Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails

Incredible place with views of the volcano and Lake Arenal, good hiking trails, nice restaurant with excellent service and food, and great amenities and services.

This property has an incredible view of the volcano and the most amazing trails right on the property. The property is full of wildlife, and we were able to watch spider monkeys swinging from the trees from the balcony of our room, as well as watch a variety of native birds and other native creatures without going anywhere else. My kids enjoyed exploring and were so excited every day to see what new animals they would discover. I just wish we had longer to explore! The staff was also super helpful and very friendly. The rooms were clean and comfortable. There wasn't any AC in the rooms, but they do have overhead fans. We didn't mind, though, as the closeness to nature far outweighed any inconvenience of being slightly warm. We will definitely come back to this hotel next time we visit Costa Rica! We highly recommend staying at this awesome lodge!

This is a truly amazing property with extensive trails and observation tower that you can climb up to get above the treetops naturalist guide, guided tours and wonderful views of the volcano from the observation deck whenever the clouds allow. Bar and restaurant have excellent offerings. No need to go off property truly an amazing place and a destination within Costa Rica. I only wish we had another couple of days there. Two nights is not enough.

Wonderful stay!! We enjoyed staying at the Arenal Observatory & Lodge very much while in LaFortuna. We were greeted on arrival by a family of coatimundi, as well as a couple of monkeys. The staff in reception is just fantastic, and the welcome greeting and cocktail were very much appreciated. We rented Phil’s Villa for the night and it was perfectly clean and comfortable. We sat on the back patio most of the evening enjoying the views of the volcano and the animals in the garden. Saw toucans just above our room. The hot tub/Jacuzzi was a fabulous way to rejuvenate after a flight and a drive to LaFortuna. Would definitely stay at Phil’s Villa again! The grounds of the lodge are fantastically well-kept and so lovely!! We walked a short ways and found more critters around here and there, and enjoyed exploring the waterfall and more. Fernando was a fabulous and helpful host and made certain that we were well cared for. Such a pleasant and charming guy. We enjoyed his company. Our only complaint about the entire experience would be the restaurant at the reception area. All three travelers in our party agreed that the food DEF shows a need for improvement. We would love to see a better menu and better preparation next time. After dinner was so disappointing, we didn’t bother to have the free breakfast the next morning. We didn’t have time to check out the spa, unfortunately, but the staff made our visit relaxing. Lovely people, made our stay such a pleasant endeavor!