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.