Arenal Waterfall Lodge Villas

8.2

Excellent

74 Guest reviews

8.2

Excellent

74 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness8.2/10

Service8.8/10

Comfort8.2/10

Condition7.8/10

location8.0/10

Neighborhood8.6/10

Amenities7.8/10

Rustic if staying in the tree villas and not the main lodge. Need an suv to reach the tree villas. The villa is very spacious but isolated, if you like to live in the rain forest. Many moths/bugs attracted to lights at night. Nice during the day. Cerro Chato observation hike included. Very very difficult hike requiring good hiking shoes. Regardless you will get muddy. But the swim in the volcano crater lake is spectacular. Note: you need to cross into national park land to reach the lake ( ie trepassing) but everyone does the hike. $16 pp if not staying at the lodge. 500 meters to the Arenal Waterfall entrance. $20 per person to get in. 500 steps down to waterfall so be fit because you have to come back up. But Cerro Chato infinitely harder.

Need lighting security in the day but not at night

We love the location, felt like you were right in the jungle! It’s was quiet yet close to some great restaurants. The staff was helpful and kind. We loved our stay here!

La Fortuna

Wright in the Jungle , old place but very cool

We stayed in a three bedroom Villa for two nights and although this Villa was incredibly spacious, there were spiderwebs hanging everywhere and quite a few bugs in the villa. I do understand that you are in the rainforest and there are going to be bugs, but I just felt like the villa could’ve been cleaner. It is definitely showing its age and needs cleaning and painting on the exterior. The furniture inside seemed very random and we would’ve liked to see nightstands by the bed.Missed the mark for what we paid. The only positive was the view and the proximity to some amazing activities in the area.

It's in a jungle rainforest, so it's quiet and peaceful - with the background sounds of birds and other critters scurrying or calling in the forest. My teen grandsons thought that was very cool. It's a lovely place and has a kitchen. Just remember to bring a lighter to light the stove or send a note via What's App to the main Lodge & they can supply one.

Breakfast was not unlimited. Severely limited.

Love this property, if you want to stay IN nature this is the place. 5 minutes walking La fortuna Waterfall.

The property was huge with a beautiful view of sky and town ,my only problem was the lack of communication between the front desk and the restaurant on premise. And that my check out was at 12pm but they told me no its at 11 am.

This property is clean and safe but definitely shows it's age. They need to clean-up broken items (broken hot tub, chairs and tables) and the apperance would be so much better. Food was very good and staff was very nice. We saw a sloth and toucan on properry. Decent place to stay on a budget.

What a great location and a beautiful place to stay. The Trogon Villa (#14) was fantastic. Great view of Fortuna. The weather was a little cloudy and colder when we were there but the kids still managed to swim in the private pool. There was a lot of space and everything was clean and tidy. I would absolutely stay there again. We were right near the hiking trail towards Cerro Chato but we ran out of time. The location is also super close to the entrance to the Arenal Waterfall hike. The staff were all super friendly. The restaurant was great also. Zero complaints.

Enjoyed the secluded setting and trail access

The design of the property lends itself to beautiful vistas, quiet reflection and a tropical vibe. The hot tub was on the blink so was a bit bummed about that. I recommend going in to town for dinner...food was so-so but we showed up 20 minutes before closing. Breakfast was fantastic. Checking in was a breeze and the front desk guy was great.

This property was excellent! The area was absolutely beautiful. The villas were clean. The staff was very kind. There is a beautiful hike that you can take walking from the area of the hotel. The breakfast that is offered every morning is hot with large portions. I would recommend the villas to anyone and will definitely be returning!

Loved my cabin!

Excelent

Awesome place to stay!

We stayed in the villa with the pool, Villa 13. The grounds are peaceful, staff is friendly and helpful, breakfast was good, and the view was great. We are happy with our choice.

This place is lovely. Unfortunately, the smell of mildew is how strong and unbearable. We checked in and in less than one hour we left. The smell gave a me a severe headache that took a day an a half to go away. The unit was lovely and the spaciousness was wonderful. It is unfortunate that the mildew/mold doea not get treated or contained in the properry. Teust me I travel to Costa Rica often and know that humidity can cause some smells. However, this one was so strong it gave me a headache within the first hour after arriving. Whwn i checked out, the gentleman said that he was sorry but since i went into the room that my reservation was no longer refundable. Completely unacceptable reason. I was there with my family, drove to the place, and checked in. How is going into a unit that has severe mold/mildew issues my fault? Completely unfair that they refuse to give me my money back.

3 Bedrooms Villa with Private Pool

Our group is 3 families and total of 6 people including seniors and a young child. This is a great property for its value. Due to the distance of the villa from the reception area, a car is absolutely neccessary. Anyone afraid of bugs should not stay here. Pros: 1. Very large rooms with ensuite bathroom in each bedroom. 2. Surrounded by nature with amazing view. 3. Beds are comfortable. Total of 3 king and 2 twin beds. 4. Full kitchen with dining area. 5. Lots of windows and all doors are clear glass for tons of natural light. 6. Massage is good. 7. Reception will help with all tour booking requests. Cons: 1. Building and furniture is showing age. 2. Private pool is almost always dirty due to the natural surroundings. 3. Poor lighting if there is no natural light. 4. No hot water kettle. 5. Hotel food is below average. 6. Lots of bugs use the house for shelter during heavy rain, since the doors are not sealed there is no way to prevent them from coming inside.

Super cool place to stay. You feel like you are the only person on the mountain. There are birds, frogs and all kinds of cool wildlife everywhere. Don’t be surprised if you have company though, geckos and lizards are everywhere, had a few come inside but they were harmless.

The rooms were very clean and comfortable. The staff were friendly and very helpful.

We were excited to stay here but found the property severely lacking in condition. The private pool had a huge crack in it, the tile was falling off, it was extremely dirty. The furniture was worn and a chaise lounge chair had a huge hole in it. An unidentifiable animal kept pooping in the room. We ended up leaving early and stayed at the Springs Resort.

Amazing views, some of the best you'll ever see hands down. The property is showing its age a bit and you are in nature so there will be some outside bugs creeping in, but the views and size of the property make up for everything!

Can’t believe this place has 4 stars

I feel bad leaving such a negative review especially with people getting back on their feet from covid-19 but something needs to change at this hotel. If we didn’t arrive late at night and if the WiFi wasn’t so choppy, we would have left. The place looked nothing like the photos. There were stains on the side of the bed. There were bugs everywhere. There was dead bugs on the toilet, sink and all over the floor as if nobody has ever mopped. We checked for bed bugs and didn’t see any but bugs kept landing on the bed and we barely could sleep. We showed with our shoes on. Please spray this place! It gets worse…there was a small snake in the bathroom. I understand the environment comes with bugs but it looks like this place had never been sprayed. We also thought the villa came with a private pool which it didn’t. We appreciated the nice gentleman at the front desk & the cooked to order breakfast but that’s the only positives I have. This place should not be called a villa. It was basically camping.

Absolutely stunning view plus the private pool made this stay worth it. Definitely not a luxury home, very standard in terms of amenities and quality of the home but a great place for a family with kids who want to wake up to heaven every day.

Beautiful very private jungle bungalows. Amazing shower with floor to ceiling windows makes you feel like your showering right in the jungle.

Family get away

Great stay!! Amazing views, plenty of room for the family and had its own private pool!! Definitely would stay again!

We loved its location, proximity to La Fortuna, breakfast was clean and simple, very few tourists, and the ambience of being in the jungle was amazing.

Great location, we had the villa and it was huge, very spacious with 2 sets of bathrooms and showers. Private pool is awesome although the water are a bit cold.

Excellent resort, we would highly recommend!

overrated and past its prime

It’s clear that the nice pictures you see are likely 5-10 years old, and the property has not been kept up very well - for example lots of pealing paint, mold in the grout of tiles, the hot tub is slimey and not hot for example. It’s also not cleaned extremely well - dust, some cobwebs, etc. Location is nice but would only recommend if renting a car so you can easily get to town. Views are very nice. Staff in restaurant are great and have very good service for breakfast. Food is pretty good. Overall - for the price, not up to what I was expecting and I would stay elsewhere next time.

This place was very dirty!!! They did not even take the time to change the sheets. It is a great view and and a nice concept but I had to have them come clean the first day and change the sheets. take your own towels please. These left one - was not clean looking. I can't believe they expect to charge so much for a place like this. The free breakfast every morning was good, healthy and lot of fresh fruits!!!

Old with Bugs

By far the worst place I’ve ever spent. Arrived and thought they up graded us from a one bedroom to 2 villa. I think because no one wanted the one we had. It’s the one in the photos everywhere. But it started with it being very rustic and out dated. I can live with that. Got a villa so we could cook. Not only did the hot plate not have knobs, you plugged it in and one burner went on. No idea what the temperature was since it was so old and broken. They replaced it after we complained. No wash clothes or hand towels. Complained and said they would be ready in the morning and we could come get them. The refrigerator tilts every time you open it. Because they never bothered to level it. Whole place was dirty. Someone’s old shampoo sample was in the shower. No soap at all near toilets. Very poor lighting inside and out. But the biggest issue of all- 2nd day- all along the glass doors and up the curtains were these big ant like bugs! Like ingested. We left and had them spray or whatever they did. They said they get them sometimes when it rains. Ugh!! I can handle the lizards and frogs even snakes! But all I could think of is them crawling all over me at night. Did I mention this was in the bedroom. Not even in the kitchen area. Just got back after a nice day out at the hot springs to find them back! Leaving now to go to dinner after we wait for them again to do something. We sprayed them first with natural essential oils because I hate deet. But after that, Raid came out.

Horrible Service

The actual cabin we stayed in was very impressive with a private pool and double hammocks but all of that was overshadowed by the horrible service by the people that work there. We went to the bar for celebratory drinks and the bartender treated us like garbage and was “put out” when we asked him what kind of drinks he had. We spoke Spanish and he mocked our Spanish speaking ability. It was absurd- we went to the front desk to find a man named Victor. We told him about the experience with the bartender and he didn’t care nor showed any compassion. He just shrugged his shoulders- it was my moms bday and we wanted it to be special. DO NOT STAY here- there are plenty of other amazing places to stay in the area. I do not recommend this establishment until they drastically improve their customer service skills. The next morning at breakfast we were greeted with the same cold demeanor by other staff members. I’ve been to CR different times and have never been treated with such disrespect in a place that should be catering to tourism. They call this place a “wellness” place and it actually was opposite of that- please look elsewhere to book your vacation.

Place is too dark. Need more amenities of the resort

Overpriced

The architecture and location have a lot of potential, but this place lacks maintenance with 0 attention to detail. It would be ok if the room was not so expensive, but we expected more for what we paid. Just to list some issues: * Musty smell and obvious neglect with basic cleaning. There was a lot of dust in the shelves where the extra blankets were located, and the floor was dirty as evidence by the sole of our socks. The smell could be helped if there were screen to let fresh air in, but the only whay to do that would be to let all the mostquitos inn too. The musty smell was so strong that my asthma creeped in through the night. * In the shower it was very hard to ajust the temperature. My son had many burns before he could find the right spot. That is not only annoying but dangerous. * The mattress was old and expired with a large whole in the middle. I woke up with a stiff neck. * Very dark and poory illuminated with white light that made all the coziness dissappear. There are also good things too, like the view and beautiful glass wall windows and the amazing location. There is a full kitchenette and friendly staff. There is a trail to see the volcano and we are excited to try it. We don’t know about breakfast but I have the feeling it will be good. In short, it needs a little BLT or drastically reduce the price to make it worth the expense.

Very friendly staff, excellent food, quiet and peaceful, 5 stars!

Shabby shack, amazing view

Amazing grounds and staff. The property needs serious improvement. It reminded me of my cheap uncle's lake cabin that he refuses to fix. The two bedroom unit was dirty. The sheets had holes in them, the towels were threadbare and there was only a very cheap, thin velour blanket. The breakfast was good and staff was nice. I just couldn't recommend it.

We loved it....

Great stay. Amazing area. Bring a rental car if your staying here though. Long walk to everything but that means your truly on your own at your room. The help was prompt when needed, the food st the restaurant was awsome. We'll stay again if we come back to the area.

Green Lagoon was mystical, La Fortuna beautiful, Arenal breathtaking

Amazing house!

Amazing house with an amazing view. It was cloudy for most of our time, and it is a walk to the main lodge/restaurant. The restaurant has good food, but it could use some pizzazz, felt like a box diner. Suggest music could be playing, the table/chairs felt like a lunchroom. Staff was fantastic, no problems. Room was impeccably clean, and very updated.

Definitely need a car

Beautiful and stunning !!! Definitely good for relax time but not that good if you want to walk out your doorstep and be able to explore. Definitely need a car

Great location, great facility and great view, will definitely come back

Great experience.

The villas were wonderful.

Villa was so beautiful!

We stayed in the 3 bed room villa. It was beyond lovely. Great view, and rooms were amazing. Pool has bugs in it as you are in the jungle, (for those with crazy women) No idea about the regular rooms in the hotel. I disagree with others reviews, the hotel was quite easy to find. Last 350m is a rough road but no big deal. Main hotel pool is not the prettiest in the world, but we didn't use. Right next to Fortuna falls, close the hot springs, and most hike to the green lagoon.

Affordable Luxury

The villa was amazing. It took us a bit to find the place in the rain and dark but it was worth it. We had a 2 bedroom villa with private deck and jacuzzi. There were a couple of hammocks as well as lounges for relaxing. We did have issues with consistent hot water, which the hotel did their best to correct. The complimentary breakfast was great, with plenty of vegetarian options as well.

Nice Remote Villa

It is a nice villa in a remote location with an amazing view. We travel with kids so for us it was not ideal but it was ok.

Gorgeous view and peaceful stay

We stayed in a gorgeous villa with an amazing mountain top view. Two room villa is beautiful. It is perfect for any one or two couples to enjoy. You have a beautiful view of la fortuna city and it is quiet and peaceful being in a more remote area. The staff is wonderful. Polite, attentive, and very helpful! They went out of their way to help improve our stay. Pool area for the hotel seemed a bit run down. Great food. Close to la fortuna waterfall and right next to Cerro chato hiking trail. In fact, staying at this hotel gives you a free access to the cerro chato trail. No other hotel offers this. Overall wonderful stay. We can't wait to go back!

We had a great stay in the two bedroom villa. The rooms were very nice with an amazing view. The hotel staff were very helpful and informative. We would love to go back.