Tabacon or Arenal Observatory Lodge?
 

Hi everyone, I would like to travel to the Arenal area for 3 night during my spring break this coming March 2011. I'm going with a friend and we won't have a car. I'm most concerned about getting into town to enjoy the local things and experiencing the hot springs and lava views.

I'm considering staying at Tabacon for the hot springs but it's sssoooo expensive. I am also considering staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge for the lava views but it's so far out of town and it will be too expensive ($25 to and from AOL) to travel into town for 3 days.

Does anyone know of a happy medium where I can enjoy lava views and not have to spend so much money to get into La Fortuna? I would also love to stay at Tabacon if I can catch good deals, does anyone know if they ever have any?

Why not just rent a car locally in Arenal? You'll save money that way and have much more flexibility in activities and lodging.

Always rent a car at SJ www.servicecarrental.com

1 week cost less than driver/taxis by far

gives you a lot more flecibility.

www.tabacon.com from $149/nt on www.sidestep.com my fav

lava view free best hot springs closest to town with lava view

www.arenallodge.com www.hotellindavista.com moderate

farther out...no prings still greeat lava view

www.arenalobservatorylodge.com closest to volcano but

remote sort of an eco camp feel bad road food the

Casonas cheap rooms are dodgy by the time you pay

for a nice Smithsonian with a balcony you are

paying almost what tabacon charges.

check your www.tripadvisor.com reviews if you book with them

they do bait and switch on the rooms...sometimes

a standard with a porch is better than a Smithsonian

if you do not get the balcony...

it still is a great experience though

for an eco-adventure feel if that is what you want...

Have fun,

A Smithsonian room is not close to as expensive as Tabacon--we paid about $140 (with tax) for a Smithsonian room with a balcony and an amazing view of the volcano. And that was in the middle of the high season.

Dinner there is not great, but breakfast is good and lunch is okay. It is good to have your own vehicle there, so you can do something like Eco Termales hot springs for dinner (they served the best meal we had in the Arenal area).

The casona rooms at AOL were not the least dodgy when I stayed there a few years ago! Lovely grounds, food was fine. Did we stay in the same place,qwo? lol!

Quo, for whatever reason, really doesn't like the AOL. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

For the record, through Expedia Tabacon is quoted at $430+ per night for two adults--at the very cheapest. So, a Smithsonian room at the AOL is at most 1/3 the cost of Tabacon. Quo's math was a little off . . .

There are so many hotels in the area, having stayed at Tabacon as one of them, I personally wouldn't pay their prices again. Unless you plan to spend time in their springs every day you're there their prices are way too much for what you get. Yes, it's nice, but it's not really outstanding from other hotels in the area. And unlike many of the other hotels, it doesn't include breakfast and their restaurant is very expensive - even for breakfast.

We'll be staying at AOL this year, however we will be renting a car locally in Arenal. For us we like having a vehicle in that area. There's so much to do and we just really like the flexibility to be able to get around on our own.

We've also stayed at Los Lagos - you may like it there, it's much less than Tabacon. You can look at arenal.net for a list of hotels in the area.

You won't have the option of staying at AOL if you don't have reservations. Most of the year, including June, July & August, they are booked solid. I've been there and it is absolutely great. But they have only 40 rooms/cabins. It is also a VERY tough ride up the road to get there until just before you arrive...then it's nice for 2-3 miles. But it is 7 miles over the worst roads imaginable. Don't even think of trying it without a 4 x 4. It has the best views of Arenal--if you are lucky enough to have the weather to get a glimpse of it. More spendy, but the nicest place in the Arenal area (excluding the view, which is still pretty great) is the Arenal Nayara. The cheapest rooms are $200/night (including a great breakfast) + 13% tax. Unforgettable. Great hosts, great service, impeccably maintained, treat you like royalty.

Yeah, I would book a room at the AOL as soon as you can. 4X4 is a very good idea.

I would go with AOL if you're considering having a car while you're there. If not, you might consider staying somewhere closer to town like Silencio del Campo and then doing a volcano hike to see the lava.