We were booked in to the rooms directly opposit the bar/restauraunt and had a balcony which looked over the volcano, via the balcony to our right.

The Volcano and the weather are beyond the control of the lodge so any failure to see eruptions/lava I'll leave aside.

The rooms are so-so. I thought the restauraunt lazy and disappointing. Once you're at the lodge you are going to eat there, but that's no excuse for a lack of imagination or care in cooking. This was probably one of the least exciting places to eat.

There's some good birdlife in the grounds and you can be entertained by an incredibly obese coati.

There are several trails that are walkable from the Lodge which are worth doing - we did the trail to the nearby waterfall, and the Tucanes Trail which leads to the old Lava fields; in daytime both of these are self-guided.

I found our room noisy in the evening - staff (and guests) standing around below our balcony talking loudly. It went quiet at about 10pm when the pond pumps and other electrical systems went off, and you could just hear periodic volcanic eruptions.

The onsite museum is OK but could be so much more.

We found staff in the office to be brusque and less than helpful with questions and guidance.

I'd stay here again for a view of the volcano, but not for the lodge, its rooms or amenities.

We were only there for one night. We would have seen lava or the volcano if we were there a day earlier. The ground was beautiful. The pool with the waterfall seems nice. The suspension bridge to the restaurant was fun. We saw many species of birds as well as mammals. The Smithsonian room was large, no air-conditioner needed. I would rate the lodge excellent if the walls surrounding the bathroom had better sound-proof. We wish we spent more days there.

To see the volcano in full action this is the only place to stay and it is set in very nice grounds. However I`m sure that they rely on this monopoly position. The staff were OK but we found it the least friendly or helpful of the seven places we stayed in CR. The fact that cloud hid the volcano most of the time was a further disappointment but unfortunately this does seem to be the norm. We had a Smithsonian room which had huge windows facing the volcano. However it was partly hidden by a large conifer planted by the hotel, and there was a road just in front of the window so all the staff arriving early in the morning stared straight in if the curtains were open. All that said at just before midnight on our last night the cloud lifted and we had a brief but very spectacular display of red hot rocks pouring down the mountainside which made the visit worthwhile.
The meals on site were expensive and the place had the feel of a holiday camp resort. To go anywhere else is at least a 30 minute drive. There are places in the area worth visiting and we particularly enjoyed the Sky Tram and Train nearby amd Arenal Hanging Bridges near the dam.

We stayed 3 nights at this hotel and really enjoyed it. I would recommend. We had a Smithsonian room for 2 nights and a standard room for 1 night.

The Smithsonian room had a large picture window which was great for viewing hummingbirds and other birds. There was also a little deck with chairs to enjoy the scenery. We were housed in a separate building and got to walk a miniature hanging bridge to the main lodge, which never got old. Breakfast was a highlight each day. The food was above average for a hotel buffet and there are beautiful birds and coatimundi to keep you entertained. The view of Lake Arenal and the volcano are amazing as well.

The last night we stayed in a standard room, which was $52 cheaper. The room was actually a nicer, newer room but cost less. If you are looking to trim dollars, I would go with the standard room. The only difference is the picture window. If the volcano is in full view (not clouded in), you can always see it from the lodge deck.

The one thing to note about this hotel is its location. It is located up a hilly bumpy dirt road. Once you get back in the afternoon you are in for the evening, as it gets dark at 5:30. The food at the restaurant is fine and there is a small bar to get drinks at, but it is very quiet.