Hotel Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

Arenal Springs Resort and Spa was our favorite place we stayed while in Costa Rica. First off, I have to mention the people…the staff is absolutely incredible. Every person we encountered here truly seemed to care if you were enjoying yourself. Friendly, helpful, and just a joy to interact with. Check-in was seamless. You get a complimentary drink of your choice while checking in, everything is available at the front desk through QR codes, and they drive you to your room on a golf cart. They show you where everything is, how everything works, etc. Like I said, seamless. The rooms (bungalows?) are very nice. Not over the top fancy or anything, but you have everything you need and they fit the aesthetic of the resort perfectly. We had an excellent view of the volcano out our back door, and although we never got a full, cloudless view while we were there, it is still a beautiful setting. The grounds are immaculately landscaped, and the hot springs and pool area are an absolute highlight. We used the resort as a base of operations to travel around the immediate area and see the hanging bridges, Don Juan coffee tour, Rio Celeste, La Fortuna waterfall and downtown La Fortuna. There is a TON to see and do in the immediate area or within an easy drive. You could do what we did, coming back to relax at the hot springs at night and get a beverage at the swim up bar, or just spend all your time on the grounds of the resort. I think you’d be pretty happy either way!

From the moment we arrived at the resort we were surrounded by beauty and kindness. We were met with a cool towel and a welcome drink. Once we were checked in someone took us to our room on a golf cart and helped us unload our luggage. The room was amazing ! They had created the most beautiful design with towels on our bed and had a Happy Anniversary banner on our door ! We had the most beautiful view of the volcano and considered ourselves so fortunate to be able to see it al the way to the top. The landscape of the hotel is so beautiful . It’s like they nestled a hotel in the rainforest without disturbing a thing. We also enjoyed the hot springs and the great food we had while we were there. Everyone was so kind and considerate! Our first night we were there we went to the restaurant near check in and there was live music and they had put up balloons that said te amo for us. The buffet breakfast that is included is massive and had so many choices. Even someone dairy and gluten free like me could eat there! Thank you Arenal Resort and Spa for an experience we will never forget !

Loved everything about this resort. Close to everything. Beautiful views of the volcano. Breakfast every morning was lovely, and it was wonderful to come back at the end of a long hike and relax in the pools and hit springs! Lodging was great! Drinks at the swim up bar were fabulous (expensive but worth it for the convenience)!

Of the 6 hotels we stayed at during the holiday Arsenal Springs was the most perplexing. The location is excellent for your visit and the hotel has numerous trips available (see image attached). Within the grounds all the facilities are available from gym to laundry and the gardens are immaculate and I’d recommend the poolside amenities. The primary cause for a 3 star review was the food. The breakfast area is so poorly set out that everyone gets in each others way, and getting a coffee was a lottery. They have the space but lack the managerial vision. This food dilemma continues with the restaurants, which whilst offering decent fare do so at a price well above what we paid elsewhere. This is not a hotel, more a series of lodges, split into two, well equipped but lacking any sound proofing. You hear literally everything your neighbour does! Again this is simple to rectify but not a management priority It is a real pity, because this could be an nailed on 5 star with the appropriate leadership.

We were on a package tour from the UK, staying at Margaritaville in Playa Flamingo but we wanted to see more of the country so rented a car for 5 days to do our own tour and it was spectacular. We arrived to the warmest welcome by the friendliest staff we'd encountered who offered us a delicious cocktail on the house. We were given tons of information about the resort and then taken by golf cart to our room. The room was lovely with a large double bed and a glorious view of the volcano. The pool areas were lovely and there were iguanas walking around the pool. We had a great stay, the only thing that let this hotel down was the food. We ate at the restaurant by the pool twice and on both occasions it was mediocre and very expensive for what we had. The main restaurant looked nice but again, compared to other restaurants and our previous hotel (Los Lagos) it was far more expensive. Breakfast was the exception and was absolutely superb, everything you could possibly want. We used this as a base to explore the area - the main activities we did was the Bogarin Trail (saw several sloths on an easy trail - take a guide as we wouldnt have seen any without one), Hanging Bridges, Extreme Ziplining, a swim in the river and an animal sanctuary We had stayed 2 nights previously in Los Lagos (they didn't have any rooms for our last 2 nights) and we preferred it there. That said we enjoyed our time here, the service and room quality were better. The staff was phenomenal. I wouldn't discount staying again, it just wouldn't be my first choice.

The pros: Gym - good setup and well resourced. Morning yoga sessions - pre-brekkie 6.30-7.30am, just the ticket. Breakfast - despite being overrun with American children poking their fingers into things the food was really good. Coffee shop - great opportunity to sample local coffees with a number of different brewing options. Room was decent enough, although the shaving mirror is clearly designed for a giant (see pic), and the adjoining doors were a nightmare (see below). Thermal pool, although the 'adults only' one had a few too many teenagers in. The cons: Constant tipping demands, from the moment we checked in. This is not the Costa Rica way, it felt like we were in America. Example: at breakfast, even after we had given room number and were shown to our seats someone still came over with a check to sign, which seemed to only have one purpose. You mean you want a tip for pouring my water at a self-serice buffet? Get real. Soulless - too much concrete and yellow paint, didn't feel like we were in Costa Rica. Restaurant - as vegans, we had to eat in the Italian restaurant as there was nothing in the other one (where the breakfasts are). When we asked about this we were told that it was no problem, they could accommodate. But - this amounted to 2x tiny pizzas and some accompanying veg, the most expensive meal I've ever had. The menu is ridiculously overpriced. Service was terrible - our server interrupted us literally every 2 minutes to ask if everything was OK. Yep - it would be much better if you left us to it. By the time our main courses arrived we were the only people left in the restaurant. An 8pm booking - seemed normal enough to us, but they started clearing up around us, sweeping floors and putting chairs up on the other tables. Between this and the constant questioning it was far from a pleasant experience. We went into town and had great curries the following night. Adjoining doors - the first night we stayed there I woke at 3am to hear a loud monotone coming from the room next door. What on earth? I wondered if someone had fallen asleep with the tv on, so knocked on the adjoining door and it went off. Whoever this was checked out the next day and were replaced by a very loud American family - we could hear every word they said. Why is this a thing? I can see it for when a large family group are staying but surely this should be the exception rather than the rule. Overall - I wish there was a 2.5 star option but it was closer to 3* than 2*.