The bright rooms have spectacular views of the valley, some with French doors that open onto private balconies. Rooms have fancy dressers with mirrors and sunny yellow bedspreads. This hotel offers very nice rooms at reasonable prices.

   As you approach the hotel you will note the impressive facades of the chalet and hotel. Flowering gardens and hiking trails lead up the steep slope to the hotel's wood and stucco exterior. Rumor has it the owners pay to sand and varnish the outside wood every two years due to the extreme climate here. This sounds like quite a task given the steep terrain, but the resulting exteriors are worth the effort.

   Inside the Chalet, you will find an atmosphere similar to a Victorian mansion. Plush couches line the sitting rooms. There is a pool salon, television room and a bar. The true jewel of the hotel is the covered Jacuzzi, built into the side of the mountain. This glass-enclosed hot tub resembles a greenhouse and protects you from the elements. The view during the day is superb and the atmosphere is romantic in the evening.

   The hotel is very proud of their private trail; it takes a half hour to walk through a handsome patch of secondary rain forest. Also, for the fitter hikers, there is a public trail to the top of Cerro Amigos. At the summit of this peak on the continental divide, on a clear day, you can see a number of volcanoes, and a large expanse of the pacific low lands and ocean beyond.