Have you ever been to a place and your mouth just drops in amazement of how beautiful it is? There are many beautiful places in the world, but Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is truly the ultimate retreat in Costa Rica! During our trip to Costa Rica, we stayed at this lodge to experience the city of  La Fortuna. We made this reservation through our Hilton Grand Vacations membership. This lodge is in very close proximity to this city. The city is full of life, vibrancy, and natural wonders. However, staying at Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is the ultimate retreat because everything you need and want is there. It will not disappoint you. Let me tell you why!

First Impression

First impressions mean a lot to me. As we entered Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa we were greeted with a colorful lobby and friendly employees. Not only were the front desk employees friendly, but so were the maintenance staff when they helped my husband retrieve our rental car from nearly driving off a cliff at night, but that’s a whole other story in itself! 

We arrived on the property after a long day of driving into town and an evening at Arenal Eco-Zoo, which I talk about here. We were tired and they gave us a room quickly. I loved how the front desk spoke both English and Spanish; English for my husband and Spanish for me. 

The grounds

The grounds are everything you would expect from a tropical climate. Since this lodge is located approximately 2,000 feet above sea level, the temperature is cooler and rain can be expected at any time. However, with rain, it makes vegetation look even more beautiful! 

We loved how Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa takes great care to preserve its habitat. At the bird sanctuary, they are fed every morning just outside the restaurant near the deck area. You can be outside, sit and just watch for hours all the animals that come and go while they eat. This makes for a great time to watch the sun rise or set.

Food

We are foodies, so food quality for us is super important. Food quantity is important for us, too, but quality comes first. At dinner, you sit down like a traditional restaurant and order from a menu. The dish I ordered was delicious. Now, to my favorite part of the food experience was breakfast. Do not miss out on breakfast! Breakfast here will fill you up and you may want to just skip lunch altogether because it is a buffet! Everyone in your party, including the pickiest eater in your family – and we have one, will be happy with the breakfast choices. Traditional American food (pancakes, cereal, fruit) and Costa Rican favorites (fried plantains and gallo pinto, which is a mixture of black beans and rice) will certainly entice your morning appetite. It was absolutely amazing and delicious! I was a happy girl.

In the evening, settle down with a cocktail. My favorite cocktail is a piña colada. Arenal knows how to make a perfect piña colada! Our boys ordered a fruit drink cocktail (virgin of course), I tasted it, and it was amazing! They ordered one practically every night we were there!

Activities on Property

Activities on this property are endless. Remember when I said that Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is the “ultimate retreat?” I wasn’t saying that lightly. Free activities and volcano tours on and near the property are numerous.   

FREE ACTIVITIES WE DID

1. Chess & Checkers at the restaurant area. Some evening we would have checker matches and other evenings we would have Mexican Domino matches. That was my first time playing Mexican Dominos and I loved it! 

2. Game Room. There are no video games here,  just in case that was your first thought. With the younger generation, when they hear “game room” they think of video games first. However, your kids (and possibly you, too) will love this area because there is a ping-pong table. Honestly, we didn’t do anything else in this room other than the ping-pong table because our boys were hooked on this.

3. Spring-fed Swimming Pool & Jacuzzi. It was so comforting and relaxing to come back to the lodge from exploring the city of La Fortuna and just lounge by the pool and, especially, the jacuzzi. As you can see from the photos, the adults were mainly in the jacuzzi while the kids were in the pool. When you’re here, it feels like…nope…you can literally say that you are in the middle of the rainforest and volcano. It is an extraordinary experience to even think this, but to be there is surreal! 

4. The Morning Walk. While you may be thinking “I’m here to sleep in because I’m on vacation,” that might be true. However, you have to at least once try the morning walk tour that Arenal offers because it’s really worth getting up early for. We did not take a trolley, like the website shows, but we decided to put our feet to work. We felt, and we were correct, that we could get a more authentic hiking experience this way. Our guide was very knowledgeable and patient when we stopped him to answer some questions.

The waterfall was our final destination. On the way there, however, we saw many creatures including some I’m not too fond of like spiders and snakes. Can you spot the light brown snake in the photo below? Our guide told us that that snake (don’t know the name of it) is extremely venomous. Let’s just say, I started walking a little faster when he mentioned that!

At times I would look up to the sky to see if I could capture a photo of a howler monkey. We heard howler monkeys in the distance so I was hoping to get a photo, but instead of capturing a photo, I got this one. The walk was so peaceful, at times, because I could see the sun just shining over the trees. I was trying to capture not just a photo of a howler monkey or a sloth, but something much bigger: The beauty of God’s creation. I loved the colorful trees we saw on the property and when we got back home, I had to research its name. Those are called eucalyptus trees. 

We made it! After an almost 3 hour walk and some rain, we arrived at the waterfall! What a morning walk that was. I highly recommend this free guided tour while staying at Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa. Arriving was breathtaking!

PAID VOLCANO TOURS WE DID*

1. The Spa. The spa is luxurious. It’s that simple…luxurious! The atmosphere consisted of a natural gorgeous view, a floral sweet scent, relaxing music, and all your tension washed away by the hands of a professional staff member.     

2. Horseback Riding on the Property.  This happened to be our youngest son’s favorite activity. He absolutely loves horses and wouldn’t mind having a farm one day. This experience was wonderful because it is not your typical on/off short ride. It is very safe for many ages (see their website requirements) and the horses travel all around the property. If the weather is right, you can see Arenal Volcano in all its majestic beauty!

*To learn more about other paid activities (Baldi Hot Springs, Arenal Eco-Zoo at night, & Sky Tram/Ziplining) we did near Arenal Observatory Lodge, visit Costa Rica: Things To Do In San Jose And Arenal On Your Family Vacation.   

Our Room

At the end of every evening, as we headed to our room, there was always a supply of fresh Costa Rican coffee in our room. It was like stepping into our own sanctuary mainly because of the view that we had, but for coffee drinkers, it was like a piece of heaven. The view is the first thing we noticed when we stepped into our room. After a few cloud coverings and some rain, we had a gorgeous view of Arenal Volcano. 

Costa Rica is one of Central America’s most popular country. If you’re planning on visiting Costa Rica for the first time, this lodge is the perfect place for the many reasons I have listed above. Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is truly not just Costa Rica’s ultimate retreat. It IS a treat! Have you visited Costa Rica before? Let me know where in Costa Rica you’ve been in comments.