Arenal Montechiari — Hotel in La Fortuna

I'm not sure why some people have had a negative experience here. We're staying for 5 nights and it's been absolutely great! We're a family of 3 and the cabins are BIG.

The shower is so huge you could practically fit a twin bed in there. Our room has a king and twin bed. And there is plenty of space for our bags and stuff without feeling cramped at allll. There is a fridge in the room and the AC is freezing cold! ❄

The breakfast buffet is plentiful and usually had pancakes, gallo pinto (rice and beans), eggs, some sausage/hot dog dish, a fresh veggie sauté and fruit. The mom and daughter who cook and serve do it with a lot of love. Across the 'road' from the breakfast area are some large boulders. Keep a lookout on those! They put some fruit there and some beautiful birds and lizards come to eat!

One thing to note, is that the rooms aren't exactly "mountain view." There is no window on the property that faces the mountain. But the mountain is visible from the property (when it's not cloudy).

If you come in at night, look for the night guard. He took us to the border of the property and showed us a sloth mama and baby! And some frogs!

The location is PERFECT. It's about a 10 min walk from the central plaza AND it's a nice quiet location. There are a few tiny shops very nearby for drinks and ice creams if you need a little something. I loved how close it was to town.

Some town tips if you're staying here

Need random things like flip flops or binder clips or a lock or earrings? Go to Distribuidora Montaña Mágica Right in the main part of town, tucked by the bus depot, next to a supermarket. They're super well organized, friendly and so helpful! It's about a 13 min walk from the hotel.

Need natural, affordable hot springs? Go to Relax Termalitas Juan at the hotel told us about this. It has a very safe, family friendly vibe and it's AFFORDABLE, I think it was $8/person (in July 2023). A lot of Ticos come here, which is a good thing to be. We went 3x in 5 days. They have the hottest hot pool and 5 or 6 pools at other temperatures. It's magical at night! You can bring your own food in but the restaurant is good, fairly priced and you can order on WhatsApp and they bring it to your table. It's about a 10 min drive from the hotel. Free, secure parking on site.

Need clothes, esp warm ones for Monteverde? Go to Tienda Sinai It's a used clothing store with prices from $0.40 to $6. I found excellent quality fleece and other things for my family. It's about an 8 min walk from the hotel, take...

Review from a travel expert of 25 years with previous experience as a hotel sales manager in Calgary. This property offers good value for what we paid, I booked like anyone else (not an agent rate or anything) for 4nts. I have backpacked in past to site inspected or stayed in luxury so I am very fair when I review. We were able to access room earlier which was nice, but 2 staff members failed to mention you have the same spa services that me and a friend did twice in town and you lost revenue because of that Property is good location as if you are central in Fortuna I think it would be noisy. Pool area clean and nice, grounds well looked after. Considering it's 2024 not having wifi in rooms is not acceptable because technology exists so everyone is sitting at front office. Considering the property is not huge you need to figure this out. The actual rooms look ok but please invest on some updates, the yellow bedspreads and curtains would make a difference if you did some whites. Beds are an issue, terrible. I saw how busy you are and have tour groups and your age group is 60+ so people need a proper mattress. The second green sidewalk kind of dates the property, I would paint that a light shade. Sinks and toilet dated but would be ok. Our room had a huge gap under door so critters could easily get in...luckily none. Tv had good movies, fridge worked, air conditioning good. North American clientele also like coffee makers and providing 2 bottles of water would rank you better. Making these small adjustments would validate you to charge a bit more and rank you higher with reviews. Breakfast was ok, great for your tour groups leaving in am. |Do some soft updates on rooms with mattresses, linens curtains|Get wifi in rooms|I see so much potential here and I love Costa Rica so much, I'd be happy to somehow help resource bedding connections or something even work for free to reno a few things LOL for now...

We had a beautiful stay here during our recent Costa Rica visit. The property is well maintained with a rustic design. The room that was given to us at first had a odd odor maybe due to the heavy downpour. We tried to ignore it at first by keeping the door open thinking it will pass. But when it didn’t we went to the office and they promptly shift us to another room on the other side. You can see the volcano from the property. The morning walks are beautiful with an opportunity to see so many birds large and small. Wifi only available in the office area and the dining area. We didn’t mind that since it was time to take a break from the smart gadgets. Only criticism would be the breakfast which was basic and blend. We found bugs cooked inside our pancakes. But the La Fortuna downtown only ten min walk with plenty of food options and stores. There was couple of convenient stores five min away as well from where we got our daily water bottle. Overall, very nice place with friendly and helpful stuff. The house keeping made cute animals with the towels and put fresh flowers. Please tip...