It’s not often you show up at a hotel and spend much time conversing with the owner. But at Sunset Hotel, we didn’t experience the typical hotel stay. Instead, we felt right at home the moment we arrived.
The hotel is in Monteverde, Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas region. We loved it because it has beautiful views and a lot of wildlife.
Arrival at Sunset Hotel
Upon arrival, Vitalis greeted us. Vitalis is the friendly small-hotel owner who manages the 7-room hotel along with his son. He gave us a tour of the two vacant rooms and gave us information about the hotel amenities.
It didn’t take much for us to decide to stay here. To start, we thought the price was great considering we left the main town and opted for this cute hidden hotel atop a hill. Second, we loved the views right away.
As soon as we booked the room, Vitalis told us about the tours available. We only had a day to explore the following day, so the owner quickly set us up with a night tour. Thirty minutes later, after our arrival, we were picked up by our Night Walk tour company. We wasted no time! We liked how quickly everything was flowing.
Our Night Stay at Sunset Hotel
Back at our hotel that night, we thought having a fan instead of an air conditioner would be hot and humid. However, the room temperature was perfect, and we even used the blankets. The high-altitude climate of the area kept this place at an ideal temperature.
The room itself was clean and comfortable. Our room had wooden pallets with a unique design, including the nightstand lamp. In front of the window, there was a work table with views looking out.
The hotel had hot water, WiFi, and it was comfortable. However, something new we experienced was listening to the sounds of animals out in the forest reserves before falling asleep. Not sure what animals we heard, but it was fun trying to guess whether it was some cat or monkey. We never knew!
Breakfast
The following morning we woke up thinking a hotel staff would attend us for breakfast. Instead, we were surprised to be greeted by Vitalis, who personally cooked our complimentary breakfast. While we waited for him to cook, he brought us fruit and coffee to start our breakfast, including scrambled eggs, bread, fruit, and coffee.
The breakfast room had a view we loved. We sat for a while chatting with Vitalis, who speaks English, Spanish, and German. We had a lovely time listening to his stories about his years in Mexico. He truly felt like a friend because he was so friendly.
Walking the Sunset Hotel Trails
After breakfast, we took a half-hour walk through the trail belonging to the hotel. So many trees and wildlife surrounded us that we got to see and enjoy. We saw an insane amount of beautiful butterflies and small insects who flew beside us as we hiked. We also saw many parrots sitting atop the trees in front of the hotel.
Unfortunately, we did not find any monkeys or sloths, which sometimes happens at the hotel. The trail was long enough to give us a great workout, and it was a great start to the day.
Upon finishing the hike, we returned to Vitalis to ask about which Cloud Forest to visit. He insisted we go to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve instead of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which was the original plan. Because he’s a local who grew up here, we decided to take his recommendation.
We do not regret it. First, it was closer to our location. Second, it was beautiful, and we practically had the place to ourselves for opting to go to the least crowded reserve. It’s always nice to have a place to ourselves! Finally, Vitalis was kind enough to hold our luggage at the front with him while we were gone.
After our Cloud Forest adventure, we felt the need to say goodbye to Vitalis, who we even asked to take a picture of because we wanted to recommend his five-star service and his cute hotel with amazing views.
Our stay at this hotel was a cozy one and we felt extremely welcomed. We recommend it because of its five-star views, its five-star service, and its fantastic trail.
Consider staying here if you ever find yourself in Monteverde!
Other things to do in Costa Rica:
La Mariposa Hotel: Manuel Antonio
Not a sponsored post. We loved our stay. 🙂
This hotel looks beautiful, and those views! God, I’d adore to go here.
Amy;
Little Moon Elephant
It’s such cute hotel! The best part of it was the small hike lying right next to it. Worth the stay if you’re in the area.
The sunset hotel looks so charming. The fact that it is hidden away makes it all the more alluring. The views are fantastic and the service seems to be personalized. Definitely gives the feel of a home away from home.
I could easily stay here and not be disappointed after reading this post. The accommodation looks amazing and I could so easily relax here all day and not have a care in the world
It was definitely a nice stay. 🙂
This is my kind of hotel – great service, friendly staff and close to nature. I have a thing about butterflies so you’ve got me the moment I read that you saw a lot within a few minutes walk from the hotel.
The butterflies were everywhere and you’d definitely enjoy the walk. 🙂
This hotel sounds like a gem! And, I totally love when the owners make you feel at home and conversation flows freely. I had a similar experience lately and it really added to my take away.
Doesn’t it feel good when they make you feel welcome?! Great service is always the best.
I would love to stay here! This place looks great. I wouldn’t want to leave my room.
If you’re ever in Monteverde, I hope you do. 🙂 It’s a nice little place!
I like looong and relaxing breakfasts with a view and good chat like the one you had. Plus the hotel has its own hiking trails, this is paradise for me!
Definitely felt like paradise! Thanks. 🙂
What a great sounding little property! We are headed to Costa Rica next year and I can’t wait.
Gotta love nice stays. You’re going to love Costa Rica!
Looks wonderful. Such a nice touch when you can meet the owners – says something instantly about the type of place they run. Glad you enjoyed the sounds of the forest. This is one of the things that we love about camping and being in the outdoors. Definitely a place I would consider staying at.
Right!? It adds so much to the experience when you’re treated so well. The outdoors of this place was great. Perhaps you get to stay here one day.
That’s so lovely that the hotel has it’s own trails that you can walk. Looks like a lovely place to stay.
It was quite nice! 🙂
Ha ha nothing like trying to guess what kind of animals might be lurking outside! Lovely place to stay by the sounds of things. It’s great finding somewhere so welcoming – and awesome to have beautiful nature trails there for you to explore too.
Everything was just perfect. Even the sounds of animals lurking haha. 🙂