Arenal Lodge provides guests with the excitement of staying in an authentic rainforest lodge with breathtaking panoramic views of Costa Rica’s famous Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. Guests will enjoy a casual and relaxed rustic lodge setting with the added value of a complimentary breakfast daily. Located on 2000-acres of beautiful tropical rainforest, the lodge is situated near Arenal Volcano National Park. The lodge is surrounded by rainforest - housing hundreds of exotic birds, small animals and the beautiful tropical flowers and trees of Costa Rica. and is its own local tourist attraction due to its exclusive location with breathtaking panoramic views of Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. The lodge features a full service restaurant with local and international cuisine, gift shop, three heated outdoor Jacuzzis, an infinite edge swimming pool, walking trails, a butterfly garden, horseback riding, a game room and outdoor playground for children, fitness room, sauna, and free wireless high speed internet access. Guest rooms and suites feature cable TV, telephone, coffee maker, clock radio, and all have private baths. Complimentary crib and wheel chair are available on request.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Park View
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
200 Meters Nw From Arenal Lake Dam, Arenal Volcano National Park, La Fortuna de San Carlos Costa Rica
I would say the best part of staying in this hotel was the view we had from our room. We stayed in a Junior Room, 2 Queen Beds, Mountain View (Balcony and view to arenal volcano) The hotel seemed old, some amenities abandoned looking or not working. Restaurant food (American) and free Costa Rican breakfast was ok. We did not have a car and it was very hard for us to get around paying a Taxi to come pick us up and down the hill, so definitely recommend having a car. The Wi-Fi was not working from our room so we spent every night in the lobby which was a inconvenience, after a long day out we just wanted to relax. The pool and Jacuzzi hot tub were really nice but it rained most of the time we were there, and there is pretty much nothing to do at night. The staff is really nice, specially in the restaurant. I would recommend trying to find excursions ahead of time because they are a bit pricey at the hotel.
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Date of stay: July 2019
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Have a car and book balcony
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 29 Jan 2020
Thank you very much for commenting. In addition, we apologize for things you did not like, it is good to know that you found good things with us, and we will be working to make improvements. Best regards.
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When we arrived at the security gate we were told the driveway was over 2 kms. The hotel stands in 2,000 acres so there were plenty of very enjoyable walks. We had booked a standard room originally but asked for a junior suite on arrival which they were able to accommodate at a small charge. We were pleased that we did as it had a perfect view of the volcano and a good balcony. Saw many beautiful birds. The staff put out fruit for the birds on two bird tables and a Tolomuco came up to feed one morning. An excellent experience. Hotel is close to all sights we wanted to visit. The room was all dark wood which made it quite dull in the evening. They could do with some improved lighting. Only a minor problem but better lighting would greatly improve the accommodation.
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 22 Apr 2020
Thank you very much for commenting. Hoping that you and your relatives are well. Arenal Lodge still open and given the serveice that caracterice us. We hope to see back again here. Best regard
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We loved our stay at Arenal Lodge! The location is amazing and we loved waking up every morning with a view of the rainforest canopy and volcano. The hotel also has trails and horseback riding on property, so there's a lot to explore. The jacuzzis and infinity pool are great, and it was nice having free breakfast in the morning.
The staff are also so friendly, they really made our trip and made us feel right at home. Oneyda is the best!
That being said, the views are certainly the best parts of the room. We stayed in the chalets, and some of things in the room seemed a bit too worn. We were surprised to find they didn't have A/C - which they advertised on their website. It didn't end up mattering much though, because it does get cold at night.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 21 Jan 2020
Thank you very much for commenting and hope to see you again in Arenal Lodge. The following note is what we announce on our page for the chalet, so as you can read there is no A/C adverticed. We are planning for a future to have. Hope to see you soon. Chalet These large rooms, built as separate chalets, are perched on top of the hill behind the main building; they offer an incredibly panoramic view of the Arenal Volcano and lake. The Chalets have one king-sized bed and one queen-sized bed, or 2 queen sized beds and feature floor to ceiling windows. They also feature a twin size pull-out futon. The Chalets are equipped with a mini-kitchenette, a small refrigerator, a microwave oven, a coffee maker, ceiling fans, cable TV, telephone, alarm clock, and digital safe and hair dryers. The Chalet can accommodate up to five people.
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Do not bother staying here!!! This place is so far out from La Fortuna and it takes over 10 minutes to even get to the lodge from the bottom.
We stayed in a Chalet and the view had the potential to be amazing but because the place is so high up, you are literally in the clouds and can't see anything. To get to the Chalet itself is a high, uphill walk with no lighting to help you get there at night Although there is a shortcut, this can only be used in the day. The bathroom doors kept banging at night due to the weather conditions.
The hotel is extremely outdated and the beds are the worst I have ever slept on. I was 30 before I stayed here and became 70 after sleeping here with the back problems I gained. The housekeeping was terrible - they only changed our sheets and gave fresh towels and ignored our left over room service and did not change any bins or clean up. The sofas in the chalet looked like a million sweaty people had sat on it and are completely discoloured. The gym looks like it hasn't been touched in 20 years and there's a reason why. There's a fussball table with no ball. The restaurant has to be the worst place we have ever eaten. The first night we arrived we ordered Alfredo and bolognese and was disgusting - I asked if this was freshly made and the waiter said yes but tasted frozen and outdated like the hotel. The breakfast is OK, pancakes were good and the typical breakfast was actually good but for lunch/dinner do not bother eating here.
Location is the biggest negative point. You really need to have a rental car to stay here otherwise no point. It takes 30 minutes to get to la fortuna and no tours would be willing to pick us up unless we paid extra so everything becomes more costly.
The plus points - the grounds are really nice and when the weather is clear it does look really beautiful. Teresa the owner was accommodating and even prepared some breakfast for us in advanced on the day of our early morning departure. The staff are friendly in general.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:You need a rental car if you stay here
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco Dennis, Otro at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 30 May 2023
We regret that you did not enjoy your visit to Arenal Lodge. We strive to provide our guests with a comfortable and memorable experience in the heart of the rainforest. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment that you may have encountered during your stay. We appreciate your feedback and we will use it to improve our services and facilities. We hope that you will give us another chance to welcome you back and show you the true hospitality of Arenal Lodge.
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I really wanted to like this hotel but the owner made it less desirable. Owner did not want guests to have their rooms cleaned as she went out of her way to convince the guests not to have house keeping clean their rooms. Breakfast lacked diversity and had very small portions. Seems like the owner was recycling patron leftover breakfast to serve to other guests. The staff was amazing, the girls went out of their way to accommodate you and help with everything. But you can tell that they were overworked as service was slow and you could see them scrambling to take care of all the guests that arrived and ate at their restaurant. Owner needs to hire more staff to meet demands during peak season on a fully booked hotel. pool was small, which I didn't mind since the views compensated for the lack of space. Jacuzzies were off to save on electricity(only time they were on was when guests requested to use them and you had to wait for them to warm up. You could only use them for one hour, which included the time it took for them to warm up). Nowhere to get water or ice. Good thing I had a water jug and asked the waitress to refill it so I can take it to my room.. Owner needs to take lessons from their staff on hospitality, as they were the only ones interested in making guests feel welcome. Anytime I needed something I would ask a staff member and avoid the owner, as she made you feel like small requests like changing of towels for the day was unreasonable. If they don't know how to treat guests, then they should just let the staff handle everything instead of being hands on. Owner really went out of her way to make the guests feel unwelcome and kept asking when we were checking out making us feel like we were a nuisance.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco Dennis, Otro at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 30 May 2023
We regret that you did not enjoy your visit to Arenal Lodge. We strive to provide our guests with a comfortable and memorable experience in the heart of the rainforest. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment that you may have encountered during your stay. We appreciate your feedback and we will use it to improve our services and facilities. We hope that you will give us another chance to welcome you back and show you the true hospitality of Arenal Lodge.
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We spent two nights on this hotel and didn't like- l rated it two stars just because the staff was nice, food average and the view from restaurant looks nice. Hotel is very old and we had room next to the reception-l don't think rooms in this area should be rented at all- there is no window in the room, roof is leaking, the worst problem is the mold and the smell of it...all of my clothes smelled after leaving the hotel...hotel towels also smelled bad and bathroom didnt look clean at all...really hated staying there, not worth the money..l can't say for other rooms or villas, they are probably much better, but these rooms should not be rented at all!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 13 Feb 2020
thank you for commenting. We apologize if you did not like the economy rooms. many people like it because is close to the lobby and restaurant as well for the price. We hope you have a good trip back home.
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My husband and I stayed here and sadly we were very disappointed. The location is very misleading and they fail to mention that the hotel itself is about a 10 minutes drive from the main road and very steep. If you’re not renting a car it will cost 35$ to get to fortuna one way. We read previously they offered shuttles however when we arrived we were told that was never a thing.
The lodge is very rustic and the beds are super uncomfortable. The rooms weren’t cleaned throughout are five days stay, they only made our beds and gave us new towels. We ordered room service one night and they never collected our dishes even when they cleaned our room. The trash was not taken out and the shower door rattled all night long.
The food at the restaurant was just about edible and they are very stingy with the breakfast portions
The view of the volcano was our main reason to book this lodge, however being so high up all you see is fog.
There are definitely better places to stay.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you don’t have a car or want to be close to places this is not the place for you.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco Dennis, Otro at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 30 May 2023
Greetings from Arenal Lodge, a hotel surrounded by nature and beauty in the Arenal Volcano National Park. We are very glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you appreciated our services and amenities. We sincerely appreciate your rating and comments, which help us to improve and offer an unforgettable experience to our guests. We hope you will visit us again soon and enjoy the wonders of Costa Rica.
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Our family of five was extremely disappointed in this place. While the grounds are gorgeous, the lodge itself is extremely rundown. If the management would put some time and money into the lodge itself, this place would shine. But they have not stayed on top of basic maintenance and repairs. Rotting wood. Windows that need replacing. Chipped and cracked tiles. So may needs for fresh paint and fixing things. Our air conditioner didn’t work and we called every night to have them fix it. Each night they said, “it will be fixed tomorrow.” It never did get fixed and finally on the last night they brought us a fan. This place is remote, cab costs around $35 one way to get into La Fortuna to grab dinner. We did eat at the lodge restaurant the first night we were there, and we found the food disappointing as well. We loved the area but we would choose to stay somewhere else next time.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 15 Mar 2020
thank you for commenting. We apologize if it was not what you expect. We will work to improve. Best regard.
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Enjoyed our stay at this older lodge, our room/cabin was on the old side, but clean. Lighting and room was dark and dull, but had 2 reading lights above the large bed. Air conditioning was good to have, shower pressure and shower head need to be replaced, but had hot water. Room had tv with lots of channels, fridge and microwave. Staff were super friendly. Lodge was situated on a high steep mountain road, near the dam. You definitely need a car. Superb views of the volcano from the restaurant/bar/infinity pool and 2 hot tubs. We saw wildlife and colourful birds. Dinner and breakfast were good and served with happy staff.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 20 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for commenting. For us was a pleasure to have you in Arenal Lodge. Hoping that you can come back again, and enjoy more of our service. Best regard.
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The lodge is located in a huge piece of land and it takes a while to reach it after entering from the gate. There are, in fact funny signs about this on the way. The last one said: You made it. It is a rustic hotel, almost everything is wooden. The rooms are spacious and ours had a balcony with a fantastic view of the garden and the volcano. There are also separate lodgings in the garden, farther away from the lobby. The lobby was nice and green. We actually saw the famous red eyed little frog here in the lobby. Breakfast was served in the restaurant which had a great view of the volcano. It was standard Costa Rican, not very interesting. There is also a bar with billiards, again facing the volcano. As we went to the Tabacon Hot Springs in town, we didn’t use the pool.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Marco D, Operaciones at Hotel Arenal Lodge
Responded 29 Feb 2020
thank you very much for commenting. We hope you come back to Arenal Lodge and enjoy more of our place. Have a nice trip back home. Best regard.
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Just returned. Had a small snafu, but in the end found out that there is a new lab right in LaFortuna that is doing antigen testing. Cost was $57 pp. Received (after a bit of panic while the results were in my junk mail) our results later that day. It was clean, new, and affordable. It's called Labifort and it's right in the middle of town near the town park.
There are more places to choose from in the La Fortuna de San Carlos area.
PRICE RANGE
R 2,526 - R 3,600 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
arenal hotel la fortuna de san carlos
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of AlajuelaArenal Volcano National ParkLa Fortuna de San Carlos
NUMBER OF ROOMS
50
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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