Hotel Arenal Manoa

This is a nice hotel, very typical for the area, and seems to have prices that are slightly below the area average.

I'm very mixed on whether it was a good place to stay or not... First (and most importantly), the lava flow from the volcano has shifted to the opposite side of the volcano recently. Some of the other reviews for places in the area probably mention this. This has completely changed the dynamic of all the resorts on this side (the majority). Even if the cloud cover does lift (which it does every once in a while), don't expect to spend any evenings lounging in the pool watching the lava flow.

“Mixed Feelings on the Arenal Manoa”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This is a nice hotel, very typical for the area, and seems to have prices that are slightly below the area average.

I'm very mixed on whether it was a good place to stay or not... First (and most importantly), the lava flow from the volcano has shifted to the opposite side of the volcano recently. Some of the other reviews for places in the area probably mention this. This has completely changed the dynamic of all the resorts on this side (the majority). Even if the cloud cover does lift (which it does every once in a while), don't expect to spend any evenings lounging in the pool watching the lava flow.

Second, it's on a dirt road about 1/2 km or so from the main road. Cab rides are EXPENSIVE. I think it was $15 whenever we wanted to leave the resort. Almost makes me feel that staying in town would've been a better option. Either in town or at a place within walking distance of the park / springs.

Keep those two things in mind if you decide to stay here. Otherwise, it has all the amenities you would expect. Beautiful rooms with towel animals and large window-doors to see the volcano. Really quite nice.

“Nice hotel but staff needs work”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This hotel was rated #1 for Arenal on trip advisor so I guess I expected more. The rooms were spacious and clean but not particularly pretty. There are great views of the volcano, but be aware that the side the lava flows on shifts so we could not see the volcano erupting when we were there. The staff in the restaurant is lovely and the breakfasts are great, esp the omelettes, but the front desk could use some help. We asked to go on a volcano hike and they booked us on a trip through the national park that did not include the volcano. My parents wanted to go birdwatching but had not brought binoculars. They were told this was not a problem, but when they woke up at 5:30 AM and went to the front desk the guide told them binoculars were required and he did not supply them. After that, the desk still wanted to charge my parents for 1/2 of the tour! The hotel is very convenient to all the sites of Arenal, but there are many choices in Arenal, and I'm not convinced this is the best.

“Great”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Very clean, new hotel. Rooms are spacious and neat (ours held 5 easily with a single bed that rolled out underneath one of the doubles). Bathroom was delux. Breakfast was uninspired but edible. Staff was helpful and responsive. Overall, I would highly recommend this place.

“Lovely position, great value”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed here for two nights August 2008. Rooms were large and very clean, great showers. The view would have been great but the volcano remained shrouded in mist all the time we were there. Also if you travel in the green season, the rain on the roof was very noisy at night. La Fortuna is a great little town and we had a fantastic meal at Don Ruffinos.

“Nice but a bit noisy”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Nice place. Beautiful grounds. Fantastic view. Beds comfy. HUGE bathroom. But we hated the gravel road in (some might call it rock!) The breakfast was nice but otherwise skip it for lunch and dinner. Limited menu and way too expensive. When it rained (like it does in the Greeen season!) it can be terribly loud in the room. Also got tired of hearing the shuttle bus zoom back and forth at night when I was trying to sleep. AC loud too so room was hot and stuffy at night since no window with screens or ceiling fan.

“Five stars all around”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Absolutely loved the place! Will go back no question about it. My family and I are Costa Ricans, so their discount when paying using a certain brand of credit cards was excellent. We were a party of 3 adults, and 1 child.

The place is simply awesome... beautiful grounds, the landscaping is spectacular. Great views of the volcano. Amazing Hot Water Jacuzzi- you may not even have to visit the hot springs...hahaha. A large swimming pool, and one for children. Beautiful rooms. Lots of privacy. Peaceful, serene setting. Great staff. Delicious breakfast. Nice restaurant -albeit pricey (so pricy we never ate there except for breakfast -because it was included), but lots of restaurants in La Fortuna, the neighboring town. Apparently the place only opened 4 months ago, but already they are GROWING. An excellent destination. Close to everything around. Be sure to take their free tour to their dairy farms. Kids will LOVE IT, and you will too. Rooms were very clean - everything is brand new it seems. Water pressure is great in the bathroom, and excellent temperature too!

Awesome place for a honey moon for sure! It tends to rain a lot in this area, but hit the hot water jacuzzi and you will want it to rain forever. Weather typically is sunny and beautifil till about 2pm, then it rains for 30 minutes or so, then clears up again, and rains again in the evening.

Attractions in the area include the Arenal Volcano, the hot spings, and Lake Arenal.

“Great Place to stay!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa
We spent three nights here and really enjoyed our stay! The rooms were large and VERY clean. My kids loved the towel animals they would leave in the room for us.

The view of the volcano was wonderful from our room in the mornings! In the afternoon, the clouds would come in and cover the top, so the view was not as good. We enjoyed sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs and watching the volcano (which is very active). It was cool to hear the loud rumble and then see a huge puff of steam!

The staff were very nice and extremely helpful!

The restaurant food was tasty, but pricey. We had dinner there only one night, but enjoyed the free breakfast buffet.

We were in the front section, so we had a super view. If staying here, ask for a front room as the rooms in the back probably don't provide a nice a view of the volcano and it would be a long walk to the restaurant and pool area.

“almost flawless hotel with incredible value”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

If you choose to stay in la fortuna area you will see that you have many many options to choose from. Arenal Manoa may be one the best hotels available for the money - about $100 a night in the off season. Manoa is comparable to hotels two and three times the price - the difference is they do not over charge but perhaps cater to folks who enjoy alot of activities - alot of people in the their 30's and 40's without kids who like to have fun and hang in the communal hot tub, rafting or zip lining in the day time.

The rooms are very nice, cool showers, awesome view (ask for unobstructed volcano view), great pool and hot tub, and very accomodating staff. I will definitely return for longer next time.

Just a few minor things: the complimentary breakfast is very good, but the lunch/dinner menu's are odd - they range from 10-15$ for pasta, to 30-70$ for meat and chicken - i kid you not. so we didn't eat there but went into la fortuna for dinner, where the food was always excellent.

also, the hotel actively discourages you to contact tour guides directly to privately arrange tours - of course they want you to book through the hotel and pay 30%-50% more. i could not even call out to sky trek from the phone in my room directly, as the # was actually blocked. when i called front desk to call for me, they put me on hold and ............... so that was odd, but that was the only thing.

save money and go into town and book your own tours. try rafting with a guy called danny, also the hanging bridges and la fortuna waterfall were both awesome. save $ on food and tip the front desk people well. the other thing is that i was expecting the locals to rip me off mexico-style, but after a while i found that they were very trustworthy, even the cabbies - the people of la fortuna i ran into were very nice to tourists and not out to steal money from you- so this was a cool learning experience for me.

“Personal service!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We had a lovely stay at the Arenal Manoa last November. The service was incredible. Let's start with the fact that we were late leaving San Juan and didn't get there until midnight AND Travelocity messed up our reservation. The night guard put us in a room NO QUESTIONS ASKED. The next morning we had scheduled a tour and the manager told us to go, have a good time and we could correct things later in the day.

We had some lovely meals at the restaurant. The included breakfast was always extensive, fresh and delicious. Dinners were also delicious, attractive and the service was good. We became well acquainted with the wait staff and our last night when our son was feeling poorly and left dinner early, they hopped into a golf cart to take him dessert in the room!

The rooms aren't luxurious and the beds on the firm side, but they are very clean, and everything works. The room service was lovely; we paid a small compliment to housekeeping on the pretty towel art she had done the day before and came back later that day to a complete menagerie. The kids were delighted.

HIGHLY recommend this as the place to stay in Arenal.

“Spectacular views, great rooms, wonderful experience”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Just returned from a week in Costa Rica during which we stayed in four different hotels, and the Arenal Manoa was our favorite! Rather than one building with lots of rooms, the grounds are set up like a small neighborhood with little bungalow style units. Ours was #103 which had the most amazing views of the volcano. Despite the floor to ceiling windows on two walls, it felt very private and peaceful.

My friend and I loved sitting in the wood rocking chairs on our porch and watching Arenal puff smoke into the air, or listening to the rain pour down.

The people at the front desk were very kind and helpful. I really enjoyed dinner at the restaurant, though the prices were a little bit higher than I expected. Probably the result of Arenal being a touristy area and because I ordered seafood.

Overall, loved this hotel and would definitely stay here again when I visit Arenal and La Fortuna.

“Too short a stay”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

The hotel was a pleasant surprise.

Our group arrived at this hotel after our 2 day rafting adventure.

Most everything here was great to have available.

The rooms are rather spacious. The AC works fine. The showers water pressure was fantastic. The beds were comfy. The bathrooms are just as they show in the pix, they're great.

The people who work here are really nice and try to do what they can for you.

Watch the prices on the menu. There were differences on a couple of the menus.

It was raining most of the time. They have umbrellas available. What was even better is they have a couple cars that will pick you up or drop you off to your room.

There was no clock in the room. Didn't really care too much as I didn't even turn on the TV.

I needed a 1a.m. wake up call. That never happened. Luckily I set my cell phone alarm.

The lobby closes at 10p.m. I'm not sure what time they open. If you are checking out early, settle your bill the evening before.

I can't wait for my next journey to CR.

“Great surprise!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We booked the day before flying out as other hotels in the area just weren't getting back to us. Because of this my expectations weren't very high.

As other reviews mentioned the road accessing this hotel is very bumpy and locating the place in the dark is not very easy. The staff were extremely helpful, the reservation hadn't come through but checking in didn't prove difficult.

The hotel far exceeded my expectations, room was very spacious with a king and a double bed in the room. Windows surrounded the room on two sides so it felt slightly like a goldfish bowl but aided the volcano views (if the other room/hut wasn't in front of ours!). I would definatly ask for a volcano view if I went back.

Views of the volcano are good, especially from the pool/hot tub area.

Breakfasts were some of the best we ate in Costa Rica but this is based on the day they had a coach party in so there was a great breakfast buffet.

The staff were very helpful on trips/driving directions and there is also free internet access on two computers throughout the day.

“Beautiful”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

One of the BEST hotels that we ever stayed in. Surrounded by nature, yet exceptionally quiet at night with plenty of privacy. Close to all of the attractions and the restaurant is high class. Only negative is that it's kind of hard to find AND the road there is HORRIBLE.

“Quiet, Serene and Peaceful”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

The Arenal Manoa is a fantastic little hotel, located around two miles from the town of Fortuna and in clear sight of the beautiful Arenal Volcano. The property is very new and everything is very modern. The majority of the staff were friendly and courteous, and most speak very good English.

The rooms were huge, modern and spotless. The bathrooms were some of the largest and best designed I've seen in any hotel. The property is laid out in small buildings, each building containing two rooms with exterior entrances. Every room has huge windows, a patio and a volcano view. Our view was just spectacular. I did notice, though, that the hotel has two sections. One closer to the volcano with better views (ours was in this section) and one more distant. When you check-in, I advise you to request a room in the section closer to the volcano.

The hotel has a small but nice pool. There is a lot to do in the La Fortuna area, but my wife and I managed to slow down a bit, soak in some Costa Rica sun, and spend some time in loungers by the pool. It was very relaxing, with the volcano smoking in the distance.

Some reviews claim that the hotel has no character, but I could not disagree more. The hotel utilizes a very natural, rocky, and rustic decor, in line with the volcano hulking in the background and the area's vegetation. Some others complain about the property being about half a kilometer down a gravel road, off the main road through La Fortuna. We actually saw this as more of a benefit. The property is away from the noise, on a lovely piece of land adjoining a river, and perfect for some reflection and taking in the scenery.

The resort does have a restaurant called El Dorado. I believe that the buffet breakfast is included in the cost of every stay. The buffet was very nice, with a mixture of Costa Rican dishes, meats, omelets and eggs cooked to order, and plenty of fresh fruit and juice. We ate dinner there one night and had dessert there another. Dinner at the restaurant is good, not spectacular, and a bit on the pricey side. Drinks, especially pool-side were very highly priced. A mojito I ordered was poorly made, small and set me back eight dollars. The cost of dinner and pricey drinks is my only real complaint about the Arenal Manoa. I'd advise having reception call you a taxi (it'll cost 4-5 dollars) and going into La Fortuna for dinner. At the entrance to town you'll find a restaurant called Las Brasitas that makes excellent rotisserie chicken and is very reasonably priced.

You will not want to miss some of the off resort excursions. I highly recommend the volcano night hike and hot spring combination. You cannot go wrong with Desafio Adventure Company. They service Arenal Monteverde areas and are reasonably priced.

Costa Rica was wonderful! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or could use some more advice.

“Wonderful Hotel - Look no further......”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

I just returned from Costa Rica and stayed 3 nights in this great hotel! I wish I could have stayed longer. The rooms were great. Some of the buildings were farther away from the pool, reception, restaurant - but mine was ok location on the grounds. If this is important to you be sure to ask for a room that is closer. When in LaFortuna town, be sure to go to a supermarket to stock up on stuff for the fridge in your room - which was great! I really enjoyed the pool area and the fabulous view of the volcano. The complimentary computers in the reception area was a real bonus! The hotel staff was great in helping me book tours, call taxis and general requests! I would stay here again on my next trip to Costa Rica!

“Beat expectations!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 nights in February. I wish we stayed here longer instead of going to the Paradisus. This is a great hotel, with good value. The rooms are quite a bit nicer than what I was expecting based on the pictures, and the grounds are beautiful.

We were pleasantly surprised by the food at Manoa. It’s reasonably priced for a hotel, and quite good. Everything is freshly made, presented nicely, and tasty (and we're usually pretty tough critics when it comes to food). The servers are very nice and attentive.

All the rooms have 2 beds, so it’s not ideal for couples, but they are queen beds, so we just shared one anyway. The beds are comfy, the rooms are large, and everything is very clean. My one complaint is that the hot water doesn’t last long, so if you’re a person who likes to take long showers (or if you are two people showering one after the other), it does start to get a little chilly towards the end (but not so freezing that you need to jump out). As mentioned in some of the reviews, you do hear the rain, and it seems to rain a lot in this area, even in the dry season, but imo, it is not loud enough to keep you up at night. Same with the wildlife.

There are cute mini frogs jumping around on the path. There is also a very nice view of the volcano from the hotel (as long as it is not too cloudy).

We did the following activities while at Arenal:

Waterfall repelling (with Desafio)

Volcano Hike & Baldi Hot Springs (with Sunset Tours)

Hanging Bridges Hike (with Sunset Tours)

Zip-lining / Canopy tour with horseback riding (with Mundo Adventura)

I enjoyed all of them, and we actually got to see some of the molten rocks coming down at the volcano at night, which was awesome. The only thing I would not recommend is Baldi Springs. It is dirty and tacky there, and it doesn’t feel like you’re in natural springs – they might as well just be heated pools! For more detailed reviews of each, you can check out my postings in “Things To Do”.

“Great beauty”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

My husband and I just returned from our first visit to Costa Rica.

We stayed at Hotel Arenal Manoa near the Arenal Volcano. We highly recommend this hotel. The accommodations are in modern cabin-like one story buildings. Each has rocking chairs on the porch facing the volcano. The setting is simply beautiful and very relaxing. We saw birds that we saw nowhere else on our trip. The rooms are simple, but comfortable. The bathroom has a large walk-in shower with greenery. There is a walk from some of the units to the main building, but the front desk can send a van around for pickups if walking is a problem. Meals are served in an outdoor restaurant with wonderful views of the volcano. Breakfast was included. We ordered dinner from the menu, rather than using the buffet. The chef did an outstanding job -- it was our best meal of the trip. There is a small pool, kiddie pool, and hot tub. Everyone at the hotel was helpful and friendly. The hotel is very convenient to all the hot springs and not far from the volcano and the nearby town. It's very easy to get taxis to get around. Some earlier reviewers noted that the hotel is down a long road off the main road, but we didn't see that as a problem. We also highly recommend Eco Termales Hot Springs (reservations required). We used AnywhereCostaRica for drivers to and from the Arenal area. They were very reliable and informative.

“Lacks something”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

New duplex style rooms, nicely decorated, clean and spacious. Loved the patio out front with rocking chairs. All have a view of Arenal (no lava from this side in Jan 2008), but ask for a room that's not obstructed by the duplex in front of it, if possible. Grounds and pool area were nicely maintained. The wesite photos represent the property well.

Staff were typically very young, seemed very inexperienced at managing a hotel or restaurant. Meals at restaurant were cafeteria quality at higher end prices (dinner buffet was $17 per person). Another reviewer said it was 'generic and charmless' and I would tend to agree. It was clean and new and nice, but didn't really have soul.

A tour bus rolled in at the end of the day and filled the place up, so I guess if you're only staying a night or two this would be fine.

“A great place to stay”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Hotel Arenal Manoa is a beautiful, very well maintained, clean and welcoming place to stay at. The whole staff is great, everyone is very friendly and smiley. There is absolutely nothing bad I can say about this place and strongly recommend it to everyone who is headed to Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna.

“Near hot springs and the volcano”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

My extended family of 18 spent several days here over Christmas break. Each of our units had a wonderful view of Arenal Volcano, which appeared briefly between the clouds. Wonderful breakfast was included, and great hot springs just down the road. Nice pool and spa as well, with lovely landscaping overlooking a river.

“Beautiful Lodging”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We'd stay here again! We used this as a base to explore the Arenal area and La Fortuna and we loved it. The Hotel has lovely grounds. This being a mountainous region in the tropics, everything is a deep green, the flora is gorgeous. The staff are great and friendly. The tours arranged by the hotel were wonderful. The hotel is definitely better than their website would suggest. It always nice when it works that way, as opposed to the reverse. Pura Vida!

“Generic and charmless”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We booked 3 nights at this hotel based on previous reviews. Having just come from a very pleasant bed and breakfast elsewhere in Costa Rica, we found this hotel utterly lacking in charm. The room was large and the grounds were well maintained, but the hotel and restaurant was mainly staffed by teenagers who didn't seem too concerned with making us wait. The food was very disappointing, both a la carte and buffet. We checked out early and found very nice accomodations nearby for almost half the price. There are much better hotels in the La Fortuna area than this one.

“Beautiful”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Beautiful and immaculate place to stay, it is remotely located – no restaurants within walking distance, although the hotel restaurant serves lovely food. Our room provided great views of the volcano.

The hotel reception / administrative staff are a little odd – warning they don’t like $100 bills or travellers cheques!

“The perfect place to stay!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This was our first trip to Costa Rica and this was the first place we stayed on our trip. We stayed here two nights and found it to be absolutely perfect. It is close enough to La Fortuna but still far enough away from town to feel secluded. The hotel is off the main road so you don't hear the traffic as well. Rooms were immaculate and the views were tremendous. Staff onsite was helpful and curtious, they booked our zipline tour for us with no hassles. Definitely would recommend staying here.

“Amazing Views and Spectacular Rooms”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

After reading the sparkling reviews on Trip Advisor for the Hotel Arenal Manoa, I had to book a room with my girlfriend (both of us 25). It was even better than I had expected for the price ($120/ night in the green season). The rooms were extremely spacious (I asked for the room with the best view and was given 102, not disappointed) with one of the two queen size beds facing a glass door with a great view of the volcano. The bathroom was gorgeous and large with a romantic shower. But the best part of the hotel was the covered patio with the two rocking chairs and table, perfect for a glass of wine or breakfast while watching the volcano. The service left a little to be desired especially at the non-staffed pool bar; we waited about 30 minutes for a drink while the dining room area was almost empty. We took the longer route from San Jose to see some small towns and stop in Ciudad Quesada, in which there was a great cafe right on the outskirt of town that was cheap and delicious, I can't remember the name now, but they also had great strawberry and water shakes. But be forewarned the drive is long and the roads are windy especially dangerous when the big rigs are on them. The town of La Fortuna was a bit too touristy for us, but we managed to grab a quick/good bite at the restaurant outside next to the Burger King. The hiking trails behind the Arenal Observatory Lodge were one of the highlights of the volcano, although our rented 4x4 certainly helped getting there.

“Great hotel!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

I was travelling to the Arenal Volcano with a group of 7 from Hong Kong. We were meeting a larger group to go scuba diving in the Cocos Islands and stopped by the Arenal Volcano area for 2 nights.

I thought this hotel was very good. The rooms were spacious, bathrooms clean a spacious. I shared a room with 2 others and we had more than enough room.

There was a swimming pool and jacuzzi at the hotel and most staff spoke good English.

The hotel was near the volcano and we took trips to the rainforest, volcano (day and night view), and even tried "sky trekking" (literally flying like Tarzan thru the rainforest).

The thing that surprised me most about this hotel was it even had wifi in the room. I would recommend this hotel.

“volcanic eruption”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

I have to start by writing that the Arenal area with its majestic volcano is my favorite of all the areas my family and I visited in Costa Rica. (The other two areas are Manuel Antonio and San Jose.)

Hotel Arenal Manoa provided us an excellent and restful accomodation. Brightly exotic Heliconias highlighted the meticulously maintained hotel grounds. Each separate bungalow houses two suites that are strategically designed to afford spectacular view of the Arenal Volcano. The suites feature two queen size beds, large bright bathroom, a minibar with a small fridge, and a porch with two rocking chairs where you can sit and enjoy the volcano's periodic rambling and smoke belching spectacle. Because it rained, er, poured, every afternoon and night, plan to enjoy the view in the morning. The two hour time difference between CR and the US east coast allowed us to do this without even trying.

The restaurant offers good food with extremely courteous staff (especially Diego). We ate all our dinnners in the restaurant because we did not want to brave the evening rains that are often punctuated by thunder and lightning. The colorful breakfast buffet is delicious but unfortunately if the guest count is low, you get a sit down meal which is nonetheless enjoyable.

My daughters enjoyed the impromptu "eco-tour" hosted by another staff member named Diego. He showed us strawberry poison arrow frogs living among the vegetations in the hotel grounds and escorted us to the crisply flowing stream just behind the pool. For those families traveling with children this a fascinating bonus.

A variety of available tours and activities will easily fill your time in the Arenal area. Make sure to include a short stroll in the little town of La Fortuna in your itinerary.

“A Gem in the Rain Forest”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We spent two nights at Hotel Arenal Manoa in August 2007. This is a sparkling little hotel--just 30 or so rooms on spacious, manicured grounds. The rooms, which are arranged around the grounds to maximize the views onto the volcano, are paired in bungalows with a common wall, and they all feature two queen sized beds, a refrigerator / mini-bar, a small safe, closet, air conditioning and DirectTV. The large bathrooms feature a skylight and a planter area as well as hot water--not always available in all lodgings in Costa Rica. All rooms have a small patio with wooden furniture and a view to the volcano. My wife and I walked around the grounds, and the rooms with the best views appeared to be 122, 124 and 125, but all rooms had good views.

The grounds are manicured and landscaped, the pool features a slide and swim up bar with a separate hot tub, and the open air restaurant has friendly, prompt service and good food at reasonable prices. Rio Fortuna (the Fortuna River) runs right by the grounds, so you always hear the running water, which adds to the experience of being in the rain forest, and the adjoining farm is gorgeous. We were awakend to the sounds of howler monkeys at each end of the property, which is graced by numerous varieties of birds.

Randon, the desk clerk, speaks very good English and is exceptionally friendly and accommodating. Don't be put off by his abruptness; he's an very nice fellow and will book tours for you and give you advice on what to see if you ask.

The Hotel also has internet access, although the computers and keyboards are in Spanish, so you have to work with them a bit. The hotel is also a bit hard to find; on the highway, you can easily find the Volcano Lodge. When you pull into the Volcano Lodge driveway, the Volcano lodge is on the right, and the road appears to split. To the left is a dirt road. Follow the dirt road about 800 meters to the Hotel Arenal Manoa. It will be worth the trip.

“Arenal Manoa is fabulous!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We just got back from Costa Rica on a Caravan tour. This brand new hotel was the second major stop along the tour in the central region by Arenal Volcano. This hotel is beautiful and all the rooms are separate buildings and have sliding glass doors, rocking chairs and indoor/outdoor tile. The views here (of Arenal) are spectacular and the landscaping is very nice. Our hotel "room" was very clean and spacious. Huge dark curtains shut out the light and there was air conditioning, coffee maker, safe, closet for hanging clothes, a table and chair and end tables with lamps. The bathroom was HUGE, with a shower for 12! There are skylights in the bathroom as well as a window. The entire place can be opened up to receive ample fresh air (all doors and windows). The dining area here was beautiful with wonderful food and excellent waitstaff. Very relaxing and somewhat romantic (at night). There is a nice pool too (but we didn't have time to use it). I simply loved this place at the base of the volcano. It is quiet, serene, beautiful and very green. The nearby town of Fortuna and the Baldi hot springs are not to be missed. This area has many things to do: horesback riding, hiking, rafting, canopy tours etc. You will NOT be disappointed by Arenal Manoa! It gets my absolute highest rating of anywhere we stayed on our entire trip!!!

“Beautiful, quiet, great hotel”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed here in April, so I'm a little late writing this. But this was a great place to stay. At that time, the volcano was quiet - at least our side of it. We got gorgeous views of it from our room, though - partially clouded most of the time, but occasionally the clouds would clear and give us a great view.

The room was new and spotless. Same with the bathroom. (The minibar was very reasonably priced.)

The interesting (and odd) thing about the hotel was that a big tour bus would pull in in the evening and disgorge a bunch of guests, who would leave after breakfast the next morning. This meant that the place was very quiet during the day. Previous reviewers have noted the same thing. After a zipline tour in the morning, my wife and daughter and I had the pool area completely to ourselves the whole afternoon, with Volcan Arenal rising up above us. It was one of the fondest memories of our trip.

“A stunning view!!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This was a great hotel! Stayed here in May 2007 with the excellent Caravan tours. The view is stunning (we were lucky it was clear) and the grounds are beautiful. You can hear they Volcano rumble and see the lava shoot out at night. See my photos below

“Phenominal view, staff and artistic food”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We spent three nights and experienced this hotel's first honeymoon package. They did a spectacular job. Our personalized 7 course meal was exquisite, artistic, tasty, and romantic without the pretentiousness of being in a fancy restaurant or out of your element. The chef came out to tell us about each course we would be having and the wine that would be served along with it. We had a personal server that delivered our beautiful plates and waited just close enough for us to finish with each course. We were lucky that during our romantic dinner, no other guests were dining and the volcano was visible with a bright red top and even erupted during dinner.

All the hotel staff that you encounter spoke English great. They were helpful with setting up tours or giving advice. The room was very spacious. Each is a duplex, so no loud neighbors. All rooms have a view of the volcano that you can enjoy from your patio and rocking chairs or from the bed through the floor to ceiling windows. We only had the buffet for breakfast, which was good. We ordered dinners off the menu, which was artistically presented each night. The pool area was nice and empty on our visit. It was the beginning of the rainy season, so it rained late afternoons for several hours, but still plenty to do during the day. The hotel was only 8 months old. A Costa Rican family owns the hotel and have a farm nearbye up on a hill. Not close enough to worry about farm animals or bugs or smells though. I would definitely recommend staying here. I emailed the hotel prior to arrival with questions. They were very helpful in answering all my questions and setting up the reservations.

“5 star surprise”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed 3 days at the Arenal Manoa and were surprised by the spaciousness of the rooms layout and the extravagance of the bathroom’s design with the high ceiling. First we thought the pool and Jacuzzi are for the eyes only but after we found the water had therapeutic temperatures it was very relaxing to enjoy a swim and have our back massaged. The view is spectacular and should be the same from all the lodgings for there is ample space between them. The hotel must be brand new there were no traces of any misuse. The restaurant seems to have a tendency for health food with smaller portions but quite enjoyable with the friendly staff. The only negative was the turnoff from the main road to the hotel via a short distance over gravel road which might be the reason that the establishment is listed under 3 stars only. We were on our third round the world and had more than 100 hotels on the way but we have to rate the Arenal Manoa a five star experience indeed.

“Excellent View”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This is the first hotel that the real environment is much more better and beautiful than the photos. Love the service, love the amazing view.. it is just wonderful :)

“What a View”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

When we got to the hotel it was just like online. The room had a great view of the valcano, the hotel itself was secluded and quiet. The bathroom was huge, and we loved the way the shower was. There is really nothing bad to say about the room. You could sit on the porch and look at the clouds passing the volcano all day if you wated.

Dining was fantastic. It was open air which I was a little worried about, bugs and all, but we never had a problem. The food was great, and nicely priced. The service was nice, a little slow, but I thing it was just laid back and we weren't in a rush. They took care of us nicely.

Overall it was an excellent place to stay. We were there 4 days and the whole time it seemed as if we had the place to ourselves. It seemed like a stop over for caravan tours so there would be a different busload of people each evening and then they were gone and we had the plae to ourselves again.

The only problem we had, and it was a very small one, was that there weren't that many people who spoke english well, and as many US and Canadian people came through there we thought there should be a few more people with better english peaking skills.

A fantastic stay. If we went back to the area that is were we would want to stay.

“What a view and nice accomodations too”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed at the Hotel Arenal Manoa as part of the Natural Wonders group tour through Nolitours in February 2007.

What a beautiful place this is...the road up to the hotel is quite bumpy but well worth it. Visit [--] for more info.

The cabins are new, spacious, have great showers and a breathtaking view of Arenal volcano...in the evening we saw the red lava running down the side of the volcano and heard the rumbling sounds...it was amazing!

The grounds are wonderfully kept. The pool and hot tub available looked inviting but we didn't get a chance to take the plunge given the tour schedule.

The only negative would be the dining room...it was always crowded and therefore, the buffet was always lacking food which was not replenished very quickly...this was a little frustrating given our tight schedule

“Realmente Agradable”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

El Hotel Manoa realmente es un concepto diferente a todo lo que uno puede encontrar en esa región. Sus baños y habitaciones son realmente generosas, muy comodas y el servicio personalizado me encanto. Su jacuzzi y piscina son ideales para el descanso. Las decoraciones con las toallas dejan con la boca abierta. La vista que tiene el hotel hacia el volcan es privilegiada, recomiendo pedrile al gerente que los lleve a ver salir la lava del volcan en la noche, es un excelente guía.

“Recomendable”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Hotel con excelentes vistas al volcán. La habitación es muy amplia con un baño de dimensiones generosas también. Las habitaciones están en una especie de cabañitas adosadas, por lo que la extensión del hotel es bastante grande. El desplazamiento es por un camino de tierra, así que si está lloviendo muchas veces debes hacerlo con el transporte interno del hotel. La comida del restaurante es muy recomendable, un poco excesivo el precio del vino(una copa casi 6$)

“nous y retournerons lors d un prochain passage au costa rica”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

entièrement satisfait de l'hotel très bel endroit un accueil de qualité un personnel au petit soin avec les clients par contre le restaurant est plus que moyen et surcoté par son chef qui se réclame d'escofier et vous propose une sauce truffe avec des poivrons escofier doit se retourner dans sa tombe et surtout je ne vous recommande pas les desserts absolument gloubiboulga............ surtout évitez le salami au chocolat

“A stunning view!!”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This was a great hotel! Stayed here in May 2007 with the excellent Caravan tours. The view is stunning (we were lucky it was clear) and the grounds are beautiful. You can hear they Volcano rumble and see the lava shoot out at night. See my photos below

“Phenominal view, staff and artistic food”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We spent three nights and experienced this hotel's first honeymoon package. They did a spectacular job. Our personalized 7 course meal was exquisite, artistic, tasty, and romantic without the pretentiousness of being in a fancy restaurant or out of your element. The chef came out to tell us about each course we would be having and the wine that would be served along with it. We had a personal server that delivered our beautiful plates and waited just close enough for us to finish with each course. We were lucky that during our romantic dinner, no other guests were dining and the volcano was visible with a bright red top and even erupted during dinner.

All the hotel staff that you encounter spoke English great. They were helpful with setting up tours or giving advice. The room was very spacious. Each is a duplex, so no loud neighbors. All rooms have a view of the volcano that you can enjoy from your patio and rocking chairs or from the bed through the floor to ceiling windows. We only had the buffet for breakfast, which was good. We ordered dinners off the menu, which was artistically presented each night. The pool area was nice and empty on our visit. It was the beginning of the rainy season, so it rained late afternoons for several hours, but still plenty to do during the day. The hotel was only 8 months old. A Costa Rican family owns the hotel and have a farm nearbye up on a hill. Not close enough to worry about farm animals or bugs or smells though. I would definitely recommend staying here. I emailed the hotel prior to arrival with questions. They were very helpful in answering all my questions and setting up the reservations.

“5 star surprise”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed 3 days at the Arenal Manoa and were surprised by the spaciousness of the rooms layout and the extravagance of the bathroom’s design with the high ceiling. First we thought the pool and Jacuzzi are for the eyes only but after we found the water had therapeutic temperatures it was very relaxing to enjoy a swim and have our back massaged. The view is spectacular and should be the same from all the lodgings for there is ample space between them. The hotel must be brand new there were no traces of any misuse. The restaurant seems to have a tendency for health food with smaller portions but quite enjoyable with the friendly staff. The only negative was the turnoff from the main road to the hotel via a short distance over gravel road which might be the reason that the establishment is listed under 3 stars only. We were on our third round the world and had more than 100 hotels on the way but we have to rate the Arenal Manoa a five star experience indeed.

“Excellent View”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

This is the first hotel that the real environment is much more better and beautiful than the photos. Love the service, love the amazing view.. it is just wonderful :)

“What a View”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

When we got to the hotel it was just like online. The room had a great view of the valcano, the hotel itself was secluded and quiet. The bathroom was huge, and we loved the way the shower was. There is really nothing bad to say about the room. You could sit on the porch and look at the clouds passing the volcano all day if you wated.

Dining was fantastic. It was open air which I was a little worried about, bugs and all, but we never had a problem. The food was great, and nicely priced. The service was nice, a little slow, but I thing it was just laid back and we weren't in a rush. They took care of us nicely.

Overall it was an excellent place to stay. We were there 4 days and the whole time it seemed as if we had the place to ourselves. It seemed like a stop over for caravan tours so there would be a different busload of people each evening and then they were gone and we had the plae to ourselves again.

The only problem we had, and it was a very small one, was that there weren't that many people who spoke english well, and as many US and Canadian people came through there we thought there should be a few more people with better english peaking skills.

A fantastic stay. If we went back to the area that is were we would want to stay.

“What a view and nice accomodations too”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

We stayed at the Hotel Arenal Manoa as part of the Natural Wonders group tour through Nolitours in February 2007.

What a beautiful place this is...the road up to the hotel is quite bumpy but well worth it. Visit [--] for more info.

The cabins are new, spacious, have great showers and a breathtaking view of Arenal volcano...in the evening we saw the red lava running down the side of the volcano and heard the rumbling sounds...it was amazing!

The grounds are wonderfully kept. The pool and hot tub available looked inviting but we didn't get a chance to take the plunge given the tour schedule.

The only negative would be the dining room...it was always crowded and therefore, the buffet was always lacking food which was not replenished very quickly...this was a little frustrating given our tight schedule

“Realmente Agradable”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

El Hotel Manoa realmente es un concepto diferente a todo lo que uno puede encontrar en esa región. Sus baños y habitaciones son realmente generosas, muy comodas y el servicio personalizado me encanto. Su jacuzzi y piscina son ideales para el descanso. Las decoraciones con las toallas dejan con la boca abierta. La vista que tiene el hotel hacia el volcan es privilegiada, recomiendo pedrile al gerente que los lleve a ver salir la lava del volcan en la noche, es un excelente guía.

“Recomendable”

Hotel Arenal Manoa

Hotel con excelentes vistas al volcán. La habitación es muy amplia con un baño de dimensiones generosas también. Las habitaciones están en una especie de cabañitas adosadas, por lo que la extensión del hotel es bastante grande. El desplazamiento es por un camino de tierra, así que si está lloviendo muchas veces debes hacerlo con el transporte interno del hotel. La comida del restaurante es muy recomendable, un poco excesivo el precio del vino(una copa casi 6$)