If we're lucky enough not to have cloud cover over Arenal while we're there, what's the best way to view the Volcano?

Do we just get a taxi to drive us somewhere? Where?

We won't have a car while we're there.

The best way to view the Lava flow on a clear night is from a restaurant named Linda Vista del Norte. It is located towards the town of El Castillo which is up the mountain, opposite the volcano on the west side. La Fortuna is on the east side of the volcano so you can not see the lava flows from here.

There are many tours offered in La Fortuna and through other hotels that will drive you to a bridge near the National Park to hopefully see the view. It is harder to get to Linda Vista but a taxi will take you there for a fixed rate. Be sure to be clear about the rate before getting into any taxi.

I think that if there are clouds and you go all the way out there to see nothing, at least you can enjoy a great meal at Linda Vista!

Here is a good reference page for the entire area of Arenal.

http://www.arenal.net/

We had great views from the Lost Iguana when we stayed there.

We already have nonrefundable reservations at Arenal Springs for this Wednesday and Thursday, so we can't stay anywhere else.

I'm just looking for suggestions on where to go to see the Lava flow.

I'll look into the restaurant at Linda vista Norte, that sounds like a good option.

I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant along side of the road closer to Tabacon than to town??? They grill a pretty good steak!

It looks like a "picnic pavillion"
because it seems like it just has a roof overhead, the sides open....

Anyway, it sits on the side of the road opposite the volcano. The view is unobstructed from the tables running along the front, though there are cars parked there....

Kind of cool watching an erupting volcano, and everybody's just going along with their business.

I think you're thinking of El Novillo - we had some great steaks there. It didn't look like much, but it was really good!

We saw the volcano from many spots in town, just from the hot springs, restaurants, riding in the taxis - the lava shifts so you never know where you'll get the best view from.

We stayed at Hotel Linda Vista and not only did we have a great view of the volcanoe from our room and terrace, but our bed as well! I went to sleep with my eyeglasses on and woke avery few hours to watch the red glowing lava drip down the side of the volcano.

Everyone in town will know where the lava watching is best at that time. One night we hired a taxi driver for a set rate for set period of time. He drove us around the volcano to a location on a dirt road where many people were watching. We had met this driver earlier. (He was the second or third driver we had in the area and liked him.) You can also ask at your hotel desk how to set something like this up. Try to make arrangements in the am or afternoon, but make them dependent on a clear night. It should be easy to do.

El Novillo had great views of the volcano when we were there, you could hear rumbilings and see puffs of what looked like smoke in the daylight, but you could not see the lava flow. It is a good place for one of your meals.

Thank you, I'd love to eat at El Novillo, it would be great if we could view the volcano from there!

We watched fabulous fireworks (lava flow) from there July 3 of 2006. It moved around to the backside a few months after that, and has stayed there for almost a year. Time for there to be a change, maybe!

We stayed at Arenal Springs last November and were told it would cost around $25 (taxi) each way to go over to the Observatory for evening viewing. The staff is very helpful and they typically can get you a cab within about 5 minutes. A trip to town costs $6 each way. You won't need a car.

Arenal Springs has a stable on site. Try the 2 1/2 hour ride into the foothills. Lots of birds and monkeys (maybe a sloth) plus a fantastic view into the valley.