We spent three night s at the Occidental El Tucano. The hotel is a bit separated from any community as it is located by hot springs in a more rural area. There are a variety of rooms with larger rooms on the higher ground and smaller rooms closer to the pools. We had a larger room even with a back deck over looking the valley. The rooms are very comfortable and the grounds are well kept. We ate in the dining room where they provided a great buffet every meal. There are four pools. The larger pool is for swimming and is quite a bit cooler than the other three pools. Two of warmer pools are similar to larger hot tubs and the lower pool is larger for mainly sitting and soaking.
We did get a half hour massage and my massage was okay.
On the second day of our stay, there were four macaws in the tree just by the spa. They made a lot of noise and was of great interest to all the guests.
We wanted to see the Arenal volcano and we drove for about an hour to LaFortuna and then onto the volcano. The drive was interesting as we got to see many of the rural sites of Costa Rica. The volcano was exciting as we saw the red lava tumbling and popping as it came down the mountain.

1. The hotel is isolated. This is both good -- you aren't exposed to the poverty of Costa Rica, and you're in the countryside -- but also bad-- it takes a long while to get to anywhere. On the other hand, the hotel is centrally located among the sites

2. The hotel does not publicize its attractions well to its guests. Only when I went home did I discover that there are hiking trails.

3. The restaurant is only fair. Service is slow -- but keep in mind that this is Costa Rica, where service is always slow by American standards -- and the menu is limited.

4. You will find fellow Americans if you are outgoing and say hello to anyone who speaks English.

5. There is no air conditioning, as far as I could tell. OTOH, the hotel is at fairly high altitude, and so the area doesn't get too hot.

6. There are tours available at the hotel. Talk to the tour representative who sits around the corner from the reception desk. I took one tour through this representative (through the Cana Negro wildlife refuge) and enjoyed going through the refuge by boat and seeing birds.

7. There are many steps at this hotel. I was on the third level, and I counted ninety steps between me and the pool.

8. The front desk people were friendly. Knowledge of English was pretty good.

9. People who took the massages and other spa activites seemed to like them.

10. Oh, you want to know about the room? It was OK; a little small by American standards. Everything worked and the bed was comfortable. The place seemed pretty quiet. Note that you have to flip the switch by the door to "on" if you want to use electricity in the bathroom.

11. I got this room by signing on to a tour with Destination: Costa Rica. Their American representative is way to go latin america tours. If your budget permits, you might try a more expensive tour.

I traveled to Costa Rica through a school Spanish trip and this hotel was absolutley amazing. It is set into the forest with trees overhanging and a river snaking around the grounds. The pools were gross and not really swimmable, but we went down into the river. It is heated by underground springs and has both warm and cold spots. Careful though, they change fast and a cool area can become boiling in a second. Incredibly scenic though, and worth it to wake up quite ltierally in the jungle.

This was my first trip to Costa Rica. I also stayed at a hotel on the Pacific coast. The amenities at Tucano and it's isolation in the jungle make it a true serene paradise. You can enjoy the quiet ambiance interrupted only by a variety of exotic birds in the morning (have to love waking up to Toucans!!!), or you can take a bus tour to a variety of experiences in the area. It is high enough in elevation where it is quite cool at night and the springs and pools are pleasant as well. The dining area is huge and has an amazing assortment of food, especially for breakfast. I plan to stay here again soon!