birdwatching with him. If you plan to go to Savegre, send an email well in advance to request Marino as your guide. Of course we didn't see every possible bird in the cloud forest, but we did see all of the birds on our personal target list, plus many others. one species that we wanted to see that doesn't typically show up at Savegre, but is in the nearby area is the Fiery Throated Hummingbird. We planned to go several miles out of our way to stop at La Georgina restaurant where they are known to show up on the feeders. We told Marino this and he suggested that we could see many more and in a much better setting at Paraiso de Quetzal (a competing accommodation 10km down the highway and in the direction we needed to go). We took his advice and stopped there on the way to the next destination on our itinerary. We were not disapointed! We were greeted by Jorge Serrano, who led us to the back deck to have a very up close look at many Fiery Throated Hummingbirds visiting the feeders. He also told us the 7 Quetzals were seen that morning. Having only seen 1 pair of Quetzals while at Savegre, we asked if he would take us to see them. He gladly took us out along with a few others that wanted to go out. Again, we were not disapinted and saw several Quetzals. Then we set off to our next destination. I highly reccommend this cloud forest area. I know many visitors go to Monteverde and I'm sure it's a nice area, but if you are looking for a less touristy area with stunning views and friendly people, this is the place for you. Be prepared to bring warm clothing and good hiking shoes. On a final note, do not miss having lunch or dinner at Miriam's (halfway between the highway and Savegre) for an authentic meal next to her cozy fireplace and also do not miss the walk to the waterfall down the road past Savegre. The second of the 2 waterfalls was far more dramatically stunning than I expected, but a challenge to get to through slippery mud, rocks, roots and decrepit stairs and bridges. Overall we loved Savegre Mountain Lodge and the surrounding areas and highly reccommend it!

Now I want admit before I say anything else that this hotel is a wonderful place to experience the beauty of Costa Rica and to see the birds of the cloud forest. It is located in the most remote but beautiful valley and the grounds of this hotel are magnificent. Furthermore, this hotel gives access to about 600 acres of hiking trails into the mountains above the valley. So if your goal is to see birds and you are willing to put up with some inconvenience to do so, this is your place. Now in traveling through Latin America, it seems that very often it is possible to come upon remote inns, resorts, and haciendas that have amazingly high standards of comfort and cuisine for such remote locations. Unfortunately, the Savegre Hotel is not among them. The rooms are spacious enough and at first, I had high hopes for this hotel. There is a charming fireplace in each room and a supply of kindling. Unfortunately the fireplaces do little to defeat the morning chill which is numbing at this altitude. Why could the management not have placed wood stoves in the rooms so that they might be adequately heated? A stove would be no more environmentally harmful than a fireplace. The cafeteria was very disappointing. Not because the food was bad. The food should have been excellent. The fish was right out of the river that runs through the hotel property. Unfortunately, the meals were cooked long before being served and were allowed to sit around in steam baths until the vegetables were mush and the fish was dry and tasteless. Well, it was wholesome and edible but it could have been so much better. It is really a pity. Such a beautiful property in such a wonderful location. Everything is here to have a wonderful country inn. No additional capital is needed, only a bit more attention to the operation of this hotel could produce so much improvement.

A quiet property with individual clean units (some newer) in a magical valley filled with birds and natural beauty. Units come with heaters, but bring a fleecy or sweater for night-time. A very good selection of food (cafeteria style). If you come on your own, be prepared for a narrow winding and in places hilly road that is unpaved in areas. It is worth the drive!

Excellent birding; fantastic Birding Guide; good food served buffet. Accommodations are more comfortable & newer/ more modern than most birding destinations in Costa Rica. Has a lounge and bar open late in the evening. An easy place to stay. A pleasure.