It was really nice to be so close to the volcano, and with some really nice restaurants nearby! The experience was overall pretty painless (check-in and check-out, that is). And the fact that you're in the forest, surrounded by lovely plants and animals. That said, being in the rainforest, there are some tradeoffs. Unfortunately that doesn't explain most of the issues that I had with the room -- but if you're into roughing it for that frontier experience, maybe this is the right place for you!
The Inn is an incredibly charming place, with small (some would say cozy) rooms that feature their own:
* full-size bed
* bathroom
* dehumidifer (note: not an air conditioner)
* water jug & two good-sized glasses
* lamps (with daylight bulbs, bizarrely)
The absolute best part of this accommodation is the location -- right in the middle of the rainforest, with a room that has these incredible windows, it's really special to wake up to! We were really happy with the views and the overall ambience. The rooms are pretty well situated so they feel very private, and there's a very clever use of space. Parking was easy peasy. We also loved the requirement to leave shoes outside -- that made it easier to keep the room clean and we were happy that there was a good place outside the room to put the shoes. There are helpful reminders that you're using catchment water, so keeping your showers shorter is not just better for the environment--it's a good way to be respectful to your neighbors.
The papaya breakfast was AMAZING--so fresh, delicious, delightful. It's a light breakfast though, so if you were counting on eggs and bacon or any kind of meat, you're out of luck. But the papaya breakfast is full of nutritious vitamins and anti-oxidants and is a great way to start your day hiking through the park. Unfortunately, the banana bread had no flavor. Didn't even taste like banana. More like nuts? Were there nuts in it?
There is a lot to love about this place. But as I mentioned to the manager, there were several issues with the room, and it kind of seemed like nobody had ever reported these things before, so hopefully this was just a one-off experience. That said, her response was simply "oh, ok, sorry," which was less than helpful. I was honestly hoping for some sort of compensation, which was not offered, but warranted. For all of these issues, I really hope the management addresses them. They seem simple enough to fix.
* The mattress and pillows were awful--springy, noisy, uncomfortable. The mattress needs to be replaced--it was brutal on our backs--and the pillows were so flat I had to pull a towel off the shelf in order to support my head. I am a side sleeper. The pillows might be fine if you sleep on your stomach.
* Toilet seat wasn't secured to the toilet--one of the bolts was loose, so you can imagine that was pretty surprising :(
* There were bugs and spiderwebs in the ceiling corners of the bathroom
* The WiFi didn't work until the morning we left -- I suspect the DHCP server ran out of leases (my device got an IPv6 address but not an IPv4 address) -- hopefully someone can check on that from time to time to make sure it's still working. When you check in -- hop on the WiFi right away and call management immediately if it's not working.
And finally -- there's no way to keep the power on when we weren't there. That is a drag and I don't think that was advertised at all.
So, please advertise:
* that the only way to leave & lock the room is that you have to turn the entire unit's power off,
* and that the bed is a full-size bed, not a queen
Overall I'd say it was a fine stay, but given the price, wasn't spectacular.