I'm looking for lodging specifically for my family. Here's what we are look for:
1. Must have A/C
2. Rooms must be quiet. Bungalows away from others is great.
3. In an area where there is a lot of hiking/nature (think mammals, frogs and insects, we are not birders) on the property.
4. We like local food, not the Americanized version. Food is a lot less important than 1-3.

The one place that seemed like the best to me after searching awhile are the bungalows at Selva Verde Lodge. Am I missing anything?

We are also going to Buena Vista Villas and Casas in Manuel Antonio for a few days. We were there a few weeks ago and LOVED it.

I stayed in the Selva Verde bungalows last May and really enjoyed it. I was the only person up there, so it was very private, lol and quiet. I had plenty of monkeys & birds etc all to myself, no one from the other side of road seemed to venture up there at all. The food thing will suit you as it's plentiful and filling, but not particularly fancy or anything. Alexander is a guide there, been there for years, whom I can highly recommend.

Another place that you can look into is La Quinta de Sarapiqui. They do have a/c although we have never used it when staying there. The food is local and very good. They have a great frog area that was designed for easy viewing of the poison dart frogs. The people are very friendly and we have enjoyed several stays there.

Selva Verde has their own private rain forest that is just beautiful. They have trails, they have the bungalows that are set away from the main lodge as well as rooms attached to each other. We have only stayed in the rivers edge rooms but were very comfortable there. There are poison dart frogs in the rainforest if you look closely.

Selva Verde has a buffet that is open for a couple of hours for each meal so you can show up and just eat when you want during those times. Food was a little boring to us. La Quinta has delicious food but only at set times.

Our only real downside to La Quinta is that the rooms are duplexes for the most part and they have security lights going all night and a guard that isn't always quiet. Most lodges have guards so that isn't an issue but you do hear this one walking past the rooms several times a night. Possibly with the a/c going we wouldn't have heard him.

The bungalows are nice and remote from main lodge, but they're right on top of each other. I wish they weren't so close together.

My memory of La Quinta is a little different. Don't remember the AC, so perhaps we stayed before they had it? I just remember it being hot and we used a floor fan. Maybe they had AC and it just didn't work very well, but the room wasn't cool, day or night.

We did love the grounds, the pond, etc. Food was so-so. Staff was friendly and helpful. They loaned me a wonderful pair of binoculars for birding at La Selva.

There weren't a lot of people when we stayed in early July a few years ago. Don't remember the guard at night or anything about him or the property being noisy. Maybe it just depends and isn't always the same.

Next time we're in those parts, we'd probably choose Selve Verde just for a different lodging. Selva Verde, as Tully tells it, sounds a bit more like what you are looking for.

Just took a look at La Quinta's website. It says "cool tile floors with ceiling fans and optional air-conditioning". I'm not sure what that means and have never heard AC listed as optional before-- unless some rooms have it and others don't? Obviously, if AC is in all the rooms, it is "optional" as to whether you will use it or not.

Thanks everyone. We decided to go with Selva Verde Lodge, and Buena Vista Villas. We have been to Buena Vista Villas, and loved it.