BACKGROUND I work for Explorica, an educational travel company. Each year I have the added perk of going on one of our student tours. Costa Rica had been on my hot list for years, so I was super excited when this July brought 22 days of traveling all around the country. My husband was with me for two of the... more

I brought a group of students who loved the pool, and the views of the volcano at night. The rooms are standard, and the hot water was unpredictable. In the morning we were greeted by howler monkeys and the call of birds (at 5 am). I would definitely spend one night here again just for the spectacular view of the... more

We stayed here for 5 nights (without transport). On 4 nights we had terrific views of the volcano from our bed. wonderful. Staff very helpfull, thanks Darianna. Rooms spotless, pool small but very clean and I enjoyed watching the birds in the trees and listening to the howler monkeys whilst lazing in the pool. $20 to La Fortuna in a... more

If you really want to get away from it all, this is the place! No television or telephone (we didn't even have cell service in the area). Fabulous view of Arenal volcano (when the clouds lift). You may want to rent a 4x4 for this property especially during the rainy season as the road is pretty rocky and rough. more

We ended up at the Arenal Vista Lodge after the travel agency in San Jose screwed up our reservation at a hotel closer to La Fortuna. They sent us here because the lodge allegedly had the last two rooms around. After negotiating a boulder-strewn, rutted road in the dark, we arrived at the hotel only to be told they didn't,... more

We ended up at this hotel because we didn't make reservations and we got caught in the rain with no vacancy. The price ($80)was higher than we wanted to pay, but it was totally worth every penny! We watched the some of the lava flow at dinner right from our table, but it would get cloudy on and off. At... more

We just got back from Costa Rica on the 21st. We stayed two nights in the Arenal Vista Lodge and really enjoyed our stay!! The view is absolutely stunning, we watched to volcano erupting from our rooms during the night. What a priceless sight! The pool is very pretty and very clean. There is no AC but you really don't... more

Contrary to some of the previous reports, our three-night stay at Arenal Vista was very enjoyable--despite the fact that we never saw the volcano's lava flows due to cloudiness. The grounds were beautiful; room maintenance was fine; and the assistance from the staff (particularly the well-organized and friendly manager Viria Hernandez) was exceptional. It is a very peaceful spot. The... more

Great location for volcano and lake views. Accomodations were spartan but clean and roomy. Food was good, both in quality and quantity. Desk staff, other than Maria, had limited English skills but were very friendly and helpful. Facility is in need of maintenance but this must be attributed to the location. It was the furthest, most relmote location of the... more