Costa Rica Guide
The Zona Norte
Accommodation
1 
Linda Vista del Norte 
692-2090 
www.hotellindavista.com On the road into town sits the renovated Linda Vista del Norte, perched on a hillside with gobsmacking lake and volcano views. You can watch the lava flow while kicking back in the pool, hot tub or restaurant, or just lord it up in one of the top-notch rooms with picture windows, attractive wood panelling and princely hot-water bathrooms. The rate includes breakfast and there's a $2 shuttle service to La Fortuna. Price: $51-75
2 Hummingbird Nest 835-8711 www.hummingbirdnestbb.com American-run Hummingbird Nest offers two sparkling rooms and an outdoor hot tub. Breakfast is included, and there's even a beauty therapist on hand offering pedicures. Price: $51-75
3 Rancho Margot 479-7259302-7318 www.ranchomargot.org At the end of the road a further 5km past El Castillo lies the extraordinary Rancho Margot, an organic farm, backpacker's hostel, upmarket lodge and outdoor adventure centre that is well on the way to becoming the poster child for ecotourism in Costa Rica. The expansive property lies on the gurgling Caño Negro River only eight kilometres from Monteverde as the crow flies and borders the Bosque Eterno de los Niños (Children's Eternal Rainforest), the Monteverde Reserve and the Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal. Hiking trails lead into all three parks and the ranch has an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, a riverside yoga and meditation studio, nightly salsa dancing and a team of expert guides for canyoning, kayaking, hiking and horseback-riding. On the property you can stroll to a 50-metre-high waterfall, or at night climb a small hill to a lookout with volcano vistas. Accommodation ranges from basic dormitory-style rooms in the bunkhouse with shared hot-water bathroom ($30 including breakfast) to honeymoon-worthy hilltop bungalows with piping hot showers, gigantic windows and wrap-around terraces ($120 for two with breakfast). A water-powered micro-turbine generates the ranch's electricity, the outdoor hot pool is heated using a biodigestor that converts animal waste into energy, and most of the food served in the excellent buffet-style restaurant is grown or raised on the property. A free shuttle bus runs four times daily between La Fortuna and Rancho Margot, and even if not staying it's worth dropping by for lunch and a tour ($35). Price: $51-75