Peace Lodge
 

Interesting information regarding. .

Not long ago, there was a thread discussing a bit of "price gouging" or "taking too much advantage of a good thing" by Peace Lodge.

For example, Monarch Villa, designed for 4 people and priced according at $100 more than the deluxe accomodations: More than 2 persons, and they tack on ANOTHER $40 per person, bringing the total to almost $500. Double charging is the only name for this practice.

Another example: discontinuance of the included breakfast buffet.

Another example: High prices $30 at dinner (is this really TRUE?) for mediocre food (or reports of mediocre food--we don't eat there).

This is tourism at its worst. A friend who recently stayed there shared with me this past week that they had met the owner, who is indeed from Florida, as hipvirgochick mentioned. . .

Their impression was not good, and they are generally quite tolerant folks.

Now all that doesn't take away from the fact that La Paz Waterfall Garden is a fabulous place and Peace Lodge a gorgeous hotel. It does make me think twice about giving them my business. For first timers to CR, it is still a don't miss location, but now that I've given them my business several times (hotel twice), I think I'll move on. . . .

The thought of someone who is already prospering quite well working so hard to bank just a little bit more in a country so gracious and generous doesn't set well.

That said, I'll agree that all the improvements (and there have been many over the past 3 years) have surely been costly. And perhaps I don't have all the facts. I hope not. Maybe the higher prices and changes in policy have been necessary to provide the product that we all enjoy. But still. . .think I'll move on now! :)

shillmac - I hear ya - and no it isn't me in FL that owns it, ha! I guess it's easy to say as we've both been there but I totally agree - if it was now and I was to visit there I'd probably stay at Poas Volcano Lodge or do it as a day trip. And you forgot the hassle of their reservations dept as well that many go thru. The dinner was, yes, around $30, and no, not worth it. Good food yes but on par with about Applebee's and far over-priced for CR. The cut off of the breakfast included, the extra person charge in the Villa, the small bag of $7 (!) chips etc is really taking it too far.

I am so glad that some body is calling the things by there name...Peace Lodge even that is a great place...is not worth it...the owner has been reported several times with the Costa Rica labor department...he loves to scream at his workers!!

The hotel looks like the FLINSTONES... most of Peace Lodge is full of fiberglass rocks!! And fake flowers!!

GPS

We're excited to be trying out a new hotel this time around, for one night!

When I get back to CR with Isabelle (returning to U.S. to get her while DH stays there), Humberto doesn't have a room for us. We are scheduled at Peace Lodge (our last hurrah there, I guess) August 3 and 4. So we decided to drive as far as Doka and stay at Siempre Verde B&B. We've had breakfast there a few times and have always wanted to stay overnight. It's one of the best breakfasts in the country, surely!

It will be a good choice for us, putting us close to La Paz for the 3rd--and we can relax and take it easy that morning. The photos online look so nice, and we got it for $80, the 3 of us, breakfast AND TAX included.

Still wavering on the other accomodation. If we decide on Sanchiri, the only purpose would be to hike Tapanti National Park. We've never done that--although have done everything else in that area. Like the area.

That'll be so cool shillmac. Had breakfast there as well once and thought it looked just lovely & peaceful.

We stayed in a standard room last time at Peace Lodge. We were completely content with it and didn't see a need for a deluxe, so for our trip this summer, I booked a standard again both in my online request form and on the fax I sent. My husband just pointed out to me that our confirmation says deluxe room - holy sticker shock! I called to rectify it, but they don't have any standards left. The prices they are charging are absolutely astounding. And with the prices they are charging, I am dumbfounded that they don't include breakfast.

shillmac - We were looking for an alternative to Peace Lodge for our 1st trip to CR in January. Peace Lodge just seems so pricey and like they nickle-and-dime for everything (like breakfast!).

We are staying 3 nights in Arenal (at AOL) and probably our last night at Orquiedas Inn. So our first 2 nights are still open (husband really wanted to do MA, but I think it's too much as we don't arrive until 1pm). I think Siempre Verde might be the perfect addition to our trip! Do you think it's feasible to stop at La Paz on the way to Arenal?

Oh sure--and Siempre Verde is not far from Poas OR La Paz.

Leaving Alajuela, it is just up the road and very near the entrance to the Doka Estate Coffee Tour. Owned by Doka. . .

If you'll go to the Doka website, that is where you'll find the links to Siempre Verde.

Only problem (and I have e-mailed them about this) is it is VERY hard to find the entrance if you don't know exactly where it is. There are signs, but they are not clear. Last time we stopped by for breakfast, we were back and forth on that road about 10 times. I'll post the directions when I hear back from them.

It is truly a beautiful property and very serene. There are only 4 accomodations--very small. And a gift shop. Breakfast is outdoors.

I wasn't going to say this, but what the ****. Our friends said the owner was extremely obnoxious (right then I knew it wasn't you, Tully) at dinner. Loud, abrasive and obnoxious. That pretty much did it for me. . .as I said earlier. . in a country where la gente are gentle and soft spoken and well mannered. . .yuk.

If I'm gonna be gouged, I'd rather it be by some one charismatic LOL!
not by my LEAST favorite type of personality!

Rereading my post, I decided I'd better clarify. . .

The **** were meant to imply the word "hell". . .some may read a whole lot more into those little symbols than I intended! Sorry!
Guess I'd better stay away from the curse words!

We had our last stay at PL this past Feb., after the no-breakfast thing and the price of the rooms, I'd rather splurge somewhere else (like BDC :)!

We were told in Nov. that the owner is building a resort in Arenal which will make Tabaccon look like nothing. Maybe the jacked up prices are financing this contruction. Too bad. It's such a neat place.......

MY

Probably one of the new "high rises" in Arenal. What a shame.

We're going back in a little over a month and I guess I'll see how it compares to our trip last year. I think a lot depends on your expectations and perspective. We had just come from Tabacon, which was also a comparably expensive hotel, however it did not include breakfast and their breakfast is outrageously expensive. At the time Peace Lodge did include the breakfast. The staff at Tabacon was just there to be there and never went out of their way to do anything for the guests and the rooms were just very basic. I would probably never stay there again, unless I planned to visit their hot springs every day of our visit - since they're included in the room rate.

However, when we arrived at Peace Lodge we were blown away, not just by the rooms, but by the service. The entire staff was amazing. The grounds were beautiful, even in the rain. We found the food to be very good and in no way overpriced for what you get - as compared to US prices.

Sure, we're disappointed that breakfast is no longer included, but it isn't included at many of the places we've looked at. I also do not understand charging extra per person for the Monarch Villa - we're staying in it this time, and paying extra, and not thrilled about it either.

I'm sure we didn't meet the owner on our last visit, but we did really feel that at the time our stay was well worth the price that we paid. We truly felt relaxed and would not have missed the whole experience there for anything.

So - I'm just hoping that it hasn't changed too much when we return! That would be sad...it really is beautiful -

We will be there next February, so I read with much interest all the opinions voiced here. It will be our first CR trip, and would love to be close to waterfalls, birds, hummingbirds, frogs and nature, in general.

I understand that PL is not exactly ‘wild’ and yes, it is very expensive. For these prices, absolutely, breakfast should be included in the price.

But we’re going to give it a try and hope we’ll not be disappointed.

We will be at Peace Lodge on July 15th. I originally (about a year ago) read so many excellent reviews/comments, that now I'm interested to see if we think it's worth it. I think the kids will love it, and it's only a one-night splurge in a two week trip, so of course the cost seems diluted considering the entire trip cost. I'll post when we return, and let everybody know what we thought, although we can't compare it to anything since this will be our first trip. Is anybody going to be there when we are?

ShellID,
After such mixed reviews, I was happy to read your comments. We are also paying extra for the Monarch Villa, but we have 5 people in it, so we would have needed two rooms anyway. Since we both have the Monarch Villa, obviously we won't be there at the same time.

There has been talk for several years about PL building a place in Arenal. Wonder if they really will. I believe Pat Hewitt told me about it in the first place. Been quite a few years. So many that I had given up looking for it.

We enjoyed our stay at PL for the most part and understand what it must cost to keep a place like that up and continue to build. I too think breakfast should be included for the price though. The double charging is not kosher either imo. Without breakfast there isn't that much extra expense so why the extra charge. We thought the service was good except for two things...we were out and out lied to about something on two different days. And, we thought we had a private driver to the airport and wanted to change the pick up time so he could drop me off at Orquideas and then take my husband off to the airport. I was staying for a couple more weeks on my own. They kept telling us they couldn't get ahold of him. When he showed up it was not a private driver but a shuttle that was timed for a bunch of people to go together. We would have been fine if they had just told us up front that it wasn't a private driver and that they couldn't change the time. Lie number 3 and it didn't sit well. We complained and they gave us the owners private email which we promptly lost. On the other hand, we asked them to turn the temperature up for the hot water because we couldn't get the Jacuzzis warm enough. They did it immediately. We were there over Valentines day and we all got roses in our rooms. We would consider going again possibly and would not discourage people from going as it is a neat place but some of my expectations will be a little lower for some things.

As far as dinner goes. We were underwhelmed in terms of what we got for the price. We didn't like the formality of the meal either. We enjoy mixing with other guests when we travel and it was not conducive at all at dinner anyway.

Maybe someone who has recently stayed in the Monarch could leave a review on tripadvisor about the double booking. Owners are welcome to comment.

Dana, you'll be there just a couple of weeks before us - we're staying one night on August 2nd. It's the one night my kids are most looking forward to! They're 7 and 9 years old and after seeing our pictures from last year are so excited! They can't wait to see the butterflies in the emerging from the cocoons and the hummingbirds! And my daughter, who will be 7 is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of actually holding a tree frog during the night frog tour!! It's what she's talked about most since finding out we're staying there!

I'm looking forward to your trip report!

ShellID,
We are all excited about Peace Lodge also. We are taking 5 children, ages 10-18. I supposed I should now say 4 children because the oldest just turned 18 and has declared herself an adult! The youngest children were the most involved in the planning of our trip, and along with Tortuguero, Peace Lodge was at the top of their wish list.

Do we have to make reservations for the night frog tour? I read somewhere that even if staying at Peace Lodge there is a possibility they could run out of space for th tour. There are 12 of us traveling together.

My family will be staying at Peace Lodge June 23 in the Monarch Villa. The price is outrageous, but the experience will hopefully be priceless. My kids are also most excited about our night there. As I plan for another trip on the East Coast, I'm looking at an average rate in an upcale hotel costing $300+/night. It makes me feel a "slightly" better about the money I'm spending at Peace Lodge which includes beautiful grounds, gorgeous rooms and a lovely experience. I plan to give a lengthy report on our visit there and the Monarch Villa. Just a note: after many e-mails to them to reconfirm reservations, which they never answered, I called. Apparently the office is only open 7am-3pm so they were closed when I called. A girl did answer (ola, not Peace Lodge))and very sweetly told me they would call me back in the morning. And they did!

Dana,

From our experience last year, we made our frog tour reservation when we were there, but we were there in May and it wasn't crowded at all. There was just us and one other couple on the tour. I think they offered it 2x an evening. We were there two nights that visit, so we had more options though! I guess it couldn't hurt to call ahead and try to get the tour booked in advance! It's not long, maybe 30 minutes, but it's really cool because the frogs just sort of hop all over you! And you learn all about them.

Are you going to Tortuguero this trip too? We are as well. I'm really looking forward to that, it should be a really unique experience!

hopvac - good to hear that you finally did get a response! I'll keep those hours in mind when I call or email to make my confirmations! Thanks!! And I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip!

We loved the frog tour too; one of them jumped on my head and was swinging around on the end of my hair - okay, I didn't love that part! We just made the reservation when we checked in, but we had to take the latest time (9:00) because it's all they had left. It's a neat tour. Also twice a day you can hand feed the hummingbirds.

ShellID,
Yes, we're going to Tortuguero as well. That was an absolute must on the kids' list. But, after reading several reports, including a comment by atravelynn who said the turtle egg-laying was one of the best experiences in her life, I think I'm more excited about it now than the kids!

Hopvac,
Thanks for the info on Peace Lodge's hours. Glad to know they returned your phone call promptly.

Volcanogirl,
It might have been a comment by you that prompted me to ask about the reservations for the frog tour. I am going to call and make reservations since there are so many of us. We'll also make sure to feed the hummingbirds.

Don't get me wrong--we like it there, too! It's a great place to entertain kids and I absolutely do NOT mind the expense. They keep it up very well--those handrails and steps down the waterfall trail alone would be extremely costly.

The base prices they charge are perfectly in line for what you get (except for food, there's no excuse for that--I just think it reprehensible for them to charge for extra people at Monarch Villa when it is already priced up $100 because of extra people. I am fine with the fair pricing--it's the gouging that "jabs" me. It would just be great fun to see a huge boycott of Monarch Villa rentals until they stop that! :)

We stayed at Monarch Villa last year also--they upgraded us due to a misunderstanding in our favor. It was a real treat.

The hummingbird feeding was definitely my daughter's favorite part. She made sure to go to both feedings each day for 2 days. The butterfly observatory is amazing as well. The other attractions are great as well as the waterfalls, and worth the money to go at least once in a lifetime. It just gets soooo expensive for a family. Especially now with no breakfast. When we went I think the standard room came to $227, included breakfast for both of us and entrance fees, so it didn't seem too bad.

Shillmac,
I didn't take anything you said about Peace Lodge to mean you didn't like your stay. In fact, you said it was still a must see for first timers to Costa Rica. I think you gave a very well-balanced assessment.

I totally agree with you about the Monarch Villa. I think the marketing is very misleading. However, if you look at it on a per person cost, if you have 4 or 5 people in the Monarch Villa, it's still cheaper than two rooms. Therefore, people will book it; you're correct that they'll be able to charge what they like as long as it stays rented. Most disturbing to me is that they don't mention on the website the extra charge for additional people. Luckily my TA told me what it was going to cost.

I, too, am miffed that they don't include breakfast in the rate anymore, with no offset for people that booked when breakfast was supposedly included. I mean, really, how much do eggs, cereal, or fruit cost? Since we do have a kitchenette in the Monarch Villa, we'll probably stop on the way and pick up some food.

All-in-all, it's probably still a great splurge for one or two nights. But I do agree, that they are probably getting gready. In Alabama (where I live) we say "pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered." And at Peace Lodge, there's probably a little too much oinking going on.

Just my 2 cents (from somebody who not been there yet), so take it with a grain of salt.

The new hotel at ARENAL build by the Peace Lodge Gardens owner...is almost ready...you can see it from the road from La Fortuna to Tabacon...at the top of a hill is a big red kind of Sky resort... they have a problem because at the moment to get there you have to drive to Monterey and then to the Hotel...about 40 minutes drive from La Fortuna...in the future and they already requested it...they are builduing a bridge...with that new bridge the drive will be about 15 minutes to La Fortuna...

They have a nice creeck ...with incredible clear hot water...some very nice "private little pools" The gardens are somenthing else...is a kind of different than Tabacon...but I can said is a very nice unique hotel... they gave me a tour the other day...

GPS

Dana--when are you going?

Shillmac,
July 12th-26th. At Peace Lodge July 15th.

Have fun you guys :) I agree with all, it's definitely fun, and a once in a lifetime thing, but at those prices once was good enough for me. Just another note on food - had a mini panic attack in the other restaurant they have on site, it's a large buffet type place. I walked in and it was just wall to wall people and I got kinda stuck in there for a few minutes. Chaos! I can't even comment on the food but I did see someone with a slice of pizza. Overall I had the best food at the Trout Bar.

Well I wish I had found all this information about Peace Lodge before but oh well. We are planning to be married there next year. I think the wedding will be wonderful. We are getting married by the waterfall so I guess a little extra cash is worth the whole wedding experience. What I can avoid, with some help, is to find someplace close by to host a luncheon/reception. I have about 12 people total and currently no way to transport them so close is good. And if some one can tell me how we can get a group this size to someplace alittle farther and back that could be an option as well. I have heard that there are some decent restaurnats in the area but I can't seem to find out who they are or how to contact them. At this point anything would be better than the $45-$75 per person at Peace Lodge since I wouldn't have paid that back home in Northern Illinois. I have been dreaming of this trip to Costa Rica for many years and am now relying on your expertise to make my dream come true. Thanks in advance.
The only slightly stressed out bride to be.

There's a place called Colbert's that shillmac always goes to; maybe she could give you more details. If you want to go super casual, the Trout Bar has good food.

Don't stress out, bridetwobe. Note that even though we're complaining a bit about the price, I think people unanimously agree Peace Lodge is an amazing experience, particularly if you've never been there before.

I don't have restaurant recommendations, but I have read on this board that Colbert's is good. I think it is about 20 minutes away. You could get the hotel to arrange for a driver/van for you.

I've also read only positive reports about the Trout Bar's food (and prices). Maybe you could have Peace Lodge do a private reception around the waterfall area, or around the Trout Bar/Pool, with casual food from the Trout Bar.

You have but my mind at ease, well at least a little bit. This destination wedding is turning out to be more work than I had planned. I have heard about this Colbert's but have yet to find contact information. I guess I really just want to have all my ducks in a row so that I can enjoy the day and the time that we have in CR.
Thanks to all.

Even though it's pricey, we still love the Peace Lodge; it's a beautiful place to be married, so relax and enjoy.

brideTWObe/bosslady,
I just have to say I chuckled at both of your screen names!

When is your wedding?

Dana_M,
We are getting married in the end of February 2009. I have most of the information and reservations that I need. I'm still finalizing our honeymoon itinerary and after reading this forum and asking for travel times I'm thinking that maybe we need to cut one out. Although recently our officiants website has gone down and the eamils came bouncing back but I'm sure its just technical difficulties.

Colbert's would be an outstanding place for your reception. It is probably even a little closer than 20 min--maybe about 10-15.

Colbert's is a French restaurant with a very accomodating owner-chef. We think the food is great; the cheese plates, the wine, there's an excellent chicken with mushroom sauce as well as other excellent entres, very good bread.

I almost think you could show up with your group and have a wonderful reception meal without contacting first--unless you wanted some extras that would need to be arranged in advance.

It's weird in that the 5-6 times we have been, there are seldom many other people--maybe a couple of others tables. Once or twice--just us.

I'm trying to remember and get a rough count--I think there are about 9-10 tables. We were there with a group of 7 once, and were seated at a longer table. There is a fireplace in the center of the main room. Nice place. I'll be there in a month--will try to find a number for you.

E-mail me (lest I forget)

Not sure what key I tapped, but the wrong one!

e-mail: [email protected]

Thank you so much for all your kindness. It will certainly make planning a little easier.