ARENAL OBSERVATORY LODGE & SPA

Cool place. So much to do onsite.

I fell in love with Arenal Observatory Lodge... it is a remote eco-lodge with so much natural beauty surrounding it. The views of the volcano and rainforest were incredible. So many fun birds and animals to see and many coming right to your back door every day :) It is remote and about a 30-minute drive to the nearest town on crazy dirt roads but worth it. It does not have air conditioning so keep this in mind as it was 98% humidity and warm when we were there, and you never felt fully dry. Trails and grounds were lush and well maintained. The on-site, included, breakfast was ok, nothing spectacular but the lunch and dinner options were high quality, good portions and delicious. Staff were friendly! We LOVED our spacious rooms with a view, we stayed in a junior suite and our kids stayed in a Smithsonian room, both were awesome. Highly recommend this lodge if you are an outdoor enthusiast, enjoy the quiet peace of nature, and want to be in the beauty of Costa Rica firsthand. We got married at this lodge, we did an elopement with our children.

Just went for a few hours. Gorgeous views from the observatory. We did the longer trail and I wouldn’t bother doing all that again. Would walk to the waterfall and back and then do some shorter trails right around the observatory. But all was worth the short drive from La fortuna. And cost to get in was decent.

Excellent stay at Arenal. We stayed 3 nights in a smithsonian room - very spacious and comfortable. We loved sitting on the terrace taking in the beautiful views of the volcano and gardens - great bird watching too, with hummingbirds and toucans flying past. The trails around the grounds are tremendous - well mapped and a variety of wildlife to see (birds and monkeys) and waterfalls. The restaurant is nice enough and the staff are all courteous

Malgré notre réservation très en avance, "perdue ?" par l'hôtel on s'est retrouvé obligés de prendre une autre chambre nettement plus chère. Sinon c'est un chouette cadre, le personnel du restaurant est très courtois.