Hotel Rincón de la Vieja Lodge

Not for the faint of heart! The reviews that call this place basic or rustic really aren’t kidding! My expectations were fairly low and I was still unpleasantly surprised. It’s not awful but really it’s like cabin camping and also somewhat run-down. On the upside, it was clean, hot water shower, and the breakfast was good. Other meals were so-so. Downsides include cold water only in sink, corrugated metal roof and a general state of disrepair. Worst part was the power went out one night and they were totally unprepared for this—no back up lighting anywhere (including restaurant), no candles, lanterns or flashlights for guests to use. If we hadn’t packed a small flashlight we would have been in total darkness in our cabin. I had a candle but they had no matches! Very dark and twisty walkways from restaurant to cabins. This seemed very dangerous and irresponsible to me. No one took charge and we were on our own. I do have to say the young women staffing the place were trying their best and one was accommodating with food (toast and papaya all day!) when my husband was under the weather. And regarding the weather, there are extremely strong winds here at certain times and the flimsiness of the cabins made this very nerve-wracking. Couldn’t sleep for fear of trees falling on us.

Lovely gardens, terrible room My first impression this hotel was what a beautiful place. The gardens are well kept and the pool looked inviting. However, the word basic comes to mind when you enter your accommodation. There is old paint splashes on the floor. The curtains are flapping about because of the large gaps in the window frames and walls; it's very windy here. No mosquito nets, complimentary water or coffee. The bathroom reminds me of a run down camp site's latrine. The sink moves if you touch it. No toilet roll holder etc. The food in the restaurant is OK and the staff are very friendly and do their best to help. It's worth mentioning, if you don't have your own transport unless you are a walker you are isolated because there is nothing close by.