We were very excited to arrive at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and were expecting it to be one of the highlights of our trip however on arrival we were greeted by a miserable and very rude man on reception who seemed to find checking us in a huge effort which he could barely be bothered to perform. We didn't have... More

Best place we stayed in our 2 weeks in Costa Rica (we were there 4 nights). Fabulous for birders, as the feeders and grounds are as good as advertised. We stayed in room 41 which was the best room in the lower area down the hill from the main lodge area. The room was great! One side facing Arenal lake... More

We didn't stay here--it was all booked up months in advance. But went for the day. Fantastic! We hiked all the trails and took a 1-hour guided horseback ride--which was really great and the most inexpensive ride we have ever taken. We saw a couple of coatis, and we enjoyed the beautiful views of the volcano and the gulf of... More

We stayed here for 3 nights in a Smithsonian room. The views from the room were fabulous. Our room was spacious with a nice balcony. Great birding just sitting on our balcony in the morning and evening. We never left the property and hiked around it on both of our full days. Granted, we repeated some of the trails -... More

We stayed at AOL for 2 nights in December 2011. The room was clean and the water was hot in the shower. We had a good volcano view from our balcony when the clouds cooperated. The grounds here are first rate- we took the free hike and enjoyed hearing about the last volcano eruption. We saw several types of monkeys... More

My husband I stayed here for our Honeymoon in July. This was THE most beautiful place we stayed in Costa Rica. The view of the volcano was breathtaking. I could (and often did) stare at it for hours. The clouds, sky, and lake made for some of the most memorable sunsets I've ever seen. The lodge has very spacious rooms... More

We stayed here Jan. 15 and 16th based on the good reviews (not all were good) after driving from San Jose (a little more than 3 hours). We stayed in one of the Smithsonian Rooms which many have recommended. The room was large and nice. One thing that may not be clear is that the Smithsonian Rooms are in three... More

Stayed one night in the Whitehawk villa in Jan 2012. It is a beautiful property with the closest views of the volcano. It is common for clouds to obscure the top of the volcano even in dry season. However at night, actually about 4am, the clouds dissipated and you could see light coming from inside the peak. Very clean, excellent... More

I stayed at the observatory lodge from Jan 13-15th. Overall, I thought the hotel was very good and the staff were very professional, friendly and accomodating. The room was spacious, clean, and had a stunning view of the volcano from the balcony. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful, well kept, and there are some pretty fun hiking trails on... More