I just spent 2 nights at Arenas and it was wonderful. As I was driven from the welcome pavilion to the reception area, I was immediately enveloped by the exotic surroundings and the warmth and friendliness of my driver, Ariel. Once at reception, I was greeted with a refreshing welcome drink and more smiles and friendly, efficient service.

I stayed in an Ocean View Premium Suite and it was beautiful! Comfortable living area and King sized bed; both rooms with huge glass sliding doors out to the large deck with hot tub and really comfy chairs, which overlooked the Pacific. The bed was heavenly - sooo soft but no backache in the morning!! The wi-fi connection was strong in the bedroom and on the deck but not in the living room.

The food was very good, with attention to excellent service and presentation. The wine selections were Chilean and Argentinian with one French label. Eating at Playitas Restaurant on the beach was relaxing and the ceviche, delicious. My waiter, Luis, was very nice and so gracious.

The tortilla tour gave us the opportunity to make and sample the local Tico tortillas and learn about some of the history of the hotel and ecosystem of the grounds. The dancing lessons in the evening by the bar were fun.

All of the staff seemed genuinely happy to be there:, friendly people who were eager to make my stay with them as pleasant as possible. It is a gorgeous property in a beautiful setting and I look forward to returning.

We honeymooned at Arenas del Mar in the first part of August and had a fantastic time. We stayed in an Ocean View Premium Suite down by the private beach, with a view of the beach and one of the pools. The room was spacious and comfortable, and we made use of the deck hot tub which was very relaxing. There were chip-type snacks and drinks provided daily, which added a local flavor. There was wifi internet provided in the suite, but of note it only worked adequately in the main sitting area; the internet was extremely weak and spotty in the bedroom or on the deck.

The grounds were beautiful and we had many animal sightings, including geckos, iguanas, monkeys and sloths. Early one morning, from the restaurant deck, we spotted a pod of humpback whales swimming very close to shore. We would definitely recommend bringing binoculars if you have them! The waves at the private beach were too rough for swimming, and on many mornings the "no swimming" flag was up. We did enjoy sitting at the beach and walking in the water. The grounds are quite hilly, but the golf carts were readily available and we occasionally walked for some extra exercise.

We ate most of our meals at the hotel restaurant. The breakfasts were included and tasty, with a variety of fruit and choice of a hot entree. We particularly enjoyed the french toast with mangos and bananas. The dinners were good but not spectacular, and somewhat high priced. We took advantage of the happy hour half-priced drinks.

We took several excursions from the hotel, and enjoyed them all. The guide Ersel lead our tours of Manuel Antonio National Park and the Hanging Bridges and Waterfalls, and was extremely knowledgeable and excited about showing us the diversity of Costa Rican wildlife.

For those worried about traveling to Costa RIca in the "rainy season," the weather did not dampen our enjoyment. The mornings and early afternoons were sunny, and it predictably rained in the late afternoon and evening, leading to some spectacular thunder and lightening storms.

Thanks to everyone at Arenas del Mar! We had a great time and would love to return!

We had a simply fantastic honeymoon at Arenas Del Mar. Our room was absolutely beautiful, with a great view of the beach and one of the pools. The hotel staff was extremely friendly. Our nature guide, Ersel, really knew his stuff, and went out of his way to make sure that we got to see as much of the Costa Rican wildlife as possible. We would highly recommend Arenas del Mar.

You know it's been a great hotel experience when you find yourself getting teary eyed at the end of your stay. True, Arenas Del Mar was our last stop of what had been an amazing trip - but the hotel experience more than exceeded our expectations, making it very hard to leave!

My friend and I booked through a Snique Away deal for a "ocean breeze" room. We expected to maybe see a sliver of the ocean, given other descriptions of the breeze rooms. We were pleasantly surprised to walk into our room and discover a huge balcony looking directly out to the ocean and the far end of Manuel Antonio. We loved the coffee bar and free snacks in-room set up on the balcony, and the oversized chairs that were perfect for reading at the end of the day or watching the gekkos on the balcony ceiling at night!

As others have noted, you often need a golf cart to get from one place to another on the property - but that is because the property is huge! It also allows for the hotel to be both on the beach and overlooking the beach with great views :) We also didn't mind sometimes walking the hills, as the hotel is embedded in the jungle and full of iguanas, monkeys and sloths for spotting.

We did a tour of Manuel Antonio park through the hotel. While more expensive than negotiating your own rate at the park entrance, we appreciated the ease of transportation to the park and the extensive knowledge of our guide. Traveling to the park also made us appreciate the tranquility and remoted feel of the hotel. The park entrance has lots of vendors, day visitors at the beach, crowds for the park - but Arenas Del Mar sits just 5 minutes down the road and feels a world away.

The only drawback we experienced was the one restaurant on property. It was not easy to get to other restaurants (up a big hill), so we ate at the hotel restaurant both nights. We had steak served raw, which we sent back (and still came out near raw). We both had fish the second night which was tasty, but for the price of the meal I expected more. If I were to return (and I hope someday I do!) I would make the effort to leave for dinner. That said, the included breakfast at the same restaurant was delicious.