Hotel spotlight: Hotel Flor de Bromelia, Monteverde 

Mystical cloud forests, stunning views all the way to the ocean, a tranquil retreat high in the mountains, there is no better place to slow down and appreciate Monteverde than staying at Hotel Flor de Bromelia. Monteverde is my favourite spot in Costa Rica, and this small, family-run boutique hotel has my heart.

Duration: 4 days (3 nights)

Stayed as: a family

Combined with: ⬅️ Arenal, and ➡️ the Pacific coast (Nicoya Peninsula)

Recommended for: families and couples staying 1-3 nights, looking for a more peaceful, rustic vibe, and lovers of animals (animals on the grounds daily!)

---

Hotel information

Location

Hotel Flor de Bromelia is a 5 minute drive from the town of Santa Elena (25-30 minute walk), the main tourist hub in Monteverde. It is another 5 minute drive in the opposite direction to Monteverde.

It is approximately 15-20 minutes driving distance to most major adventure attractions, such as Treetopia (formerly Sky Adventures Monteverde), and Selvatura Park.

The hotel is perched on top of a hillside overlooking the pacific coast, and you can see all the way to the Nicoya gulf on a clear day.

Getting around

The most convenient way to get around the Monteverde area is by car. You do not need a 4×4, but the roads in this area are very hilly and many are unpaved or full of potholes, so a 4×4 is definitely appreciated.

Hotel Flor de Bromelia is up a steep hill just outside Santa Elena, where you will find most of the restaurants and tourist services. It’s possible to walk, but would be inconvenient without a car (eg. you want to go into town to pick up some snacks, or to grab a meal). If you don’t have a car, the easiest option is really to stay directly in Santa Elena. Most parks and attractions will offer shuttle services directly to any of the hotels in the area, and taxis are available as well.

Room options

The cabins/rooms can accommodate 2 – 4 people. The rooms either have 1 double bed, 2 double beds, or 1 double bed + 1 or 2 twin beds.

We stayed in the “family room”, which had 1 double bed and 2 twin beds. We had a kitchen area with table and kitchenette, a generously sized balcony, and a bathroom with a full sized tub.

Grounds

There is no pool here (but to be honest, the weather was never hot enough in Monteverde we would have wanted to swim, and this was during dry season in March).

However, there is a ton of green space, which was fantastic for the kids (and for us, as we could enjoy a coffee or beverage from the balcony while the kids played). Animals hang out and pass by these grounds every day.

Where to eat?

Hotel Flor de Bromelia includes breakfast, which was one of the highlights of our stay.

There are a few cafes directly across the street, but for most restaurants you will need to head into town.

We also stocked up on fruit, snacks, and bread in our kitchen.

Rates

Hotel Flor de Bromelia is on the pricier side for the area (think boutique hotel rates). The rates fluctuate depending on the room type and season, but expect to pay anywhere from 250 CAD – 350 CAD (approx 180-260 USD). We traveled during peak season in March (just after spring break), and paid around 900 CAD for 3 nights.

Reasons we loved Hotel Flor de Bromelia

The view

If you’ve read some of our other posts, you will know we are suckers for a great view. We will without hesitation book hotels or stay in locations specifically for the view.

And the view at Flor de Bromelia delivered in spades (including *sunsets* – we chase these! At Flor de Bromelia, you can admire sunsets directly from your balcony!)

From the grounds and the balconies, you have a spectacular view from the town of Santa Elena and across the mountains all the way to the coast. We spent hours on the balcony just watching clouds move across the landscape.

The staff

We only met two staff, David, who runs the reception desk and spends the day looking after the grounds, and one of the owners (I think?) who made us breakfast every morning, who did not speak English.

David was *fantastic*. He was always available, offered helpful advice, found a cord to charge Big S’s e-reader when he forgot his, and walked the grounds every day with my kids showing them animals.

The animals

We saw animals every day during our stay – more than anywhere else in Costa Rica. This was an absolute highlight of the kids’ time here.

There are coatis and agoutis on the grounds all the time, and a troop of white-face capuchins that visit every day. David and the kids even spotted an armadillo during our stay. Now – full disclosure – the staff will feed the animals (usually bananas and fruit from breakfast), which I’m sure keeps them close. The animals are so familiar David even has names for some of them – Super Charlie the coati was a favourite for the kids, and Lil S *loved* the playful monkeys.

The grounds

I know we already talked about the grounds, but it really deserves another mention. Particularly for families with younger children, we always talk about not over-scheduling and leaving plenty of downtime for the kids. Hotel Flor de Bromelia was the perfect place to spend an afternoon following a morning of hard hiking, where the kids could run around like feral animals and let off steam and we parents could relax on the balcony. It really did feel like a retreat and a time to recharge after all that adventuring.

The breakfast

We looked forward to breakfast every day! Every morning breakfast was something different – a hot American or traditional Costa Rican meal (will be made kids’ friendly if you have kids) served with fruit, coffee, and orange juice. It was a great way to start the day. There are always agoutis and coatis around at breakfast, and the monkeys came one morning as well, which made for a very eventful breakfast! (The space is enclosed, so no risk of animals sneaking food.)

Any downsides?

No air-conditioning

The biggest issue we’d read about online is there is no air conditioning here. There are also no screens, even though you will usually need to open windows and doors to let in the breeze.

I thought this would be a bigger deal than it ended up being. Monteverde is high up in the mountains, and it never seemed to get hot or humid, and always got quite cool in the evenings. We didn’t miss the air conditioning at all.

I am afraid of bugs (Lil S loooooves bugs), but we had no issue opening our windows and doors during the day. If any creepy-crawlies were about, we never saw any. We kept our balcony door open in the evenings all the way to after sunset so we could enjoy the view, and didn’t even have issues with mosquitos (we shut everything at night, though).

The “rustic” vibe

Despite the boutique-level price point, do not expect to find luxury touches here. This is a cabin-y, home-y, BnB type of place. With that being said, everything was definitely clean, and the rooms felt very “zen”.

Not directly in town

As we mentioned earlier, Flor de Bromelia is just outside Santa Elena. We had to head into town every single day to shop, eat, visit attractions (eg. the Ficus Root tree, or the Cabure chocolate tour/shop). This was not an issue as we could drive into Santa Elena in just a few minutes, but would have been inconvenient without a car.

Looking for more recommendations for your family trip to Costa Rica? Make sure to check out our other posts here!