Hotel Mono Azul & Rainforest Restaurant

Home Away From Home! From London, UK
I just finished staying at the Mono Azul for one month.
This hotel has all basic needs. Clean and Comfortable.
My story... I was not happy with my accomadation I originally had elsewhere. I had chosen to eat lunch here at the Mono Azul and by the time I had finished I decided I would spend the next month there. Because of the staff! The staff are friendly and helpful and they make this hotel better then some of the finer ones in the area. I would choose to stay here again because of this team. Each and every morning Chip the owner walks around checking to see if everything is in order his attention to detail is impeccable. He greets and talks to guests throughout the day and offers good advice and recommendations for your travels in Manual Antonio and Costa Rica. All the staff have good knowledge of english but are also happy to deal with not so good spanish from guests!
As for the rooms they have a selection of rooms to choose from. basic with beds and bathroom but no ac. all the way up to self contained villas with ac. tell them what you want and I am sure they have something to suit your needs.
As for the food everything was fine taste was always decent. breakfast for me was my favourite. I could always find something on the rest of the menu. But there are plenty of places to eat around the area and even Chip would be happy to recommend a few places.
So over all if you are looking for a clean safe and friendly place to stay then look no further. If you are looking for a place that has no lizards then I recommend you keep looking maybe somewhere with no rainforest in the back yard.Great place. On the hill outside Quepos, and right next to a bus stop that takes you into Quepos or Manuel Antonio.

Sarah Likes To Travel
The rooms were simple but clean, and the grounds are spectacularly lush. We did loose power twice for about 10 minutes each time, which means no water as well, but apparently that happened to everyone in the area at the same time.

When I called to make the reservation, I asked to confirm that there was wifi in the library. When she heard I wanted wifi, she said she could put me in the room directly above the library, which meant I got wifi from inside my room!

There are small pools scattered amongst the rooms. There were some noises from the road, but they died down around 7PM, so there weren't any issues with sleeping.

We headed on to a place called Quepos, just outside Manual Antonio, we were put in touch with a place to stay called the Blue Banyan Inn http://bluebanyaninn.com/aboutus.htm (have a look at the photos) We drove through a palm tree plantation to get to this little B and B, thinking we were lost we stumbled onto a group of cottages that overlooked the cloud-covered mountains in the distance. When we got there the owner, Jim Thompson, jumped the bar to greet us enthusiastically. He showed us around saying while we stayed the place was to feel like home, and I”m telling you it did. The cottages were beautiful, the shower amazing, the views great, and the next day the breakfast was great, so good we spent the day planning what we would have for breakfast the next day. It was a wonderful place, the owners, Jim and his wife Barbara were very friendly and went out of their way to help us and make us feel at home. Then….. the next day before breakfast Jim and Barbara asked if our two monkeys would like to help them to feed their monkeys, Michelle was gone before an answer was given. We all got to watch as Jim and Barbara feed the monkeys they look after.  They look after about 15 monkeys that can’t, for one reason or another be freed, so the monkeys are kept in a safe and caring environment. Jim and Barbara work with a group called kids saving the rain forest http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/ this is a group that was set up to help injured, sick or other types of animals that can’t be freed back into the wild, as they would not survive. They also set up bridges to enable the monkeys to cross the roads safely, as well as many other projects to help the wildlife. Our two were amazed by the monkeys especially as there was two very new baby monkeys, being carried around by their father. As well as this, the other animals at Blue Banyan made the day for the kids, a parrot called Tiki, and about 5 dogs, grasshoppers the size of airplanes, and many other things.

While on our stay in Manual Antonio, we were able to go on a nature walk through the park, this was led by a guide called Leo. If ever you go to this park, ask for him, or at least ask for a guide, the wildlife he spotted was amazing, he could see things we didn’t have a clue were even there. There were monkeys, sloths, bats, lizards, toucans.   So much wildlife.  The best part was that Leo carried a telescope with him which made it easier to see things up close.

The following night we went for a sunset cruise. We didn’t know how it would go with the kids, would they be scared or even boisterous, but no they loved it, they were great but very enthuiastic to be involved in everything. The captain had them sailing the boat, steering it as best they could. The crew grabbed the kids and showed them all the fish and when we saw dolphins, they made sure the kids were the first to see. Fin got to go in the sea wearing a life jacket, which he thought was great as he could float doing nothing. After watching the sunset we headed back to shore, and to the B and B, to a 90th birthday party. It was Barbara’s fathers’ 90th birthday and we were invited to help celebrate, the kids called him grandad and got to have cake, then it was time to hit the pinyata. Fin thought this was great, especially as he got to keep the loot. When the pinyata was opened loads of sweets fell out and he was right there to pick them up.

Friday morning saw us leave the beautiful retreat of Blue Banyan Inn and our newfound friends.  This really felt like a home away from home.   It was time to head back to San Jose as we fly out in a few days,  which gives us just enough time to see a few things around the city before we leave the sun and head for the snow of Colorado.

Entry Filed under: Costa Rica.