Arenal Area Hotels - Best for Couples?
 

Hello!

I am trying to make a decision regarding lodging in the Arenal area. I am headed there with my husband for 5 days in early May! Can't wait. Am looking for a place that we can truly relax and enjoy the facilities. Would love to have hot springs on site so can end every day with a relaxing dip. We're leaving our two year old behind with the grandparents, so less kids = better! Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

knemo

Our favorites are the Lost Iguana and Nayara, but they don't have hot springs on site, just outdoor private jacuzzi tubs. If you really want springs, try Tabacon, or The Springs, or Silencio del Campo.

I think it really depends what you're looking for. I didn't like the atmosphere at Tabacon at all as far as it being a romantic resort. But it does have access to the hot springs. They are across the road though, so you do take a shuttle. They're not truly on the hotel property.

I know Arenal Observatory Lodge doesn't have hot springs, but the proximity to the volcano and the wildlife. Being in the jungle and the beautiful trails. All of that made it much more peaceful to me that being right on the road at Tabacon. They have a nice pool and it never felt crowded there. It's also much less expensive than Tabacon.

I would like to try The Springs on a future visit. And as volcanogirl mentioned, Lost Iguana is always great!

AOL is nice, but it's a long way to any hot springs and the restaurant is, alas, lousy. (But has a nice view:))

"Arenal hotels with their own hot springs include Los Lagos, The Springs Resort and Spa, Arenal Paraiso, Kioro, Royal Corin, Baldi Resort, and Silencio del Campo."
http://www.arenal.net/hotel/hot-springs-hotels.html

p.s. that was just one website, of course there are other places.

I wouldn't call the restaurant at AOL lousy...it's by far not great, but lousy?

Yes, AOL is remote, and it's rustic to a point. The rooms aren't fancy, but the location is very cozy. And that's what makes it romantic to me. Having coffee on your patio with the volcano and the hummingbirds! Nothing like it to me! It's one of the few places in Arenal we saw monkeys daily. However, I wouldn't stay there without having a car. We enjoyed the included breakfast and often were out for the day at lunch time. We usually went into town for dinner as well. So I wouldn't base staying or not staying at a hotel on the restaurant. Or hot springs for that matter.

Personally I wouldn't pick a hotel based on its having hot springs either. Someplace like Los Lagos is really popular with young families - doesn't sound like the kind of place you're looking for since you want something romantic. We like to go visit a hot springs once during our stays but we wouldn't use them every night. I like the privacy of having your own jacuzzi that other places offer, but I understand if you think you'd use them every night.

I know exactly what ShellD means; Peace and being surrounded by nature is very romantic to me - crowds aren't. I didn't think that the restaurant at AOL was lousy either. Lost Iguana is another one I'm interested in trying. ShellD and volcanogirl, how do you think it compares with AOL?

Lost Iguana has the same surrounded by nature vibe. Huge property with a river that runs through it. The thing I love most are the balconies with rocking chairs and the great view of the volcano. The jacuzzi is out on the balcony but lots of tropical foliage around so it feels private. There's a candle out there and bath salts - awesome place to relax. The landscaping is very natural but gorgeous. I just love the entire vibe of the place. It's a little more upscale than AOL, but not slick at all. Nayara felt a little bit slick to us. We really liked staying there, but we missed the big grounds, trails, and wildlife that LI has. At LI, I feel like we're staying in the jungle, and I love that feeling. Nayara has more of a resort feeling to it, and I know that appeals to some people too. On our last trip at LI, we got a lot of rain, and they slipped a note under our door that they were drying everyone's clothes free of charge - I love thoughtful things like that. Another day we came back from a tour and had missed breakfast. The man at the restaurant saw us walking by and offered to make us something - really nice people. He made us a beautiful tray of eggs, toast, etc. to take up to our room, and we had it on our balcony while we gazed at the volcano. I could spend my entire trip sitting on that balcony I think - lots of butterflies and birds, and so relaxing. They run great specials. We recently stayed for $165 a night which was a great deal. They have also had Groupons and offer free nights, etc. I always ask about specials when we book.

Ahhh, Lost Iguana sounds heavenly... the nature, friendly people, jacuzzi and volcano view..
knemo, we've stayed at Arenal Paradiso (sp?) as well as AOL. The springs and pools there were a highlight, the people friendly enough, and the grounds and cabins attractive. It didn't feel as though we were in the jungle though, and I love being surrounded by nature with access to trails and paths. Definitely a must-go for us - thanks vc!

It is, Cat - I think you would like it! They even left a bottle of wine in our room for us as a welcome back.

Groupon has a great deal for Lost Iguana right now
http://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-the-...-spa?c=all&p=5

Thank you, b!

k, did you have a chance to do a search on any of these spots? Hope you found something you like.

Staying at AOL up at WhiteHawk Villa, your own picture window onto the volcano and no other units within view, very much romantic..especially with the fireflies.

I also did not find the restaurant "lousy" in fact the breakfast I found "excellent" and the dinner more than acceptable (better than most in CR where restaurants in general ARE "lousy".

There are free hotsprings used by locals on the road out of AOL.

Just IMO, of course about the AOL restaurant (and I'm not remotely fussy). Breakfast was ok, dinner was truly horrible (burned food,etc.). Judging by only 2 dinners...

I'm following this and other threads because we are also planning a trip to Costa Rica in May. I hate to sound like a dinasour but can someone explain how the Groupon thing works? It looks like a fabulous deal for Lost Iguana. Do I buy the Groupon and then hope they have avaialbility for our dates? Make a reservation and then show up with the Groupon? Some combination of the two?
Maybe I should ask this question sepratately but thought some following this thread might be able to help. thanks so much---looking forward to Costa Rica.

Call the hotel about availability before you buy the Groupon!

Thanks very much, mlgb. I also saw after I posted that there is already another thread on this topic. Really hope this works out---it seems like a perfect spot!

They're really friendly. Just e-mail them with your potential dates and see if they have availability.

oh my gosh! thanks so much for the lost iguana groupon tip! i will check their availability asap.

i had almost gone ahead and booked at el silencio del campo. they offered a rate of $145/night.

we have a flight out of SJO on Fri 5/11 at 3pm. Would it be a bad idea to head to the airport from the Arenal area Friday morning? Thanks so much!!!

Congrats and good luck, knemo! Great off-season rates. I'm a little jealous!

You can certainly leave the Areanal area the same day; just be sure to leave yourself extra time, just in case. (Driving time will be ~3 hours, plus all the other stuff; check out, return car, check in, etc.)

I'd be totally okay with leaving the morning of considering your flight is so late. Nice to make the most of your time in the Arenal area.

Hi All -

Thanks for all of the great info on this thread. My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Arenal, and are now sold on Lost Iguana and the groupon deal :) - One quick question: Has anyone traveled to La Fortuna/Arenal area in July? We heard it was one of the dryer months in the Winter, but want to confirm. Does anyone have any insight on how warm it will be/how much rain we can expect.

Thanks so much again for the great info.

We have been there at the very end of July/beginning of August and it was warm, but not too hot. It usually gets cooler at night. I almost always wear shorts in the day and often switch to capri length pants at night. We've been twice in July or August and nearly every day had some type of rain. Usually late afternoon or evening for an hour or two. Our last trip in July had less rain and more in the evening. I remember planning each night of our three evenings to try to get to the hot springs and being rained out every night from around dinner time well into the night due to very heavy thunderstorms. But that was better than heavy rains during the day!

Yep, we've been several times in July. I really like that time to go because the deals are so good and things are lush and green. We've had some rain every day, but never all day rain. It's warm during the day, probably in the 80s and can get down into the 60s in the evening. I always wear shorts, tees, and capris during the day, and usually pack one pair of long pants, one long-sleeved shirt, and a light jacket and rain poncho. We've also been in December which technically isn't rainy season and had way more rain then we've had in July. December was gully washing drenching all day rains, but we just forged ahead with our plans. July has what they call "the little summer" which can bring a break from the rainfall. It's a good time to go.

I really recommend the Lost Iguana, and there's a Groupon deal going on right now, BTW. There aren't hot springs on site, however. The rooms DO have jacuzzis with views of the volcano and the last time I went there, in mid-June, we had clear viewing the entire 3 night stay with lava and smoke and the whole experience viewed right from our "hot springs" in our room!! It was sooo memorable, and romantic. If you decide to pick a hot springs resort, Avoid Tabacon, it's a scene. Find out where the locals go to the hot springs and go there instead.

Just a heads up, Lost Iguana has different room styles and floor plans, not all of them have the outdoor jacuzzi. I like to get a second floor room because they're more private and to me offer a better view. First floor rooms have outdoor showers though.

Not all first floor rooms have outdoor showers. Some are just nice rooms with nice patios. Ours was still very private, because the walls of the patios go right up to the foliage (you'd have to go the edge, and work to peek around to the neighbors). A nice thing about many is that the green stuff is right at your level, so it's a little like being in the forest (but the volcano view is still great).
Remember, there's no lava right now; but Lost Iguana is still lovely, esp. if you can get a Groupon price.

I should have said that the second floor rooms do not have outdoor showers. We like to leave the doors open, so with a second floor room there's less chance of critters coming inside.

Not to be a wet blanket, but you couldn't pay me to stay at any of those new resorts leading up to Arenal from La Fortuna---that's the path that the volcano last wiped out completely...And Tabacon, oy, there either, you're asking for it, the fact is-at Tabacon you would Not have enough time to get out of there if Arenal blew. Chances are it won't. I'm just stating the facts.

Arenal Observatory LODGE is the safest and most thrilling place to view the volcano and be surrounded by nature and howler monkeys, etc..and kids love it. Yes, it is out of the way, no they do not have the hot springs...but you can get a taxi (sometimes) to town or the hot springs...they have an awesome infinity pool of fresh water, great hiking trails as well. Yes, you are a little locked into eating at their restaurant which is not awful, but certainly good and acceptable. It's not haute cuisine. One more word about Tabacon, wear gold jewelry, dress to the 9's for everything. *eyeroll* AOL is awesome for 2-3 days.

More than 2-3 days here is wasting the opportunity to see other awesome sites around CR.

How much does a taxi from AOL to town run these days?

Approximately $25.

That's about the same as the Lost Iguana.

Although not very close by, the absolute best place to stay is the Peace Lodge. It was an amazing experience-- the highlight of our trip to Costa Rica.

I am a business owner and send couples to: Leaves & Lizards, Nayara, Lost Iguana and. If you need something larger, more AI style, The Springs.

Hands down the best.