Arenal Volcano Inn

This was our cheap hotel for our honeymoon trip through Costa Rica, but the service, food, and surroundings didn't feel cheap! We loved staying here! The staff was so incredibly helpful. They helped us plan our activities and directed us to the best things to do in the area. They even called a hotel on the lava side the night we wanted to drive over to see if the short trip would be worth it (which it was!)

“So Much More Than Expected”

Arenal Volcano Inn

The restaurant was great with really good prices. The flowers and landscaping were gorgeous. The rooms were pretty basic but still nice. It is very nice that many of the rooms are by themselves in their own building, so it's very quiet. When we first arrived, it seemed like the hotel was really close to the road, but when you're in your room, you can't see the road, only the volcano! It was a good location. We would stay at this hotel again. What a deal!

“Bit disappointing at start but OK overall”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We stayed 5 nights in Sept 08. Overall it is fine - the rooms are good (big, comfortable, fairly clean) and the restaurant is fairly good. It does have good views of the volcano and the staff were always helpful when asked anything.

But, there is definitely something missing, and when we arrived we were a bit underwhelmed. It is quite close to the road (as are many hotels in Arenal to be fair), but the reception area is small and opens out to the road so it feels a bit exposed. The staff were friendly and helpful but the welcome wasn't particularly warm (especially compared to everywhere else in Costa Rica).

The pool didn't live up to the website - it is OK for a dip but not much more and there are only a couple of sunloungers to lie on. The restaurant was a big selling point to us and the food is fine (pizzas, pastas, and salads all very good), but not top end.

It is a decent mid-range hotel, but definitely not and 4 or 5 star place.

“I loved this hotel!”

Arenal Volcano Inn

This hotel was great and exceeded my expectations. I am a female and was traveling alone to Costa Rica. I felt very safe and comfortable in this hotel. Each room has a picture perfect view of the volcano. The food was also amazing. It might have been the best pizza I've ever had. Lastly, the staff was outstanding. It was hard for me to leave.

“Nice hotel and close to Tacabon Hot Springs”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Nice hotel on the main road in and around the Arenal area. Our room (cottage) was clean and in good working condition, and the restaurant serves up some good food. Even though the little cottages are set away from the main road, you can still hear the noise from the road, lots of traffic, even in the middle of the night! However, for the price, it is a good choice especially if you are planning to take advantage of the wonderful Tacabon Hot Springs and Spa (avoid the restaurant at the hot springs--overpriced and bad)! Also, if you are not planning to book all your tours via a tour agencies, I would recommend that you rent a car. You can't get anywhere without one, and the taxis are expensive given the short distances of the trips, i.e., to and from hotel to La Fortuna. Happy travels!

“Would Definitely Return!”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We were overwhelmed with the sheer number of hotels around LaFortuna, but finally spun the wheel and picked the Arenal Volcano Inn. Were we glad we did! From the moment we pulled up, we knew it was a winner. Very welcoming staff, fantastic Arenal volcano view from our room, huge bathroom with amazing shower, little "kitchen" area with sink, counter and refrigerator (perfect for our wine & cheese parties before going to the amazing pool there!), and great maid service are the highlights. Also, we are not "eat at the hotel" people, but the restaurant here drew us in three nights in a row! The happy hour prices and drinks are amazing - lots of interesting people to meet from all over the world - and the food is fantastic. They even have a brick oven and their pizza is out of this world. Great chicken caesar salads, too! Breakfast is included and it's wonderful. We'd definitely return for $110/night. Also, the lava was flowing on the opposite side of the hotel, but just a 25 min. drive away, and during the morning, we could hear the "booms" from the Arenal Volcano Inn. Also, we saw lots of smoke puffing from the cone. Exciting!

“Lots of bang for your buck!”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We spent two nights of our honeymoon here and it was a wonderful staging point to enjoy all that the Arenal area has to offer. It is a nice location about 5 minutes from the town of La Fortuna in the direction of the volcano. The grounds feel safe as there is a guarded entrance, and the breakfast is very good to excellent.

The rooms are comfy, with a great view of the volcano. The one gripe I might have about the rooms is that they're a little dark, but it wasn't a big deal. Gardens are beautiful, and a treat to walk about in the mornings.

Probably what I appreciated most about the whole place was the girls at the concierge desk. They were all very pleasant and gentle, helpful in every way. I appreciated their help with booking tours, figuring out what to do with my car after we checked out and all sorts of other things. No one felt pushy for tips, but it made me want to be more generous!

If we return to Arenal, I will strongly consider the Arenal Volcano Inn again, and would reccommend it to anyone who is going.

“Great Deal”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Arenal Volcano Inn is a great little hotel. It has a beautiful view of the volcano, cabin-like accommodations, a lovely restaurant, and good service. While it is not a luxury hotel, it is definitely clean, well-kept, and more than adequate. The grounds are stunning, the rooms clean, and the staff is helpful. Arranging tours from here is easy. Everything is very good. However, if you really want to go ultra-upscale I´ve heard try Lost Iguana. Otherwise, I would suggest this place!

“GREAT PLACE TO STAY”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Arrived in Arenal area on 10July08 and found out our original hotel was unable to honour our reservation. We located this hotel by driving by and we are glad we did.

The Volcano Inn did everything possible to ensure we enjoyed our stay. Although they were only able to accommodate us for the evening of the 10th, we adjusted our vacation with the help of Ceasar and Claireth at the front counter. We returned for the 13th to 17th of July.

Upon returning we were greeted by Ceasar at the front counter and were welcomed like old friends.

There are about 15 rooms available and are set up like little cottages. Each comes with a small area with fridge,microwave,sink and coffee maker. The patio in front of each cottage has 2 chairs and a table with a perfect view of the volcano, great for sitting for a morning coffee prior to going to the main building for the included breakfast.

From the beds you can look out the front window and see the volcano. We were lucky enough to see the top sparking and glowing red one evening as well as hearing the rumbling of the volcano.

The morning starts early with the sound of howler monkeys. There is enough wildlife to enjoy in the trees around the grounds so make sure you always have your camera ready.

We had two dinners in the restaurant and were very happy with the meals and presentation. I would recommend having a steak one evening as they where exceptional and finish it off with dessert, especially the one shaped like a volcano and ice cream and a coffee.

All amenities were very clean and grounds well maintained.

“Second time around and loving it”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Looks like the erruptions are back on this side again, even if only for a short time. We were there on July 9th when we saw a great blast from the volcano at 5AM.

“Loved this Place; Loved the Service”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Stayed here on our first visit to CR a while back. We loved it!

I think the most outstanding aspect of this experience was the excellent service throughout the four days my partner and I spent at the property.

The place is operated and staffed by down-to-earth Costa Ricans that know how to make you feel at home in a foreign environment. The property isn't the nicest or most developed in the area, but they more than make up for it in how they treat you.

We ordered a bottle of wine prior to going swimming at the pool. Waiter came down from the restaurant and basically prepared a setting for us at the edge of the pool while we were swimming, poured our glasses of wine, and came back every 10 or 15 minutes to check on us. Acted astonished when we offered to tip him for going well out of the way and doing something we in no way expected him to do. This same waiter, our first night, had met us while we were eating in their restaurant... was nice enough to come knock on our door later that night – out of the blue – to let us know the volcano had started spilling lava on the hotel side... just so we wouldn't miss out. Didn't speak a word of English, and we didn't speak a word of Spanish.

Went to front desk to get a cab into town one morning... desk clerk said she was going into town anyway, and gave us a lift in her own car – foreigners she didn't even know and could barely communicate with. Again, no compensation expected (though if I recall correctly we did give her like five bucks anyway).

No laundry facility on site, no laundry service. We were all out of clean clothes and leaving for San Jose the next day. The hotel's answer? Two of the maids took our clothes to their private homes and washed them that night. Returned them smelling fresh as spring the next morning before we left. Only a couple bucks side compensation expected.

Never felt more appreciated or "at home" anywhere in the world, and we travel a lot! I'm not saying you will have the exact same experience if you go there, but I AM saying that I would recommend the place even if the property were complete crap (which it certainly is NOT) just because of the service.

The villas themselves are large, spacious and comfortable. Great volcano views. Not the most luxurious accommodations in the world, but VERY nice and VERY "homey." No bad experiences whatsoever on that front.

The property itself is absolutely gorgeous. Very nicely landscaped, surrounded by rain forest with lots of opportunities to walk around explore if you are brave enough. Restaurant makes the best pizza in Costa Rica.

My only complaint is that this property is pretty far outside of La Fortuna. We knew this before we booked, but did not realize how isolated it was until we got there. We had not rented a car, so were very reliant on the underdeveloped, small-town taxi service available to us. As a result, when we go back later this year, we will probably stay primarily IN TOWN since the volcano views are just as good and better in some places. However, we will absolutely be staying at least one or two nights here just because we liked it so much.

I would recommend this place, and even PUSH it, on anyone that's going to be in the area. In fact, I have recommended this place to friends traveling to CR. I would recommend it again in a heartbeat.

Best hotel experience ever.

“Beautiful view”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We spent 3 nights here in late April. The hotel area was very well maintained with beautiful gardens and a nice people. The separate buildings for each room kept things quiet and private. The view of the volcano was awesome, but unfortunately the lava flow was on the opposite side. The staff was helpful and courteous, and the restaurant at the hotel had good food, especially the fried bananas and omelette bar with the complimentary breakfast. In La Fortuna we went to the waterfall which was beautiful, and relaxed one day at the hot springs (which are kinda overpriced, but still nice). This was definitely a nice place to stay at in the area for a reasonable price.

“New Cabins with Volcano Views”

Arenal Volcano Inn

The Volcano Inn is a very solid choice in Arenal and I would definitely recommend it. They a number of self-standing cabins with views of the volcano. The rooms were new and clean.

The location is ideal to me as its located a few miles out of La Fortuna. Although its not on the side of the volcano where you can see the volcanic activity (its typically cloudy in the evening anyway), the advantage is the road is paved. You are also close to Baldi hot springs (the hotel can get you a discount) as well as a number of restaurants and other attractions.

Breakfast was included in the rate and was solid. We also ate at the restaurant for lunch and dinner one day and was decent.

Overall I recommend this place – its combination of clean/new cabins, volcano views, price, breakfast, and location make it a good choice for families.

“Great place, great view”

Arenal Volcano Inn

I agree with the previous reviews about the great value of this place. You get a wonderful view from your own private casita. Breakfast is included and I have to say it was quite good. It was buffet style, abd you could ask them to prepare eggs for you on the spot. We had a bit of a problem with our A/C unit but the manager was very helpful.

You are also quite close to the Baldi hot springs which are very nice. The reception at the Arenal Volcano Inn can help you with entrance to hot springs as well as other activities.

“Great location, excellent views, spacious rooms”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We recently stayed at the Arenal Volcano Inn for 3 nights.

Pros:

-Excellent view of volcano

-Convenient location to La Fortuna and all activities

-Spacious rooms

-Friendly staff

-Adequate parking

- Free breakfast

-Free internet access

Cons:

-Rooms were kind of humid

-Sheets smelled a little

Overall, a nice hotel, good value for your money.

“Good place at a good price”

Arenal Volcano Inn

My husband & I stayed here for 2 nights. I loved having my own little cabin-like place. The room was big & so was the bathroom. It even had a little kitchen-like area with a sink & counter with a coffee machine & mini bar fridge. It had a front porch with chairs so you could sit & look at the Arenal Volcano right in front of you. It was great. The restaurant on site is a great place to eat, & the complimentary breakfast was really good.

The only problem I had was I would wake up with allergies & later found out after lying down to sleep on our last night that I was allergic to the sheets, or more specifically the detergent they used to clean the sheets. This has never happened to me before. I never did finally ask if they had hypoallergenic sheets. Just a note of caution.

Besides the allergy, everything was good at the hotel with a great price.

“Great view, nice set up”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We enjoyed our time here. It's a really convenient location, in between the town of Fortuna and the hot springs/volcano park entrance. The pool was comfortable, the restaurant and breakfast were yummy, and the rooms were spacious. The hot tub didn't seem to be working, but it was so warm out, we didn't really care. The sheets were kind of dirty, and you could definately hear critters on the roof at night and cows mooing, but we found the rooms to be well worth the price. Would definately stay here again.

“Can't Beat the View”

Arenal Volcano Inn

The room was even larger and prettier than I expect and the view...indescribable. You open your window shades, and THERE's the volcano. Right in front of you. Amazing!

The room was very clean, well-designed, and spacious. This was probably the most aestheically pleasing hotel we stayed in in Costa Rica. It's a quick $5 cab to the hot springs and a $5 -$10 cab to town. (I would recommend telling the driver to start the meter - one time a driver did not, and I think he charged us more than he was supposed to. Not a lot more, but it was a bit awkward...)

The receptionists were incredibly helpful and cheerful. They were happy to make the reservations at the hot springs for us. All around, a great place to stay--even if it is a bit pricier than other hotels in the area.

PS - don't be surprised if they charge your credit card BEFORE your stay. This was alarming to me at first--I feared I may be charged twice--but it's just their policy. I was only charged once.

“beautiful, perfect”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We had originally booked a room at silencio del campo, but our travel agent emailed me and said that they only had "older rooms" available and so she booked us at the Arenal Volcano Inn (I have no idea what the older or newer rooms are like, we just took her advice..). We loved this hotel. It was beautiful, well kept.. everything worked, the staff was friendly and very helpful, and we even liked the restaurant.

Our room was nice and clean. It had two queen beds (pretty comfortable), a nice bathroom (with shower, no tub -- a nice big shower though, good water pressure and nice hot water), a little kitchen area (mini fridge.. I can't remember what else there was in the kitchen), a tv (with lots of channels I think, although I didn't actually watch tv at all), and GIANT windows that overlooked the volcano and their beautiful property. And a terrace outside the door with a table and chairs. It looks like all of the rooms have a perfect volcano view, unless there were some rooms that we just didn't see. The rooms are all in these little cabin things. We also had a remote controlled air conditioner. It was quiet and kept the room nice and cool.

They have a nice looking pool, plus a little kiddy pool, and a hot tub. When we checked in we were shown the grounds on the way to the room, and we were informed that the hot tub was kept "temperate" but that if we wanted it hot all we had to do was let them know and it would be hot in 10 minutes. We did not end up using the pool or hot tub. I assume we wouldn't have any problem getting the hot tub really hot though, judging by our experience with everything else.

The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. One woman made several phone calls on our behalf to find out about little tours in the area, and then booked one for us when we decided what we wanted to do.

The restaurant had italian food. I am not really into food at all, but pasta is something I do like. I was really happy to have a restaurant at the hotel that had pasta. They also had pizza. Ididn't actually look at the menu, I stopped as soon as I found out they had pasta, so.. I have no idea what else they have there.

We had an extremely pleasant stay at this hotel.

“Hotel has some issues”

Arenal Volcano Inn

The hotel rooms here are all separate villas which are great for privacy and noise. Each room has a great view of the volcano, but pretty much every hotel in Arenal does. Some of the issues we encountered at this hotel were: The linens in our room, including towels and bed sheets, all smelled like mildew, which makes me question the cleanliness of them and also passes the mildew smell onto me after using the linens. Also, there were a lot of settling and banging noises in the middle of the night which kept us up thinking there was someone trying to break into our unit. The spa was not heated automatically, but on request, and never really got up to a regular spa temperature when heated.

Pros of this hotel were: Unit privacy, restaurant was tasty and food selection was good, tour booking was quick and easy through the front desk, and the price was great.

“Great little hotel”

Arenal Volcano Inn

This small hotel (15-rooms) is located about ten minutes from city center. All rooms (which actually feel like separate cabins) face the volcano. The gardens are immaculately kept up. The rooms are very clean. The open air restaurant is nice and the food is good. The staff are incredibly helpful and courteous.

There is a small pool - not much fun if you want to swim but great to cool off.

I have nothing negative to say about this property. You won't see any lava coming down - for that you have to go the other side of the mountain.

Every morning we woke up to sound of birds - lots of birds. We spent three nights here and must have seen over fifteen varieties. There was even a parrot who seem to have found a home for himself in a small bush outside the restaurant.

All of us (four) felt this is truly a wonderful hotel and give it our highest recommendation.

“Wonderful views and setting”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Just spent 3 nights here in January. Arenal Volcano Inn was fantastic.

To start the whole property is immaculately maintained with lush plants / trees and birds are pretty much cruising around everywhere. The pool is really nice to have, even if the weather didn't permit.

We had our own cabina which was really big, with a very good shower and large bathroom, as well as a nice little kitchen counter area with fridge. In front of our place was a little patio with a couple of chairs and the whole place was facing the volcano for fanastic views (granted the lava isn't on this side).

They have a nice restaurant and a decent included breakfast buffett. I'd also say the staff is incredible friendly and there's tons of them if you need help. Plus free internet if needed.

Location wise, it's less than 10 minutes to La Fortuna and about the same to Tabacon.

It was the nicest place we staying in Costa Rica and I would totally recommend it.

“So peaceful and gorgeous”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Arenal Volcano Inn has a very nice spa-like feel to it. I really don't think the pictures do it justice. It is much nicer in person! The grounds are kept in perfect condition, and the inside of my room was extremely clean. We had a small fridge with sodas and beer which were reasonably priced. Each beer was $2.50 which is a bargain compared to most mini-bars!

The staff is attentive and was prompt with our every request. We didn’t have hot water in the bathroom, and literally 5 minutes after the call to the front desk, someone came down and fixed the problem.

They have their own shuttle/taxi, so if it was available we could quickly get to our destination. They can just bill it to your room if you wanted. La Fortuna is about a $5-6 taxi ride from the Arenal Volcano Inn. We found most of our souveniers in Fortuna and went to a couple of restaurants in town which were pretty decent. We also ate at the restaurant at the Volcano Inn and had their pizza. The prices were about the same as in the United States for an average restaurant. The service and food were both excellent!

We chose to go to the Eco Termales hot springs. I would highly recommend this one over the other 2 hot springs in the area (Baldi and Tabacon). Its across the street from Baldi, but doesn’t have a sign, just a big wooden gate with a buzzer. Eco Termales limits the number of people, so it had a very secluded feel and is much cheaper than Tabacon. We got the dinner, which was definitely worth it.

Recommendations:

Go to Eco Termales Hot Springs and get the dinner with admission. Enormous amounts of food that was cooked to perfection!

Hanging Bridges. Very cool “birds- eye” view of all the trees. We used a guide, but I don’t think its necessary. It would be fine to do on your own.

Not so exciting:

Night tour at Ecocentro Danaus. It was $35 a person, and we didn’t see much of anything. We saw lots of plants, moths, a few frogs, but not much other than that. (which I know is a risk with wildlife that they may not "show up") I thought it was a bit pricey, considering its a fairly small place, no fancy equipment was needed, and the bus ride was only 10 minutes outside of town.

The Arenal Volcano Inn is quiet, clean and absolutely gorgeous. The hot springs and Fortuna are all in close proximity, and it was never a problem getting a taxi. I would highly recommend staying here!

“Can't wait to return”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Arenal Volcano Inn was a wonderful experience. The small private cabins make it feel more luxurious and personable. The bathrooms were clean, but did not have warm water on our second night (making showers very difficult).

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The included breakfast was delicious with excellent selection.

“One of the best hotels ever”

Arenal Volcano Inn

My wife and I spent a couple of nights in this hotel and it was awesome. The view of the volcano is amazing. The hotel is clean and cheap. The staff are among the most professional, helpful and friendliest I have ever seen. The manager Cesar was just terrific. We had a lot of problems getting to the hotel and the staff were completely understanding and very helpful. If you go to Arenal stay at this hotel.

“Just okay”

Arenal Volcano Inn

The Arenal Volcano Inn is perfectly adequate. It has beds, a shower, and a little kitchen. It's just not super nice. We stayed for 2 nights, and it was fine. But, nothing to get excited about.

The price is great, there's a nice view, and the restaurant is good. But, I did find 2 spiders in my room, and that made it hard for me to sleep well. There was a huge hole under our door that we had to stop up with a towel to stop more bugs from coming in.

I probably wouldn't stay there again, but it was totally fine for the price and it's in a good location.

“Nice Place with volcano view”

Arenal Volcano Inn

This is a nice hotel with a great view of the volcano on a clear day. Though it is not the lava flowing side of the volcano. The hotel is 5 minutes car ride from town of La Fortuna. If you don't have a car, you can take the cab (around $4). You can't walk from the hotel to town...it'll take 45 minutes to an hour on the no sidewalk road. The hotel has a small pool and a hot tub. It has a tico restaurant which serves good food and drinks. Also breakfast was included with our stay, tico style with rice/beans, eggs, or basic bread, cereal and fruits.

The rooms are big and clean. It has a small kitchen area and there is also a TV. You have a porch outside with chairs to look at the volcano. The outside is full of bushes and plants making it look so green and naturey. It's beautiful outside and very quiet. If you don't have a car, you may not want to stay here since it is not near any stores or town. This is definitely a getaway resort type hotel. Service and people were great here.

“Awesome!”

Arenal Volcano Inn

What an incredible property. We were fortunate to have a hillside cabina which looked directly at the volcano. We had a full view each day we were there. We drove about 10 minutes at night to see the lava flow. Not a problem at all. The food was great, especially their pizza. Very nice breakfast which was included in the rate. Our room was very spacious with a kitchenette. Everything was immaculate including the grounds. There is a security guard at night. We really enjoyed waking up to the smoking volcano and having a cup of coffee on the terrace each morning. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They even offer free internet, which our kids really enjoyed. I would recommend this property without any hesitation.

“Wonderful Stay in Spacious Bungalow”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We rented two bungalows for a night while staying in Arenal with our four kids. We had an absolutely wonderful experience. The rooms are spacious and extremely clean and charming with wonderful views of the volcano. No the lava is apparently not flowing from that side right now so we saw it during the day but not at night. The breakfast in the morning was quite good with a large selection of omelette, beans and rice, fresh fruit, juice and plantains (especially yummy). The restaurant is open air and gorgeous with wonderful views and a parrot sitting perched nearby. All staff that we encountered were extremely gracious and helpful -we speak Spanish reasonably well but I think they are English speaking for the most part too.

We did skip dinner there in favor of a more authentic restaurant in Fortuna that our guide directed us to and I think it was called Resaurante Laurel or something like that an authentic steak and seafood restaurant that was immaculate, tasty and fairly priced. The restaurant adds a 23% surcharge so I thought it was a little pricey given that we had kids with us. The pool and grounds are absolutely lovely. We really have nothing bad to say for $223 total for two bungalows and six people including breakfast, I have to say we got our moneys worth. BTW- I was blown away at the prcies that Tabacon was charging and we skipped that altogether. Lets just say high end spas in the desert or Beverly Hills cant get away with charging that.

“Not too bad”

Arenal Volcano Inn

I'll echo some of what has already been written here. Cesar and his staff are wonderful, warm and inviting hosts who are seemingly always on duty to ensure the guest has whatever they need. This is not the place to experience typical Costa Rican 'tico' culture, as most or all of the guests are foreign, but that is not unusual. The pizza was only fair, but the breakfast (gallo tinto, eggs any way you want them, meat, fresh fruit) outstanding and included in the price of the stay.

I found the beds just fine, but was surprised that the windows of the rooms didnt open. If you don't like AC (which my wife doesnt) you are therefore stuck as you cant open a window to catch a breeze.

We were lucky to get a great view of the Volcano, with red lava flowing, both from the property and even better from a short drive into the National Park.

“Great stay-clean-friendly staff”

Arenal Volcano Inn

Enjoyed three nights at the property in early May, 2007. Green season price was right, booked directly with inn - English was spoken on phone and during visit- though some Latin American Spanish helps! Great location only 10 minutes from La Fortuna,

clean, friendly staff, nice buffet breakfast. Volcano view from your front porch!! Lovely landscaped grounds. Not a fancy spa resort- just nice, clean, with large casitas, small property, good Arenal location , with nice staff. We would stay again.

“Adequate hotel. Good volcano view but wrong side for Lava.”

Arenal Volcano Inn

After moving on from Arco Iris Lodge in Santa Elena I have to say that this hotel, while still nice in many ways, was a slight letdown.

Sure, the rooms (or rather individual bungalows) were big and spacious with great views of the volcano (or in our case, clouds), and the breakfast buffet was pretty good and varied. However despite obvious efforts to the contrary the hotel somehow had a corporate chain feel to it, and overall felt as much American as it did Costa Rican.

That aside, and as others have attested, the rooms were dimly lit (but maybe intentionally to enhance volano viewing from indoors, but how about dimmer switches then?). Our room did have a slight smell of mould or something. And most annoyingly our beds were very hard and very noisy.

The staff were indeed warm and friendly, though I felt they could have had more leaflets on local attractions to peruse (compared against our previous hotel)

So overall the setup was very nice and very organised but with a few downsides. Would probably suit an American family with kids who want a gentle introduction to the culture of the country they are visiting. You could do much worse than stay here, but I personally I prefer hotels with more real character, good beds, and brighter lighting.

“Enjoyable stay”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We enjoyed our stay at the Arenal Volcano Inn. While the rooms were nothing fancy, they were spacious and comfortable (although the beds were a bit hard). It rained most of the time we were there so we didn't get a great view of the volcano from the hotel, but if it were clear it would be a prime spot. The restaurant was adequate for dinner and breakfast but was nothing special. The biggest negative was that the roof on the rooms really magnified the noise caused by the rain. Overall, the hotel is a decent place to stay near Arenal.

“Very awesome place for the cost”

Arenal Volcano Inn

We loved Arenal Volcano Inn and would stay there again next trip. The view of the volcano (if it's not cloudy) is spectacular. We could sit on our patio and watch the lava. The staff is extremely friendly, laid back, and accomodating. We even saw one of the girls that works at the reception desk in town and she went out of her way to come say "hello" to us while off duty. The restaurant was very good and reasonably priced. Liked the big room, very clean, and fresh cut flowers in a vase (a very nice touch). The pool and hot tub were small but fine for us. There is not much for nightlife at the hotel itself (no bar) but you could easily go into town if that's what you like. The affordable price makes this place a wonderful choice!

“Fabulous place near Arenal Volcano”

Arenal Volcano Inn

This hotel was great. We stayed in #5 which was its own little casita. We got lucky and had a full day of clear volcano views. The lava flow is on the other side, so you won't see much action. Don't let that stop you from picking this hotel. The staff was really great to work with and was very accommodating. We stayed in 4 hotels during our Costa Rica visit and this was our favorite one. The food in the restaurant was great (try the Arroz con Pollo shaped like a volcano) and the service was top notch. Everyone spoke good English and helped with all of our tours, questions and transportation needs.

The room had an A/C unit which was a nice escape from the humidity. The beds are not too fancy, but after a long day of touring the area they feel great. No major issues with bugs in the room, and the little patio out front was perfect for a little afternoon or morning read.

There is tons to do in the Arenal area, I highly recommend Pure Trek Canyoning for their waterfall rappelling tour.