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Xilopalo is a charming rustic hotel. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. It is within walking distance to pretty much anything you need. And the food at Acacia is excellent with a view of the volcano. The outdoor area is great for relaxing after a busy day. Get your tour tickets here!! You will save money and several come with transportation. I also recommend doing the sloth tour with Armando. We saw numerous sloths, toucans and other birds, and even poisonous frogs. If you are wanting a "resort" feel, this isn't the place for you.

Stayed in May 2024

The hotel is kept very clean. It just needs some upgrades in the rooms like the TV and some cosmetic repairs, just minor things, but I have no complaints we had a wonderful time at this place and will recommend to all of friends and family

Arenal Xilopalo was a wonderful experience for our family the staff was amazing very attentive and nice, Luis at the front desk was great very professional and informative and Fabian at the restaurant was amazing 👏 we were extremely satisfied with his services, we will definitely come back to Xilopalo because we felt welcomed by the these staff members and their professionalism was wonderful. The pool is small, but I wouldn't change anything because it's small but very beautiful, also the incredible views at the restaurant were amazing having breakfast while observing the different types of birds including the Tucans was a wondering experience. We absolutely loved our experience at Arenal Xilopalo thank you for the amazing experience and the accommodations for our group of 8 the rooms were perfect huge and perfect for our family 👌 see you again next year.

Stayed in May 2024

The showers can be upgraded as the water is quite cold when you use bigger pressure.

The location of the hotel is amazing, just next to the jungle, so during the breakfast you can see a lot of birds. Breakfast are delicious, you can choose from sweet and salty options, it is served in really beautiful way. The staff is friendly and they can help you with organising the trips in the Arenal area.

Stayed in May 2024

Really nice communal areas and pool. Really friendly staff. Good location for the main town just 5 mins walk.

Stayed in May 2024

The guesthouse had an excellent location, just a few minutes' walk to the center of town and yet it was quiet and surrounded by tropical trees and plants. There was an outdoor swimming pool, lots of comfortable couches and cushioned chairs to relax with a drink or good book. The room was large, comfortable bed, tea/coffee maker, small refrigerator. Very clean place. Breakfast was excellent, and the staff was the best! They arranged excellent value tours and all of them originated from the guesthouse for both pickup and dropoff. I really enjoyed Armando's sloth tour, he's such a personable and knowledgeable guide.

Stayed in April 2024

No complaints

The views were fantastic and it was a fabulous building. Very helpful staff also

Stayed in April 2024

Great breakfast and view of the volcano! Very friendly front desk staff who gave us local tips and ideas during our visit. They also booked us rafting and other tours for some of the best prices we found.

Stayed in April 2024

This property was a small walking distance to the town but you still felt like you had your own little rainforest retreat

Stayed in April 2024

Updated mattress would be nice. No biggie being solo traveler as I just switched beds since room had two.

Walking distance to town made it nice to shop and eat. On-site restaurant is excellent for both breakfast and dinner...lunch is not served. Great view of the volcano and bird watching since they feed the birds. Staff is excellent.

Stayed in April 2024

Fantastic view of the volcano. A bird watching paradise because of the feeder’s. Great to see the sunset and wildlife. Restaurant food in evening was top notch.

Stayed in April 2024

I loved everything about Arenal Xilopalo. From the moment we got there, the staff was so welcoming and nice. There was even a mix-up with the taxi picking us up at the airport which was no fault of theirs and they were so apologetic. I loved staying here and can't wait to be back. It was the best sleep I've gotten in a long time. And the location, was perfect. It really is very close to everything you may need. Thanks Arenal Xilopalo for making our first time to Costa Rica so special. Pura vida!

Stayed in March 2024

Great hotel overall. Exceptional staff that was very helpful with every request we had and always ready to recommend us things to do in the Fortuna/Arenal area. Breakfast was good, but the highlight was the view to the garden from the breakfast restaurant. Room was clean but nothing extraordinary.

Stayed in April 2024

The hard sell for trips and transport the minute we arrived!

We stayed in an apartment which was very spacious. Although it was an unusual building and layout, it was comfortable and clean. There was a fair amount of kitchen equipment but it's not really set up for a large amount of self-catering. Good location very close to the town.

Stayed in April 2024

They are doing renovations and there was a lot of really loud construction noise during the day. Beds were a bit hard, but personally slept very well.

The birdwatching was great. The place felt full of animal life. The sloth tour was incredible and the walk around the garden in the evening was perfect! The room was good, the view of the volcano was great. Loved the feel of the place.

Stayed in April 2024

Nothing, all OK.

Excellent option.

Stayed in April 2024

Huge room and very clean. Front staff were super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Several types of tours and entry tickets could be booked through the hotel for less than the going rate found online.

Stayed in March 2024

Mountain view only from Restaurant not from the room, due to plants in front. Even If paid for the view.

Nice located. Clean. Good coffee in the room

Stayed in April 2024

Hours of the restaurant could have been opened a little longer.

Felt like I was is the “real” Costa Rica.

Stayed in April 2024

Room decor outdated.

Excellent daylong view of volcano from eating area. Quiet area and within walking distance to center of town.

Stayed in April 2024

Nothing much really - perhaps a bit more variety at breakfast and being a little closer to the town, but these were not very significant issues.

If you go to Costa Rica, you are probably interested in the wildlife and, if so, staying at The Arenal Xilopalo is a real treat. From the restaurant balcony, you are treated not only to the best possible view of the Arenal volcano, but also a wonderful and ever changing array of beautiful birds flitting through the trees and landing on the feeders, which were no more than a metre from the balcony. We could have stayed there all day! In addition, we went on the sloth hunt where we saw many of these creatures, and a night walk right beside the hotel where we saw a variety of amazing coloured frogs. (Do take these trips - you are unlikely to be able to find them yourselves!) We stayed for three nights. This is quite a quirky hotel with many public rooms on different levels - we discovered on new one just before we left! The comfortable, good sized bedrooms came with very effective aircon and wifi. The food in the restaurant was tasty. We had breakfast every day and dinner on one evening. We found the Arenal Xilopalo to be very good value and it was probably our favourite hotel on our holiday.

Stayed in March 2024

Room set up & decor kind of odd.

The view of Arenal volcano. Lovely open air restaurant. Fabulous food. Bird feeding stations. Saw lots of birds.

Stayed in April 2024

nice vibe with the other guests, bird feeding places from the breakfast room, so have your camera ready!

Stayed in April 2024

It was smelling of toilet in our all room however price to conditions 9/10.

Amazing place with the soul. The restaurant that they have was also amazing we regret we ate 1 meal outside.

Stayed in March 2024

Staying here was one of the highlights of our trip to Costa Rica. Waking up to the sound of the birds and having the tastiest breakfast while enjoying an amazing view of Arenal Volcano and all the birds flying around. The staff is also super friendly and help you with booking all the fun activities the area has to offer. Would definitely recommend staying here and don't miss out on Armando's excellent sloth tour and night walk through the garden!

Stayed in April 2024