Hotel Eco Arenal

Nice accommodation somewhat outside of La Fortuna. Small but inviting swimming pool, beautiful gardens, near a river. We did not stay in one of the villas but in the new apartment building which was comfortable and had a good shower. Very nice breakfast location, al fresco, with possibility to spot birds. Breakfast was comparable to other places, fruit, rice and beans, toast, coffee/tea, scrambled egg... Unfortunately, we were unlucky with the weather, we did not see anything of the volcano unfortunately, otherwise the stay would have been even better. A disadvantage is that there is no restaurant and no supermarket or minimart on-site. The smokehouse opposite of the street is the only restaurant nearby and a good option though.

This is a lovely place to stay at. Next to a stream, with plenty of wildlife in the garden. We saw iguanas, a sloth in a tree, plenty of birds, and heard and saw howler monkeys. Low key and eco-friendly with nice owners. Would definitely stay here again.

A budget hotel. The pool was small, but still nice. Breakfast was included. There were no lunch or dinner options, and you need to book an Uber to go into La Fortuna (don't book a taxi). There is a water tank where you can refill, but you need to bring a bottle. Bring your own shampoo, soap, and conditioner. Great view of the volcano from the breakfast area.

Family run , super nice. Meals were always hot and fresh. AC worked great. Lots of birds and lizards. Hummingbirds everywhere 😊. You are out in the country so expect bugs and ants while your out and about. Would stay here again.Pool was nice after a long day of hiking.

It says villas but we stayed in the two-storied building. This is cheap hotel - 3 stars max. Small territory, including a pool, no restaurant on the property, no any activities,it takes 5 min to walk around. If you want to go to the city - La Fortuna, use Uber, not taxi- it costs twice more. Breakfast is really poor, no vegetables, no cheese- only processed, inedible. You could not put your chosen food like scramble eggs or rice, sausage by your self, they will do it. Same food each day, no fresh bakery as croissant, limited choices. Room is smelly, and shower has glass door, and light is coming through it during the night, just were you sleeping, which is annoying. No safe box, and what is important - no microwave, no way to warm up food. No tea or coffee provided in the room, bring your own. For the shower - they provided one type of substance for all purposes. The road leading to reception is rocky, just gravel, no security. What's good- nature, you can see a lot of birds, including tucan, and hear monkeys. There is small river on the way to the city where you can spot sloths. Nice restaurant across hotel. A lot of flowers on the territory.

Many tour companies use this hotel for groups including mine. Our tour company, Exottica, downgraded our 3 night stay from LaFortuna Del Volcan to Eco Arenal so I arrived frustrated. The hotel itself is set among beautiful gardens full of birds, bugs, chickens, a few sweet cats, and lizards that scattered on the roof above us at night. The bugs seemed to run right in from the gaps between the doors and the floor. I unknowingly carried a roach from this hotel to our next stop so keep your bags closed at all times. I don’t know how much attention is given to the cats that reside there so I fed them when I could and it was scarfed down quickly so please be kind to them. The shower is large but the walls are thin. I could hear our neighbors and they could hear me. I enjoyed the breakfast but they did not offer lunch or dinner options so be prepared to walk across the street to the only walkable option or get an Uber/taxi closer to town for food. There is a fridge in the room but no microwave. The employees were all helpful and me not knowing a lot of Spanish didn’t seem to be a barrier in communication. They sell bottled water, soda, wine and beer and a few toiletries in the office. The pool was okay during the day but there is no way that I would get into it at night. There is very little light at the pool so you have no idea what you are swimming with. If I had planned my own vacation stop here on a budget my experience would have been as I expected. But this stay did not meet my expectations because our original hotel was a four star hotel and this one is a three. I was expecting meals on sight, a spa, updated rooms and pool, and a walkable location. I blame the tour company Exottica and not the hotel itself.