To begin our experience at Los Altos de Eros, Wilfredo, one of the drivers, greeted us at the Liberia Airport with a sign with our names on it. He immediately took our bags and carried them to the little SUV and loaded them up. Then we were offered some cold beverages (Costa Rican beer, bottled water, Diet Coke, etc) for the hour and a half ride to the inn.

Arriving at the inn, we were greeted by Yanina, one of the 3 managers, at the front door. The view through the front door was just magical – the infinity pool, with the sun shining, with the view to the Pacific. We were shown to our room (Queen #3) and then sat down with the other guests for lunch.

The Queen room was nice, but not extravagant. The room was small – just enough room for the bed, an armoire and two nightstands. There is no TV, clock, or radio. The bathroom has a closet with a safe and shelving. There is only one sink and the shower is outdoors. Our biggest complaint would be the shower – there really isn’t a shower head – water just kind of sprays out and we were frequently showering with ants, frogs, and other bugs. We expected better for the #1 Luxury hotel from TripAdvisor, however you are in the middle of Costa Rica entrenched in nature. The room has a wall air conditioner that works well for the bedroom, but not so much the bathroom. The inn prefers that the air conditioner is only used in the evenings (as most of the time no one is in the rooms during the day anyhow) and opens the windows for you in the morning. The door only has thin linen curtains that do not block out much light, so expect for your room to be very bright as soon as the sun comes up at 5:30am. The kitchen was behind our room, so we also heard the kitchen staff talking and cooking breakfast in the mornings by about 6:00am.

Breakfast and lunch are always served at the inn and included in the nightly rate, with dinner being served on Tuesday nights and Saturday nights. A light dinner (“bocas”) is served on the other nights, if you wish to stay at the inn. A menu is posted by lunchtime with what will be served for dinner or bocas. All of the food was excellent - fresh, made-from-scratch gourmet meals. We are both vegetarians (no meat or seafood) and the staff definitely accommodated our needs without making us feel like we were a burden. Breakfast is served at 8:30am, lunch at 1:15pm, and dinner around 6:30pm. All meals are as a group at the 10-person dining table.

A typical breakfast consists of gallo pinto (rice and beans fried together with spices such as cilantro, onion and peppers), scrambled eggs, fresh fruit platter with yogurt (watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and mango), crossiants (sometimes chocolate!), French toast, granola, cheese, bread, etc. All absolutely delicious. Don’t miss out on the Salsa Lizano – the sauce that goes on just about everything!

A typical lunch would be a mango greens salad and pasta salad, rice and bean mix (with chicken for non-vegetarians) with salad, pasta pesto, or meat skewers.

A typical bocas dinner would be nachos, pizza, caesar salad, or quesadillas.

A typical Tuesday or Saturday dinner would be salad, vegetables, fish, and bread.

Amazing desserts are served after every meal – ice cream, cream brulee, brownie, cookies, pineapple cobbler, etc.

Costa Rican beer (Imperial), Chilean wine, Diet Coke, Coke, bottled water, and fresh fruit smoothies are available 24x7 at no charge.

The staff was the best – service-oriented and friendly. All the way from the cooks to the drivers to the hotel management – wonderful people!

The pool is great – very refreshing. It is surrounding by 12 teak lounge chairs with comfy cushions. There are always about 6 in the sun or 6 out of the sun. The suite on the 2nd floor has a private balcony with 2 lounge chairs as well.

One of the best perks is the laundry service (at no additional charge)! A laundry bag is provided that is taken after breakfast. By lunchtime, your clean clothes are folded and returned to your room!

The fitness hut has one treadmill, one elliptical and a bench with some free weights. It is outdoor overlooking the hills and Pacific. Not the best equipment, but it works. We prefered the 5k walk around the property. The dirt road loop is quite hilly at some points to make it a good workout. The resident dog, Oso, loves to come along and show you the way. We found that the monkeys are usually out around 6:30am, rather than 7:30am. The loop takes about an hour and is best to go before breakfast (8:30am) as the temperature is much more bearable.

Yoga is offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:30am. There is a $25pp charge. You can also make private appointments outside of those times.

Spa: We did the couples sunset massage and private dinner in the spa, which we loved. The massages last about an hour, then you are taken to the jacuzzi room with lounge chairs. A bottle of champagne and fresh fruit are set out to enjoy while watching the sunset. After the sun is down, dinner is served in the same room. Following dinner, the spa is yours to enjoy alone.

The inn is located about 20 minutes outside of Tamarindo Beach, in the hills. About half of the drive is on paved roads, the other half is on unpaved, bumpy dirt roads. The website states that you will not need a rental car, as the drivers will take you where you need to go. This is a bit misleading as we learned this is not always the case. Basically, the drivers work from 9am to 9pm. For example, if you have a fishing expedition that leaves at 7:30am, they will not take you. The last pick up in Tamarindo is at 8:30pm, so if you want to stay out for a few drinks after dinner, you’ll need to take a cab. We were told it was about $40 for a cab from Tamarindo to the inn.

The most unique aspect of the inn is probably the group interaction. All of the couples that we met while staying at the inn were great. Some of our best memories from the trip are from hanging out with our new friends.

If you pay in cash (US Dollars or Costa Rican Colones, not Travelers Checks or Money Orders), the inn will give you a 10% discount.

Activities we would recommend: Blue Dolphin Sunset Sailing ($75pp) and Rincon de la Vieja Volcano day trip ($165pp).

Overall, we would recommend a trip to Los Altos de Eros. We look forward to returning in the future.

So my wife and I got back from Altos de Eros yesterday and we had a great time. We met some wonderful people, as I'm sure you will if you decide to travel there. As the old saying goes, "like attracts like."
I thought I would leave a review so that you would know what to expect.
First of all, Los Altos de Eros is not a hotel, it's just not, OK? So if you are expecting that hyper-professional touch that you get at a Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, or Orient Express hotel, you won't get that here, it's just not at that level. I don't think they want to be either. At LADE you get a much more personable staff that are a pleasure to be around. They do a wonderful job.
My review of the food would be that it is very good, but not as good as the website would have you believe. Breakfast is solid every day. Scrambled eggs, rice and beans, fresh fruit. Not exactly reinventing the wheel, but nice stuff.. The highlight is the chocolate crossaint and the french toast is great, as well.
Lunch is pretty good, but not "gourmet" as they claim it is on the website.
The Tuesday/Saturday dinners are wonderful and a great social experience as most people stay those nights for dinner. They also serve dinner on the other nights- they call it "bocas" and you might get pizza, quesadillas, chicken for $30 per person. But be careful- drinks that have been free all week are suddenly $5 each during these "boca" dinners! You'll learn that at checkout which is a nice touch on their part...
If you're not a dessert person when you get there, you will be by the time you leave. You pretty much get the full-court-press on desserts every lunch and dinner.
For those of you who have special diets, let them know in advance and they will do their best for you. For all you wine snobs out there, bring your own. I think the wine at Altos costs them about $1 a bottle, but it tastes good after about 4 glasses.
In regards to the spa services, everyone that was there when I was there loved all the attention they were given. My wife, who gets massages weekly, thought her massage was one of the best she had ever had. I enjoyed my massage but would recommend that you get it done early in the day before it gets too hot- and get the towel on the head rest. The fitness center is in a cool spot. Nothing too high tech but definitely all you need. Yoga is a bit of a misleading aspect of Altos de Eros. The website makes it seem as if yoga is a key componenent to their program, but it isn't. The website states "we offer a wide variety of yoga instruction..." well, I don't know about that. There are 2 classes, Tuesday and Thursday morning, each an hour long. To be fair, they will get the instructor up for private lessons should you request that, but if you are a serious yogi, you're probably better off by yourself than you would be with the instructor. The ashram, I must say, is spectacular. If you are a couple looking to have a destination wedding SERIOUSLY consider the ashram.
The room we had was the Eros Suite, which is spacious and comfortable. It had a TV, which I wasn't expecting, but no refrigerator, which I was expecting. If you do book the Eros Suite, check the water pressure in the shower right when you get there. I asked that it be addressed 3 different times and it never was. The water pressure in the other suites was up to standard, why not ours? Frustrated, after 4 days of poor pressured showers we just ended up showering in one of the other vacant rooms, which was poolside, so no big deal, but you'd figure the #1 ranked hotel in the world would remedy that after the first request.
Almost forgot- if you are the type of person that can't stand being around lizards, frogs, and bugs, you may want to stay somewhere else, as they are nightly guests in each suite thanks to the "open air" showers. You do get a can of Raid, which helps.
Some of the best memories you'll take away from Altos de Eros is sitting by the pool after dinner talking with the other guests. We were lucky to be there with great people and, you never know, Calvin the owner, may even stop by for a drink or two...(possibly 6 or 7.)
My wife and I are trying to figure out who we are going to go back there with because we are definitely going back! It's a really unique, charming place. We truly enjoyed it.

WOW! My husband & I read all the reviews on Trip Advisor & booked our vacation based on that & we were not one bit disappointed! Believe it! This place is amazing! From the pickup at the airport (Thanks Francesco!) to the helpful girls who checked us in (Thanks Janina & Ari!), to the wonderful Spa staff (we loved the couples' massage!!!!) to the sweet ladies in the cocina, preparing all the wonderful food, to the friendly owners (Calvin & Jackie)! We are not rich, by any means, but we felt like millionaires at this resort with the luxurious surroundings with lush plants & flowers, absolutely delicious meals and courteous & extremely helpful staff ! (I had torn my bathing suit while trying to rip out the tag & when I asked for a needle & thread to sew it myself, that was out of the question & they took care of it for me!!) We stayed only 4 nights & the staff catered to all our needs. They even provide a laundry service! We were driven to Playa Avellanas where we saw the famous Lola & enjoyed lunch on the beach (an excellent place for seared tuna & their fries are awesome!). We also ventured into Tamarindo for one night & the staff drove us there & picked us up at our request. They made sure we had time to shop a little & then to have dinner so it worked out perfectly! To celebrate our 10-yr wedding anniversary, we had an exquisite meal prepared for us at LADE after our couples' massage & that was simply divine! Oh yes, that was after the strawberries in sugar along with champagne! The atmosphere could not have been more romantic for the whole 4 nights that we were there! Our biggest diappointment was our flight had been delayed when we arrived so we only got to the resort after 4:30 on our first day but the sunset was simply phenomenal, so the welcome was incredible! We took an early morning yoga class (it was a first for both of us) & this was incredibly invigorating & relaxing! The view was just breath-taking! We heard howler monkeys the first day but then they became shy, & other wildlife we enjoyed include the little lizards on the walls & the tiny frogs in our bathroom! The pool was refreshing, along with the smoothies & we felt like we were in paradise on a hilltop! My husband ventured out on the early morning walk one day & it is not for the faint of heart! All those uphill & downhill roads you drive on to reach this heavenly place, are the same hills you climb on the walk & some of these hills are really intense! We left feeling sad yet completely relaxed & refreshed! Thanks also to Wilfredo who helped us get some coffee & Cacique at the grocery store so we could stock up before we left Costa Rica! A really great BIG thanks to all of you at LADE for an incredible experience we will not soon forget!
Terry & Mick

Los Altos is a lovely, flawlessly run luxury b&b perched in the mountains outside of the over developed Tamarindo. It is small and welcoming, the inn is run in a very familal way and expect to shae a breafast table with other guests, enjoying a gourmet costa rican prepared in the kitchen of the chic open air living area. The owners dog oso will lead the way for a morning hike on the dirt roads crisscrossing the property, the hotel staff will drive you to playa avellanas, a local surfer beach with Lolla's, a cool beach bar presided over by a giant pig, lolla. the blue dolphin catamaran tour is also a great afternoon outing with an incredible sunset view. los altos is truly a special place, with a magical view and warm intimate setting and attentive staff for those who appreciate a non-resort type of unique boutique property off the beaten path but close to a lot of things to do.