More about Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens
Paradise!
by TripAdvisor Member RedRaiderAmy
My husband stayed at Arenal Nayara for part of our honeymoon in Costa Rica from June 14-18. We were very sad to leave because we loved this hotel so much. It was about a 3.5 hour drive by car (Willy - the best private driver ever!!) from Liberia. The other 4 days of our trip were spent at the Paradisus Playa Conchal and we didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Arenal Nayara.
The staff is incredibly friendly and responds quickly to anything you need. If we waited longer than 5 minutes for our tour company to pick us up, they immediately called the company to find out where the van was. Internet access is free at the hotel. They have connections in the rooms for a laptop or they have 2 laptops for guests to use in the lobby.
A few minutes after we were taken to our room, we received a large plate of assorted fruit with a note from the front desk congratulating us on our wedding. This is the kind of personal service we enjoyed and appreciated during our stay at Arenal Nayara.
The hotel is GORGEOUS. It will celebrate its 6-month anniversary this week but it looks as if the landscaping has been there for years. There are so many colorful plants and flowers. We saw quite a few birds including Toucans from our room or by the pool (bring your binnoculars). The rooms are very nice. All have a great, unobstructed view of the volcano from the back patio, a hot tub on the patio, indoor and outdoor showers and large closets to store your suitcases. We also had great cell phone reception which was hard to come by in CR! The air conditioner worked great too(the Paradisus never got cold enough for us)!
The restaurant had delicious food for breakfast and dinner (we were never there during lunch). The breakfast buffet included eggs, pancakes, sausage, fruit, cereal, toast, fruit juice, rice and some other Costa Rican dish, and pastries. The dinner menu did offer a special each night of the week and there were plenty of chicken, beef, and fish options. We loved the "Typical Meal" and it was enough for the two of us to share. Be sure to get the Tres Leches cake for dessert. It is the best we've ever had! If you eat dinner at the hotel, you get a free trip to see the lava from 9-10pm. The hotel shuttle goes everynight to the best viewing area. We did happen to see quite a bit of lava flowing the night we went and it was even pretty cloudy.
We saw quite a few families with young children staying at the hotel but I'm not sure I would recommend it for families with kids. It seems to offer more of a romantic setting for couples as opposed to a family friendly environment. There are no kid-friendly options at the restaurant and the indoor showers in the rooms don't have a door so there isn't much privacy. It was perfect for us honeymooners though!
The location of the hotel was perfect. Just a $3 cab ride (or free hotel shuttle) to La Fortuna. It took us 30 minutes to get to the Sky Trek zip line tour (only about 5 miles but the roads are so bad it takes longer). 30 minutes to get to Desafio's Canyoneering base camp, 45 minutes to go on Dasafio's Rio Balsa whitewater rafting tour, and less than 5 minutes to get to Tabacon, Baldi, and Eco Termales hot springs.
I would highly recommend this hotel to anybody thinking of staying around La Fortuna. After the feedback I heard from other travelers about Tabacon, Arenal Nayara sounds like it is equally as luxurious, better views of the volcano, and a better value for your money.
What a beautiful hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member Adialosdia
Everything about this hotel was, quite simply, exceptional. The rooms were beautiful and well-appointed, the view was spectacular, the service was excellent, the food was delicious- not once did Nayara let us down.
Customer service was wonderful, friendly, and professional. Arranging tours, trips to town (the hotel shuttle was much easier than cabs, and around the same price), and airport transportation was effortless- if you have any concerns about getting to the hotel from the airport, don't hesitate to email the hotel for suggestions, they were both prompt and helpful.
The rooms are beautiful and peaceful- there is not a lot of space between the cabins, but I would not anticipate that being any problem at all unless you happen to be next to a very noisy party. The view of the volcano is lovely, and sitting in the Jacuzzi during the storms of the rainy season was absolutely heavenly.
The greatest surprise of the visit was the restaurant, Altamira. It was a vast improvement over what I have been led to expect of hotel restaurants in the US, and outstripped even the most highly recommended restaurants in Fortuna. In my experience the dinners at Altamira were substantially better than the lunches, but lunch is included with a great many of the local tours, so I only ate lunch at the hotel once or twice.
Any problems I may have had were entirely characteristic to being in Costa Rica, and not at all caused or aggravated by the hotel- for example, if you do not care to share your room with the many insects, do not open up your door to let in the delightful evening breeze. Provided we were intelligent about keeping doors and windows shut, there was never any bug problem at all. Likewise, if you want to indulge in the porch Jacuzzi, you'll probably have to do so in the morning or afternoon or be prepared to clean out the insects who inevitably fly to the porch lights in the evenings.
Awesome stay at Nayara
by TripAdvisor Member sbnative22
I was a little worried about not seeing Nayara on the map but we found it easily with signs. It is apparently a new place and that's why it's not on the map yet...
Totally wonderful experience. The staff was excellent and most helpful, the grounds and rooms were beautiful, the beds were probably the best we had in Costa Rica, the volcano views both from the room and from the dining room were awesome. We hung out in the pool a little while, and really barely wanted to leave the resort! We booked the volcano hike and Tabacon springs trip through the activites lady, which was a great trip. We got to see some real volcano action, even though the entire hike was through rain and thunder and lightning (thank goodness for Jonathan handing out umbrellas as we left!!).
All the food was very good, the dinners particularly excellent (breakfast and lunch are buffets and while they were very good I'm just not a big fan of buffets in general). We wish we could have stayed longer!
Great accomodations, horrible restaurant
by TripAdvisor Member Monti08
The grounds and rooms are spectacular. The reviews and website are very accurate in this regard. However, be careful with the restaurant. The breakfast is the worst we have had in Costa Rica, bordering on dangerous. It is a buffet and the fruit is left uncovered for hours, attacked by flies etc. The dinner (one time and never again) was poor and overpriced. Go other places to eat. Having said all this, it is still a great place to stay due to the great rooms and gardens.
Breathtaking!!!
by TripAdvisor Member RazorbackTraveler
We hired a private driver to take us from the San Jose airport to La Fortuna. After a very stop and go, but beautiful trip, we arrived at this little paradise!! Immediately upon arriving we were given fresh juice and coupons for the spa. We were then escorted down to an enclosed golf cart (because it was raining) and taken to our room with our luggage. All the employees were just wonderful!! After about ten minutes of being in the room, we heard a knock and were surprised with a large platter of fresh fruits for our stay!!
We had a wonderful breakfast at the restaurant each morning. There were parrots overlooking the dining area and would even get on your finger if you approached them slowly. We ate dinner at the restaurant one night and had the seafood soup, which was really, really good. We also had massages, which were wonderful and not too expensive. Our room was fabulous, had an A/C which we never needed, and overlooked the pool and volcano. There was jacuzzi on the deck of each room as well!!
What a place to start off our honeymoon! We can't wait to go back!
Great Stay!
by TripAdvisor Member Academicadvisor1
I recently stayed at the Nayara and had a wonderful time. A couple of friends stayed there a week or two later and also loved it. Breakfast was good. The grounds are pretty and the staff is great! The bungalows are just like the pictures. Great boutique hotel.
LOVED Nayara!!
by TripAdvisor Member mumiller1
Our family of 5 stayed here for 3 nights in July. The hotel has only been open for 6 months, but operates like they've been in business for years. The rooms (or bungalows) are gorgeous and offer grand views of the volcano. The bungalows have inside and outside showers and a hot tub/jacuzzi on the covered porches facing the volcano. The staff was VERY friendly and always there to help or assist. We found the food to be good in the restaurant for breakfast lunch and dinner. The grounds and gardens are impeccable kept. We would definitely recommend this property and would stay there again.
Absolutely Amazing!!
by TripAdvisor Member worldtravelerDenver
After having a bad experience at the Guancaste hotel, Arenal was our second stop. I still remember arriving at the hotel and being handed fruit drinks and a warm cloth. What a wonderful way to start our stay. The staff was wonderful from the beginining. The two Jonathans had plenty of information to give us throughout our whole stay. Jimmy the poolside bartendar was so great to talk to because we felt we got to know a bit more of Costa Rica from his conversations. The grounds were beautiful and on a clear day you could see the volcano. The bungalows were very clean and nice. We had an amazing view from our window. I recommend this hotel to anybody that is staying in the Arenal area.
What a great boutique hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member tkdmom
This is by far our favorite hotel. It is a perfect boutique style hotel. Small, with only about 25 bungalows and excellent service. We had two massages and they were wonderful. I cancelled Tabacon when I realized the therapist was one that I used three years ago at Tabacon was working here.
We would love to come here again. I hope it never loses it's charm.
Paradise!
by TripAdvisor Member TKOSeattle_WA
My husband and I spent only 2 nights here on our 11 day stay in Costa Rica. If we had to do it over again, we would have stayed here longer. The rooms were great, very comfortable bed. Outdoor shower is paradise. To top it off we had our own outdoor tub facing the volcano. We stayed there on the 4th of July and they even had a fireworks display for the Americans. Really nice staff. Loved the pair of friendly parrots that wander freely around the grounds. Great vacation.
Photos
Native Costa Rican Begonia
Lake Arenal from the garden
Our cabin
Some friends enjoying the swim up bar.
Forum Posts
Affordable Accommodation?
by dilydim
We're going to spend a couple of days in the Arenal/Fortuna area and need an affordable place to stay. I would prefer a small hotel/B&B. Hostel would do as long as there are individual rooms as opposed to dorm style. Our max budget is $40-50 per night for two people.
Since we're not renting a car I would prefer somewhere closer to the site.
Re: Affordable Accommodation?
by gfinesilver
you can try cabanas oriuma. that isn't too expensive
Re: Affordable Accommodation?
by monica71
Check the following places for lodging in your budget, in the town of La Fortuna. They include taxes and breakfast:
1. Las Colinas Hotel http://www.lascolinasarenal.com/
2. Cabinas Carmela cabinascarmela@racsa.co.cr
3. Cabinas Guacamaya http://www.cabinasguacamaya.com/
Also check out this web site for more lodging in La Fortuna:
http://www.hostelworld.com Select Costa Rica and La Fortuna and you will get a list with great lodging in the area.
Good luck!
Monica
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