“Total heaven!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

This hotel is total heaven. It's the kind of place you could stay all day long and be perfectly happy. My mom and I booked the hotel through Bookit, where I found a "Stay 3 nights, get 1 free" deal. Since we were going during the low season, it ended up costing a total of $140/night, including tax. When we got to the hotel, it turned out that with our Bookit deal, we also got free dinner every night – up to $50 per person!

“Great Wedding Destination”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We have traveled around the world and stayed at many excellent hotels. However, the Hotel Nayara was truly a unique and wonderful experience in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. It is small 24 room luxury hotel located by the spectacular active Arenal volcano. Each room is actually an individual bungalow that has beautiful hardwood floors, a large indoor bathroom area and a fabulous outdoor shower filled with tropical ornamental plants. Each unit also has its own wooden balcony, private jacuzzi and an awesome view of the Arenal volcano. The housecleaning personnel do an immaculate job each day and will surprise you with some new twists and turns to your towels as they create imaginative figures and designs. The grounds are very attractive with a wide variety of tropical foliage and flowers. The staff at the Nayara is just terrific and does everything possible to make your stay a memorable event. For a relaxing moment before dinner, try the outdoor pool and “wet” bar, literally! You enjoy sipping on your piña colada or a wide variety of cocktails, beer and wine in the warm water pool. Try the spa that offers numerous types of massages to calm the spirit after an active day of sight-seeing or zipping through the canopies. The dining room at the Nayara is furnished with lovely wicker furniture and chairs that are offset by orange cushions which blend in with the tropical scene. The restaurant has plentiful choices of excellent food and a small but high quality wine list.

The Hotel Nayara provides the perfect setting for a destination wedding location for couples interested in marrying in Costa Rica. My husband, Jim and I, were the first couple to be married there on August 12, 2008 and the enthusiasm of the staff was tremendous. The upper garden area by the fish pond is the perfect setting for a wedding. Not only are there beautiful flowers and foliage surrounding the garden but the volcano Arenal provides a great backdrop. During the Green Season, May-November, be aware that the volcano might be perfectly clear in the early morning and then disappear behind the clouds as the day wears on or not! We were very lucky and had excellent views of the volcano most of the days of our stay. The restaurant staff is excellent at setting tables for a wedding party and there is room enough for dancing as well. You can bring along your own music on a CD or contract with a local group.

Pedro and Guadalupe are the resident parrots that will amuse you with their antics and yes, that is a white rabbit with black ears hopping around the garden!

The photos taken at the Hotel Nayara talk for themselves!

“Total heaven!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

This hotel is total heaven. It's the kind of place you could stay all day long and be perfectly happy. My mom and I booked the hotel through Bookit, where I found a "Stay 3 nights, get 1 free" deal. Since we were going during the low season, it ended up costing a total of $140/night, including tax. When we got to the hotel, it turned out that with our Bookit deal, we also got free dinner every night – up to $50 per person!

Our casita was beautiful. The beds and pillows were so comfortable and luxurious. We loved the Jacuzzi on the porch and the outside shower. They provided plenty of towels, refilled our basket with fabulous shampoos and soaps each night, and even folded some of our clothes for us when they came in for the turndown service! (We had a good laugh about that one.) It was so relaxing to sit on the balcony and watch the hummingbirds and the volcano. Some days I was reluctant to go on our afternoon tour because I was so content at the hotel.

The main lobby is also beautifully decorated and has three laptops with Internet for the guests. There is a representative from Jacamar Naturalist Tours (we worked with the fabulous Maria) who can help plan your itinerary in Arenal. The grounds of the hotel are simply spectacular.

Because we did not have a car and because breakfast and dinner was included in our package (although the dinner deal was unique to our deal, everyone gets free breakfast), most of our meals were in the Altamira Restaurant on the grounds. The food there is good – there is a nice selection of food for breakfast, including fresh fruit, cereal, pastries, eggs and omelets, sausage, pancakes, and fried plantains. The plantains were my personal favorite. The dinners were also pretty good – they brought out a small guacamole and salsa dish every night as an appetizer. My mom and I enjoyed their salads. We weren't blown away by any of the meals we had there for dinner, but we also had no real complaints. Julio and Vanessa were two particularly kind members of the wait staff. The view itself at the restaurant is worth it – there are two parrots nearby, a couple of bunnies running around, and of course, the fabulous landscaping and volcano view.

After staying at Nayara, I couldn't imagine staying anywhere else in Arenal. It was a dream come true, and my mom and I will never forget our incredible time at this very special place.

“Paradise”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We just got back from our honeymoon in Costa Rica and Nayara was definately the highlight of the trip. Words cannot describe the beauty and serenity of this hotel. We feel so fortunate to have found this hotel and I can honestly say it must be the best place to stay near Arenal. If you want a unique hotel experience, book with this place and there is no way you would be disappointed.

We booked some of our vacation thru a travel agent but I found Nayara reading reviews of tripadvisor.com and I am so glad I did. Everything that has been said is true of this place and I would most certainly go back and stay at this one of a kind hotel. It is very private in each bungalow and the staff was very accomodating. Francisco and Jimmy were just two of the friendly people we got to know. Believe the hype, this place is perfect!!! We even met the owner while we were there and he was so friendly and concerned that everyone has a wonderful stay.

“Magical Place!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We just got back from a fabulous stay at Arenal Nayara! We stayed 3 nights and the accommodations are phenomenal. Very comfortable bed, great outdoor shower (with one indoors too), deck with jacuzzi, and an incredible view of the Arenal Volcano! All rooms have a direct view. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with resident parrots and bunny. We ate dinner one night and all complimentary breakfasts there gazing at the volcano. Our meals were excellent and the breakfasts were a great value with incredible choices. We took the complimentary volcano night tour to the active side to see brilliant stars and red lava following dinner. The front desk is completely friendly and helpful. When our Desafio tour didn't pick us up for our Arenal hanging bridges tour, the front desk called them and we were booked with our personal tour guide through Desafio one hour later. We took the Sky Tram/Trek canopy tour also and had a great time zipping over the rain forests. September is a great time to go - no crowds and very personalized service, and the weather was beautiful with sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons. Arenal Nayara is the place to stay. I'd hesitate to consider anywhere else. The photos on their website are exactly like the real thing.

“Stunning Hotel”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My husband and I recently returned from our vacation in Costa Rica. Our itinerary was Tortuguero. the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio. Of all the hotels we stayed in, Arenal Nayara was our best stay. The premises were very clean, and service polite and helpful, From our "casita" we had a breathtaking view of the volcano, and it was surrounded by the most beautiful tropical landscape. Upon our arrival we were handed cool, scented towels and a delicious fruit juice to refresh ourselves. We loved that the breakfast was included in the rate, as well as the free use of the Internet. The day we were checking out, we had a three-hour delay in our rafting tour. They did not charge us for any additional time that we stayed in our room. They were just concerned that we were comfortable untill the last minute.

Our only regret is that we didn't stay longer, enjoying the peace and harmony that this hotel offers. We truly felt at home. Highly recommend it!

“Would stay there again”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Hotel Nayara is a great place to stay when visiting the Arenal area. There are 25 cabanas, they are well appointed. There is a jacuzzi on the deck overlooking tropical foliage, and the volcanoe. One highlite was the outdoor shower, it is completely private with great water pressure. We only used that shower, we loved it. so much. The hotel was built recently, so it feels new. The gardens are lovely, the pictures on the website are exactly what you will see. When we went to our room. We were greeted with a fresh rose arrangement, fresh fruit plate, and a hand written note from the General Manager welcoming us. There were fresh flowers throughout the cabana. We stayed in Cabana 25 which is on the end, so it is very private. The service is attentive, Jonathan the Consierge is extaroridinarily attentive. This hotel is good value for the money. We paid $235. a night and booked on travelocity. However, I would recomend booking directly with the hotel.

“Good but liked Manuel Antonio better”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Nayara Hotel, La Fortuna: Overall I was pleased with this hotel and would probably have a higher opinion of it had I not stayed at Issimo suites in MA first so please keep that in mind while reading this. I will try to keep this at objective as possible. The grounds are well maintained and very pretty, they have a more tropical feel however than rainforest feel. The buildings are one story and the plants are not tall trees smaller bushes and plants. The pool area is very nice but not designed for children they are many small tables with benched great for having a cocktail in the pool not for children which I saw some jumping off the tables into the pool was scared they would crack their head open. There is a bar at the pool Jimmy makes the best drinks and was the most helpful of all the people there. There was not always someone at the pool bar and you sometimes had to go looking or wait a bit. I once asked for a pina colada and the bar tender told me the blender was broken which I am not sure is true b/c later it when other people started to appear it was all of a sudden working. The restaurant here is fine we ate dinner there once nothing special but fine and a bit pricey. Breakfast was included in the price and was a buffet each morning in the restaurant. It was good the same thing each morning but no complaints. Each night they offer a free shuttle to the other side of the volcano to see the lava we did not take advantage of it b/c we had a car and it left at 9:00 pm and we were usually too tired to stay up that late! The room was nice it has an indoor and outdoor shower we only used the outdoor one. Lots of closet space, each room has a balcony and an outdoor Jacuzzi tub we never used, probably b/c our room overlooked the pool so was not private. I would avoid rooms 1 – 7 we were in 1 and it was close to the parking lot, restaurant and pool so it was a bit noisy and not private. There website does show they offer wireless connection but it doesn’t work in the room or on the patio. We were able to get a connection by the pool and they do offer 2 computers in the lobby which people were always on. They offer a spa but I did not try it they have a long list of services with prices similar to that of a high end spa here in Boston. They have a Jacamar tour company person in the lobby to set up tours for you and give you a list upon check in. The staff was fine but not did go above and beyond by any means, we asked for directions somewhere and they didn’t know where it was but offered no help. Housekeeping service was also a bit disappointing and this may sound a bit nitpicky but our room was never cleaned until 3pm and they always seemed to come when we were trying to shower/nap/rest. We were out of our room by 7:30 each morning so to get back and find the room still not made and have them knocking while we were in the shower or napping was frustrating. The last day we were there I was not feeling good so my husband asked them to come back later they didn’t so our room never got cleaned. Again not the biggest deal but this hotel is a bit more expensive then some of the others in the area so you expect more in terms of service. Again overall the hotel was clean and pretty but not a place for wildlife viewing and probably not the best choice for families. If you have further question do not hesitate to contact me and please check out my trip report in the Costa Rican forum for more info about our vacation and experiences.

“Lovely hotel, great view of the volcano”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We arrived at the Arenal Nayara just a few weeks after it opened - many of the bungalows were still being finished. What a gem! Beautiful grounds, friendly staff, lovely room, great view of the volcano. The bungalow was perfect and the staff was very accommodating. They brought in a roll-away bed for us as we were traveling with 3 children. Of course we had to try the tub on the deck with a view of the volcano! We would highly recommend the hotel!

“A smart choice for Arenal”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We enjoyed this hotel for our visit to the Arenal area. The staff were all quite pleasant. The cabins were comfortable. We enjoyed the view of the volcano from the room. The location was very nice as it was away from the main highway . I agree with others regarding the food here. I would still choose this hotel again and eat elsewhere. The jacuzzi bathtub on the deck was a fun idea although we never did use it. The bed was comfortable and we enjoyed the atmosphere of the hotel. I would highly recommend this hotel.

“Loved This Place”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We returned a few days ago from our trip to Arenal and Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica. The Arenal Nayara is an unbelievably beautiful place with flowers all around and great views of the volcano. We had our own one bedroom bungalow/hut with an indoor and outdoor shower, lots of closet space and a beautiful deck with hot tub. If I came back, I would definitely stay here. The outdoor pool is small but very nice. The only slight negative was the food, which was not great. However, there are many other places to eat in the area. The included breakfast is okay.

We thought the resort was empty because it was so quiet but actually, it was fully booked. It's just that the way the rooms are situated, you feel you have the resort to yourself.

Another drawback is that staff does not speak English well. They are not very helpful with finding/booking activities in the area. Even so, they are all friendly and helpful.

This is a great place.

“Perfection!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My husband and I stayed at the Nayara for two nights. In a word, "perfection." Upon our arrival, at 9am, we were given a refreshing glass of fresh juice and a cool face cloth. The staff at the front desk were terribly apologetic when they told us that our room was not quite ready (who expected it to be ready at 9am anyway) and then invited us to a complementary breakfast while we waited. We indulged in the fantastic buffet with matching fantastic views of the Arenal Volcano. Afterward, we went back to reception to learn that we were being upgraded (at no charge, of course) to a nicer bungalow, since this one was ready immediately. Upon entering, I did what my husband now affectionately refers to as my "happy dance." I literally jumped for joy at the breathtaking aestetic of the room, and the gorgeous vistas from our private patio deck.

Flor, at the Tour Desk, booked everything for us and offered us advice about how best to spend our very limited time in La Fortuna.

Any down time we had was spent enjoying a bottle of Imperial (the local beer) at the swim up bar, and admiring the steam coming off the top of the Volcano.

Dinner at the on site restaurant (both nights) was very, very good--and we're both somewhat discerning foodies.

Before checking out, I asked if I could move in permanantly.

Muchos Gracias to all at the Nayara!!!

“Beautiful Hotel”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

When I planned my trip to Arenal, I had to make-up my mind between Nayara or Tabacon. Unfortunately I decided for Tabacon because of the hot springs and what I thought was a view of the Volcano. On one of our tours, we met a very nice couple that we hit it off with. Ironically, they were staying at Nayara. We went back to their hotel and I got to see it first hand. It was beautiful. Each room was like having your own private bungalow. Almost all the rooms had a spectacular view of the volcano from the open jacuzzi in the back. That was exactly what I wanted...it was simply romantic. The guys at the front desk were wonderful... They treated us as if we were their guests. They knew we were only visiting but treated us great. They even offered their free internet service to us. We are definitely staying there the next time we go. Their grounds were beautiful and had a perfect view of the volcano. If you are looking for the hot springs, go one night to Tabacon but stay at Nayara.

“Beyond Great!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Our stay at Nayara was fantastic. The property has been open less than a year, and everything was amazing. Each of the bungalows look out over the volcano, and we just kept pinching ourselves at how beautiful it was. The location is perfect - about halfway between town and the attractions off the main road. There are other places to stay, and many of them are great with views, but if you're looking for an smaller place that is more intimate, this is the place for you!

“Heaven!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

This hotel is heaven. When we arrived, we were greeted with tremendous service, cold hand towels, and a cool glass of fresh juice. We were shown to our room, which was gorgeous and very private. The rooms are nicely decorated, have cable and DVD players, indoor and outdoor showers, a private porch and jacuzzi.

The hotel has a nice pool with a bar, so you can sip your fruity cocktails while sitting in the pool. And the view of the volcano is perfect. Jimmy, the bartender at the pool, is so curteous and really fun to talk to. All of the staff made our stay so nice.

The hotel is also well located. Again, it is very private, but with a simple 10 minute ride, you can be in the center of La Fortuna, which is a cute town with tons of restaurants and gift shops. The hotel has a shuttle that is free if it is making a scheduled trip into town. (Cabs should be about 6 dollars.) Also, each evening at 9pm the hotel offers a free night viewing of the volcano. They drive you to the opposite side of the volcano where you have a greater chance of seeing the lava spewing.

Our only reason for not rating this hotel "excellent" is that the restaurant is just "good." The complimentary breakfast is very nice - with lots of options and a "make your own omlette station." However, one night my husband and I ate dinner at the restaurant, and although the food was very good, it did not live up to the prices. With that said though - the service was perfect. Therefore, we wholeheartedly recommend the hotel and suggest taking the short ride into town for some good traditional food.

Finally, for those not renting cars (like us), we learned that you can take a public bus from La Fortuna bus station back to San Jose or other destinations for only about 5 dollars - a much better deal than Interbus or Grayline, if you can spare an extra hour or two for the ride.

Enjoy!!!!

“Paradise, so lush!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We went to Costa Rica for 6 nights and stayed the first 3 nights in a beautiful hotel near the Arenal volcano. Arenal Nayara is breathtaking from the moment you walk through the reception area. We were welcomed with fresh juice and a refreshing scented cool washcloth to wipe our face. We stayed in cottage 15 which faced the jungle/trees which is perfect because you have no neighbors to face off your balcony which you have a jacuzzi tub on so that was nice. The room was fabulous with everything you needed. We had an inside and outside shower. The hotel will book any excursion you want, and we compared prices to see if booking on our own was cheaper and it was really pretty close in price so we let them handle it for us. The first night they offered a free night tour to the volcano which can cost like 50.00 pp I think, if you dined with them that night. So we have a fabulous dinner and then they took all the guests in nice vans to the volcano. The staff was very friendly and we dined every night at the restaurant. The food was good and moderately priced we thought, not cheap but getting transportation to get down to La Fortuna would have cost more money so we decided to stay at the hotel. This was by far the most luxurious hotel we have ever stayed in and we thought we stayed at the best in FIJI but this was better!

“Paradise!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“What a great boutique hotel!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Absolutely Amazing!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“LOVED Nayara!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Great Stay!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Paradise!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Breathtaking!!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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 accomodations, horrible restaurant”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Awesome stay at Nayara”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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!

“What a beautiful hotel!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

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.

“Honeymooners dream”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We just got back from our honeymoon in Costa Rica and I am so thrilled that I immediately got online to write my review.

As we drove up the bumpy roads and a bright blue shack came into view I looked over at my new husband and shot him this look and thought, " What did you do, where in the world have you booked us to stay!" But as we drove a bit further and rounded the corner this adorable wooden retreat came into view.

We walked into the small lobby with carved wooden furniture and decorated in inviting bright colors and were immediately catered to by Jonathan. As we checked in we were brought cool clothes and fresh juice, handed a list of activities and escorted to breakfast. We were then escorted to our beautiful room where Jonathan showed us around and made sure we were comfortable.

There are only 24 rooms, each a cabana. Each room has a private jacuzzi on the porch that faces the volcano. Optimal to soak those tired muscles after a day of exploring. The rooms are GORGEOUS with four post king size beds, teak wood floors, bamboo ceilings, and an outdoor and indoor shower.

The pool is stunning with tables built into the structure and a swim up bar. There are jets that go all the way around to make it even more relaxing. Jimmy took care of our every whim at the bar and made some killer drinks and played great music. It was a great way to come home in the afternoon after our adventures in the rainforest.

The restaurant was excellent. Now you must keep in mind that Costa Rica is not known for their food, but we found all of the food both at the restaurant and in the Fortuna area pleasing (much better than in the Coco Beach area). Oh and the coffee....YUM I miss it already!

The grounds are stunning, covered in tropical plants and flowers everywhere you turn. Considering that most of these have just been planted I cant wait to return and see what they look like in a couple of years! The birds love them too, Toucans, Hummingbirds and other Costa Rican birds were everywhere on the grounds and beautiful to look at. Plus they have two parrots that are tame and you can hold and a beautiful coy pond.

The hotel was outstanding, service was impecable and I can truly say that it is a hidden gem in a country that is absolutely amazing.

“A slice of Paradise”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

The cabins at Nayara Arenal are even more beautiful in person than they are on the resort's website. Believe it. Absolutely stunning views of the volcano from your balcony. Ours even had a Jacuzzi. The resort is brand new and has a majestic Disney like feel to it. Warning though and this may not be the resort's fault-there are a lot of bugs. Despite the paradisiacal charm of our cabin, we found two cockroaches in the bathroom. I also had to remove a lot of crawlers from our Jacuzzi at night before we used it. La Fortuna does have oodles of critters everywhere, so be prepared!

We found the restaurant to be adequate and nicely priced. I'd recommend the Casado with Shrimp, it's delicious. The pool is nice and has a welcoming sunken bar.

I found the excursions to be a little over priced. We paid $160 per person for a day tour of the Arenal Volcano, hanging bridges, waterfall and Tabacco hot springs. I can’t wholeheartedly tell you that it was money well spent. Although, it was raining half the time, and that was part of the reason. We didn't get to see any lava :( .

Nayara does not have any lava views.

“Beautiful gardens and view of Arenal.”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We stayed here to get the volcano view and had upgraded to a more expensive bungalow. The setting, gardens and view are as advertised. The room is large, lovely and the outdoor shower is fun. We had trouble with our toilet leaking and ceiling fan not working even though it's new (which we reported several times). We stayed at 3 other Costa Rican hotels and this was the most expensive but we didn't find the price increase to be worth it. The restaurant was also not as good as our other hotels & was pricey. We found better food in La Fortuna (Las Brasitas & La Choza de Laurel). We did enjoy the Jacamar Tour service (ask for Johan to be your guide) that was located in the hotel and the best staff person at the hotel by far was the bellman, Jonathan. You can get basically the same view in the less expensive bungalows, btw. When we return to Arenal, we would stay at a different hotel.

“Best Hotel of Our Trip”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

LOVED this hotel. We just came back from a 10-day trip to Costa Rica and this was our favorite hotel of the whole trip. Rooms are brand new, modern and absolutely beautiful. My husband and I loved the hot tubs on the balconies. The hotel has great views of the volcano and we loved sitting in the hot tubs while gazing out at the amazing landscape.

“Fantastic Hotel”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

This hotel is truly lovely. The view of the volcano from your room is breathtaking and the staff couldn't be more helpful. It's a great home base to see all Arenal and La Fortuna have to offer.

“loved arenal nayara fabulous”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Hotel opened in December. Wonderful large rooms indivdual casitas. Large deck overlooking the forest and the Volcano. Jacuzzi tub on the deck. Indoor and outdoor shower..rain shower shower head. Large dressing room. four poster beds....fabulous. The staff could not be nicer. Food was delicious. Great pool are with swim up bar. I cannot say enough about this great property

“Peaceful and Beautiful Rooms”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Previous reviewers have done an excellent job of listing this hotel's amenities. The photos posted and the photos on the website are accurate and the property is lovely.

The spa was open when we went and my friend I both enjoyed a massage. The hotel does not have its own spa staff and appears to call in an independent contractor when someone requests an appointment. Additionally, there are no special spa facilities. They have taken one of the bungalows (just liked our room) and taken the furniture out and put in massage tables. A little screen separated my friend and I while we had our massages. My masseuse was professional and did a great job, though she spoke almost no English. My friend was less satisfied with the quality of the massage.

Oddly, my friend I am both showed up at 11 for our massages to find out that no one was there. One of the hotel staff (they are very quick to help) immediately came up to us to inquire. He told us that it was not 11 and we had the time wrong, it was 10. I told them I had used their bedside clocks to confirm the time and what was the chances that my friend and I had both independently messed up the time. They insisted we had the wrong time. Our final conclusion: We did show up an hour early for our appointments because the clocks in our room were both an hour off! We wondered how this could be? We got our answer the next morning when the power went off. When the power came back on the clocks we the wrong time, and did not do that blinky thing that suggests they need to be reset.

Note: When using the shower C and H are misleading. They use the C for caliente for hot. And the H is somehow by default cold.

We enjoyed excellent service by the staff throughout our stay. The only person who was not that helpful was the man at the front desk, who didn't seem to know what he was doing when making our arrangements. I agree with a previous reviewer that the food at the restaurant was not great, but not horrible either. Breakfast is a bit disappointing, but they do have great chopped fruit available (mango and pineapple) and plantains. No charge for room service, even if all you want is a drink.

I would stay here again, because of the peacefulness of the property, its beauty, the quality of the rooms, and the helpfulness of the staff.

“Best hotel we stayed at on our trip to Costa Rica”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Charming property with exquisite rooms and very attentive service. Other reviewers have been very specific and accurate about the details of the hotel, so I won't repeat any of that. I did avail of the onsite massage ... their spa seems to be open for business now ... and it was fantastic. Woke up the next morning feeling about 10 years younger and really alive.

Highly recommend this hotel to all those who are planning a visit to Arenal in the near future.

“Serenity at Nayara”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My husband and I were a little skeptical to stay in a new hotel with minimal reviews -- it turned out to be a wonderful leap of faith! And you can't beat the $165 rate! We recommend this to all -- it's not a thrifty hotel and is not mobbed by tourists like some of the others. Tranquility exists at Nayara!

Rooms - Beautiful rooms, comfy king size bed, great linens, ipod docking station and a flat screen tv that we actually didn't turn on. The outdoor shower was fun since it was warm outside -- great water pressure! The outdoor jacuzzi looked like too much work so we never filled it up. The leather chair and ottoman on our balcony were so comfortable...the perfect reading situation! The one negative thing is it seemed that some of the varnish was coming off of the furniture already -- which is strange for a brand new hotel. Maybe it was just my room...

Pool - After a morning of canyoneering and ziplines we relaxed by the pool with an amazing view of the volcano. The nice thing about this hotel is that it is always peaceful since there are only 24 rooms. We were able to enjoy our frosty beverages in silence while gazing at Arenal Volcano.

Restaurant - Great breakfast. Lunch was OK - seemed a bit pricey for what it was and we were more excited to try places outside of the hotel. We didn't eat dinner there because we wanted a more lively atmosphere.

Spa - Would have been nice to get a massage -- spa is under construction and will hopefully open soon!

Getting around -- The hotel drove us to downtown for $6 and charged it to our room, which is the going rate with any taxi. We paid $20 to get to local airport -- I feel like you could probably get a cheaper ride if you organize on your own.

Tours -- Nayara uses one tour operator. We had arranged our tours in advance with Desafio so we didn't use the hotel's operator.

Service -- Everyone was very friendly. The front desk was a tad slow at times, but for the most part was very helpful with our requests.

Location -- We were close to everything -- we were the last to be picked up and the first to be dropped off for all of our tours so we were happy!

Grounds -- beautiful landscaping with local vegetation

“Outstanding”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Firstly, a little bit of background that may help you if you are attempting to make sense of Arenal. There is about a 15 mile stretch of road that winds around the volcano; it's paved and single-lane, and in perfectly adequate condition. Most of the area is national park and pristine, but scattered along the way are a number of accommodation options. These range from sites that are just a few cabins, to something akin to a *very small* resort. There is nothing here that approximates anything like a major resort venture.

The most common style seems to be individual cabins, often facing the volcano, and set in neat grounds or gardens (don't worry about proximity to the volcano---they are all really close). Each place seems to have affiliation with certain activity providers; that's not to say that they won't help you with others, but they know the most about the ones that they have an ongoing relationship with.

in our recent trip to Arenal we stayed at two places, and saw several more.

Arenal Nayara only opened in December, and, at least as far as I could see, seemed to be clearly in the very top tier. It is beautifully situated, a few hundred yards along a private access road. The gardens are exquisitely kept, and there is a very pretty small pool and wet bar.

The cabins are really outstanding. Although you are unmistakably in the forest in Costa Rica, they have adopted some very pleasant contemporary interior design for the cabins, which reminded me of a minimalist Melia flavor. The rooms are large, beds excellent, and there are several niceties such as an outdoor jacuzzi, flat-panel TV, iPod dock, super quiet (and cool looking) aircon, and an outdoor shower set in a private little garden. Service was courteous and extremely helpful.

The Nayara cabins put those at Arenal Paraiso (our other hotel) to shame. Not even vaguely in the same league.

This is a small place, with only twenty-something cabins. Although it was fully booked when we were there, you had very little contact with others, had abundant space, and had nothing to interrupt the sound of the birds as you ate breakfast or wandered the garden.

The restaurant serves pretty good food, considering that there were at most only four tables filled at any time. We felt that it was underpriced relative to other places we stayed. We have two children who are somewhat fussy, and they were very accommodating to their needs.

Nayara is in its introductory phase, and we were very lucky to get in at a remarkably reasonable price. It is underpriced, and will surely increase its rates as time goes on.

We generally never vacation in the same place more than once, but Arenal is one of those rare places that may need to be visited again. Without question, I would stay at Nayara again, and would recommend it extremely highly to anybody going to the area. Seriously, you will love it.

“Best place in Arenal...gorgeous”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Absolutely beautiful property and amazing room! When I arrived, after being served fresh juice at check in, I was escorted by golf cart by Eduardo to my room, and my eyes went wide! There are 24 individual cabins on this property, each with phenomenal views of the Volcano. Inside this brand new property, you get hardwood floors, high ceilings, gorgeous and comfortable bed and mattress, large outside patio complete with Jacuzzi facing the volcano (!!) and lush greenery on all sides of the patio. The bed also faces the view of the volcano, wonderful first thing in the morning. The room has a free hard internet connection (make you ask for a ethernet cable during check in), and it also has lots of closet space and a mini bar with drinks included into your room rate. The bathroom is beautiful with double showers, one inside and one outside (!!). This place is the ultimate in luxury and beauty. My hair dryer broke when i was using it, and we called the front desk. There was someone at my door in 3 or 4 min to fix it. Service was impeccable, the staff remembered our names and wished us in the morning, and the restaurant and pool on the property are beautiful. The restaurant has a Chinese lantern theme, and there are ponds with Japanese gold fish all around. I must say though, food selection and breakfast could use improvement for such a nice place. All they have is fruits and toast in the morning for breakfast, no buffet. Even though the hotel was at full occupancy when I was there,there were barely any people around making you feel like you have the whole place to yourself. Also there is no spa here yet, they said it was still under construction. This is def for people who want a non-touristy resort, an exclusive feel, quality service and rooms, and incredible views of the volcano. I would stay no where else in Arenal.

“Little hidden paradise”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Don't let the drive up to the hotel fool you. The side road up to the hotel is still being built so the five minute drive on gravel, pot hole road had us little worried but boy were we wrong!! What a beautiful place!!! My first reaction after opening the room door and looking around was "let's extend our stay." The scenery from the room is absolutely stunning; the ambience is so romantic and natural that you feel like you are in middle of the jungle but surrounded by luxury!! Arenal volcano stares you in face and the view is from a angle that half of your view is of active side and half from dormant side so you get to see the green and the dark side. The landscaping is done so thoughfully that you never feel like you are in a hotel and it does not give a artificial feel. Apart from the natural scenery, the place provides the latest luxury. The wireless internet actually worked for about 80 percent of the time and the wired internet was high speed and worked for the most part. This was important to me because i had to have high speed internet for work. The TV worked without any problems with crystal clear picture. The food at the restraunt was high class and relatively inexpensive. The staff was super nice. The outdoor shower was great touch. The outdoor jacuzzi had a great view but it was bit small for two people. The place is about 8 minutes from La Fortuna and about 10 minutes from hot springs. The only drawback was that place did not have on-site massage service. Other than that, it may be the best place we have ever stayed at. Enjoy!!

“Beautiful! Well appointed hotel”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We just ended our vacation to Costa Rica with a two night stay here and couldn't have been happier! We happened to luck out, the hotel we booked on line didn't have a room for us so they told us to try here. Great move for us! From the welcome drink to the helpful staff to the whirl pool on the balcony with wonderful views, I was truly impressed! The gardens are beautiful, the pool is impressive, and the cabina just perfect! The cabinas have unique furniture, plasma TVs, comfortable linens, and rainfall shower heads. There is even a second shower that is enclosed outside but open from above. I thought this hotel is a nice place for a destination wedding, the dining room is very pretty. I will definitely recommend a stay here!

“congratulations”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

We spent a very nice time in Hotel Nayara. The hotel opened two months ago and there are small details to work on. But the stuff gives its best to make feel you in paradise. This place is really the one with an amazing view on the volcano Arenal!

“Paradise Found”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My husband and I stayed at Nayara earlier this month to celebrate our anniversary. What a trip!!!!

We absolutely adored our stay at the Hotel Nayara. The rooms were delightful, with hardwood floors, plasma tvs, and these cool outdoor showers. We really felt like we were on vacation, away from the cold and snow of January in New York.

The views of Arenal volcano are spectacular, every morning my husband and I sat on our porch sipping a cup of smooth Costa Rican coffee looking over at that spectacular natural marvel.

I should also comment that the staff was quite friendly, the gardens were stunning, and the restaurant was good.

“A bit more of the same...”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Our family spent a couple of days in this hotel, as we wanted to visit the Arenal area very much, but most well known hotels were booked solid. Granted it is quite a new hotel, but the service and food could do better. Rooms are quite nice, though. In general, nothing impressed me about this hotel - good thing it's placed in the area it is placed - the natural beauty around helps a lot. Next time I'll try some of the other hotels in Arenal.

“Nothing to write home about”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Lately I've been traveling quit a lot in the region and in my last vacation I've decided to try the Nayara Arenal.

The service was very unprofessional, from the minute we arrived to the day we departure we had countless "misunderstandings" with the stuff.

I can tell you that from my experience there are much better places then this one in the Arenal area. Maybe in time they will put more attention but in the meanwhile I will suggest you look for other places in the area.

“A touch of Costa Rican paradise.”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My family ended up staying at the Nayara by accident due to an overbooking at another wonderful hotel. When we arrived at our original hotel and were told we were being moved ( after a 14 hour trip with 4 children) we were concerned. Once we were welcomed at the Nayara we did not want to leave. It was more serene and lovely than we could have asked for. The staff was great, the food was superb and the rooms were heaven. I could not get my daughter out of the outdoor shower which felt like you were bathing alone in the middle of the forest. We had two villas that overlooked the volcano while you could lounge in the hot tub or just relax on the deck( unfortunately it was pretty cloudy). The only thing that it lacked was the hot springs at near hotels. Perhaps they have them or have plans for them but we were only there for one night ( too short- we would have stayed longer if possible). Definitely 5 star plus.....

“Superb, Brand New Hotel!!!!”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

Just got back from Arenal and the wonderful Hotel Arenal Nayara.

We arrived just after Christmas and were informed that it had just opened - 5 days old! They have 24 villas with LCD's, contemporary shower, fittings (even an outdoor shower) and the best part - Jacuzzi on the patio overlooking the volcano!! This is a great place to stay, the staff were friendly and location close to everything.

The bed's are four poster and just a cool place to stay, especially as it's under $200. Prices I am sure will rise once people find out about...and it has a great wetbar....

“Tropical Peace”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

My wife and I took a vacation this month to Costa Rica for the first time. What a country! The people, the food, the landscape they were all so wonderful

A real highlight of our trip was our stay at the Arenal Nayara hotel. It is a relatively new property in the La Fortuna area. The rooms were delightful - hardwood floors, great beds, and a dock for our ipod. It really made for a special escape.

What really stood out was the peace and quiet we were able to find staying in a private bunglaow in the jungles of Costa Rica.

We cant wait to be back. Make sure to visit the hot springs near by at Tabacon, we loved the cool water pools.

Pura Vida!

“Genial”

Arenal Nayara Hotel & Gardens

El hotel es nuevo y tiene unas habitaciones preciosas: amplias, bien decoradas, con muchos accesorios (peliculas, dvd...), jacuzzi en el exterior y vistas al volcán. El jardin que rodea a los edificios es una maravilla y está muy bien cuidado.

El personal atento y muy agradable. Tienen un mostrador de excursiones y por la noche organizan salidas para ver la lava.

Es una excelente opción para visitar Arenal.