Chateau Arenal

Chateau Arenal is a great little ***** of modest bungalows allowing a view of the volcano and the main ***** of El Castillo below. These aren't luxury accommodations, but the staff are attentive, friendly and kind (like seemingly everyone in Costa Rica). Breakfast was tasty and if the materials are available, they'll cook anything for you. We especially enjoyed being able to walk down through El Castillo to tiendas and "sodas" to feel the town. You're on a slope, so expect to burn some calories. One of the most annoying things is the whine of noisy motorcycles in the area, but that's simply Costa Rica. Parts of the hotel are closer to the road than others. Expect occasional windy conditions, because the hotel is on a ridge. We generally felt secure, but you'll have to choose between closing your window at night and running the AC or leaving it open. The bathroom was dark, making things like putting in contact lenses challenging. We recommend walking up and down the hill and trying different eateries. We especially enjoyed a day at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and Trails (only 18 minutes away). Well worth the $18 per person (at the time of this review). Special thanks to Richard, Sophia and Julia. Great people!!!

Staff was friendly, typical breakfast included (tasty), lake and volcano view, soothing to hear the rain on the roof. Our room didn't have but fan was enough. They can do your laundry if needed, wifi was good as well

Stay in town and avoid this place on the outskirts of town. First of all they advertise ac and internet and 2 beds in room and then try and give you a different room with none of the above. The room ultimately given had 2 worn out crap mattresses with sink holes in them. If you stay here be prepared to drive a distance near nothing and also get no sleep due to poor quality accommodations. Don’t bring your valuables because the back sliding door doesn’t lock either. We stayed one miserable night and checked into another hotel in town and was treated to a good nights sleep.

Great location overlooking lake Arenal and Arenal. Beautiful grounds and view. Friendly staff. Very basic room with uncomfortable beds.

Facilities are just ok, room is more like a cabin, the surroundings and views are great. There are a few good restaurants in walking distance.

We enjoyed our stay at the chateau! The views were amazing and the restaurant food was delicious and beautifully presented.

Awesome views of volcano and mountains from patio and room balcony. Clean and basic room. AC and WiFi works well. Complimentary breakfast was delicious. We stayed 3 nights. Fortuna waterfall, chocolate tour and Mistco suspension bridges were the best attractions. .

The rooms were clean but the AC was not working. We informed the front desk but they said they were all booked and did not have another room and would not refund us. They said they'll get someone to fix it the next day but they could not. I mentioned that the parking lot was empty and asked to switch rooms. They then offered a room with a smaller size bed which would not work for us so we had to stick with the room with the broken AC. Wi-Fi is spotty, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Breakfast was good but the included breakfast is the same everyday so if you're staying for multiple days, you might get tired of it. They do offer a wider menu for additional cost. For the three nights we stayed, we enjoyed the breakfast, coffee, and fruit juices. However, the room had breathtaking views. We stayed in a junior suite with private balconies overlooking the volcano. You can hear birds in the morning and the white noise of the river. The location is 30 min from downtown La Fortuna. There is a small convenience store nearby and it's fairly close to certain sites. So the location is unbeatable. Edit: They offered us a room with the large bed and working AC for our last/3rd night. Unfortunately, we were heading out to a scheduled tour when they told us that and we came back with a sleeping toddler so we figured it wasn't worth the hassle for one night. We do appreciate them offering though.