Cartago – Gistiheimili

Evan Bandaríkin

Our previous trips to CR were bus tours covering several "hot" birding spots. Moving daily, bouncing down bumpy roads covered a lots of ground but was schedule driven and hard on the joints. We were looking for a place in the middle of bird country to call home for a couple of weeks. Arte de Plumas is in a beautiful, misty, mountain valley near the town of La Suiza, 3 hours SE of SJO . The open dining hall and spacious deck look north down the valley. The weather was cool with light breezes. The skies alternated from clouds to sun, hourly, as mist rolled over the tops of the mountains. The lodge has beautiful architecture, bright, exceptionally clean, spacious rooms acoustically tuned to the rainforest sounds, no howler monkeys, great water (and coffee), and private baths with good plumbing. Every morning something new was sitting along the stairwell window sill (praying mantis, stick bug, elephant beetle, katydids, giant toads....) The pretty river running along the front of the property changes character daily. Lots of wildlife, tons of birds, amazing, friendly, accommodating kitchen with local produce and dishes. The manager is a bird guru who will talk about local species and photo ops as long as you want. The 28 acre park, in its second year of operation, is a diamond in the rough. On drizzly days you can sit on the sundeck, sip coffee and shoot humming birds and Oropendola. For the adventurer, there are several kilometers of newly constructed trails up the mountain and along the river as well as treks up and down the rocky farm road leading into the property. About half a kilometer past the end of the pavement, Arte de Plumas Birding Lodge is perfect base for day trips to destinations in the Turrialba area.

Jana Tékkland

We booked this lodge for the last 4 nights of our stay in Costarica, only as a place to sleep- as we planned to spend whole days out on excursions. We were actually sorry that we could not spend more time in the lodge itself. It has some lovely outdoor space where you can sit and relax. It also has a common kitchen which is very well equipped, so you can cook your meals there if you wish. There is also a swimming pool, but we did not use it as the weather was quite cold. Room was super clean and comfortable. We loved the local cat which was very friendly and liked to spend her time in the lodge :-) What makes absolute highlight of this lodge, is Ms. Jessica, who provided excellent service to us during our entire stay. She was always so nice and did lot more for us, than she had to! She also speaks very good English so we had no problems with communication. First morning, we ate breakfast in the lodge - the local Gallo Pinto. It was the best breakfast we had in the entire Costarica! Big portion and perfectly cooked and flavoured. You will love it! And the breakfast outdoor seating is very nice. For the rest of our mornings, we were actually leaving very early (around 5 am), and Jessica was so nice that she always prepared for us breakfast and left it in the fridge). If you have rented car, you can park it in front. You can also arrive by public bus (like we did), it is only around 5-10 minutes walk from the bus station. Just be careful, there is no signage with the hotel name, from the street it lookes like someone’s house. If you are at the entrance to the cemetery, you are already too far :-) search for black metal staircase - that is your place.

Sylvie Kanada

The poperty was very nice, well located two minutes walk to Cartago cathédrale. Tipical breakfast was generous.

Julia Kanada

Beautiful seeing. Amazing forst trails

Fabio Kosta Ríka

The birding and the weather. I really enjoy that they have done an amazing job for getting plants with flowers that attract many species of birds. The property is tidy and clean and well distributed, with some beautiful trail on the reserve for birdwatching. Very cosy fire place that warms up all the living room and also the wood oven is amazing for cooking and Jesenia and Alvaro prepare you a delicious home made pizza with a glass of wine! Just perfect for a cold evening up the cloud forest.

Sarah Bandaríkin

Gorgeous location, friendly staff, beautiful views throughout the room, delicious breakfasts.