Thursday, May 19, 2011

Arenal Volcano Hotels

Arenal Volcano hotels give you are large option in a large area to choose from. The area around the Arenal Volcano is flat in most parts. This area was cleared when the government gave land to farmers. The land before the tourism boom was being used for cattle and farming. Farmers started to realize that they could remove the cattle, get a loan from a bank, and build small cabins for tourism. This is how almost all hotels in the area have started.  The cattle that is produced in Costa Rica is mostly exported. This was a heavy blow to the Costa Rica environment. With the so-called sustainable hotels in the region and the idea of ecotourism it has educated many of the large scale farmers the importance of protected the environment. 

It was in 1968 that the Arenal volcano erupted and forever changed the simple farming town into years later becoming a world renown tourism destination. Arenal volcano is sitting right infront of every hotel room in the area. The town of La Fortuna is a small touristy driven town and 90% of the hotels in the area are great places to stay with a hometown feeling of excellent people that have known each other for generations. It is possible that you can be in the area for two days and not see the Arenal Volcano. It is the places in Arenal area and the people of this area that still make it worth the visit. There are plenty of other activities to do. What we consider the best zipline in all of the country is in this area. There are canyoneering adventures for all ages. You can go whitewater rafting down some of the northern zones top rivers.

If you are into nature it is here that you can find areas such as the Arenal Volcano National Park and other patches of protected areas that all make for a half day tour from your Arenal Volcano Hotels.

4 & 5 Star Hotels of Arenal Area

Nayara Hotel Spa & Garden

The Nayara Hotel is without question one of our favorite hotels in the country. This is the perfect spot for a Costa Rica honeymoon but also works just fine for a Costa Rica family vacation. They have expanded to just over 40 rooms and they plan to keep it this size. If you take a look at tripadvisor about this hotel there are hundreds of comments and we have yet to find one negative comment.

The Nayara Hotel has rooms that were once on a cattle farm and now it is covered in tropical array of different flowers and trees. There is a pool with a bar that you can swim up to. There is a wine bar that has to be just as nice as most wine bars in Manhattan if not nicer. We have struggled ourselves to try and think of a negative comment for Nayara Hotel and we can not. There are some rooms that do not have the full blown volcano view like others but they are still surrounded by jungle which is a nice trade off. We guess our only comment would be that there are also large flat-screens in the rooms which are not needed when you see the place and the views.

There service here has been first class since we started working with them. It is important that we book months in advance for Nayara Hotel because part of their gig is like us, being a small company, and offering first class service. It is considered a 4-Star hotel but without question it is better than many of the 5-Star hotels. One of the best parts about Nayara Hotel is the large rooms. When we say large we mean huge. 

The hotel is owned by a Costa Rican and some other foreign investors. There is always an owner on site which is a nice touch. The hotel is located about 6 miles outside of the town of La Fortuna and the property is tucked back in an area where you can find a few other hotels.

Start Planning your Costa Rica Vacation today and request Nayara Hotel -- CLICK HERE 
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Nayara Hotel Spa & Garden Rooms & Rates

Deluxe               855 Sq Ft     $199
Suite                  855  Sq Ft    $265
Premium Suite 1049 Sq Ft     $295 
Nayara Suite    1135 Sq Ft     $350 
Nayara Villa    1900 Sq Ft     $499 

Royal Corin

The Royal Corin looks like a cruise ship that ran out of water. It is not actually a ship but it is a very large structure on the side of the main highway. The rooms here are absolutely amazing and the views are great with everything being first class. The best way to describe it though is that it looks like there is more construction space than there is land space. Since the area in this part of the country is mostly spread out farm land it just seems like a lot of building for a small area.

We do operate groups and Costa Rica vacations to this hotel. Because of it's size it often has rooms available when other are full during high times. For the appearance it has from the outside it really does make up for it on the inside. The place is very fancy and has a spectacular view from every room. Another nice part about Royal Corin is that it has very easy access. If you plan on being on the move while in the area doing different adventures like the zipline, whitewater rafting, or nature hikes then the Royal Corin is an easy pick up and drop off spot.

Some of the highlights of the hotel is the large pool, the spa, and what they call the Lava Lounge which might be one of the best viewing areas of the volcano.

This hotel is located about 4 miles outside the town of La Fortuna directly infront of the Baldi Hot Springs. The Baldi Hotsprings market to the masses and often bring in large crowds. You will not have to worry because at Royal Corin they have their own beautiful area of thermal waters where you can relax during your luxurious Costa Rica vacation without large crowds.

Start Planning your Costa Rica vacation today and request Royal Corin - CONTACT US
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Royal Corin Rooms & Rates

Standard -    $235 + Tax
Suite  -         $296 + Tax 
Master Suite - $319 + Tax

The Springs Resort

The Springs Resort is probably the largest foreign investment that the Arenal Volcano area has seen or ever will seen. Unless an oil company finds a way to buy the volcano and starts pumping geothermal energy from it. This is a 5 Star hotel to the max. It is built vertically and has numerous floors. There are elevators located in the main building of the hotel. This is an open air hotel although all rooms are air-conditioned and there is a main dining area that is closed in.

The Springs Resort is the same owners of the popular The Peace Lodge which is located in the Cloud forest Vara Blanca. The Springs is an extremely large resort and it has one of the best views of the volcano. Some of the benefits it has is that it is outside of the more populated area and located on a very large piece of land. If you plan on staying very active during your Costa Rica vacation it should be mentioned it takes a good 20 minutes on a dirt road to get there. This road you will travel for most of your ecotourism adventures in the area. This is also one of those places because of it's location does not inlclude breakfast in the room price. So many people on their Costa Rica vacation are in a situation of having to pay for their meals on site or take a ride into town. 

We do use The Springs for our guest that want 5 -Star and some of the most luxurious rooms in all of Costa Rica with the best possible views. The staff is improving daily from what we've noticed and the food is much better than what it use to be. The two comments we would receive from our clients were that the hotel was understaffed and the food did not fit the five star environment. From our recent guest both of these issues have been improved.

The Springs Resort is also known for it's natural thermal waters. The setting of the thermal pools are made to look very natural and they do a great job but it was all constructed and very little of it is natural. The pools are said to be warmed by pumping water up from the thermal waters below. This is how most of the hot springs in the area are formed. The Springs Resort opens it's thermal waters to day visitors and we have taken family and student groups to the hot springs for the evening to get dinner and enjoy some time relaxing in the thermal waters. The one comment we receive is that they thought it was going to be a bit more natural.

The comment we feel about this place along with their other hotel in the Vara-Blanca cloudforest is to free the animals. They seem to have a collection of jaguars, monkeys, and other animals. We understand the service of bringing in animals that are injured but we feel all animals deserve the right to return home and not be exploited for personal revenue. There is no official news on the case of the animals but we will try and find out more and our working with this hotel will be suspended with first proven facts of any cruelty or to the animals for the sake of making money off visiting tourist.

The Springs Arenal Room & Rates:

They have many different types of rooms here to choose from here for your Costa Rica vacation. They are all five star type rooms but you can go I guess up to 10 star if that even exist?  The rooms here are enormous and some of sizes of large apartments or houses. The two level description means that the one room consist of a first and second floor. These are probably the largest hotel rooms in the Arenal area. Take a look below for room types and rates:


Start Planning your Costa Rica Vacation today and request The Springs Resort - CLICK HERE
Call Us Today: 1-855-CRR-TOUR

Vista Guest Rooms (1st Floor)           $385 - $535
Alta Vista Guest Rooms (2nd Floor) $425 - $580 
Honeymoon Vista /Honeymoon Vista Plus $435 - $590
Family Suites (2 level rooms; 2 floors in one room) $450 - $602
Two Bedroom Junior Spring Suite $525 - $690
Two Bedroom Oropendula (2 level rooms; 2 floors in one room) $625 - $805
Two Bedroom Springs Suite $635 - $805
Three Bedroom Springs Suite $675 - $860
Villa Guayaba  $840 - $1385
Villa Calatea $1150 - $1620


Tabacon Resort & Spa


IMPORTANT NEWS: Tabacon Resort & Spa has been publicized recently for their handling of there waters. Please contact to see if we have resumed operations with Tabacon.


Tabacon Resort & Spa is the Costa Rica luxury hotel that really has the name going for it along with the natural river that feeds into their hot springs. The Tabacon Resort and Spa has been around for a number of years. It is not the view of the volcano that will get your attention here it is the hot springs. Many of the rooms do not even have views of the volcano.

The Tabacon Resort and Spa is located on the lower area of the volcano situated in it's unique spot set alone for one reason. This reason is the river that feeds the hotel grounds with it's thermal waters. Many of the hotels do the process of pumping water up while Tabacon Resort & Spa uses a river.

This hotel has had it's ups and downs with the idea of being a sustainable and environmentally conscience hotel. This was seen in recent years when they were accused of their waters being dumped into a nearby local swimming area. We understand it is hard to manage a river that you have hundreds of people swimming in each day. We can assume that since it was brought to national media attention that they fixed the problem. They boast of their many ecotourism accreditations which they would have been in the risk of losing if they did not fix the problem.

The Tabacon Resort is Spa is everything you are looking for in a 5-Star hotel. The hotel and the hot springs are not connected as you have to walk 200 meters from the Resort to their hot springs. You know you are getting close to Tabacon Resort & Spa when you start to see the people walking with their white robes and a back drop of the rainforest. These are the uniforms of spending all day in the spa are getting a volcanic rock massage.

We send families here that are looking for 5-star where mom can enjoy her day in the spa and the kids can roam around the many different pools. It is also a perfect spot for a Costa Rica honeymoon. Expect to pay 5 star prices for meals and drinks and it turns out that breakfast is usually not included at this resort so you might want to request that before booking Tabacon for your Costa Rica vacation.




Start Planning your Costa Rica Vacation today and request Tabacon Resort & Spa -- CLICK HERE
TOLL FREE: 1-855-CRR-TOUR

Rooms and Rates Tabacon Resort & Spa

Honeymoon Suite              (Contact us for Rates)
Deluxe Premium Room      (Contact us for Rates)
Superior Premium Room    (Contact us for Rates)
Superior Room                   (Contact us for Rates)
Forest Room                       (Contact us for Rates)

Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa


IMPORTANT NEWS: Kioro Arenal Suites & Spa has been in the news lately for their poor ability to handle their waters. Please contact us to see if we are operating our Costa Rica vacations to this hotel.


Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa is a large hotel located in probably one of our favorite spots of all hotels. If you don't like be very close to large active volcanos you will not like this hotel. If you want to be the closest you possibly can then Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa is a perfect spot for a Costa Rica vacation.


The rooms here are very large and set up in almost apartment looking buildings which look pretty dull  from the outside. Don't worry when you get on the inside it is a the luxury that you expect for the price you pay. The service is excellent and they have had some issues with their credibility of sustainability but it seems that they are getting that under control, lets hope so. Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa also has their own hot springs and a beautiful pool.

The rooms are lined up in a line with the lobby being at one far end of the line. This means if you are located on the far rooms you will have a nice little hike but if you are located closer to the lobby you will have less walking to do during your stay. In and around the hotel you can often see different species of monkeys and birds. It is a great place to see wildlife and even better place to see lava if the lava happens to be flowing at the time of your visit.




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Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa Rooms & Rates

11 Couples Suites --- (Contact us for Rates)
42 Family Suites ----- (Contact us for Rates)



3 Star Hotels

Hotel Arenal Manoa


Hotel Arenal Manoa is a large hotel on a three star level. This hotel is large in the sense that it is very spread out. You can expect to get around in golf car that you will have to call the front dest for them to pick you up. Everything on the hotel grounds is in walking distance but because there are over 80 rooms all on ground level it makes for a pretty spread out complex. It lives up 100% to it's 3 star setting the the rooms are very spacious and there is a pool area that you will find similar to most 5 star hotels. The views of the Arenal Volcano from the rooms are excellent and there is a very large dining area with a nice bar.

Hotel Arenal Manoa a Costa Rican owned hotel by 5 siblings and there always seems to be an owner on site. They have their own hot springs here which is the norm in the area. They do not looking too natural but the water is warm. This hotel is located around 5 miles outside the town of La Fortuna.

It is a large property that the hotel sits on and very well kept. This is a perfect example of how they turned the farming land into a tourism project. Most of the properties in the area lack tall trees. You will notice that most of these hotels are landscaped as compared to having secondary or primary forest. To their compliments the landscape is beautiful and maybe in the future these hotels will be filled with taller trees.

The food at Hotel Arenal Manao is very good and the breakfast is usually a healthy serving buffet style. Depending on when you visit expect to maybe see large tour groups. This is a hotel that markets to the masses and some large bus loads can show up with 40 tourist or more. It is still a great spot to stay for your Costa Rica vacation because the benefit it has is that it is very spread out.

Plan your Costa Rica Adventure and include Hotel Arenal Manoa -- CLICK HERE
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Here you will only find one room type:

Hotel Arenal Manoa Rooms and Rates

Junior Suite  ---- $100 - $200 (Depending on time of travel and number of travelers)



Casa Luna Lodge


Casa Luna Lodge is a small hotel with very easy access. It is on a small property with views of the volcano from every room. The rooms are very nice and each have a balcony facing the volcano.

This hotel is owned by a Costa Rican couple and they plan on keeping the hotel small allowing them to offer more personalized service. The hotel has a spa and a swimming pool. There is a small bar and the restaurant is an open air area with excellent food.

The hotel is located 2 miles outside of the town of La Fortuna on the same road that makes it's way towards La Fortuna Falls. Here you will pass a number of other small hotels and also notice some homes and farming in the area. This is a perfect spot for your Costa Rica vacation and is a great price. The one comment we have heard is that the rooms are not very large. They are not tiny by any means but if you have a family of four and you like your space two rooms would be best instead of putting all in one room.

Want to Plan Your Costa Rica Vacation and Include Casa Luna -- CLICK HERE
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Casa Luna Lodge Rooms & Rates

Standard -- $100 - $150 (depending on time of travel and number of travelers)


Arenal Observatory Lodge

Arenal Observatory Lodge is one of our favorite places. This is an area that is still surrounded by jungle and primary rainforest. The farming did not impact much of this area and when you arrive you are surrounded by tall trees. Along with the tall trees you get the up close look of the Arenal volcano. This is the side of the volcano where you will not find a lot of hotels. There are a few but the other side is much more populated.

The of Arenal Observatory Lodge is quiet, surrounded by nature, and excellent views that nobody else can compare to. All of this has it's price and that is travel time. The road to the Arenal Observatory Lodge is around 35 minutes depending on the condition of the road to the town of La Fortuna. This can be all fine and if you are looking for a more ecotourism adventure then there are many places in the area to visit.

This is a rustic hotel but the rooms have been kept up very nice. The hotel has some years on it which give it a nice cosy feeling. There are many hiking trails in the area that can go for hours and this is not offered in many of the hotels on the other side of the volcano. For a Costa Rica birding tour the species are plentiful.

This is a hotel for real nature lovers, which should be all of us because we are all part of nature! This is also a place for those that don't mind getting as close as it gets to the Arenal Volcano. It should be noted that there are some rooms that have amazing views of the Arenal volcano but there are also some that just have views of the lake with even some power lines obstructing the view. That the only negative part about the hotel and we always aim for the best view for our clients if the price fits the budget. If you decide to stay at the one of a kind Arenal Observatory Lodge then it is worth requesting from us the right rooms with the best view which we always aim to get for our clients.

Interested in Planning a Costa Rica Vacation with Arenal Observatory Lodge -- CLICK HERE
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Arenal Observatory Lodge Rooms & Rates

La Casona $110 + tax
Standard $135 + tax
Smithsonian $160 + tax
Junior Suite $175 + tax
White Hawk Villa $452 + tax (SLEEPS 8)

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