Arenal Vista Lodge, Fortuna — Hotel in Peñas Blancas

I understand that expectations have to be set when you book one of the more affordable Hotels in the area but this place is a ripoff. Pictures on booking sites don’t represent the place at all. We booked 3 nights and just stayed one because of the horrendous conditions of the place losing all the money in the process. We paid for a room with a king bed and was not available when we arrived and we were forced to get a smaller bed with no compensation for it. The bathroom was dirty with urine smell, a trashcan with body fluids on it, a sink almost detached from the wall, a towel holder that fallen out when removing the towel that itself was dirty and with holes on it. The bathroom lacked a closing window, using only a mesh to prevent insects to get into the room. Then do not expect privacy when taking a shower or using the bathroom. Also, no soap for you. The bed showed signs of a careless with multiple stains on the bed frame and sheets. The room was full of ants and with a lack of a phone, coffee maker, or any other accommodations except for TV and AC. The scary nightstands will show you how is this place is run, with a ridiculous amount of very disturbing stains. Internet service (wifi) is a joke. They have like 2 networks that will go down every 2-3mins and won't work at all when connected. All this in an area where there is not a good mobile reception and no phone is available in the room. This place is not only running extremely badly but is also deceiving customers and taking their money. Don't stay there if you want to have a good time in the...

Do not stay here! I was sent here as part of a student travel program tour in Costa Rica in June 2019 and was completely flabbergasted by what I saw. The student travelers walked out in protest and refused to stay here because there were spiders in the bed, blood stains in the sheets, on the covers, under the pillows and in the shower, bodily fluid stains on the wall and comforters, and ripped screens over the windows. Note that there is no A/C, so it’s either suffocate in the heat or open the screen-torn windows to all the critters of Costa Rica. This was not just in one room, but throughout the entire resort. The place has a massive ant infestation that covered my toilet and was in the common dining room. The lobby chairs and a bed had mold, probably due to the fact that there is no air conditioning in any part of the lodge. The staff claimed that this was just part of being in the mountain region, but when we demanded to be moved to another hotel in town, that hotel had was sparkling clean and pest free.The staff was friendly enough, but this issue goes beyond just cleaning. This whole place needs to be completely renovated. Also, the staff leaves at night. So if there’s any emergency, you will find yourself in a room 45 minutes away from town, with no phone in the room, poor cell reception and internet that only kind of works in the main lobby that closes at night. It’s too bad I can’t post pics, because everything I said and...

Wonderful views, great location in a lovely town right on the lake with a few basic services and restaurants nearby, and about a 30 minute drive to the main touristy area of La Fortuna (Sky, the main place for canopying is, however, just 10 minutes up the road and there are two good activity centres right by the hotel). ||The hotel itself is pleasant. Certainly not luxury but it works. Rooms are decent, need upgrading/improving in quite a few areas, but do the job. Internet hardly works and we often needed to ask for the hot water to be turned on. Service is a little sloppy in places but effort is made. A decent enough option which could be really lovely with a bit more work. 3.5 stars would be the most accurate rating.||If returning to the area, I would choose to stay in the El Castillo area again as it is lovely and peaceful...