We have visited many hotels in the Arenal Volcano area and The Lost Iguana is our favorite. The design of the hotel is in perfect harmony with nature. The resort is built into the rainforest with a design that compliments nature instead of overshadowing it.

The rooms are extremely luxurious. We love the private Jacuzzi on the patio of the room along with the private rain showers.

From the moment we arrived we received nothing but the best customer service from the staff. They let us know we could call them at any time to be shuttled around the resort via golf cart. The twin pools (one chilled one warm) are a perfect way to unwind after a day of activities. We also enjoyed the swim up bar and bar stools in the water.

Oh and the breakfast! The breakfast is included in the price of the room but is far superior to other hotel breakfast options. We have full on meals (huevos rancheros, pancakes, sausage etc.) and fabulous coffees and teas.

Overall, I find the Lost Iguana to be a great value for the price. Many other resorts in the area are more expensive but don't offer this level of service, luxury or cuisine. Can't wait to return!

I've always wanted to experience a real jungle rain forest and the Lost Iguana is the perfect place to do so. We stayed in room 23 which was very spacious, nicely decorated, beautiful view with its own pond just outside the balcony, BUT the best part of the room for me was the outdoor shower. You walk through the bathroom and and the other side you walk into a huge two person shower room surrounded by plants but at the same time screened in so the bugs don't get in. The spring fed water is so soft too.

There's lots to do in the area as you can see from my trailer: http://youtu.be/y3L_kSKqqWw

Access road to The Lost Iguana is at the West end of the dam situated at the East end of Lake Arenal.

My wife and I had our wedding at Lost Iguana in November 2012 and were absolutely blown away by the wonderful service, great food, terrific location, and marvelous logistical management by the staff, especially Maritza!


We found Lost Iguana by searching in Trip Advisor and working with several of the hotels in the Arenal area over a few months before we decided to select Lost Iguana as our venue. After working for several months with their previous wedding organizer, Isabel, who is wonderful and moved to be closer to family, Maritza took over about a month before the wedding. She did a spectacular job taking over and organizing the logistics in a short period of time.


Upon our arrival at Lost Iguana, we found that the friendly reception and professionalism of the staff exceeded our expectations, specifically Alex and Viviana who greeted us. The wedding welcome bags and favors that we had planned were executed flawlessly and the staff threw in accompanying flourishes that beautifully accented what we had in mind.


When we walked into our room, we found that every detail was meticulously attended to - thanks to Anna and Anita - from the perfect towel animals on our bed to the floral accompaniments throughout our suite, even including flower petals arranged in a heart design on the floor to greet us, and candles and flowers surrounding the jacuzzi on the balcony. We would agree with the other comments regarding the lack of lighting along the paths and in the rooms, which would be easy to upgrade and much appreciated.


Our initial in-person meeting with Maritza, Rocio, and other Lost Iguana staff was arranged promptly and every question or request that we asked was responded to completely. The entire wedding plan was reviewed to our satisfaction and we were left with a good feeling that everything was set to go - We were absolutely correct as it all unfolded! The wedding bouquet and boutonniere images that my wife sent as examples were matched perfectly; the beautiful flowers were all freshly cut for the ceremony and reception, and they decorated our room for days after our wedding; equipment at the Pavilion was easily arranged with ample hidden power outlets; the wedding reception dinner tables were set perfectly and enhanced the natural surrounding beauty even more; and the flavors and display of the chocolate favors were just right. We were even super fortunate with the weather; it rained and was foggy every day during our stay in Arenal except for the day of our wedding, which was beautiful and we were so thankful for - we even had a lovely view of most of the volcano. Beyond the organization of our wedding, I felt a genuine friendship and trust with Maritza, and was particularly humbled when I noticed tears in her eyes during the ceremony. It was very special.


While it did not end up being a major issue, we would have appreciated having more powerful speakers, as the music level was too low for dancing during the reception. It was a relatively small wedding and everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves all night with good company, conversation, food, and drinks, so this minor issue went fairly unnoticed and didn't bother us too much. In addition, there was a large amount of leftover food and desserts, which we forgot to ask about while we were there and having a great time, but we hope that it went to good use. If we had realized at the time and planned for this possibility in advance, we would have ensured that it was donated to a good local cause. A few other things that we had not really considered or planned in advance were the timing of the champagne toast, which was served before dinner and could have been a little later into the meal when our guests were prepared for it, as well as the timing of the dessert. Instead of a traditional cake, we opted for an ice cream sundae bar (since we love ice cream and the flavors were indeed delicious!). The ice cream was brought out a little early and before we realized that it was there, so it started to melt a bit before our guests were served. None of these things were major issues during the event and only things that we thought about later, but they're just things to keep in mind to consider when planning and improve in the future. Even though we tried to keep most of it relatively simple, non-traditional, and low-key (as we planned from a distance over email), there are so many little details involved in planning weddings and the Lost Iguana staff really did a wonderful job overall. Our photos can only capture a portion of the beauty that we experienced there in person.


Everyone loved the delicious breakfasts that were served each morning. I had the chance to enjoy the friendly company of Marco at breakfast as he pointed out birds that flew by to enjoy the treats that he had put out for them. He even put out word to the staff that I was hoping to see a toucan during my visit and thanks to the attentive Lost Iguana staff, I saw two at the resort!


We greatly enjoyed a couples massage at the Golden Gecko Spa and loved every second of it. The skills of the masseuses were accompanied by a well-appointed bungalow, with a gently crackling fire in the fireplace, not-overpowering scents in the air, and natural soundtrack of the nearby river and jungle. Everyone in our party who went to the spa remarked that they had the best massages of their lives there.


The final piece that made our stay above-and-beyond expectation was enjoying breakfast with the resort proprietor a couple days after the wedding. My wife and I enjoyed chatting with Elaine and learning more about the resort and La Fortuna area, and we sincerely appreciated taking wedding photos from her balcony.


Overall, Lost Iguana is a beautiful, amazing place for a unique wedding and stay in general. It's close to so many various activities for guests to enjoy during their stay, and everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you for everything and we hope to visit again soon!

Our first visit to Costa Rica. I would Highly recommend The Lost Iguana Resort if you are looking for a natural, tranquil, peaceful place to vacation. The resort was more spread out and larger than I had expected, but not too big. There were a few paths that served as short cuts around the property. It is very hilly and the golf cart is available to bring you around the property if needed. Absolutely Amazing views of the Arenal volcano, especially from our room/patio, pool and dining areas. Truly unbelieveable! The property was set back in, off of the main road, very natural and eco friendly. The accomodations were incredible. We had an open aired lava rock shower (which had a screen as the ceiling, therefore if it rained outside it rained in the shower as well) and outside jacuzzi tub that we enjoyed using daily. Very private patio. Our room was the always very clean and the kids looked forward to seeing the different towel art each day. Our trip was during the end of the rainy season (end of Oct.), but loved it! It rained off and on usually every day, a little cool at times depending on the clouds. The bird/insect/animal sounds can not be replicated, we couldn't get enough of them. We had hummingbirds at arms length outside of our patio all day long (even in the rain). We also enjoyed watching the many other birds, butterflies and Leaf cutter ants (hardest workers in Costa Rica!). The property offers it's own hiking trails, which were enough for us as we traveled with two young children. Hanging bridges are either a hike or golf cart ride (from resort staff) away. We were able to go into the town of La Fortuna and walk around. We also went to the local hot river, both were close by the resort. The staff were very friendly and always went above and beyond to accomodate us. The restaurant is open all day long from 7am-9pm. Happy hour at the pool was a nice time to socialize with other guests. The upper pool with swim up bar was heated (as necessary), like a big jacuzzi. The resort was not too crowded during our stay, which was wonderful for us!! I utilized the spa on two different occasions and have to say that it was the BEST ever!! The spa is located near a small brook, is open aired so you hear lots and lots of beautiful sounds (insect and bird noises). The rooms have a fire place which was nice as it was chilly at night, truly incredible!! I fell fast asleep both times I visited the spa. It is absolutely a place that I will return to.