My son and I stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge for one night in the first part of June. I paid $93 for a room with two beds, hot water, clean towels, and a magnificent view of the lake. When we had first inquired about making a reservation, we were told there was no vacancy but a few days before our departure, we were contacted again and told that they did indeed have a room for us. It worked out very well.

The hotel is a bit isolated from everything else so once you arrive, you should plan on staying for awhile. It’s a good 20 minute drive into La Fortuna and a lot of that is on dirt roads. Some travel guides recommended a four-wheel drive vehicle so we got one but in reality, we saw a lot of regular cars making the trip even in the rain. The isolation from town enhances the sounds of the forest and volcano at night, something we enjoyed.

Our room was in the La Casano section of the premises. It’s located about 250 meters down the hill from the reception office and the lodge. If you don’t have a car, it could be a bit of a hike to walk up and down the hill each time to go to the lodge or simply see the mountain. Although our room had a great view of the lake, we could not see the mountain without walking up the hill. We wound up driving up the hill each time.

The price also included a great buffet breakfast. It was the best breakfast that we had during our entire weeklong trip in Costa Rica. It included all of the usual breakfast items you would expect, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and a large variety fresh fruits. The all-you-can-eat policy was very appealing too.

We also ate dinner at the lodge the night before and found it to be very good. We both had chicken dishes and I washed everything down with a couple of cold Imperial beers. We had a seat at the window and were mesmerized by the lava flows coming done the mountain.

Overall, it was a very good stay and was certainly worth the price we paid.

This lodge is simply the most beautifully landscaped, well maintained place we stayed. The Smithonian rooms offer a fantastic view of volcano Arenal. The clouds usually part during the day for a great look, and we even saw lava at night..what a treat. They offer many hiking trails that are self guided and really alot of fun. The diningroom served good meals at a fair price, and contrary to some posts, the food was very tasty. We took a two hour horseback ride on the property for only $7. per hour per person...more than fair. Only negative, if you can call it that, i9s that the lodge is in a remote area. Most tour operators won't come to pick you up, so a car is really helpful, although taxi service is available. This property is over 800 acres, so you can roam at your leasure, with the volcano as your backdrop.
My biggest mistake was not booking a longer stay here. They also have a super nice infinity pool, small,volcano museum, and an observation deck. Don't miss this place!

About the only thing negative I have to say about Arenal Observatory Lodge was the road getting to it. And I say it up front because one might say “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” when turning on to the 9 km (6 miles) of bone-jolting, rocky dirt road leading you to the Lodge gate.

But on the other side of the gate was an unexpected joy. It had the feel that one finds in the U.S in many of the national park accommodations—nothing overwhelming, but somehow appropriate and fitting for the location. The front desk was harried and could possibly use another person or two to manage the flow of things, but it was the center and pulse for people coming and going and tour bookings and, well, everything else. The grounds were clean and well-maintained and designed. The main buildings flowed into each other with one objective in mind— a focus on the volcano. We stayed in one of the Smithsonian Rooms. The moment we opened our door and brought our suitcases in we were stunned. The beds were positioned in the middle of the room to face the volcano out through ceiling to floor windows. It would prove to be a non-stop source of awe and amazement day and night. Twilight arrived and an intense lightning storm minus the rain, with ancient looking birds flying by, kept illuminating and backlighting the perfectly cylindrical smoking Arenal cone and the tree tops. It was simply Jurassic. I commented that all that was missing was a brontosaurus passing by the window. My elderly mother who was deathly afraid of the place when I first told her I booked it was transformed in an instant. She dropped her fear of being a mile away from a live volcano. She became awestruck and almost childlike in her discovery of something so primal. I was stopped in my tracks. As night went on we couldn’t bear to close our curtains and we lost a little sleep. And as intense quiet settled in, the distant rumble of the boulders tumbling and exploding into pieces ebbed and flowed. The hypnotic visual drama eventually lulled us to sleep. If there were other, better-appointed places to stay near Volcán Arenal, it didn’t matter. We felt we had struck gold. The rooms were immaculate and spacious and wheelchair accessible. The walk-in shower and thoughful layout was appreciated.

The dining room in the main lodge was no great shakes for food, but far better than that expressed by others. The live show of red molten rocks being hurled down the side of the crater in the pitch black of night was spectacular. On several occasions there was cause for diners to get up en masse from dinner and stand at the windows at a particularly naturally inspired violent volcanic fit.

I understand that coming to the Lodge is a hit and miss proposition. The volcano and the weather do not always cooperate with one’s own personal window of opportunity and travel plans. But we were lucky in our timing and our choice of the Lodge. It was very near so much other activity like the tram and zip lines. And the Lodge has many trails and hiking ops of its own. It’s not a hot spring spa, but we didn’t come all this way to sit in hot water and get massaged. We came to see the volcano and wonder. We were not disappointed.

Now about that road getting in. I am of two minds. One part of me wants at least an attempt made to make it less relentlessly jarring. The other wants it left alone to keep the Lodge and its environs from becoming overrun. Right now I’m leaning toward the latter if some balance can’t be struck.

We stayed at the La Casona building for 2 nights during weekdays. It was a great value, and I like their complimentary breakfast, and also the free morning hike to the waterfall. We saw red lava coming down at night from our building, but the best view is from the restaurant patio. The staff was accommodating when we had a request about the rooms. La Casona lodge has shared bath, but we had the building for ourselves for that 2 days. The rooms are simple but new and clean.

One thing to take into consideration is that the Arenal Observatory Lodge is about 1/2 hour from La Fortuna town center on dirt road, so it feels a little isolated. It is definitely worth it for the volcano view though.