A microwave , mini fridge and a small tv in the room would have made a world of difference.

Great location. Beautiful place to stay with lots to do. Great views. The trails are very cool as well.

Stayed in August 2025

Na

Phenomenal location, amazing staff and clean rooms

Stayed in August 2025

Weve stayed here 7 years ago as a couple and now with my husbands whole family. The views of the volcano from here are unbeatable. Rustic design with the highest comfort level and spectacular greenery makes a stay in this place unique.

Stayed in August 2025

Overpriced restaurant and we felt that some of the male waiters were motivated by the tips, so not too genuine in their approach to customer service. Once our chicken was undercooked on the bone, our complaint was well handled so we felt confident that they will improve

Our bedroom was a good size, modern decor and high quality build. The terraze was a fabulous place to see the wildlife. Due to its location there's no need to go out of the grounds as plenty to do and see. Lots of trails, guided tours where you can spot wildlife.

Stayed in August 2025

The road up is rough! We stayed in the rooms overlooking the garden near the pool (incredible for animal/bird viewing) but the walls are thin and we could clearly hear our neighbors.

Perfect property! We saw mammals, birds, reptiles each day. Walked on incredible trails on the property, swam, enjoyed Happy Hour, the included breakfast and the excellent lunch menu each day. The staff are helpful and friendly, especially Christian, one of the guides who takes you around the property looking for creatures. And then of course the awe inspiring volcano that is so close! We must have very 50 pictures of the mountain gently steaming. We never left the property, spending three nights there.

Stayed in August 2025

The food at restaurant was too salty and underwhelming. Everything was fresh though and we liked breakfast.

Incredible value. Great trails and views

Stayed in June 2025

Nothing

White Hawk Villa was superb. Private, peaceful, gated, with an up close view of the volcano. A pack of coatis walked by while we were in the hot tub. Clean and unbeatable view. The included breakfast was delicious with nice cooked options and choice of fresh juices. We enjoyed the meals for lunch and dinner, though prices are a bit high, of course. Staff were lovely and there is abundant wildlife. Birdwatching and night tours were amazing and led by experienced guides.

Stayed in August 2025

Over priced rooms and food. Long rough road out of lodge if you need to leave

Gorgeous views and hikes. Outstanding shower. Cool coati

Stayed in August 2025

Excellent layout of rooms, restaurant, coffee place, museum, pool, and walking as well as hiking/jogging trails. The staff were very friendly and supportive at all times. To name a few like Genesis in reception and Ezequiel in the restaurant.

Clean and spacious.

Stayed in August 2025

What a beautiful place. The views are superb to the lake and the volcano. The trails are amazing with a wonderful range of wildlife, and the number of different brightly coloured birds we could watch from the deck really was spectacular. Shame we only had one night there but the staff were happy for us to stay as long as we wanted (we left at about 5pm) on the day that we left.

Stayed in July 2025

We stayed in a Smithsonian room for three nights with a lovely view over the gardens to the volcano. Room was lovely, nice to have a balcony to sit and chill. Good wifi throughout. We didn't have a chance to explore the trails - other than a night walk (amazing frogs and viper) and an all day birding tour - both organised through the hotel and excellent. The observation tower is great too. The food was pretty good at the restaurant for dinner and breakfast, some nice craft beers on the drinks list too. We also had a massage - beautiful rooms and professional masseur. Was an easy drive into La Fortuna and to Tabacon hot springs (did a day pass at Tabacon thermal resort - was amazing). So much wildlife everywhere.

Stayed in July 2025

We stayed for 4 nights and never saw the volcano - it rained the whole stay. The driveway was very long and unpaved - about a 10 minute drive to get to the road, so even though many things were close, we felt a bit trapped after sunset.

The shower was awesome, and the beds are very comfortable. The room was spacious. There was no AC, but the dehumidifier was perfect for getting clothes dry as the hung in the room. There was plenty of space to unpack and feel settled. The trails were very nice, though most of them were rainforest-adjacent or through fields, the few that were in the rainforest were lovely. Breakfast was good, especially the banana bread and fresh pineapple!

Stayed in July 2025

Nothing

Wow what an Oasisi in the Arenal area. Great rooms and friendly staff. The raccoons are just so sweet.

Stayed in July 2025

the only thing missing for me was A/C in the room, but they did provide a portable air-circulator, which helped a bit. Still was not overly hot in June, but I needed to leave the sliding door open (with screen shut of course) to get it down to a reasonable sleeping temperature.

amazing property! very nice rooms and was very close to restaurant, which was also great with an amazing view! I went for bird photography and the amazing trail system, viewpoints, and guide assigned by the lodge exceeded expectations! will absolutely return!

Stayed in June 2025

The pillows were a little uncomfortable to sleep on however I am usually very picky about pillows ;) Otherwise this place was exceptional.

My favorite thing was the wildlife. We saw so many animals during our short stay, everything was super convenient from meals to hikes to booking excursions. The Danta Waterfall is a must see while you are here. Very easy to do on your own! Super safe and very comfortable. The staff was just amazing the entire time!

Stayed in July 2025

No air conditioning. It was okay, but if there was a cross breeze or a lower fan it would have been better.

The grounds were beautiful!

Stayed in July 2025

The evening restaurant menu was not so good. It lacked variety and was quite expensive. There were not many vegetarian options either.

Perfect location and the rooms were spacious and clean. The view from the balcony was excellent overlooking the volcano. The staff were friendly and helpful. The facilities were also very good and free nature walk was interesting. Breakfast was also very good.

Stayed in July 2025

Our room (21) is next to a common area with noisy foosball and ping pong tables. Happily, they seem to be used infrequently.

Excellent and friendly bilingual staff, very good restaurant, beautifully maintained property, great for birders and hikers.

Stayed in July 2025

Arenal Observatory Lodge offers excellent service, accommodations, and the optimum location for experiencing Arenal Volcano, the surrounding nature, and ziplining adventures! We enjoyed a spacious Smithsonian room and bird watching from our patio. Everything was quite clean and comfortable. We had drinks after we arrived (Happy Hour 5-6pm) and an excellent breakfast in the morning, which was a combination of ordering an entree and then going to the buffet for fruit, cereal, juice, coffee, tea, etc. After breakfast, we did some bird watching from the deck outside the restaurant; in the garden, they have a very tall metal sculpture they put fresh melon on to attract birds. Even in the pouring rain we saw many birds, including a male and a female Great Curassow! We wish we would have stayed a few more days to enjoy all the amenities, such as the spa and different on-site tours. These options weren’t apparent from looking at the Booking.com profile. This is essentially a resort; one night was great but I would recommend staying at least two (or more) days to maximize your experience. (This is the perfect location if you plan to do ziplining at Sky Adventure early in the morning.)

Stayed in July 2025

We loved it all!

We loved the staff, room, night walk, bird walks, and view!

Stayed in June 2025

Amazing property, wildlife and views. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Stayed in June 2025

Shower was cold. Walk 500m uphill to restaurant.

Views. Nature. Staff

Stayed in June 2025

Be prepared to experience some minor bugs in/around your room, toilet paper goes in the trash rather than the toilet, and there is a completely satisfactory, but not exceptional pool and jacuzzi. No air conditioning, but it really wasn't missed. Depending on your room location, it might be a long hike or super brief drive to the main lodge/restaurant.

The location is amazing and well worth overcoming any discomforts. The sounds of the jungle were amazing, the animals we saw from the observation locations knocked toucans, coati, and spider monkeys off our bucket list, and we were next to a Volcano! Staff was tremendously helpful and kind. We also found that being a bit remote and a bit rustic and animal/nature/science focused, we also liked all of our fellow travelers at this resort, who were there to experience the environment. The beds were comfortable and my kids felt like it was a home away from home with other kids they really liked meeting and playing with.

Stayed in June 2025

I got the impression from pictures that in the room that I selected, the beds would be facing the window, and there were sliding glass doors to the balcony, but this was not the case. The room was still nice & view of the volcano was amazing, just a small thing.

Arenal Observatory Lodge is really, really lovely. It is totally immersed in nature & being right at the foot of the volcano is amazing. We watched the clouds move all around it during our stay.

Stayed in June 2025