Amor Arenal — Hotel in La Fortuna

Amor Arenal is STUNNING! My husband and I went for a little vacation and it was the most amazing trip we’ve ever been on.

The pros: This place is 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. There are luxury views and amenities. The casitas are gorgeous and have an amazing view.

Hospitality is exceptional and all the workers there are SO friendly and nice. We were greeted with a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolates because we were celebrating my husbands birthday and an early anniversary. We communicated with Jogebeth before arriving and she helped us book a couple of activities for our trip. When we arrived, she greeted us by name, remembered our itineraries, and was extremely kind and helpful. (This resort only has 30 casitas so it feels very exclusive and never crowded). We also rented a car and they were more than happy to retrieve and park our car each time while we went in and out.

The location of this resort is exceptional. We highly recommend going into town and exploring La Fortuna nearby. Lots of shops, restaurants, and it felt safe walking around during the day.

The pools, spa, restaurants were all amazing and worth checking out.

The complimentary breakfast was DELICIOUS and filling. Our meal would usually hold us over until late afternoon / dinner. We recommend waking up early and getting breakfast first to enjoy the beautiful volcano views.

The cons: This resort is expensive but we felt it was worth it for the luxury. We felt there were a lot of service fees we had to pay for food, drinks, and services but I’m sure many nearby resorts were also like this. With the price, we wished more meals or drinks were included but this didn’t make or break our trip.

Now this is just more of a warning…but this resort is VERY hilly. It can be difficult to walk up and down the roads to get to places around the resorts. However, they have golf carts where the staff is more than willing to pick you up whenever you need to.

Not every casita has a volcano view (even though it may look like it on their website). The rooms closer to reception/entrance have a canyon view but if you want a volcano view, you need to request a casita further away from the entrance. We stayed at room 20 (out of 30) and had a stunning view (we had to request this). With the casita being further away, you do have a longer and more difficult walk to things. It was WORTH it to us because the volcano view is EVERYTHING!

Some things we recommend doing at the resort is: book a spa day, check out the cafe, order room service, enjoy the pool and swim up bar, and don’t miss their complimentary breakfast!

Some things we recommend off the resort is: check out the La Fortuna town, go see the La Fortuna waterfall, check out a sloth and coffee tour, and visit a hot spring (we did ecotermales nearby and we loved it).

We also went ziplining and while the views were stunning, I would say the overall experience was so-so. I would have rather gone on a volcano hike or ATV ride instead.

A few odds and ends: -Everywhere takes USD or credit card. Including tips, so don’t stress about exchanging your money. We flew into SJO airport and rented a car through Alamo (no hidden fees and includes the required insurance you need in Costa Rica). If you drive to and from San Jose to La Fortuna, please take the San Ramon route. Much safer and better roads, we learned the hard way! It took us about 2.5…3 hours each way. I would recommend 4WD but you might be able to get away without. -We stayed during “rainy season” over Labor Day weekend and it hardly rained at all! It’s like Florida. It maybe rained an hour or two in the evening. We kept hearing from locals that rainy / off season is the best time to go because it’s less crowded, cheaper, and you get better views of the volcano. -Bring sunscreen, bug spray, water shoes, rain poncho just in case, and good walking / hiking shoes!

You are going to LOVE Amor Arenal and La Fortuna. We cannot wait...

We spent 11 nights April 2025 at the Amor Arenal Hotel and from start to end the experience was exceptional.

Communication - We contacted the hotel a few weeks before arriving to ask about various trips that were available and some various questions about our stay at the hotel. Marolin responded very promptly and arranged our itinerary,  all of which ran like clockwork during the stay, more about those later. On the day of arriving reception reached out to ask about our arrival time, and due to our late evening arrival after the restaurant closed they asked if we would like anything to eat on arrival, which was very well received after 20hours of travelling.

Restaurant - The restaurant as with all the rooms have fantastic views of the Arenal Volcano, and a really nice ambience. As there are only around 30 rooms in the hotel it is never too busy and this means you get a very focused service from the staff.  The menu has a good range of choices both for breakfast and dinner, all of which we really enjoyed even for an 11 night stay. There is also a coffee shop, were you can buy the most delicious cakes and light snacks if you are hungry during the day.

Gym - is a good size and has a really good range of equipment and weights, plenty for a really good workout. You also have kettle bells in your room along with a couple of mats.

Rooms - are all identical other than having either having two Queens or one Kingsize bed. They all face the volcano, have hot tubs, are well equipped with hairdryers, straighteners, well stocked mini bar, refilled every day included in the room rate,  iron and ironing board. Lovely wet rooms, with rainforest shower also overlooking the forest and volcano is quite a feature. Rooms are immaculate, very private and have quite a lot of glass in them so you do have the light coming in as soon as the sun rises. Some rooms are closer to the main buildings than others, the higher the number the further away you are from the restaurant etc. There is a steep road to walk up if you are further away, which didn't bother us to much, but if this isn't for you then there are plenty of staff driving golf buggies that are very happy to come and pick you up and take you back to your room.

Spa - beautifully located, great range of massages and treatments available which are expertly carried out by the staff. We had two 80min massages each while there both times feeling great afterwards. There is also a space for yoga classes which are very popular with hotel guests especially the morning session.

Staff  - now the staff are what make this place amazing, they simply cannot do enough for you. They are all clearly very proud to work at the hotel, always smiling and so friendly, customer service is exceptional if you want something or need anything it gets done immediately.  I would like to mention a few that really made our holiday so wonderful, Natalia,  Valeria, Cindy and Nela in the restaurant, Ros the resident wildlife expert who can also takes you on the Serenity trail and always around to show you wildlife if you are interested and Marolin on reception.

Trips - all of our trips were arranged via the hotel, and included White Water rafting, Sky Tram and Ziplining, Rio Celeste & Tenorio national park, Hike & Nature and La Fortuna Waterfall and ATV/Quads Bikes. All were superbly organised by the tour guides, we always felt safety was a priority for them but it didn't take away any of the fun doing the activities like white Water Rafting and ATV's. I would highly recommend the White Water rafting, ATV Discovery tour, and the Hike & Nature/La Fortuna tour.

This was a wonderful experience for us, being immersed in nature and the most wonderfully located hotel. The staff in particular and generally the  people of Costa Rica are quite amazing, so warm and welcoming.  I highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in the La Fortuna/Arenal area, it is...

Amor Arenal is a must stay if you're visiting la fortuna area! The short version: the rooms, resort, restaurants/bar/cafe, pools, gym (and amazing morning yoga!), breathtaking views from wherever you stand (volcano or forest - all spectacular), staff, spa, excursions, on-site trails/wildlife, we're absolutely beyond wonderful & exceeded expectations. If you want more details, keep reading!

The staff members were so kind, helpful, attentive & thoughtful. You could feel the pride they have in the resort and their work. It is the kind of customer service that I didn't know existed any more. Everything felt so special! When we first arrived to our room, we were literally giddy from the view of the volcano, heated pool, & overall luxury of the room and bathroom. It was our honeymoon, and they congratulated us with bubbly & chocolates - so kind and unexpected!! It was also Easter weekend and on Easter day we had a dessert waiting in our room for us. Nonstop consideration and detailed service. The wonder and gratitude didn't wear off over our (too short) four night stay.

Every morning at 8:15, there is a complimentary yoga session with a beautiful view. The teacher created thoughtful classes that were inspiring & embodied everything yoga is about in my opionion.

The complimentary breakfast was so good. Every. Single. Day. Come hungry! There will be plenty of food & you'll want to try a new menu item each day! The food (& obviously the coffee) and the volcano view (even on the not so clear sky days) made the start of each day amazing.

The main restaurant is in the same place as breakfast. The food. Oh the food. So good. Plenty of choices and very generous portion sizes. We also had fun table side fire experience cocktails! Delicious and fun!

The bar, la jaraita, was really fun with more cocktails, music, and little tapas. I'm sure all the tapas are delicious, but we really just went hard on the empanadas and couldn't stop ordering them. They also offer a special dinner outside where you can grill many different veggies and meats - my husband and I had a really fun time doing this, but beware you will be stuffed!!! I think, if you can handle it, you should do the paired cocktail experience with it as well. Made for a really fun and boozy evening.

If you're wanting a mid day coffee or treat, the cafe will hit the spot! Loved the iced coffee and desserts for a pick me up when I was feeling sleepy from all the activities.

There are a couple luxury pool options but my favorite (besides the one in our room) was the heated swim up bar! It had different cocktail options that you won't find in the other spots. And again, a volcano view!

We ended up booking a couples massage with a scrub. I swear time stopped and I entered nirvana. It was in a beautiful open air structure so we could feel the breeze and hear the forest. One of the best massages I've ever had.

The on-site trails are not to be missed! They are full of nature's beauty and creatures - we saw so many monkeys, birds, lizards, leaf cutter ants, coatimudis, and even a sloth! Some of these animals can be found just outside your window! Amazing!

They also helped facilitate our excursions: the hanging bridges and volcano hike were both unbelievable; the tour guides were so knowledable and fun - HIGHLY recommend, you will learn and appreciate everything so much more if you take the guided tours instead of self guided. We also did the hot springs at Ecotermales lodge too, which I don't recommend... Compared to Amor Arenal, this Ecotermales hot springs hotel and their pools were just not on the same level of luxury. I also heard the paddle boarding and river rafting were fun too, so I will definitely try those when we go back!

I literally cried when we had to leave. We will be...