Trip Report - Lost Iguana
 

I just returned from Costa Rica, on a nine-day journey. I can answer more specific questions if anyone has them (I travelled to Playa Hermosa, Tamarindo, Monteverde, and Arenal), but I wanted to report briefly on my experience at the lost iguana resort in arenal. This was, overall, a truly fantastic resort. Easily the best rooms out of all the hotels I stayed at in Costa Rica. Great view of the volcano (even if it was clouded over for two days), with a some lava flow at the end of the stay. We were within easy hiking distance to the hanging bridges. The pools were fantastic, especially at night when you could relax and take in the views. The staff was helpful (especially roberto). After reading some of the negative comments about this resort, i question those individuals integrity.

Thanks for reviewing it for all of us! It does make one wonder. . . .
LI really does sound like a great place to stay. Glad you had a good time!

ChinaCatSunflower, I would love to hear more about the Lost Iguana Resort in Costa Rica. I have my eye on it for our first family trip to Costa Rica in June 2005...The web site looks terrific, it has many things going for it. Can you tell us about it in more detail?

I would like to hear more about how you liked the facilities, the rooms, was the location convenient...Actually, where exactly is it located? How far from La Fortuna and how far from the entrance to the Arenal National Park? How far to the Tabacon hot springs? Good food available nearby?

The web site says the resort has a 100-acre property. Are there natural areas to walk through on the property, or is it all cut down? Any interesting animals/plants on the property?

Muchas gracias! Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Dear ChinaCatSunflower,

My husband and I are also interested in staying for two nights at the Lost Iguana at the beginning of July 2005. Our biggest concern is the construction (the website says that they are building a spa and a new reception area) and would like to hear your opinion on this. Was there construction going on while you were there, and if so, was it disturbing in any way? We have emailed the resort directly about this but would like to hear from someone who actually stayed there. Thank you so much!!

Dan and Melissa

The Lost Iguana is located about 10 - 15 minutes past La Fortuna by car/truck, just over the Nuevo Arenal Dam. It's accessible via a very rough rocky road, which, at the time of my visit had yet to be paved. You will need a 4 x 4 vehicle to traverse this road, unless the resort has finished paving it by the time you visit. Aside from the bumpy winding access road, the travel distance to fortuna is easy going. The hot springs are nearby, they're actually between lost iguana and la fortuna. "good food" is a relative term. We ate at several places in la fortuna, including Luigi's pizza, which was average at best. I live in South Philadelphia, though, and i may be biased since we're blessed with some pretty good italian places.

The resort was not very crowded when we were there, which we enjoyed. We had a sense of seclusion which I don't think folks at other resorts had. Tabacon hot springs was packed with people, and, while it was a nice diversion, we were happy to return to our quiet respite at Lost Iguana

The rooms were easily the nicest of the different resorts we visited during our vacation. Our room was very clean, had a generous amount of space, a *very* comfortable king-sized bed, a more-than-capable air conditioner, and beautiful wooden-carved furniture. Our room was on the second floor, and featured a high cathedral style ceiling with a ceiling fan. There was also a fridge, and, best of all, there were large glass doors on the far end of the room which provided a direct unobstructed view of the volcano. At nighttime you could lay in bed and watch (in our case) to see if the clouds would blow over.

As to the property itself, there are several exclusive resort trails behind the property which provide for some good hiking. One of the trails leads directly to the hanging bridges ($20) admission per person, but lost iguana will get you a voucher for 1/2 price. As to animals, funny you should mention that. We were approached by approximately 25 - 30 cows on the way to the hanging bridges, which was quite interesting.

To answer the question about construction, (danandmelissa) it is true that there is construction going on at the resort. There was no work being done at all on our building, which was completed at the time of our stay. All of the work being done was on the new rooms on the other side of the resort. We did hear and see some construction during the day, but this was only on our way in and out to do various activities. It seems that this will probably continue for the next few months to complete the reception center and spa. post any other questions you might have about lost iguana (or costa rica in general) i'll try to get to them.

I too, just got back from C.R. and stayed at the Lost Iguana. It is wonderful. The staff is the best ever!!!! Randall helped us alot. And the owner was so nice, she would sit down w/ us when we ate and just talk like we had been friends forever.
The rooms are so nice, we were on the 2nd floor and had a hottub out on our balcony. The hanging bridges were beutiful and just a short hike. As far as the construction, They are building 10 more rooms which will be ready 12/20/04. and all of the other construction being done is further down from the rooms. So, that should not be any problem. I highly recommend everyone to stay here. You will not be dissapointed. Oh!! did I mention the food at the resturant was the best that we had in Costa Rica.

Dear ChinaCatSunflower and Danmin,

Thank you both so much for this info, it will be very valuable for our planning!! Wish July wasn't so far away!!

Dan and Melissa

Yes, thanks for the update on the Lost Iguana! I'm still torn about where to stay, but it sounds like this is one of several nice places.

ChinaCatSunflower: thank you for a wonderfully detailed report on the Lost Iguana!

Can you tell me more about the grounds of the Lost Iguana? You mentioned there are several exclusive hiking trails on the property...Can you tell us more about the vegetation? (Trees? Flowers? Native plants? Lush jungle? Forest? Gardens? How would you describe it?)

Thanks for putting up with all my questions!

Without a proper botanical background, I wouldn't be able to answer as to what specific types of flowers or plants were on the grounds. I can say that the resort is very lush, and is built into the side of a mountain. There appear to be carefully manicured gardens, trees, plants, flowers, etc. at every turn. There are also picturesque ponds and fountains which give the place a nice feel.

If you contact them (they're very helpful), they'll probably be able to give you more specific details. I do recall that there were exclusive trails leading away from the cow pastures, up behind the resort itself. We were only able to hike a few of the trails due to time constraints. From your balcony, you'll have a sense of total seclusion, looking out over the volcano and nearby mountain ranges. It's truly breathtaking. I hope this helps - i would recommend this resort without hesitation...

Gracias, ChinaCatSunflower. You've really helped me zero in on which place is best for us. I think I'm going to book 2 rooms at the Lost Iguana.

I'm excited!

ChinaCatSunflower and Danmin: I am really sold on the Lost Iguana, but I have one more question. Supposing that the construction on the new reception area/laundry facilities/spa wasn't done before we arrived, would we be able to see or hear the construction from our rooms? Would we be able to see or hear the construction from the beautiful pool area?

Isn't it nice that they are building guest laundry facilities? What a convenience!

Thanks so much!

ChinaCatSunflower and Danmin, which type of room did you have at the Lost Iguana, "standard deluxe" or "luxury suite"? The luxury suite has the jacuzzi bath on deck, and the standard deluxe doesn't.

There is a $50 difference in price and I'm trying to figure out which room I want. Were you happy with your rooms, did you feel they were roomy enough? Were you pleased with the views and were you on the first or second floor?

Thanks!

Melissa: we had the standard room at the Lost Iguana, which was plenty nice. Since it was pretty much brand new at the time we stayed, it was in pristine shape. We stayed on the second floor - be sure to request this if possible. All rooms have a large patio with furniture. The views are fantastic, but be prepared for the possibility that the volcano will be clouded over for at least some portion of your stay.

The room itself was absolutely huge. It was the only room in costa rica that had king sized beds. They used top quality bedding, so you'll definately have a good night's sleep. The bathrooms are a good size as well, and have complimentary bottled water and coffee machines.

As to the noise, we did hear some from time to time. It was not too bad, though, and certainly did not interfere with our trip. Besides, how much time will you spend in your room during the day? Enjoy your trip...