Hotel Isla Verde

Nice views of a gorgeous lake. People over 60 should consider physical limitations when going. No handrails on stairs ond all rooms are up "stairs' or paths. Our room did not have a chair, either inside or out on the porch, even though the room slept many people! Very nice staff, no amenities in rooms.

From our first moment arriving the staff was amazing, and accommodating. They helped us with our large roll luggage up to our room, which was 2 minute walk through beautifully landscaped oasis with flowers and huge leafed plants. The rooms were very clean, the shower had hot water, the views from our private balcony of the lake was very pretty. The restaurant was amazing, great choices from wraps, Currys, and a dinner menu absolutely worth signing up for. The dinner atmosphere was incredibly romantic. They have beautiful areas to loung and great dock for swimming and sun bathing. The bathrooms are not open air, but also not sealed so be prepared for a kinda bungalow style bathroom, which was still very nice with its large shower, clean sink and toilet, but maybe the occasional friendly spider. We will absolutely be returning on our next trip. ~Michael & Rosa

If you know what you're getting into and you decide it's what you want, it can be a good experience. If not, it will be a bad experience. And it's hard to know what you're getting into because the website doesn't contain a lot of information, and, as others have said, if you email the staff ahead of time, they won't tell you much. Here's my attempt to tell you what you need to know, both pro and con. Pros: - It's in a beautiful location and has great views. - The staff is very friendly and welcoming and tries to be as accommodating as they can, including with dietary restrictions and any other request the guests have. - They make three fresh meals a day and have some snacks and drinks available, and everything seems to be well-made and tasty. - The rooms are clean and the beds were pretty decent. - They offer yoga, massages, etc. (for a price), which can be relaxing. Cons - It's pretty isolated. You have to take a boat to get most places (i.e., other towns on the lake that you may need to get to or may want to visit for fun), or you can walk 15 minutes down a janky path to the nearest bar/restaurant and from there also take a tuk-tuk up a hill to a mini-town. (And because it's so isolated, you can't buy your own bottled water, food, snacks, toiletries, etc. easily because nothing is really nearby.) If you like to have convenience/accessibility, this is not the place for you. - It's very easy to get sick. They bring in filtered water everyday (in giant water cooler bottles delivered by boat) and they both serve that in the common areas and provide that to everyone for their own use. And they seem to keep things clean in their kitchen and bar (as noted, they cook all day, every day). But in a country where the tap water is not potable, water and food-borne illness is prevalent. Several people in our group had some diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc. -- even those who were being very careful, i.e., brushing teeth only with filtered water, only eating cooked food (rather than salads), etc. So if you don't have a strong stomach and a strong constitution, I would not recommend going. - The whole eco lodge (and note that it is an eco lodge, not a hotel or resort, by any stretch) is built into a hillside, and you have to climb lots of uneven stone steps (many without hand railings) to get to your room. We were only halfway up the hill, and we had to climb 60+ steps to get to our room; people at the top of the hill had to climb way more. (We didn't have to carry our luggage up and down though, as the staff does that for you.) Also, there is not enough lighting on the steps, especially at night, so we often used our cell phone flashlights to try to see where we were going. And keep in mind that you're at elevation, so if you normally live closer to sea level, you'll feel less in shape up there. If you're not physically fit and prepared to do lots of stairs, this is not the place for you. - There's no true indoor area and there are a lot of bugs. One pe