Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails

An exceptional location with so much on site!

Pros: What a great place - amazing views - friendly staff - comfy beds - excellent guides. Food was also very good.

Unique, authentic emerssion into costa rica's nature

Pros: The nature on the property and the propert itself is magnificent. Great view on Arenal Lake and the Vulcano.

Cons: It was quite cold 15 celcius in February and it rained a lot.

Pros: Friendly staff, clean comfortable rooms, and so many trails on the property to look for wildlife

Cons: Leaving

The best place for birdwatching!

Pros: Awesome location and property! Lodge is dated but comfortable. The birdwatching and nature trails are the best we'd experienced in Costa Rica and we participated in all of the guided walks. Our favourite was the Frog Pond at night! The bird watching off the deck was lots of fun! (for us beginner bird watchers....). When the weather is very wet, there are covered observatory decks where you can stay dry and have great view of birds. Our best toucan pictures were from there!

Cons: The weather was pretty low cloud so we couldn't see much of Arenal during out stay.

Unique location for observing birds, nature and the volcano

Pros: Location is fantastic, access to trails and views of volcano and bird feeding station are excellent.

Cons: Food in restaurant is ok, nothing special. Avoid booking transport to La Fortuna through reception as it costs three times as much as Uber.

excellent stay and good value by Costa Rica standards

Pros: Great rooms, great restaurant, lots of birds and reptiles on site

Paradise for bird and wildlife watching!

Pros: The room was fully equipped with everything we needed, and the property’s trails were fantastic, with birds everywhere. Breakfast was excellent. It’s a great place to base yourself, explore the trails, or just relax by the pool, though it’s a bit far from other attractions. We loved the wildlife and never got bored during our three days there!

Cons: The property is quite far from Fortuna and other attractions, so having a car is recommended. Otherwise, a taxi to La Fortuna costs around $45, or you might get lucky to catch an Uber for about $20.

Wonderful

Pros: Nature, night walk, included guided tour (and other things we didn't get to do), food was tasty, good options for kids, jacuzzi

Cons: High food prices (everything else is far away). Gravel bumpy road (to be expected so close to the national park)

Pros: Arenal Observatory lodge was exceptional, the location, the facilities, the rooms, the surrounding forest areas, everything is beautiful. We were in the Smithsonian room for 2 nights and it was perfect. The room is huge and very tastefully decorated. The bathrooms are designed nicely as well. The linens and bed are very comfortable and everything is clean. They also conduct free tours every day that you can join. , as well as paid tours for birdwatching etc that you can participate in. Arenal observatory lodge is a prime spot for birdwatching and we were able to spot a lot of species right at the feeders itself as well as on the pathways.

Pura Vida

Pros: Abundant with birds and wildlife , the lodge provides free guided tours to learn about the flora and fauna.

Cons: There is only one restaurant option