A collection of separate lodges, scattered across a hill top outside the little town of La Fortuna, this hotel is a a classic Central American mix of excellence marred by lack of follow through. The views of the volcano at Arenal (for which it is named,) are excellent, but best from the older lodges along the North side, and these are in need of renovation. The newer lodges on the hill top are in much nicer condition but don't have nearly the view. Wifi is present only at the lobby, or there is a computer for guest access.The spa: MARVELOUS. A huge menu of spa treatments and the services of excellent massage therapists. Possibly the finest massage I've ever had, in a therapy room open to the lush jungle while a thunder storm boomed outside.
Pros: Location near the many wonderful area attractions, the staff: unbelievably friendly and helpful, particularly Alex at the concierge desk , Randal at the reception desk and Sergio.The En Gedi Spa. On site jungle tours provided by the extremely knowledgeable Sergio.
Cons: The older lodges need some attention. The restaurant is good but some what pricy. Tech dependent people will be in withdrawal from Internet deprivation

This was the beginning point of 10 day stay in Costa Rica. We went with Jetset Vacations, and arrived in San Jose airport at 5pm local time. We got our rental car and hour later, and with the having set at 6pm or so, we had to drive the 3+ hours up and around narrow, mountainous terrain in complete darkness with FOG, so that we could not see beyond 20 feet in front of us! At exactly 10:20pm we arrived at Montana De Fuego. The fellow behind the desk was friendly and oblivious to what it takes to arrive at their destination after sunset. Such would be the experience we've had with Tico's, either naivety or indifference. We were checked in, given free wi-fi, and taken to our lodgings post-haste.

What a dwelling it was! You've never seen such a place. We were upgraded to a bungalow type place with a living room, bathroom and bedroom, all surrounding a place where you can make coffee, and microwave stuff. The layout was very strange, but the place was clean. The giant bath tub had no curtains, and inconsistent hot water. The bathroom sink had only cool water. But the bed although comfortable, did not have clean linens. Upon inspection the pillow and comforter looked like they were not changed. This was corrected the next day with fresh linens, and plenty of towels, but nothing could be done with the lack of shower curtains, or water issues. Our room faced the volcano and it was a beautiful sight to behold so early in the morning.

Overall the grounds are kept clean, they have a swimming pool and spa, but with hardly any tourists there, they got little use. We had the included breakfast of beans and rice, plantains, yuca, eggs, fruits and coffee while eye-balling out the glorious volcano in our midst.

We hardly did much at Montana de Fuego, and instead went zip lining with another hotel expedition at Los Lagos, and actually spent the day there because it was a larger and livelier resort. We also checked out Baldi Hot Springs for a day, which was just down the street and completely worth the $35USD charge. Montana de Fuego is just a short drive into town, and you can get some local food of more rice and beans, and yuca with filets of whatever, if you wish. Bar prices for beer and liquor is exactly the same as what you'd expect in North America.

The highlight of Montana de Fuego is that they give you the best coffee we had in Costa Rica FREE right in your room. "Cafe Rey Selecto Puro" in a blue and red bag is the best! Load up on that, and buy it in town for $8USD for 500g or something like that.

This was our first stop in Costa Rica. Somehow we ended up with a suite overlooking the volcano. The rooms are nice and private, air conditioning worked great, attentive staff. We had to wait a few minutes to get hot water, but once it got there it was great. The restaurant isn't very good, and way overpriced so we only ate there the first night because we got in so late. The breakfast was average compared to most hotels. They do have an omelet bar which helps. The best part of the stay was meeting Sergio. He is very friendly, a wealth of knowledge and willing to share. He hooked us up with a boat ride with lunch (one of the best places I ate typical food), and recommended some restaurants in town. It was a great way to start our trip.

This hotel is at the tipping point. It could go either way at this point. It's a little seedy and maintenance is at the best, lacking. Several parts of our room and patio needed repair and had been patched without fixing the problem. No Wi-Fi in the room , so lobby only for using their computer. Rooms are not dark-curtained since the dark curtains were removed and never replaced so get ready for break-of-dawn rising. Rooms light up like the surface of the sun at about 6 a.m. or earlier
Restaurant staff hasn't yet mastered the English language causing some very difficult moments, for instance, waiter tells us US$16.00 but later brings bill for US$60.00 for shrimp! A/c in room never quite got cool so sleeping was not an easy thing.

On the plus side...we were there in late August and had few fellow residents so the pool was empty and the restaurant was clear each time we went. The complimentary breakfast was more than adequate with made-to-order omelets and a very good buffet. We recommend the zipline tour from the hotel. Rooms are very spacious (room 267 was ours) but the showers lack shower curtains and the window curtains allow too much light in even at night from the security lights. The view of Volcan Arenal is absolutely breathtaking. Be sure to pet the dog on the way to the office.