Costa Rica  Poas Volcano Lodge

ABOUT THE POAS VOLCANO LODGE - in their own words:

POAS VOLCANO LODGE lies between the Poás and Barva Volcanoes at 6200 feet above sea level on the ridge dividing the Atlantic and Pacific zones of the country. The lodge is nestled into the rolling pastures, at the foothills of Poás Volcano, one of the world's largest active craters. The impressive views from the house include not only the volcano, but also the western area of the spectacular Braulio Carrillo National Park as well as the Caribbean plains and even the Caribbean Sea. POAS VOLCANO LODGE is just a few meters from the nearest protected subtropical rain forest area, through which a network of trails has been designed for visitors to explore and see its birds and extensive flora.

The lodge itself was built by an English family, as the principal house for the surrounding dairy farm, El Cortijo, both of which they still own.

"Our last stop during a short visit to Costa Rica in 1970 led us to the cloud-forest area of Poás Volcano where we instantly fell in love with this farm, its expansive views, mysterious beauty, lush pastures, primary forests, and without hesitation we decided to live here. We arrived on a beautifully clear morning, the day we were to leave the country, and within a few hours we sealed a contract which was to bring us back here to live in this magnificent landscape."  This is how the owner describes his arrival to this wonderful spot.

It is therefore no surprise that the unique architecture and design of the Lodge carry features from English cottages, Welsh farm houses, American ranches, as well as details from local craftsmanship. Built on different levels, the rough stone walls, wooden beamed ceilings, dramatic arches combined with tasteful interior decoration, all contribute to the very warm and welcoming atmosphere of this former family home.

SITTING ROOM:
The Sunken Fireplace
This is a heavenly place to spend the evening especially if you have just arrived from the beach climate! We can serve you drinks in front of the fire before dinner. It is also a relaxing place for reading or for chatting with other guest.

Board Games
You will find them in the main sitting room. There is anything from backgammon to monopoly and dominoes. There is also a separate chess table available.

Music
We have a music collection of classical, jazz, folk, pop, rhythm and poas volcano lodge mountain hotel resortblues and Latin. Please feel at home to play the music of your choice. Please treat the stereo equipment with care.

Books
We have a small library of books and would be happy to do a book swap with some of our collection.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
The Lodge comprises of eleven charming and comfortable bedrooms, including a luxurious master suite with a sunken stone bathtub. The rooms have ensuite bathrooms and some accommodate more than two people. They are situated in groups both within and around the impressive farmhouse and have a luxury rustic flavour with stone walls, wood panelling, soft lighting and comfortable beds. They each have private access to the garden which affords an impressive view to the volcano, and most are within a few metres of the rainforest and pastures surrounding the Lodge.

THE FARMHOUSE KITCHEN:

The Breakfast Feast
The kitchen team is very pleased to offer you a unique farmhouse breakfast at POAS VOLCANO LODGE. We bake our own bread most days. You will enjoy the Lodge's secret granola recipe. The jam is made from strawberries from the area and the milk is collected every morning from the farm's dairy. We also support local farmers and producers and buy various products such as the typical white cheese usually eaten with tortillas.

Light Lunch
We do not offer restaurant facilities but we are very happy to provide you with picnic box lunches to take away with you on a day outing. Alternatively we can provide a light lunch in the lodge. Please ask the kitchen staff to arrange this for you.

Candlelit Dinner
If you have just arrived, please let the staff know if you will be dining in. You will not be disappointed! You can choose from a few handpicked recipes offered that day which are either meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian based. The meal is either accompanied by a homemade soup or followed by a dessert or both. The recipes originate from the best of traditional European food, and the kitchen team always use fresh aromatic herbs from our own herb garden. Where possible, we buy local produce in season to add to the day's recipes.

Drinks
The kitchen team are happy to prepare drinks for you at your request. Please just ask! We have a comprehensive wine list, various spirits and beers. If you are lucky , we can prepare a juice out of the "naranjilla" or "tree tomato" bush. This plant grows wild on the edges of our woods, but does not always have mature fruit. As the Lodge has a licence to sell wines and spirits ( not a cheap asset to acquire) we reserve the right to charge a corkage per bottle consumed on the premises which has not been bought from us.

ACTIVITIES:

• The Network of Trails
  We have a network of trails leading you through both the pastures and subtropical cloud forest in the area surrounding the lodge. There are up to three hours of walks
• Shop
  We have for sale, maps , Guides and postcards.
• Telephone
  Please ask Lily or Wilberth if you would like to make any calls. Charges for international calls depend on where you are phoning and national calls are free within reason.
• E-mail Access
  You can log-on in the Games Room.
• Laundry
  Please inform the Lodge team in the afternoon that you have laundry and they can arrange for it to be delivered to you the following morning.

Things to do and destinations within one hour drive from Lodge - incl.driving time

1. Poás Volcano - 20 minutes.
2. Doka Coffee Estate tour - 40 minutes. 40 minutos
3. Sarchi - centre for Costa Rican artisan shops - 55 minutes.
4. Colinas del Poás Canopy Tour - 15 minutes .
5. La Paz Waterfall Gardens - 10 minutes
6. Laguna Hule or Bosque Alegre, Cariblanco - jungle crater lake - 40 minutes
7. Neotropical Centre of Sarapiquí, La Virgen - 55 minutes
8. Pozo Azul tourism centre, La Virgen - 45 minutes.
9. Sarapiquí River white water rafting centres, La Virgen - 50 minutes.
10. City of Heredia and colonial town of Barva - 50 minutes San Jose 30 minutes from those.
11. Airport and City of Alajuela 45 minutes - San Jose further 20 minutes.
12. Horseback riding into tropical rain forests using our horses - 30 minutes to the start.
13. Woodland and farmland walks inside El Cortijo farm , magnificent trees, much bio-diversity and good bird-watching -4 hours .
14. Observe Dairy operation of El Cortijo farm -3 pm .
15. Hire our mountain bikes. Use games room. Read, rest and relax.

Volcano Poás is one of the biggest active craters in the world. At an altitude of 2704m, the volcano is one of the few to allow visitors to walk right up to the rim of the crater to feast one's eyes on an extraordinary view. Within the crater there is a sulphuric pool emitting gases and reaching a temperature of 96° centigrade. The Lagoon Botos can be reached by a connecting trail to the volcano.