Arenal Roca Lodge & Bungalows — Hotel in La Fortuna

This place is a complete disgrace. It’s not just dirty — it’s a health hazard. The room was crawling with every disgusting creature you can imagine: fleas, cockroaches, spiders, ants — bugs everywhere, in the bed, in the bathroom, on the walls. There were cobwebs all over the ceiling and filth in every corner. It looked abandoned and smelled like rot.||||And it gets worse — my 5-year-old child was bitten by something that looked like a tick. He was in pain, crying and screaming, and when I ran to reception for help, the staff couldn’t care less. I begged for another room, and the receptionist just said “none available” with zero empathy or effort to help.||||After 9 PM, there is NO ONE at reception. That means if there’s an emergency, you’re completely alone. That’s not just bad service — it’s dangerous. I had to pack up and leave the place at 10 at night, with my child still crying from the bite, and go hunting for another hotel like it was a survival mission.||||I stayed only a few miserable hours and kept the door locked the whole time, but it didn’t matter — the bugs were inside the room, infesting everything. It was pure horror.||||And here’s the cherry on top: it’s NOT cheap. You’d expect this level of filth in some abandoned shack, not a paid accommodation in La Fortuna. There are far better, cleaner, safer, and cheaper places just down the street.||||I asked the manager for a refund for the two nights I had paid in advance, and he was not only unhelpful — he was aggressive, rude, and completely shameless. Didn’t refund a single cent. Not even an apology.||||This place is a disgrace. It should be investigated, shut down, and erased from every booking site. If you value your health, your sanity, or your child’s safety — STAY AWAY. Sleeping outside would have been better than this...

Great view of the volcano but customer service is inconsistent.

Positives: Great views of the volcano from the full window room. Good size rooms. Isolated, green and well maintained gardens. Walking distance to the national park and free hot water springs. Air conditioning in the room. Rooms and linen were clean. Very friendly staff - only the female reception staff though. I had an incident of a lost passport in a restaurant and Juliana at the reception was exceptionally helpful in getting it back.

Negatives: A few amenities were missing in the room. A bottle of water, glasses and safe was missing. The shower could be turned off only with specialist knowledge, which we were given only on our third day. So had to bear a dripping shower for 2 nights. The WC was defective too and was fixed on the third day only. They have large premises and there is no telephone in the room and the only way to contact reception is WhatsApp, which they are no so good at responding to. Staff not very pro-active or even reactive. Location is far off from La Fortuna town - 9 kms. Access to good restaurants and bars in the evening will be dependent on taxi/Uber if you don’t have a car. They have food but a limited menu. Even short distances can’t be walked at night due to lack of sidewalks and it being a motorway/highway. They are not very flexible with an early breakfast (only as early as 7 am).

Conclusion: A good place to stay amongst nature with great views but be ready for a hit and miss customer service. This is a general observation in CR - the hospitality and hotel prices have increased not in proportion to the customer...

Positives: Great views of the volcano from the full window room. Good size rooms. Isolated, green and well maintained gardens. Walking distance to the national park and free hot water springs. Air conditioning in the room. Rooms and linen were clean. Very friendly staff - only the female reception staff though. I had an incident of a lost passport in a restaurant and Juliana at the reception was exceptionally helpful in getting it back. |Negatives: A few amenities were missing in the room. A bottle of water, glasses and safe was missing. The shower could be turned off only with specialist knowledge, which we were given only on our third day. So had to bear a dripping shower for 2 nights. The WC was defective too and was fixed on the third day only. They have large premises and there is no telephone in the room and the only way to contact reception is WhatsApp, which they are no so good at responding to. Staff not very pro-active or even reactive. Location is far off from La Fortuna town - 9 kms. Access to good restaurants and bars in the evening will be dependent on taxi/Uber if you don’t have a car. They have food but a limited menu. Even short distances can’t be walked at night due to lack of sidewalks and it being a motorway/highway. They are not very flexible with an early breakfast (only as early as 7 am).|Conclusion: A good place to stay amongst nature with great views but be ready for a hit and miss customer service. This is a general observation in CR - the hospitality and hotel prices have increased not in proportion to the customer...