Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota

All aspects were good, except the dining room was chilly and the food selections limited.

This was the most unusual location and surroundings of any of the hotels. Trogon Lodge is tucked away 'way down' into the valley, with roads that required some careful attention for driving (7 kilometers off Route 2 on a narrow, curve-filled drive). Nevertheless, the location was well-worth it! Note that it was cold (relatively) since it sits at roughly 7000 feet in altitude. The dining room was very nice with excellent food. and service. A beautiful river, with many waterfalls, runs directly through Trogon grounds with several trails to explore along the river. The casitas are also located such that you will follow one, two or more trails to get to your lodging. In this sense, a person with handicaps would be challenged, but could ask for a casita most closely located to necessities. Trogon Lodge is also fairly isolated, meaning no gas station or other convenience stores are within 20-30 kilometers. We didn't need them, though we had some concern about having only a quarter tank of gas. Not a problem, since the nearest gas was 31 kilometers away and well within reach. Though cold much of the day, we thoroughly enjoyed the natural setting and our stay (2 nights)!!

I enjoyed the grounds of the hotel with the water, paths, and fish ponds. Most of the staff did not seem happy or friendly. Breakfast was unimpressive and we arrived 15 minutes early and were ignored. The paths were slippery, despite the rocks for traction, and I fell while going to our room in a light mist. The paths were also slippery when completely dry. The trail was not well-maintained and went sharply up a mountain in a series of switchbacks. The gift shop, where we were supposed to be able to buy glass water bottles, had a disappointing lack of merchandise. The nightly hot water bottles were a nice touch, but they arrived too early. By the time we went to bed, the bottles were merely lukewarm. There was a note to take short showers because the water was heated by natural gas. I waited longer for hot water than actually showering.

I can't say enough about how lovely this mountain lodge was. The grounds were peaceful, right on the river and the restaurant food was excellent! Our guide, Grevies, was like Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island - always there when we needed him! He also took us on a Quetzal safari and we did get to see a male. This part of the country is just beautiful and serene. The lodge room was clean and comfortable. It was a place you could decompress and also go for challenging hikes.