6.5 Km North West Of the Catholic Church Of la Fortuna, San Carlos., 6.5 km NW of the Catholic church, La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica | (888) 616-5829
Convenient location in between La Fortuna and Arenal National Park
The pricier rooms have excellent views of the volcano
A 20-minute trail around part of the property
The hotel restaurant has wood-oven pizza; sometimes hosts live music performances
Quality breakfast included, and has hot items
Modern rooms with AC, cable TVs, mini-fridges, and coffeemakers
Volleyball court/grass tennis court
Attractive pool and hot tub
Free Wi-Fi
Traffic noise from the main road sometimes heard in Standard Rooms
Traffic noise loudest in the restaurant and lobby
Not a rainforest setting; feels more suburban
Spa and massage area are closed indefinitely, according to hotel staff
No on-site hot springs
The Arenal Volcano Inn is a solid mid-range choice located on the road between La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park. The 25 rooms are clean and modern, with subtle touches of local charm, but not all have views of the volcano, and traffic noise is more noticeable the closer you get to the road. Those who prefer a property with hot springs on-site, lusher surrounds, and rooms with a bit more personality should consider nearby El Silencio del Campo. The Arenal Volcano Inn does offer a quality restaurant with wood-oven pizza, attractive pool and hot tub, free Wi-Fi, and a free quality breakfast with hot items. All in all, it's one of the top options for the area in this price range.
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Scene
A tiny valley of yellow duplexes amid suburban landscaping, suited to short stays; the restaurant draws locals and non-guests with its wood-fire pizza
The hotel draws a mix of international tourists, and we saw many Chinese, Brits, and New
Yorkers of various ages here during our visit. The restaurant, which shares the
same building as the lobby, is popular with locals as well as guests, and seems constantly hopping with local ticos
who want to give the daily gallo pinto a break and order a wood-oven
pizza or spaghetti Bolognese. The rooms themselves are modest
yellow duplexes standing in wavy lines up and down the small
valley -- the feeling is of a small, enclosed community more reminiscent of a Florida suburb than a rainforest retreat. The buildings are centered around the pool area. The property is one of the better mid-range options in the area in terms of the quality of the accommodations, but it's a bit light on features compared to some similarly priced properties -- and there are no on-site natural hot springs, which many come to this region specifically to enjoy. It's best suited for shorter stays. Those seeking a destination property may want to consider the feature-packed, family-friendly Los Lagos, and those seeking a lusher rainforest setting may want to consider Hotel El Silencio del Camo or the more rustic Hotel Kokoro Arneal. Those visiting the area for a couple of days seeking a reasonably priced, contemporary property with quality food on-site should be satisfied here.
Location
On the road in between La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park
The hotel sits seemingly at the foot of
the volcano, just off Rte. 142, which serves as the main road between
La Fortuna and the dam, and sees the most traffic in the area. The hotel itself sits in a slight valley, with the
pool and Standard Rooms at the bottom and the other rooms on the opposite slope with a better view of the peak. If
you're looking to be surrounded by rainforest, this isn't the place
to go -- it's more like a tiny suburb, and the closest you'll get to
wilderness is the short trail that rings one end of the property and
ends up near the volleyball court in back. The location is convenient for tourists
who want to stay out of the tourist crowds of La Fortuna but want to be within easy driving distance of the national park and dam in the other direction. It's about a 10-minute drive to La Fortuna and a 20-minute drive to the national park.
Rooms
Nearly identical yellow duplexes on the outside, and clean and modern on the inside
Though the yellow duplexes housing the rooms all look the same, there are a few differences between room categories. All rooms have white tile floors as well as modern white bedding with coral or orange bed runners and accent pillows, but The Standard Rooms are a bit more generic in style. They lack the local artwork and vaulted wood-beam ceilings found in the higher category rooms. They also have narrow saloon doors in the shower and toilet rooms, which don't help those parts of the rooms feel less claustrophobic.Higher up the slope, higher-tier rooms have better views of the volcano, and fanciful touches such as wooden toucan and parrot statues. Suites have bit jetted tubs. Traffic noise from the main road was audible in some rooms closer to the lobby and restaurant.Amenities in all rooms include air-conditioning, cable TV, free Wi-Fi, coffeemakers, and safes. Most bathrooms have walk-in showers and all have hairdryers.
Features
The hotel restaurant, serving Italian food and wood-oven pizza, is popular with locals and travelers alike.
Ristorante Que Rico, an Italian restaurant, offers a nice change of
pace from other hotel restaurants in the area, which typically focus on local fare (gallo pinto can feel monotonous after a while). Breakfast is included in the rate, and includes hot items. The hotel boasts a rare feature for the area -- a level grass field that it bills as a volleyball/tennis court and occasional soccer pitch. The hotel takes pride in its green initiatives, including using solar panels to heat the water in the rooms.The outdoor pool is plenty large for the size of the property and has a shallow sandy end for little ones, as well as an adjacent shallow kiddy pool. Swimmers and loungers can take in excellent volcano views. There's also a bit hot tub off to the side, just removed enough to allow more privacy. An outdoor shower is available. Wi-Fi is free throughout.
