No AC

The location is so beautiful at the foot of the volcano with miles of trails to explore. Going for a dip in the pool after a hot hike was great! The food was delicious and the birdwatching couldn’t be beat. The guided walks were so informative and were the highlight of the stay!

Stayed in April 2024

Away from the city but close enough to go in for activities. Incredible breakfast. Beautiful grounds.

Stayed in May 2024

Amazing place to stay. All the basics are there (comfortable, clean, good breakfast) and on top, the view is amazing and the free guided tour enables you to see a lot of animals. The walks in the rest of the area are also great.

Stayed in May 2024

We could only stay one night. We could easily have spent several days exploring.

Beautiful property. Lots of flowers and birds.

Stayed in May 2024

View! Trails, animals, observatory tower...

Stayed in May 2024

Dinner in the evening was poor and overpriced for what is presented,.Personally for me I would not eat dinner here again,as it really let's the all good about the lodge fall flat

Location ,facilities, staff were excellent, wildlife abounds .Grounds are great for walks and kids to enjoy themselves.Sitting next to volcano,it's magnificent, with the pool and jacuzzi

Stayed in April 2024

The food is definitely quite expensive and more difficult to have dinner away from the property given how secluded it is. The food was good, but just something to be aware of.

We absolutely loved our stay! The staff were very friendly and the property itself is wonderful. Felt so special to stay within the National Park with loads of trails and wildlife so close. Breakfast was often accompanied by so many bird sightings and we were treated to monkeys playing outside one morning. We stayed in one of the rooms away from the main property with views over the lake. We loved how quiet it was and so close to nature. The birdsong definitely isn’t quiet, but really lovely! Recommend an early night as you’ll likely be awoken to birdsong very early!

Stayed in April 2024

Comes with nature. Bring some earplugs or be ready to be woken up by the birds chirping

Made the mistake of booking the Casona (some shared spaces) instead of the rooms. Positively surprised Room was spacious, bed comfortable. Shared bathroom was impeccable, good water pressure Breakfast was good. Dinner bit pricey yet excellent quality Bird viewing platform is amazing (not a bird lover) Nice to wander in the trails Enough activities to spend some days in the area.

Stayed in April 2024

what a beautiful relaxing resort ….staff was so helpful ….

Stayed in April 2024

Beautiful view of Arenal. Clean. Lovely restaurant. Great wildlife. We enjoyed the trails around the hotel too…the waterfall, the observatory…

Stayed in April 2024

Location

Stayed in April 2024

Lol - the clouds. didn't actually get to see the Arenal volcano! Not the hotel's fault! The great trails made up for lack of view!

Really nice grounds and some great walking trails - fantastic for bird watching. We were staying in one of the hostel style rooms with shared bathroom and were unsure how grim they would be - they weren't at all. Really clean and spacious common areas and very clean and nice shared wash facilities.

Stayed in April 2024

Location.

Stayed in April 2024

I didn't like the fact that there was no air conditioning. Although we did manage, it would have been nice. Also, a TV would have been nice especially for when we were winding down especially with kids. Most of the staff in the restaurant weren't very friendly. We also ate dinner at the restaurant once but it wasn't that good, especially for the price. Also need locks for the screen doors because the coaties can open them!

The property was beautiful, The trails, the views from the room, the views from the restaurant (although we didn't get to see entire volcano because it was cloudy all the days we were there :(). The included breakfast was good. Overall we had a nice stay. We didn't get to experience the pool as we had to many things planned!

Stayed in April 2024

Small things, we found the staff slightly less engaging than our previous visit, 2 years ago Morning hike guide disinterested Noisy fellow guests, specifically from North America If you don't have kids avoid Costa Rica in the school holidays

The location is perfect, In the middle of nature The wildlife Free daily one hour morning hike Good choices at breakfast and main meals Value for money happy hour New tractor ride around the property Great swimming pool and jacuzzi area, accessed by a hanging bridge The observation deck is a winner Our room was ideal for a family of 4 We still love Arenal Observatory Lodge, just a little less so than before

Stayed in March 2024

What didn't we like? Leaving. ;-) They've really done a great job with this property.

Initially, we had to book a split reservation, but the lodge contacted us and they said we could stay in the room we wanted for our whole stay, which I confirmed through Booking messaging again. But when we got there, the booking people hadn't actually changed our two reservations into one. Since we had fully documented our confirmation multiple times, the wonderful young man checking us in worked a miracle and managed to make it work and we stayed in one of the rooms down the hill away from the lodge - where we had stayed 12 years earlier. It was wonderful being down there - as was everything about the place. Great gardens and trails, a frog pond where we found our target Red-eyed Tree Frog. The feeders are great, bringing in a nice variety of birds each day, while more exotic birds and monkeys can be found on the grounds. Breakfast was excellent, as was every meal we had there. The happy hour is 2 for 1 for a perfect hour 5-6pm. The daily morning nature hike is a good way to get familiar with the grounds. There are a lot of trails - plenty we never got to do. A free tractor ride was nice to take one way and walk back birding. This is the place for birds and the grounds have been really kept up and improved since we last stayed 12 years ago.

Stayed in February 2024

I really was looking forward to our stay here and I loved it. However I feel like it missed the mark in some areas. Some weird interactions with some staff - front desk, restaurant - where you walked away feeling off/disrespected, only two bad apples but it warrants saying. As is often said in reviews of this place, food was mediocre but it is what it is. The lodge is really good it's just the 5% more that would have made it incredible.

Location is incredible, deep in the rainforest, stunning views of the area, well maintained property and incredible trail system and biodiversity. You walk around in awe of the place. Room was very nice. Birds were lovely at the feeders and saw many on the trails.

Stayed in February 2024

The location was absolutely stunning with amazing views of the Arenal volcano and lake. We loved the various hiking trails, one even led to a water fall where you could swim, so bring your swim suits! We saw so much wild-life nearby on our walks including coyotes, toucans and monkeys. The room was spacious and very comfortable. We loved every meal and found the staff to be super friendly and helpful, wish we could have stayed longer!

Stayed in February 2024

No fridge or any way to cook your own food so be prepared to eat at the restaurant for every meal (the meals are delicious though and breakfast is free!)

Amazing property with lots of trails and wildlife. Great for birders. Great food at the restaurant.

Stayed in February 2024

5 rooms with shared bathroom and only 2 toilets and showers. Room a long way from main complex

Lovely situation and tours, well maintained gardens

Stayed in February 2024

The restaurant did not offer any local food and the quality of the dishes was mediocre

I loved the grounds and the trails. We enjoyed the morning free tour

Stayed in February 2024

The room in the main house was a little dark.

Trails and the environment were good. Good restaurant, with different menus for lunch and dinner. Recomended: Tres leches as dessert. Nice bird watching spot including the feeding station.

Stayed in February 2024

Delicious and a nice spread.

Stayed in January 2024

thin walls and You can hear every voice from other room and outside (many families with children who running from pool to rooms and scrimming...) "Vintage" room and lodge

very good trials belongs to properyty Very good location

Stayed in January 2024