Luna Llena Hotel, Wildlife Watching Overlooking the Pacific

Once again we are thankful to stay at the wonderful Luna Llena Hotel. The very basic buildings of this older property have beautiful decorations and nice furnishings, and the former hostel still allows guests the use of the kitchen. The lush gardens, beautiful views, and the access to wildlife are superb. The staff are friendly and competent, a pleasure to stay with.

Click on each the pictures for a larger, more detailed view--



The day begins at 5:30 am with a spectacular Pacific Sunrise.....




Baby White-necked Capuchin Monkey clings to mama's neck as she browses in the canopy at Luna Llena Hotel.







Laura tells Jerry, our friend from Austin, the names of the various birds we are seeing. She consults 'Birds of Costa Rica' which was a Christmas gift from her sister Susan and brother in law Steve. View from the top floor of Hotel Luna Llena is of the surrounding canopy and the confluence of the Golfo Nicoya and the Pacific Ocean. It is simply stunning.

Wildlife watching is hit and miss, and we suppose that some who stay here miss a lot of it. Robert saw a paca, a large rust colored tailess rodent with spots on his way back to the room from the bathroom one night. Besides birds and monkeys, the property also hosts a variety of other animals including paca, pezote, agouti, as well as the more familiar (to us) armadillo, racoon. Skunks here are tiny and spotted, and one waltzed through the main floor after dinner one night!

The 'hotel' is like a hostel in that guests have access to a furnished communal kitchen and dining area. It has thin walls, is simply constructed, the deferred maintenance is an apparent challenge-- a railing installed a bit short moves dangerously when a guest grabbed it to steady hinself down the steep concrete steps. The next rail shows obvious rot from the tropical climate. The monkeys jump up and down and slam on the corrugated plastic roof sometimes lifting up the corners with their hands.

The furnishings, decorations and gardens present, in part, a wonderful ambience for guests. Mother nature does the rest.!

Two huge Lineated Woodpeckers worked the trunk of a huge tree across the street from Luna Llena.

Collared Aracari, one of the most exotic birds we see at Luna Llena.

Similar in appearance to the more well known toucan, it differs with the beautiful luscious colors on its breast, and exotic markings on its beak. What an exotic looking bird!

Mantled Howler Monkey often sound off at sunrise and sunset with their booming calls, but also when a loud bus or quad bike strains up the hill past Luna Llena Hotel.

Note the red on the backs of the Collared Aracari, awesome looking birds, feeding on the fruits of the tall mature trees of Montezuma. They also have yellow stomachs with red barring.


For a listing of more stories and pictures of beautiful Montezuma, Costa Rica, cklick through to the page linked here:

http://www.traveljournals.net/travelers/rmalone/journals/3615/


A Mess of Monkeys in Montezuma
Montezuma
2011-02-06
38

Behind the waterfall
Montezuma
2011-02-05
50

Breakfast 'Attack' at El Sano Banano ; y lunch at beautiful Ylang Ylang with Jerry
Montezuma
2011-02-04
40

Adventures with Costa Rica Craig: 4x4 road from Cabuya to Mal Pais
Mal Pais
2011-02-03
14

'Fear and Loathing' in Montezuma: Snake in the Shower, Tarantula in the Toilet
Montezuma
2011-02-02
24

Colorful Cabuya
Cabuya
2011-02-01
29

More of Montezuma : jungle/beach/gulf/ocean
Montezuma
2011-01-31
31

Sunrise over Montezuma
Montezuma
2011-01-30
37

Cruising the Golfo Nicoya on the Ferry to Paquera
Paquera
2011-01-29
27

Monkey Yoga in Montezuma
Montezuma
2011-01-28
14

Alajuela Tropical Hostel near San Jose, Costa Rica airport
Alajuela, Costa Rica
2011-01-27
3