Hotel Quelitales

Hotel Quelitales was the first accommodation of our 6 week in Costa Rica. The room was comfortable and the food good particularly the trout.We loved the location and enjoyed our walks in the area. What was disappointing was the lack of information in booking tours.This is a known birding area so organising guides for a tour should be straightforward from the hotel but we were left to do our own research and booking ourselves. We felt customer service needs to be addressed.

We stopped at this awesome location for birdwatching and were not disappointed. The gardens, flowers, streams and waterfalls gave us beautiful memories and life-list species in spite of the constant heavy rain. The four of us enjoyed a very upscale gourmet lunch. We ordered from the menu with an appetizer (watercress salad or various soups) entree (we had trout wrapped in banana leaves topped with shrimp, flambéed shrimp, chicken and herb salmon). Desserts were Bailey Cream Crepes for two of us. Fruit smoothies were included. Yes, we did consider the bill at $180 quite expensive, but the food didn’t disappoint and certainly something we don’t often do. The bill also included the “entry fee”, which we were happy to support considering the amazing habitat and covered observation decks and feeding platforms. We didn’t look into any of the cabins spread around but they all were quite private in spectacular locations…some with views.

This is an ideal place to be immersed in nature along with delightful accommodations and meals. I have been here three times and am always sorry to leave Jose and his wonderful staff. All of the casitas have their charms and feel completely private. A splendid vacation.

My husband and I stayed at Hotel Quelitales for two nights at the end of June 2024. We booked the Reinitas suite which had a nice view of the waterfall on property. The room was complete with wifi, indoor/outdoor shower, hot water, safe, small fridge, coffee maker, desk area and sitting areas both inside and out. The only slight issue that I found with the room was the dim lighting in the suite but we were able to manage with no problems. I guess it kind of goes with the rainforest cabin setting. And this magical hotel is for sure in the rainforest. We saw so many birds and hummingbirds right on property. There are hummingbird feeders set up near the waterfall and feeders at the restaurant as well. We saw 11 different types of hummingbirds. It was awesome! We also did a birding tour with the fantastic tour guide Teylor which was a fun day. We went off property to La Marta Reserve where we were able to see the lovely Snowcap hummingbird which is a lifer for me. And after a long day on the bird tour we were treated to a delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant. My husband had the tropical chicken and I had the mushroom chicken which was delicious. During our two night stay we were the only guests on property so it was really magical to have the property to ourselves to explore. And after exploring we would just relax at the waterfall and enjoy the peaceful view. So if you like viewing nature in a tranquil setting do not hesitate to book Hotel Quelitales. It was a real pleasure to stay here and get lost in nature. Thank you to the staff for making our stay delightful. Also, We did not have our own transportation so the hotel arranged for us to be picked up from the airport. Our driver Jimmy Roman was a pleasure to talk to and I would recommend him if you also need transportation.

We had a wonderful 2 day stay for birding. The highlights included many oropendulas with their wonderful call, and the food--which was the best we had in Costa Rica, and rivals food anywhere we've been. We had great guiding with Taylor, catching several unusual hummingbird species. Overall a wonderful stay.

Almost at the end of the road up a mountain, this setting is like a mini paradise. We stayed in Calibris which was the last bungalow before the waterfall. From the wrap around deck you could see the waterfall. Just a beautiful setting to relax and unwind. You felt like you were the only one here, you don’t see any of the other lodging places. This was recommended to us by our birding guide and we came prior to our tour, so did not use guides while here. You can tell from the plantings all over that this place is an object of love…love of nature, birds and the surroundings. Waking up in the morning, you could hear the waterfall, and watch as hummingbirds darted in and out of the bushes surrounding our bungalow. Butterflies galore also. Even saw a gecko. An environment of activity of many different kinds of birds. People were excited about what they saw and shared pictures with us. Definitely a bird watcher destination. Being here in December, it was cool at night and early morning (until the sun hit this side of the mountain) so some of the extra blankets came in handy. The room is well kept, with a very comfortable bed and pillows. The bathroom is very modern, and has an outdoor shower too. Read a couple of reviews, yes, things tend to stay damp, but you are in a rain forest. If you have mobility issues, make sure they know. The bungalows are spread out and some (ours definitely) was a hike up a concrete path from the gravel road. Last, but not least is the food. It is really amazing and so delicious. We had the tropical chicken, yum. And 3 desserts, oh my they were good! A real effort is made all around to give you a lovely dining experience. We had all our meals here (lunch/dinner is the same menu.) was here for 3 nights. Would definitely recommend this place for a long weekend, or more. Kind of a mini paradise in harmony with environment around it.