Alajuela Province hotels & places to stay

The most luxurious hostel I've stayed in anywhere in the world! Super-clean and well run, with an AC unit in my room more modern than anything I've seen in the US. An oversized Jacuzzi with a swim-up bar in the midst of an amazing courtyard with hammocks is only part of the charm. I met more people hanging out there during three evenings than I had in the past two years of everyday life (in LA, nonetheless). Location is not only central, it's essentially the centerpiece of La Fortuna. The advisories: If you get a room around the main courtyard, it will be noisy in the evening, at least till 10pm when the bar closes. You need to ASK for towels and leave a deposit. Also, a very affordable 3hr laundry service is available. Can't beat the value with a mallet. Eat at Soda La Hormiga Restaurant with the locals for dirt-cheap. Ask the staff where it is (the second parking lot behind the hostel).

if you are looking for a very cute and calm place to stay, this is perfect! its lovely decorated, very clean and soooo welcoming! we got chocolate at the arriving <3 it is a bit outside though, but we didnt care, cause we cooked for orself and had a car.

Just as we read on the reviews, this hotel didn't disappoint . The property is amazing, I right by the jungle and wonderful gardens that the owner made. We had a chance to see amazing birds everyday including toucans and all sorts of animals: strawberry poison dart frogs, iguanas, even a sloth hanging on a tree by our balcony!! The room was actually a very big apartment with kitchen, AC and lots of bedding. The wifi was good. And of course, the staff is amazing and very helpful, go to them for any activities they have the best prices, for real! The hotel is in a very convenient location as it is close to the city center, grocery stores and bus station. Go there!

Stayed 9 night at this hotel, Why? Because it’s location in La Fortuna center, I really like this village, small and relaxing, Many restaurants to have dinner, ATM I found 3 so no worries to get cash. At this hotel you can book day trip. I went on a couple of them and I enjoy it. The WiFi was not so god in my room at first floor I later moved to a room on 3fl WiFi very good. Swimming pool Nice 4 sun bed to get some sun in the day time. I would sta here again if I someday com bac to Costa Rica

We had a really nice stay. Melania the owner and her staff/family were so friendly. They arranged mutiple tickets for things to do in the area. And she gave us a lift to the centre of la Fortuna.

It was OK...the ownership has changed, and that was evident in regard to the hotel front desk staff...not as friendly, feeling put out by a few of our requests. The overall quality of the breakfast is not as good as it was during previous visits.

we were able to park right in front of the hotel so felt our car was safe. we were upgraded so were extremely happy with our room. the hotel was very eco friendly. there was a cool terrace to sit out on and enjoy a book or just relax. the ambience was nice.

The location is amazing , nestled inside the rain forest . Hike 10-15 mns down past the pool( and find the river running through , just an enchanting place . We treated ourselves to a massage that was amazing too! Breakfast is available tasty and copious .All the staff is wonderful and attentive , Will the manager speaks multiple languages and goes out of his way to provide excellent service and help book anything you are interested in .The place is so open and welcoming with the chillest vibes . We added another day to our stay we enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend

We slept well in our little slice of paradise. These cute connected rooms, thanks to thoughtful tropical landscaping, feel secluded and special. Note: the walls are quite thin. As a courtesy to your neighbors, do keep it down. The staff were helpful and friendly and the property was sited between the town and its restaurants, and a great selection of hot springs, all in the watchful shadow of the volcano. If you like animals, there's a group of friendly little dogs on site, plenty of resident birds - chickens, geese, and ducks, and many many hummingbirds. We had a very nice time.

Nice cabin with beautiful flowers all around. Good breakfast and helpful staff. Will go there again

Relaxing environment and friendly staffs. Nice local breakfast. Will come back for sure.

That’s what I did, and why I stayed. Great little place, killer location (quiet but not far from anything), fantastic breakfasts, and Ian is easily one of the most helpful people I’ve ever met; he helped me arrange everything and had loads of helpful suggestions. Can’t recommend it enough.

I was impressed with the helpfulness and patience of the staff in booking a visit to the Poas volcano, as the local website kept crashing and finding us the cheapest taxi to take us there. Good location for the volcano and La Paz waterfall gardens. The rooms were good and clean and there was a lovely little garden to sit in

Good hotel to go to national park. The night walk from the hotel with their guide Marcus was really Nice. The other trips he offered were very overpriced.

Great Place to stay if you're planning to visit Poas Vulcano or if you're looking for a place not to far from the airport but want to avoid the crowds of San José or Alajuela. Owner is very helpful and organized our tickets to Poas. As we had an evening flight back to Europe we could even keep our room till 5 PM without any additional charge.

Amazing views, great location and friendly staff. Would definately go back. Super clean and absolutely gorgeous views.

Staff was most helpful. Our transport did not turn up as planned at 1am, staff woke, made a few calls and got it settled for us.

Fantastic staff service - booking tours; changing my room when noise was a problem for me; always pleasant. Room was great, as was the pool. Central location

We spent 3 nights here in Bungalow #5. The bungalow was big and spacious, the hot water worked, and there was a wall fan. The next closest bungalow was 50 feet away. The rainforest is on your doorstep. We really appreciated the fact that we could park our rental car right next to our bungalow. The sounds of the rainforest lull you to sleep. On the first night we took the Frog Watching tour. Only $25 when staying at the hotel. $40 or more if staying elsewhere. We had good tour and it was well worth the $25. The guide was informative. We saw 10-12 species of frog and toads. There was also a pit viper to see! The guide gave us valuable info so we could find the blue jeans frog on our own during the day. The next two nights we walked the trail on our own and found several more frog species, a Northern Cateye snake and an armadillo running around in the brush. Breakfast was good and plentiful. Several types of birds came in to eat the fruits that they put out. Along with a very nervous squirrel. Cons: Bring your own flashlight or headlamp for the frog tour. Their lights don't last very long. As a photographer who really wants a photo with good composition and perfectly in focus, the frog tour can be frustrating. By the time each person looks at it, it has disappeared.

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel Arenal Volcano Inn. We stayed here at the end of August 2014 in a deluxe cabin. The room was quite basic but spacious and clean. The lights in the room were bright and actually a bit annoying, but we made our own lampshade and that made the room a lot nicer to stay in. In the morning we woke up to the most beautiful view of the volcano, cloudless top ! Lots of flowers in the garden make that we saw lots of hummingbirds around. The restaurant next door (Italian) served great pizzas.

I enjoyed the stay here! great views from the hills, and there is a driving path to the top of the property with amazing views. Good breakfast and the hot tubs and slides are alot of fun. Tiles in the bathroom were broken and the bathroom needs an update, not bad but old

This place is a place you dont want to leave. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great view. Very good breakfast. Large rooms, good beds.... everything is perfect. But the best: They can take you on horseback riding tours, ATV tours, night walks with their own staff using their own facilities. One of the best hotels I stayed inn for many years. I recommend staying there and will do the same if back in CR.

A great place centrally located to most attractions around the Arenal Volcano. Clean and large rooms with a nice twist. Recommend this place for travelers that appreciate nature and all it has to offer. A definite place I would book again if I get the chance.

My husband and I stayed 2 nights at the lodge in January. We did not expect when we arrived after dark that it would be such a long drive up a windy mountain road to get there, and it felt appropriate when we saw a sign before the lodge that read "you made it!". We soon came to understand why it was worth being so far from the road. The view is amazing, and you are surrounded by acres of rainforest, with well-maintained trails that are open to guests. The kind of trails you pay good money to walk on a guided tour elsewhere, the lodge offers for free, guided by their wonderful naturalist Miguel. We saw a family of howler monkeys with their babies, and spent about 2 1/2 hours out in the forest. They also offer horseback riding on site, though we didn't go. The Arenal Lake dam is right next to the entrance to the lodge, and from there we rented kayaks for $20 each and spent a morning on the lake enjoying the view of the volcano and the wide variety of birds around the lake. Because the lodge is located up on a mountain away from the road you will need your own car to get the most out of your stay, however the lodge can also arrange tours for you where you can get picked up. The breakfast was delicious!

I loved everything about this place. Doing research before the trip, it seemed almost too good to be true. When my boyfriend and I got there, we were completely blown away. It is exactly as shown in the pictures, only more beautiful and serene. Each room is in its own private building which you can reach by a small, well lit path. We spent the first night getting delicious Tortilla soup in the hotel restaurant, and drinking wine while sitting in the private tub on our back porch. In the morning, after a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet (which offers a little bit of everything) the hotel staff helped us figure out the best ways to get to all of the attractions we wanted to see and even called a cab to help us get there. There was nothing better than coming home from a long day of hiking and taking a LONG and relaxing soak in the waterfall shower, and then going out for a few drinks at the pool. While sitting at the pool bar, you have a perfect view of the Arenal Volcano. This was the first stop on our 2 week long Costa Rica vacation, but I would have been perfectly happy staying at Mountain Paradise the entire time. I cannot recommend this place enough.

This hotel is located a good distance from the little town, however, the grounds are absolutely beautiful, lots of flowers, birds and butterflies and a great view of the Volcano. Breakfast is great with lots of choices and local dishes included. If you want to experience hot springs, you have to go to specialized hot springs locations like Ecothermales and Tabacon. The hot springs at the hotel Arenal Manoa is only a warm pool, nothing to write home about. The food at the restaurant is okay and reasonably priced. You need to take a taxi to get into the town where there are lots of restaurants, supermarkets, souvenir shops etc.

My husband and I stayed at Arenal Paraiso for four days over Christmas. The property and it's location is beautiful. There is a great view of the volcano and the grounds are filled with plants, flowers, and paths. We particularly enjoyed spending an afternoon in the thermal pools. The opportunity for wildlife viewing and photography is huge! Breakfast was included with our stay, the food was satisfactory. We ate dinner in the restaurant once during our stay, we found it overpriced and the quality was OK at best. I would return to Arenal Paraiso and would recommend it but I would suggest finding other places to dine.

A smaller hotel with hot springs but much more quiet than other in the area (Tabacon, Baldi). We loved it!

Only a couple Cons. Walls between rooms are so thin you can have a conversation thru the walls. Understanding it is in a rain forest .... be careful of the snakes on the walkways. Other than those small items (not the snakes...they are big).... we had a nice stay at this BEAUTIFUL facility and would recommend checking it out.