Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

At this 11-acre property with the mostly nondescript buildings of white paint and dark wood, children abound -- they can be found splashing around in all the pools. The hotel is owned by a La Fortuna native, and he's made a point of emphasizing the local history through the artwork on the walls, which consist of photographs of the pre-tourism cow town that was La Fortuna (as well as photographs of wildlife by a San Jose-based National Geographic photographer -- a nice change of pace from the area's usual flamboyantly colored paintings of hummingbirds and tree frogs). "We're 100 percent La Fortuna," as a staff member put it. The majority of guests are Americans and Canadians (though there is a notable chunk of middle-class Costa Ricans who come here), mostly shepherding their children to and from the pools or hot springs.

The town is conveniently close by for shopping, mingling, or arranging treks, and the volcano attractions are a 30- to 45-minute car or bus ride away. (The hotel is right on top of a curve in the main road circling the Arenal volcano, and is one of a cluster of similar resorts in the same area.) Nature lovers will probably be disappointed if they were hoping to immerse themselves in the rainforest, however: The wildlife consists mostly of the groves of recently planted rainforest trees on the grounds, and there's only a single trail that rings the property. 

Rooms are housed in long one-story buildings scattered throughout the 11-acre property, and are mostly standard squares, dressed up in white and light green paint and dark wood (used in both the furniture and the ceilings). They don't have a ton of character, and the grout between the terra cotta tiles could use scrubbing, but there are photographs on the walls displaying either scenes of life from pre-eruption La Fortuna, or wildlife by a San Jose-based National Geographic photographer. It's well worth the upgrade to a Thermal Superior Room or Junior Suite to take advantage of one of the hotel's big selling points: the private outdoor hot springs pools, where guests can relax in the bubbles without worrying about their bathing-suit bodies. The pools are surrounded by greenery for added privacy. (The regular Superior Rooms do have terraces, but no pools.) Junior Suites also come with free bottles of water and cans of beer (two of each), nuts, and candy, as well as mini-fridges. Amenities in all rooms include AC, cable TVs, coffeemakers, and free Wi-Fi (though the strength can be weak depending on room location).

There's parking by each building with guest rooms, so you don't have to lug your baggage across 11 acres from the front desk. Note that while many rooms have a great volcano view, the volcano views at Arenal Kioro are a bit better and equally good from every room. 

There are both a hot-spring pool and a regular freshwater pool with adjacent kiddy pool and a swim-up bar butting up to the restaurant. A regular in-ground hot tub (rather than hot springs pool) is also on hand. The lobby features foosball, a pool table, and its own bar (though the traffic noise from the nearby main road make hanging out here considerably less attractive), and when the clouds are amenable, the Arenal volcano is clearly visible from most spots on the site. The open-air restaurant serves international cuisine for all three meals, including the free breakfast buffet that includes make-to-order omelets and plenty of hot cooked items.