Name: Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails
Address: 22 Km Oeste De La Fortuna De San Carlos 1.7 Km Del, La Fortuna, CR

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2026

John

Between the amount of wildlife I saw while there, the short hike to a beautiful waterfall, and the just simply stunning views, and the friendly staff.. There really isn't much not to like here.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2026

Tammy

This is an AMAZING place to stay. I highly would recommend it and pray that I can return. The staff is great, the location is wonderful, and the grounds are beautiful. There is a restaurant that is fantastic and everything you need is on site. 20 out of 10 is my score.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2026

Jason

The hotel was fantastic. Spotlessly clean. The free wildlife tour was excellent and we were lucky to see Armadillos. The pool and jacuzzi were lovely too. Would definitely recommend.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jul 2026

Aníbal

El lugar donde está el hotel

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2026

Mark A

We love wildlife. This place made seeing it and experiencing it a truly amazing place. The breakfast was also quite nice and our room was also very good. We may well come back. We were here for three days and between the amazing sights on the lodge grounds and three places we explored closer to town (La Fortuna), we could see staying more like a week. A true treasure.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2026

Philip

Great place just rains too much!

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

19 Jul 2026

Sarah

Absolutely loved our stay here. A once in a lifetime place to visit. My kids were amazed as it literally looks like you are driving into Jurassic park. Our room was beautiful with a full open view of the volcano and just gle. We woke up to monkeys in the trees, saw probably 100 species of different rainforest moths. Clean and comfortable room.

My only issue was that we had several venomous wandering spiders in our hotel room which was quite scary with 2 young children with us. I understand the lodge is very deep in the jungle, but perhaps the lodge could inspect the cabins for good sealing. There are many venomous snakes near the walkways as well. Incredible experience, I would hesitate to go with young children due to the amount of venomous critters. But with older kids and adults it's a once in a lifetime experience.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2026

Christy

Our family of four had an amazing time at the observatory despite not being able to view the volcano. The dinner at the restaurant was amazing and the complimentary breakfast was outstanding. Edward, our guide for the nature tour was excellent. It was raining very hard during our tour but he took his time attempting to find monkeys for us and was successful! We saw both howler and spider monkeys on the walk. My family had a lake view room. We were further away from the restaurant and reception. My only suggestion would be to have umbrellas for the guests or a shuttle available when it is raining heavily.

Friends

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jul 2026

Megan

Far from everything and only 1 restaurant with mediocre food that was ridiculously expensive

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2026

ashley

Stunning property! Exactly what we were looking for. Plenty of hiking on property to do. They offer guided nature tours. Our guide was wonderful and pointed out many animals we would never have found on our own. We also had a delicious dinner on site. The only issue is the road to get to the hotel. Tons of pot holes and difficult to travel. I felt bad for our Ubers who brought us to and from town, which was about 30min drive. Otherwise, it was an amazing stay!

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jul 2026

Jennifer

Staff are helpful and the location, view, and hiking opportunities are probably the best in the area. Perfect view of the volcano and easy hikes to waterfalls and jungle trek. Staff are lovely and very helpful.

Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Jul 2026

Amy

Incredible place with views of the volcano and Lake Arenal, good hiking trails, nice restaurant with excellent service and food, and great amenities and services.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2026

Juan Francisco

The Hotel Arenal Observatory is a privilege location at the bottom of the Arenal Volcano.Not other hotel in the area can beat this. Besides the trails are for everyone and the views are gorgeous. All the staff are so helpful,polite and with the intention and great desire for us to know their country.We will come back, hopefully in the near future with other members of our family. I will highly recommend this hotel if you want to reconnect with nature, feel peace, breath clean air and just feel peace surrounded by the multi diversity of fauna and flora of this magical place..

Partner

2/10

Poor

07 Jul 2026

nowattie

Need update

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 Jul 2026

Megan

Overall a great place to stay. We enjoyed the hiking trails and pool (though really could only use the hot tub as the pools were too cold/not heated). However, we were extremely turned off by the gate where they questioned where we were going every time we left which felt intrusive and completely inappropriate. They also seemed to try to charge us twice (knowingly) for a tour which was very dishonest and unfortunately similar to other places we visited in the touristy area of Arenal.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2026

Kenneth

Why an I say.. epic experience. Greeting was warm and sincere. Parking is very close to your room. The cleanliness of the resort is impeccable. Woke up early to watch the monkeys swinging into the trees. The service and the food at the restaurant was incredible. Hard to believe how quickly they prepared the news. We got to know everyone on site practically and they were so willing to share a little bit about themselves truly personalized experience
We did a day and night tour to the rainforest trails, and the guides were extremely knowledgeable, patient had great eyes to find so many things that you would miss if you were even trying to look on your own.
The views from their room, the volcano Lake Arenal are almost hard to believe the real, so many photo opportunities. The amount of birds we saw was much more than I would expected.
The only drawback possibly is that there’s no air-conditioning in the room however, being that there’s a screen door on the sliding patio door, the flow of natural air through the room in the hum of the frogs in the background definitely made out for it. You won’t be disappointed if you stay at the Arenal observation Lodge

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2026

Melissa

This property has an incredible view of the volcano and the most amazing trails right on the property. The property is full of wildlife, and we were able to watch spider monkeys swinging from the trees from the balcony of our room, as well as watch a variety of native birds and other native creatures without going anywhere else. My kids enjoyed exploring and were so excited every day to see what new animals they would discover. I just wish we had longer to explore!

The staff was also super helpful and very friendly. The rooms were clean and comfortable. There wasn't any AC in the rooms, but they do have overhead fans. We didn't mind, though, as the closeness to nature far outweighed any inconvenience of being slightly warm. We will definitely come back to this hotel next time we visit Costa Rica! We highly recommend staying at this awesome lodge!

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2026

Reynald

This is a truly amazing property with extensive trails and observation tower that you can climb up to get above the treetops naturalist guide, guided tours and wonderful views of the volcano from the observation deck whenever the clouds allow. Bar and restaurant have excellent offerings. No need to go off property truly an amazing place and a destination within Costa Rica. I only wish we had another couple of days there. Two nights is not enough.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2026

Shawn

Access to birds, monkeys, and other wildlife was amazing - did not even need to leave the property to see most of them. Rooms do not have ac, so keep this in mind. Food at restaurant was great and staff was very helpful booking daily excursions.

Family

4/10

Poor

23 Jun 2026

Joseph

When we checked in, the person behind the counter who checked us in was AWFUL. very uninterested, very unhelpful with questions, very unhelpful in general, just gave yes/no answers. She was like a robot. No expression on her face of any sort. Very out of it.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2026

Carolina

Amazing place to relax and enjoy any celebration. The stuff are nice,friendly and super helpful. I loved the place. 💯 recommend

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Jun 2026

Brianna

It was nice.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2026

Roger

Loved everything. Wish they had refrigerator in the room.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2026

Raquel

Beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature, clean rooms , delicious food and friendly staff.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jun 2026

Gloria

Unbelievable gardens, very good food.
Very nice and helpful employees.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jun 2026

Ivy

The animal and bird sightings are wonderful here. As a solo female traveler, I felt safe and comfortable. The well-marked hiking trails and daily planned events to enrich your experience are top notch. I will be pleased to stay here again.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jun 2026

Leslie

The property is very beautiful. It is not located close to anything.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2026

Erin

This was our first stop on our trip and it came highly recommended. We stayed in room 40 which was a bit of a hike to the restaurant and reception. The room was very quiet and the balcony and windows were spectacular. Walking up the hill to breakfast we saw plenty of entertaining wildlife including a coati family playing in the trees. The property was truly unbelievable. I should have paid closer attention to the eco part of the lodge. We prefer to stay in accommodations with air conditioning. It was very hot in the room. We kept the fan on but the screen doors were torn and we felt unsafe leaving them open overnight. The staff in the dining room were wonderful and extremely welcoming. They gave us tips of where to look for an eyelash viper. Our first night we ordered the dinner special and it was way too much food. They saved it for us and replated it the next night which we were so grateful for since our room didn’t have a fridge and we hated to waste so much food. They certainly went the extra mile. We booked one of the complementary hikes around the property and wish we had signed up for the others. We loved the pool
And hot tub and the grounds were really stunning. It is a bit of a drive if you plan to do activities in La Fortuna but the experience was incredible.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2026

Kammie

Everyone was helpful

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2026

Sherri

The room was amazing. The staff friendly and attentive. The grounds were beautiful with monkeys and birds, especially hummingbirds, happy in the trees and flowers.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 May 2026

Jeffrey

Property and staff were fantastic - probably the cleanest property we’ve ever stayed. The trails and hikes you could go on were amazing. Breakfast was delicious but the dinner was good. It would have been nice to know prior that there was no air conditioning in the rooms and the tile floors outside the rooms and inside the rooms were very slippery

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2026

Joseph

The entire staff were great. The facility was well maintained and terrific. Highly recommend.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 May 2026

Claudia

It's better to have an all terrain vehicle to get to this hotel, Not all the roads are paved, and when driving in rural areas in CR you will encounter a lot of dirt roads.
The property has a unparalleled views of the volcano , lake and jungle. The breakfast has a variety of fruits, bread, and protein. They also offer activities and excursion.
There are wild animals roaming the gardens , and people visit this place just to catch a glimpse of all the birds, It is truly a beautiful and unique experience to stay here.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 May 2026

Jennifer

This was a great place! Hiking trails all around, lots of tours and group holes. They met us at reception with drinks!

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

19 May 2026

Sabrina

Great food, amazing staff, gorgeous view of the volcano! Highly recommend!

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2026

Agnes

The Arenal observatory hotel was so
beautiful … Located where you could see the Arenal volcano from a lookout point outside the restaurant.
We were able to spot variously type of birds in our birding adventure.
The breakfast was amazing … our waitress Joseph along with other staff were very professional .
Breathing fresh pure air was a great welcome to our lungs .
The room was well kept .
Overall just amazing

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2026

Victoria

Rustic lodging with incredible trails, views, dynamic landscapes, and SOOO many animals!! If you are an animal lover, staying here is a must in La Fortuna!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 May 2026

Sarah

Arenal observatory and lodge is a biodiversity and conservation gem! We saw so many animals and plants while on the property! The accommodations were great and in line with ecotourism. Highly recommend for nature lovers!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 May 2026

Kylie

We had an amazing experience at Arenal Observatory. The staff was super friendly and bilingual. They even left special treats in our room for us :D Transportation was easily accessible and the trails were beautiful and well maintained. The restaurant served delicious food and has a great view! I highly recommend booking the shared casona. The rooms were spacious and clean and it has a small observation deck right next to the entrance! My only complaint is I wish there was a microwave and fridge even a shared one in the casona but other than that, a 12/10 experience <3

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 May 2026

Chris

Uniquely beautiful location and world class birding

Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2026

George

Terrific location with view of volcano and deck for bird watching as well as many onsite free nature activities

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2026

sheryl

PLUSES: Surroundings are gorgeous and lots of trails and things to do; full of birds for Birders, and various other animals. The staff was (mostly) professional, knowledgable and friendly. The grounds and rooms are very clean. The included breakfast is quite tasty with a variety of options.

CONCERNS: The property is isolated, as it is 40 mins w/ no traffic or road issues to La Fortuna and other activities outside the property. Some may love this. Dinners were more of a 3/5. Something I overlooked is that there is no air-conditioning, though this is on me for not realizing. During the warmer \"dry\" season we would have preferred air-conditioning.

PS: For all of the Arenal area (not just the Observatory) if driving from the West (say from Tamarindo beach area), once you hit Lake Arenal, it's about a 1 and 1/2 hour drive to the Observatory, and 2 hours+ to La Fortuna, and this is with no road issues and little traffic.

Partner

4/10

Poor

25 Apr 2026

Lisa

I really needed a room change , there were three of us and the beds were not big enough, the staff were abrupt and did not really try to accommodate us so that there were three beds for us to use or even a rollaway bed, the rooms are very tiny and there is no place to sit down in the room only a couple of chairs outside, there is no refrigerator , so no ability to keep drinks cold. My recommendation is to stay someplace else and visit. I had booked it for 4 nights and no refund was given, we left the next morning

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2026

sebnem

It was such a wonderful experience. Everyone is so nice and friendly! Great view !

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2026

Gabriela

Beautiful place, views and gardens!

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2026

Kennan

This place was exactly what we were looking for - it was right in the heart of the National Park and tucked away from the flashy touristy part of La Fortuna. The property and staff were lovely. 10/10 recommend this for your next vacation.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2026

Megan

Amazing!! Highly recommend.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2026

qian

Highly recommend the villa

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

18 Apr 2026

William

I think it’s great for one night maximum. If you don’t have a car you are very limited.

The food options are very horrible, breakfast was fine, but the lunch and dinner options are very expensive and very poor quality.

The overall property is beautiful and very well marked. Lots of beautiful nature and wildlife. However that’s the only thing they offer.

Everything else is either fine or not very good.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Frédérick

The place is very well laid out, with many accessible trails. However, the meals are expensive compared to other lodges we've visited. The location is excellent for birdwatching; there's a bird feeder installed, which is a real plus. However, the feeder is made of metal rods, which isn't very aesthetically pleasing for photography. It would be beneficial to redesign the feeder to incorporate natural branches, as other lodges do, which would allow for much better bird photos.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2026

Conor

This place is a birder’s paradise. They have every tropical habitat you could want on the back trails, and proper guides to spot the birds.

The rooms are very good, the front desk staff was charming. The views are spectacular. The feeders are jammed with birds.

Only negative was that we were almost totally rained off for 24 hours, but that’s what can happen in a rainforest. I already want to return.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2026

xiang

Friendly staff at check-in. Great view from our room. Nice tours.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2026

Kartik Harshadkumar

Amazing property with an absolute

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

puneet

Views, wild life and trails. Loved this place. No air conditioning, but you don’t need it unless you are very particular about temperature. It is very property. The road for 3 km is very bumpy.

6/10

Pleasant

31 Mar 2026

Haizel

Breakfast was ok the fruits were fresh but the gallo pinto to dry. The rooms are big but outdated. No air conditioning. The surrounds are beautiful. If you don’t need air conditioned you will be fine. The bed is not comfortable neither the pillows.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Mar 2026

ARUNKUMAR

Amazing room and view

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2026

Aracely

Un lugar maravilloso. La mejor úbicacion posible en el área. La vista un 100. El servicio excelente y el personal muy atento y servicial

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

17 Mar 2026

Barbara

We really enjoyed our stay, even though it rained the whole time we were there. I had a birding tour booked with a private guide for 6 AM and saw 35 different varieties of birds in a two hour Period, Even in the rain. We then took the complementary guided walk offered by the lodge which we enjoyed immensely!
Our room was spacious and had the weather been nicer, we really would’ve enjoyed the balcony. The bathroom was clean and spacious and well appointed.
We enjoyed the complementary breakfast. We also ate dinner the night before and lunch after checkout at the restaurant on site. Every meal was delicious!
All in all a fabulous experience! We would definitely stay there again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2026

david

The place was incredible in every way

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Mar 2026

Bharti

Perfect immersion in Pura Vida… didn’t want to leave.

Partner

2/10

Poor

25 Feb 2026

Matthew

Charged us for the room, $1400 and would not let us stay due to them not understanding Costa Rica law.

Family_with_children

2/10

Poor

25 Feb 2026

Matthew

This hotel made up Laws stating a photocopy or scan our passport is legally required to check in. it is not, the name and passport number need to be recorded yes, but not a photocopy. The dury manager further lied stating the actual manager was not available for a week; and then she arrived 30 mins later.

Do not trust this hotel; just day visit the garden.

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2026

Jason

Birding is spectacular. The grounds and trails are amazing. So many plants and animals. Beautiful views. Rooms are basic but clean. Food at the restaurant for dinner is average but service was consistently great. Breakfast was better. Overall service was excellent.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2026

jessica

Very clean, friendly & helpful staff. Wonderful gardens, hiking trails & plethora of animals.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2026

bhadresh

Excellent location for spotting a rich variety of birds and a great view of arenal volcano from our balcony. Very friendly and accommodating restaurant staff, especially David, Howard and Alexa. Nice room, better than I was expecting, albeit on the small side for a family of 4. If you’re looking for wildlife on your doorstep and a great view of the volcano, it a great pick. We even had a lovely hot but comfortable large jacuzzi for a rainy day. The on-site cafe was poor for vegan options, but the main restaurant made every effort to accommodate our needs

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2026

ron

First class experiences. The staff were wonderful.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Feb 2026

Nils

Fantastic rooms and great location with multiple daily feedings of the local bird population. Beautiful property and walking trails. Easy check in and helpful staff.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2026

Todd

It was a wonderful stay. Clean, great bed, attentive and helpful staff, food was excellent, massage was great too!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2026

Elizabeth Del

Excellent

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Erin

Best place to stay in La Fortuna! This lodge was truly special, and has so much to offer we barely needed to leave the grounds. Booking nature walks and guided tours on the premises was super easy and convenient. Eduardo is the main guide and he is so knowledgeable! Facilities were clean and beautiful. We saw so many birds just from our window into the garden. Mario in the restaurant was very personable and made us feel welcome each time we dined. Could not recommend this place anymore!

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2026

gary

Clean rooms and excellent service from all.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2026

Austin

The first thing you notice at Arenal Observatory Lodge is the spectacular grounds! There are many opportunities for gentle walks and hikes on the property. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The rooms had everything we needed but were basic, not luxurious.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2026

Gregory

Yes the staff was great!

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2026

Vincent

Incredible grounds excellent service birding was top 10, however due to the significant rain and fog, we were unable to see the volcano

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jan 2026

kevin

2nd time we have stay there , staff is outstanding, accommodation is outstanding, the guide was fantastic Edward, he was fun, great place even with a lot of rain

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2026

Janice

The room was nice, big enough, excellent view, great shower. You feel like you are in the jungle. Saw birds, monkeys, and much more. Great hiking trails. Enchanting place.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2026

Kurt

The rooms were very clean and spacious. The food was great. The trails around the resort let you be a part of nature.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2026

Kelsi

The room was perfect with a beautiful view! The staff was friendly and the property was amazing!

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2026

Liza

Beautiful property with stunning views and scenic trails. The restaurant is convenient, though the food quality could be improved.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jan 2026

SAURABH

Road which leads to the observatory lodge was horrible. I was driving at night around 9 pm and it was pitch dark, the last 4 km was a pstch with gravel road and god forbid anything goes wrong you are on your own.. no resque wiil be available

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2026

Suzanne

I loved this property. The free guided walks are amazing. I saw sleeping frogs and humming birds and learned so much about the plant life and also the history of the lodge. Edward was a great guide!

The breakfast was tasty and the room was immaculate. My kids appreciated the pool. I just loved walking the grounds and the view from the restaurant. Fantastic place and would recommend a stay here.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2026

Alejandro

Everything is amazing! Wildlife, facilities, hiking, staff. Second time staying here. Love it.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2025

Yvette

The location, it's absolutely breathtaking. Nothing compares. Sitting on the deck, watching the bird feeder and seeing all the different birds swooping in, the coatis running around.
The food is pretty good too but keep in mind, you'll end up having dinner here. Can't recommend driving at night if you want to eat dinner in La Fortuna.
The grounds are well-kept and the trails are good. You can easily walk the whole day. Don't forget to go to the Nest for a good view.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Dec 2025

Miroslav

Clean facility with beautiful view, hiking trails, and and other entertaining contents. The food in the restaurant is just average but well overpriced.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2025

EWEI

接近大自然的环境，暖心的服务，满带笑容的工作人员，安全的保护。谢谢

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Dec 2025

Alexandra

Our best experience in Costa Rica. Phenomenal birding area. Exceptional restaurant! We stayed in the Casona and were pleasantly surprised with the accommodation and beautiful views of Lake Arenal and the volcano from our room. Thanks especially to Howard and Daniel in the restaurant, and our morning walk with Cristian - you made our stay even more special!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Dec 2025

Angeliki

Amazing location, with a beautiful view of Arenal Volcano (assuming it's not cloudy and rainy). We only partially saw it since we had cloudy and rainy weather when we were there. Very close to Arenal Volcano National Park, and Arenal 1968 for more trails.
Breakfast is included and is really good.
We also enjoyed our dinners at the on-site restaurant, as well as the trails on the property. The trail to the waterfall was really nice.
We also enjoyed our complimentary nature walk in the morning, and the paid guided night tour.
From the deck outside the restaurant, you can enjoy all sorts of birds who come to the birdfeeder and also see the monkeys in the trees.
The only minor issue was that the morning before our arrival, I received an email informing me that there would be a deposit of $100 for each night, which is typical and we had no issues. When we arrived, the girl at the reception said it changed and it's now $200 per night. I thought that was weird, but again had no issues since we knew it would be released in a week or so.
The staff was friendly.
There's a jacuzzi and a pool.
Overall we had a very enjoyable stay.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2025

Todd

The hotel property is beautiful and the hotel service was amazing. There is so much to do at this hotel!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2025

Oliver

This is a very luxurious eco-lodge. Amazing care taken of the property and grounds. The trails were really beautiful and we saw great wildlife consistently at dawn. Note, it has 11km of trails, but at least half of the trails are in open farm land, so don't go thinking its all jungle forest! That said we enjoyed it all. We felt very well looked after, and the rooms were in perfect condition. This really is a place that knows how to cater to travelers hoping to immerse themselves in nature and see birds!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

Sonda

Beautiful grounds!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

David

helpful staff. clean room. lovely location. plenty of interesting forest walks, and the odd volcano nearby

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2025

David

The biggest asset to this property is its location within Arenal National Park. The lodge is truly at the foot of Arenal volcano. There was lots of wildlife to be seen on the AOL property including birds, some mammals and frogs. Complimentary breakfast met everyone’s needs. Lunch and dinner at the lodge are expensive. The property is pretty far from La Fortuna (20 min?) and the road is rough for part of the drive, so you won’t want to zip in and out. We planned to be gone for the day when we left. Front desk staff was great and happy to help arrange tours or outings at no cost.

8/10

Excellent

28 Nov 2025

Nicola

The location is great in the heart of the forest with trails all around. We booked a Standard Room which was located a short but steep walk away from the main building. The room was clean and a good size. The large terrace had a view of the lake but far better was the hummingbird that lived in the bush right in front and the coati roaming around the garden. Wildlife is everywhere here. We enjoyed a free guided day tour and a guided night tour. We saw an anteater, howler monkeys, bespectacled owls, frogs, snakes and all sorts of birds. The only thing that let this hotel down was the food. The staff in the restaurant but the food itself was not great and dinner options were very limited.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Nov 2025

Darci

I doubt you can find a better view of the Arenal Volcano than at Arenal Observatory Lodge, plus the property is gorgeous and filled with wildlife (so many birds and a troop of monkeys swung by one evening). This isn't a fancy place — more old school — but if you're looking for a peaceful space to reset and experience nature, it's perfect. We'd stay here again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2025

Blaine

Room good , but lacked chairs , no heating which would have been handy to dry cloth as it rained all the time , quiet , fantastic views ,

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2025

Carol

Yes,
Volcano park entrance is nearby. But there is no need for a national park as you have a front stage view of the volcano, 11 km of trails, access to guides, a waterfall, hanging bridges, and wildlife! We only needed to leave to access the hot springs. Otherwise this is paradise!
tours

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2025

Todd

Was last at this resort 22 years ago. This time returned with kids and did not disappoint! Stayed in Phil Villa and besides a slight bug issue was amazing and 5 stars.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2025

Larry

Staff were very knowledgeable about flora and fauna in park. Hotel policies were Eco-friendly. Decor in room and hotel was pleasant; blends well with forest. Many improved walking trails on grounds. Museum provided natural history of area and people. High diversity of birds, great for bird-watchers. Highly recommend and would stay again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2025

Teresa

Fabulous resort and location. Lots to do on property. Excellent food and service. Amazing value in the off season. Highly recommend.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2025

craig

The AOL was spectacular! the mountain, the grounds the staff, the food the birds....al of it great! We will be back!