We (family with triplets aged 10) spent two nights at the Arenal Montechiari. The little lodges are a decent size with refrigerators and comfortable beds. There are bed side lamps in the rooms now so those concerned about the strip lighting comments needn’t worry!

The gardens are beautifully planted with lots of colourful flowers; it’s a lovely place to hang out. Others had mentioned that the pool isn’t heated but it was warm enough for that not to matter. Our daughters spent hours in there.

The restaurant only serves breakfast. It was the standard fayre with lots of fresh fruit, fresh eggs, rice/beans mix, etc. It’s an easy ten minute walk into town for lunch/dinner where there are lots of options. We had a good meal at La Fonda 506.

There’s a lot to do the the area. Cannot recommend Ecoglide zip wiring highly enough (see separate review). It was epic!!!! Also enjoyed our walk up the volcano and an evening at the hot springs.

Stayed here for 2 nights in a tour of Costa Rica. Rooms are spacious and functional although ours only had one long strip light (were later told others did have bedside lamps), however this didn’t really detract from the overall enjoyment of the stay.

The gardens surrounding the lodges were pretty and bursting with birds, we watched the hummingbirds from our patio area. We also saw a sloth hanging from the tree by reception, with a number of iguanas basking atop the trees. At night the sound of frogs and toads was enchanting... Arenal volcano looms high above the lodge, softened by the bursts of colour from the flowers. A great backdrop!

Breakfast was on a par with other lodges we stayed at, fruit options, toast and rice and beans. We are vegan so had limited options but plentiful.

We ate out in La Fortuna on an evening as it was a short, easy walk into the town from the hotel.

We had our laundry done here, $6/kilo, and the staff were courteous and helpful. WiFi is available in reception and the restaurant like a lot of lodges/hotels we visited.

Couldn’t really have asked for more (well maybe a bedside lamp) but hardly an issue!