Golden Frog Inn

El Valle


Attentive and relaxing, this deluxe Canadian-Panamanian–owned lodge with 11 very different rooms and suites is the perfect place to laze after a long day of play. Start with the swimming pool and migrate to the open-air living spaces and library. The expansive grounds include orchids and fruit trees; adjoining trails mean you can hike from right out the door.

The three suites have their own kitchens, while the other guest rooms share a common one. Our favorites have always been suites 1 and 2 by the pool for their lovely terraces and hammocks, but we're now also more than partial to the three spanking new guest rooms above the library in the main building with their stunning views of the hills and surrounding countryside.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby El Valle attractions

1. Square-Trunk Trees

0.43 MILES

El Valle’s peculiar árboles cuadrados (square-trunk trees) are located northeast of the Hotel Campestre. After a 30-minute hike through the forest and…

2. Aprovaca

0.98 MILES

For the largest selection of orquídeas (orchids) in the region, visit this idyllic, not-for-profit garden east of the center, run by the local association…

4. Zoológico El Níspero

1.03 MILES

About 1km north of Av Central, this zoo set in the forest is home to everything from tapirs and capuchin monkeys to jaguars and more than 50 species of…

5. Museo Victoriano Lorenzo

1.05 MILES

The exhibits in the three rooms of this small museum east of the center focus on local history and the eponymous mestizo national hero. The most…

6. Butterfly Haven

1.39 MILES

One of El Valle's top attractions allows you to walk among up to 250 butterflies as they flutter by in a screened 'flight house.' Learn more about these…

7. Museo Histórico Padre José Noto

1.69 MILES

The most interesting exhibits in this small, very central museum divided into seven sections are the ones focusing on petroglyphs and ceramics produced by…

8. Chorro El Macho

2.19 MILES

The most famous waterfall in the El Valle region is 35m-high Chorro El Macho, one of four cascades located about 2km north of town; it's a 15-minute walk…