Here’s a Guest Post from Jon Rochetti who writes The DC Traveler and recently visited Costa Rica.
Nestled in the rainforest of Costa Rica, a few hours from the capital, San Jose, The Lost Iguana Resort offers spectacular views of Arenal Volcano in a lush and tropical setting.
The beautiful 100-acre property, in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, overlooks the world’s most active volcano, Arenal Volcano. And every room offers a great view of the mountain. At night, you can watch the fire-red glowing lava tumble down the side of the mountain. During my two-night stay, I witnessed lava flows and eruptions both nights.
The accommodations at the resort are very relaxing and upscale (by American standards). The large rooms offer comfortable private balconies, all overlooking the volcano. Some rooms have indoor/outdoor Jacuzzis, where you can also relax and soak while you watch the nightly lava flows.
The rooms offer air-conditioning, telephone, cable TV, pillow-top mattresses with Egyptian cotton sheets and a feeling of extreme seclusion. During my stay, I stayed in two different buildings and was unable to see any of the other buildings from either room, adding to the sense of seclusion.
Read on for more information about The Lost Iguana Resort
The beautiful hilly grounds make you feel as if you are lodging within a tropical botanical garden. Plus, the front desk will send a golf cart to your room if you want to visit to the restaurant, pool, or reception. I preferred to walk, as the gardens were too beautiful to miss and offered many tropical flowers and fauna.
The open-air restaurant offers excellent food with nightly live music. The two nights I dined there, live music was played by a great flamenco guitarist on the first night, and a fun sax player the second.
The resort’s double pool, one heated to bath water temps with a swim up bar, and the other, not heated, offered a place to cool off from the tropical heat.
There are a couple options to get to the volcano from San Jose, where most people arrive into Costa Rica. You can arrange for a shuttle bus, private car or taxi (about a 4-5 hour drive), which gives you the opportunity to see the countryside, or take a quick flight (under 45 minutes) on one of the two Costa Rican airlines that operate small prop planes (12-15 seats) across the country.
Just off the property are The Hanging Bridges, a 618-acre park consisting of paths through a natural rain forest. The hiking trails loop through the rain forest, from the ground to the tree tops. You cross seven hanging bridges along the hike, ranging from 16 to 330 feet long. About halfway through your hike, you’ll come across a picturesque waterfall. From the park’s entrance, the overlook offers stunning panoramic views of the lake and volcano. Entrance fee is $20 ($15 from the hotel office).
If you want relaxation, comfort and tranquility while visiting the rain forests of Costa Rica, The Lost Iguana is a tropical paradise.
译文:
The Lost Iguanna—游览哥斯达黎加阿雷纳火山[远离咖啡—旅行也是一种生活方式]
这是为The DC Traveler 撰稿的乔恩·罗克迪所写的一篇博客，最近他刚去过哥斯达黎加。
The Lost Iguana Resort掩映于哥斯达黎加热带雨林之中，距离首都圣何塞驱车只需数小时，置身度假区我们可以领略到热带葱郁丛林中阿雷纳火山的壮丽景观。
在这个位于哥斯达黎加拉夫提那小镇，占地100英亩的美丽度假区内，你可以俯瞰世界上最活跃的火山—阿雷纳火山。从每个房间都能看到火山的胜景。在夜间可以看到火红的炙热的熔岩顺着山坡缓缓而下。我在这待了两晚，每晚我都目睹了熔岩的喷发。
度假地的住宿非常舒适，服务优质但价格也高（参照美国标准）。大房间内有僻静的阳台，在阳台上都可以俯瞰火山。一些房间里有室内/室外极可意浴缸，让你在观看夜间熔岩流的同时浸泡其中、尽情放松。
房间提供有空调、电话、立体电视、铺真、铺着埃及棉布被单的pillow-top床垫，给你一种与世隔绝之感。在我逗留期间，我曾入住过两个不同的建筑，在每栋建筑的房间内无法看到另外一建筑，更增孤立之感。
更多关于The Lost Iguana Resort 的信息
这块美丽的丘陵状土地让你置身于一个热带的植物园中。此外，如果你去餐厅就餐，去泳池游泳，或参加一个宴会，前台会送一辆高尔夫球车到你房间。但我更愿意选择步行，因为园中热带花卉繁多和还有该地区全部的动物，一切是如此之美不容错过。
露天餐厅里，你可以边享美食，边听晚间直播音乐。那两个晚上我都这里就餐，头天晚上餐厅里播放的是一位知名flamenco吉他乐手的音乐，第二天晚上是一位有趣的萨克斯乐手的音乐。
度假区内有两个泳池，一个是提供池滨酒吧的热水浴池，另一个的水不热，让你在热带酷暑中一享清凉。
对大多数去哥斯达黎加的人来说，从圣何塞到阿雷那火山有几个选择。你可以乘坐往返公共汽车，私人汽车或出租车，你可以借机领略沿途的乡村风景；也可以选择快捷的方式，乘坐哥斯达黎加两大航空公司之一的飞机抵达火山（只需45分钟），这两大航空公司运营着全国的小型螺旋式飞机（12-15座位）。
度假区外就是悬索桥，一个占地618英亩的公园，园中一个天然雨林内阡陌交通。步行小道成环状穿过雨林，高度从地面到树梢。沿途你将通过7个吊桥，长度从16到330英尺不等。行至中途，你会不期遇到一个风景如画的瀑布。从公园入口处俯视，你可以一览湖泊、火山让人叹为观止的全景。门票20美元。（宾馆内15美元）。
想要在哥斯达黎加雨林之中找寻一处轻松、惬意、宁静所在，就来The Lost Iguana这个热带天堂吧！