I can't say enough good things about this hotel, from the moment we arrived in reception to the point of leaving, the whole place surpassed our expectations (which were quite big already given some of the feedback on this site). The staff are superb, keen to help, really friendly and always go above and beyond at any opportunity. The rooms were amazing, the view fantastic, the local area is nice and you only have a short walk along the beach to Manuel Antonio national park. The rain hammered down (we were there at the tail end of the rainy season) from about 3pm every afternoon but the rooms are so nice that you don't mind being inside, plus the rain is rain of epic proportions so its an event in itself. Best hotel I've ever stayed in, I'd go back in an instant.

My wife and I decided to make this our last stop on our 40th anniversary trip, based on the raving reviews of this place. This place had been built since our last trip to the area seven years ago. When you arrive, you come in on a very narrow entry trail, that you hope you don't meet another car on. you park in a very small parking area, which is remote from the property. You are driven to the reception area by golf cart, so make sure that you get everything our of you car. The property itself is a semi ecolodge type facility. The rooms are nice, but not overly fancy. The room that we had, had a hot tub, with a sign telling you to only use it once during your stay. Give me a break! If they don't want you to use it, don't put it in the room. The beach area is once again, remote from most of the rooms. You can walk down, but unless you are in pretty good shape, wait for a golf cart to take you back to your room. It rained while we were there, and the porch are was covered with water, that ran under the door into the room, because the porch area was not sloped away from the rooms. The short of it is that the place is nice, although somewhat pretentious, and definitely overpriced for what you get. Will we go back, I think not. There are other places in the area that are a better for the price.

Stayed at the arenas del mar for 4 days- we were spoilt by an awesome experience in arenal but the hotel was great. The staff were great and at hand whenever we needed them.. The hotel is removed from the main road down a steep hill, and the hotel staff were more than happy to make sure we had transportation in and out. What really made the experience GREAT though was Iguana tours - cant find them on the things to do list. We did white water rafting, horseback riding and a guided tour of the national park all through this team and they were AWESOME! Safe, knowledgeable and most importantly fun- if you are looking for a great set of people to take you through these experiences then look no further.. I cannot say enough fat things about the entire team at iguana!

We had a wonderful time at Arenas del mar in an ocean breeze suite w/ hot tub overlooking the ocean. The staff were terrific, the rooms luxurious, and the location prime! The breakfasts were outstanding and the lunch restaurant served wonderful wraps and frozen drinks. The airport transfer was pricey, as were the dinners, but all in all, a great place to visit to see wildlife in an Eco-friendly setting.