This hotel was great! Originally we were staying for one night but stayed for two and didn't want to leave! Convenient location. Very nice place and a extremely hospitable owner Mario(my wife and I called him SUPER Mario!) He was fantastic! He created a very welcoming atmosphere. Recommended and helped making reservations for White Water Rafting and Zip-Lining which was one in a life time experience! He also let us use his discount with those attractions. Helped us find a coffee tours and was extremely helpful with everything.
One time he was cooking a diner for his guests and we just stopped by to chat and share our adventures. We started asking him about his garden of many exotic fruits that grow on the property. When we mentioned that we never tried a fresh coconut off the tree - he suddenly left and came back with a machete! Here's the video of that: http://youtu.be/dytuwLZLFEI
Enjoyed our stay very much! Will come back for sure!

This is a little paradise. It is located about 10 minutes from La Fortuna and with the information we had from google maps, we easily found it. The room was very clean and had a microwave, a fridge and large flat screen TV. Mario and his family are the most hospitable! They serve a very good breakfast in the morning. Mario happily showed us and explained all the different fruit trees that were surrounding us. The whole place is a garden! At the back of the land, there is a creek and right next to it there is a BBQ area where you could cook if you wanted (they can provide the cooking utensils). The swimming pool was very nice and clean. It is a very quiet and relaxing place in a beautiful setting. We did not want to leave!

We stayed at Hotel Lavas del Arenal during our recent visit to Costa Rica. The hotel is located on neatly manicured grounds that provided welcome respite from our long drive. Rooms are well-equipped.

Most importantly, Mario (who owns and manages the property) is an extremely friendly, helpful and resourceful person and gave us a lot of useful tips and suggestions about the local area and sightseeing.

Breakfast is fresh and tasty.

This is a homely and great place to stay. We would definitely go there again.

This hotel was great in every way. We stayed during the rainy season (October). The hotel was very affordable ($40/night), quiet, very comfortable and restful. Breakfast was included, and it was delicious - gallo pinto, huevos revueltos, lots of fresh fruit, freshly-made fruit juice, coffee, toast. There's a nice pool and a creek that meanders along the back of the property which has beautifully kept lawns and gardens and lots of fruit trees and flowers. My boyfriend and I both agreed that one of the best parts of our trip to Lavas de Arenal was Mario, the owners' son-in-law who runs the hotel. He made breakfast for us every morning, was very nice and helpful and extremely welcoming. He helped us to book a hotel in Manuel Antonio for later on in the trip and arranged a tour/zip line for us. As this was our first stop on our trip, it really set a good tone for the rest of the trip.

Keep in mind that the hotel is ~5km outside of town. This was a plus for us since we rented a car. We really enjoyed the peace and quiet away from the busy and touristy La Fortuna.