Did not stay here but our family went on the fantastic canopy zip line tour that is located on the hotel grounds. Great views and the staff was very friendly. The grounds are very nice and our kids enjoyed the swan pond.

We stopped at a tourist info spot after spending a really not so nice night at a bed and breakfast 20 miles down the road. The tourist guy running the little tourist info spot told us that we might enjoy Arenal Paraiso resort as it was quiet and not bad for the money. We did try it over the glitzy new one on the road and we found it to be fine. The rooms (choice a separate cabin or a side by side) are dated but we liked the quiet. The cabins for 50 dollars a night more are worth it..Flat screen TV..better bathroom and a front porch space for viewing the Arenal volcano.
The best thing about this hotel was the service at the front desk. Outstanding.
The spa services seemed high (60 dollars for a pedicure?) . The breakfast not too great...typical...though..scrambled eggs..beans..rice...fruit. The coffe was fine.
We did not expect such muggy hot weather however...it was not as cool as we thought it would be so the air conditioner was a huge bonus ..many hotels do not have it in the rooms. The wireless was only in the hotel lobby area but it was good reception. There are many choices to be made in La Fortuna area...so check it out.

The grounds of this hotel are beautiful. There are several hot strings you can go to and a swim up pool bar. I received a facial and fell asleep it was so relaxing. The staff were friendly and accommodating. The buffet breakfast was delicious and served a variety of different foods every morning.

The rooms are a series of bungalows up a very long road. Taxis are not allowed to drive up there so you must do quite a bit of walking to get to and from the lobby. The walls to the bungalows were paper thin. We could hear Word for Word what are neighbors were saying, and I'm sure they could hear us as well. We also had an ant problem in our bathroom and we were not the only ones in our group with ants. There is an Internet access in the lobby only. And one shared computer. It is very slow do not try to upload any photos.

Our group spent three days at the Arenal Paraiso. It's a beautiful setting with great views of the volcano. The grounds are lovely, the pool is sparkling clean, the hot pools are inviting. But at the same time, overall maintenance is spotty and the food could be more thoughtfully planned.

On the maintenance and operations side, my room had a fridge that was not working (and was missing a leg, so it wobbled). I reported this to the front desk immediately and they promised to send someone out to fix it. When I checked out 3 days later, as far as I could tell, no one had ever come by.

Hot water in the shower can also be a problem, where it starts out fine, then turns cold, then maybe, if you stay in long enough, warms up again. Not sure what's behind this but it makes for uncomfortable showers. I also noticed that the towels were not very absorbent and it took two of them for me to dry off completely.

I enjoyed the pool immensely, just to get relief from the hot, humid weather. However, the pool is a true safety hazard. The steps leading into it are very slick tile and it is very easy to lose your footing, fall and injure yourself. Which is exactly what happened to one of the people I was traveling with. I am astounded that this condition persists for a hazard that could seriously hurt someone.

It's hard to assess the food. The quality is generally good, but the selections are limited. Lunch and dinner are table-service affairs rather than buffets, so you get large portions of food you may not want.

I would generally not compare hotels in developing countries (like Costa Rica) to hotels that aspire to similar levels of service and comfort in the US, but the Arenal Paraiso really does try to present itself as a world class resort, and, with the items I noted above, it does not make the grade.