El Refugio de las Aves

 Facilities: 3/5 stars. First, it is hard to find. Google map and Map.me are wrong. The sign on the highway, once you know it is there, is obvious; if you do not know it is there, it is easy to miss. Once you turn off the highway, no other signs indicate its location. Once you find it, the rooms are small and simple. Bed was comfy, but no storage space present and road noise was a problem. Do not leave a light on in the bathroom during the night as moths will come in through gaps in the ceiling. Hot water was adequate. Dining area is outside on the covered deck,. The deck has a great view of the valley and forest and the fruit feeders are active and close. Hummingbird feeders are present but are not as active as in other locations. The service and attention from the Paz family more than made up for any deficiency in the facilities. Mornings are busy as many tours bring people up to see the different birds but most of the tours leave by 12:00 noon.. Afternoons were quiet and we were alone. Different members of the family volunteered to take us places to see unusual, uncommon birds. If we had chosen, we could have been active until midnight each day. Absolutely great attention from the family.  Food: 3/5 stars. The food was basic. Dinners and lunches consisted of soup, entree of pork, beef or fish, and desert. Breakfasts are designed to be served to large groups of people from the tour companies but were good.  Birding and photography: 5/5 stars. Many unusual birds in wonderful settings. Feeders, visible from the deck area, were stocked several times per day and were visited regularly by many colorful species, many of which are difficult to see elsewhere. Because of the proximity of the feeders to the deck, photo opportunities were great. Because we were being guided by family members, we were afforded “front row” spots at all the Antpitta feeding stations and the Cock-of the-Rock lek. We expected to see the various Antpittas and Cock-of the-Rocks, but we did not expect to see many of the other birds that were pointed out to us.  Overall: 4/5 stars. Would we return? Yes! We would highly recommend staying at the lodge rather than just visiting during a morning tour stop. The individual attention we received more than made up for the marginal facility.