My wife and our kids (13 & 14) stayed here for two nights. It is a very neat and clean place to stay. The rooms are in separate cottages and are adequate in size. The bathroom and shower are quite large by European standards. Each room has a mini bar stocked with beer, wine, M&M's whiskey, water and soft drinks.

Breakfast is included and is nothing spectacular, but very good and filling. As is the case in Costa Rica, you always have a choice- rice and beans or beans and rice. Of course, the fruit is great, too.

The grounds are very well kept and it is interesting just to sit by the pool, look at the volcano and listen to the parrots and other birds. The place was virtually empty or at least seemed that way. We had the pool to ourselves most of the time.

The service was excellent. The desk people and the servers were very polite. The maids even made towel sculptures on our beds.

The town is within walking distance and offers a lot of shopping and dining opportunities.

Of course, the reason to stay is to visit the volcano and hot springs. We were fortunate that the volcano was visible a great deal of the time. We arranged a tour at the hotel that included a hike to the lava fields and a trip to the Tabacon springs. The hike to the volcano was definitely the highlight. My kids enjoyed the hot springs which are at a pricey hotel. It was just not my cup of tea.

We loved our stay at Arenal Country Inn. The rooms are private, very clean, and contain the necessary amenities in a quiet country setting. The photos on their web site, although pretty, cannot begin to depict its beautiful natural setting. The hotel is located only a short walk from La Fortuna; however, it is hard to leave the gorgeous grounds and pool from which one can watch the constantly changing view of Arenal Volcano. The staff is very attentive and hospitable, which made us feel very welcome. We would highly recommend a stay at this hotel.

We were MAD at the travel agent for this one. The beds smelled like a hockey bag, water pressure was non-existent, no restaurant or accommodations. This place was a nickle motel and not comfortable. You could hear the traffic on the highway all night. On the upside - the landscaping was very nice and good bird watching.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country with lots of amazing sights and activities for the entire family. Arenal specifically is a must-visit, if only to see an active volcano in all its glory. However, my wife and I would NEVER suggest anyone stay at the Arenal Country Inn. The breakfasts there were tasty and the bird-watching was one of a kind, but the staff was less than knowledgable about the area and we had serious problems with hot water.

In fact, after 4 days of having to tough through freezing cold showers (we would continuously complain, the desk would 'send someone over' yet nothing would be fixed), we decided to check out early. The desk worker said this was fine, and we paid for our nights there.

However, now that we're back in the states, the hotel has charged my card for 3 additional nights. After repeated emails explaining the situation (they no longer even reply) and a dispute with our credit card, the hotel refuses to settle the issue - they are forcing us to pay for nights we did not stay.

For $120/night, you can do much better. Heck, we had hot water and great service just around the block at La Fortuna Inn - for only $12 per person!