Location is beautiful and we took full advantage of the grounds and hikes, including a night tour. They have a little cafe and museum. Even when it rained the entire day on our 2nd day we still got out and enjoyed the beauty. Do the waterfall hike! Night tour with Cristian was fantastic. Free breakfast was tasty and generous. Lodge was perfect distance from town. We liked popping into town for snacks, hanging out in the plaza and then retreating to our quiet paradise. We didn't use it, but they had a little recreation room in our building with a ping pong table and foosball table. The dining hall had a chess table, and the lobby has a tv room with checkers. Highly recommend you book your free guided tour as soon as you check in. The 8am and 10 am were all booked by the time we decided to do it.

Dinners were expensive for the quality. But, we knew that from reading other reviews. We decided to eat on grounds anyway because its just super convenient. Rooms could use some updating but were clean and comfortable. Wifi was very unreliable and kicked us off frequently. But, I wanted my kids to unplug anyway.

The property is beautiful, you are more secluded and there is beautiful gardens and wildlife to observe. There is also a hot tub which was nice to have after a long hike. The restaurant was fantastic for bothe drinks and food, breakfast was included which was a combination of a la carte for your mains and buffet for your fruit, drinks and yogurt

Only drawback was is more secluded so you are not nearby town and the road to get to the property is not paved. If doing activities, tours they would not pick up at the property. We did not know but it might be worth booking with the property directly as they would provide transportation.

This review is specific to the Casono I to V building, which is the budget end of the AOL complex. This has five rooms sharing two toilet/showers, three sinks, a common room and wide balcony with four chairs. We were concerned about the shared bathroom but it was perfectly ok. It’s a steep 500m walk to the reception and restaurant; and even further to the pool. A free taxi service is provided or you can drive; there are plenty of parking spaces up there. I grew to appreciate the separation. Set in a beautiful garden that attracts birds including the humming type. There are glorious views of the volcano and lake. The volcano seems very close here. It’s much quieter and more intimate down here than the main complex. We really enjoyed our visit here. Room has a fan, safe and a coffee/tea maker.

The hotel restaurant is far too expensive. It’s poor value for rooms with a shared bathroom compared with other hotels.

The entire property was beautiful and if you like to walk/hike, there were great trails. The observation deck was good for bird watching and the restaurant had wonderful views. The breakfast (included) was good, as was the dinner (not included in the price). The room was comfortable, but there was no airconditioning. Thankfully, there was a fan. We also liked our deck that looked out at the lake.

To be improved: their front desk staff did not explain things that well. We were only there one night and the morning when we were leaving we found out there had been a happy hour the night before; they also should have explained the tail system better. Also, check in was crowded--they needed more people at the desk. I'd still stay here again, but it was pricey.

There is so much history attached to the Observation Lodge that it makes for a fascinating place to stay. It's the first and only hotel located within the national park due to it being an observation location for volcanologists, so the trails, wildlife and landscaping around the hotel is incredible. There are endless walking routes with tropical birds, hanging bridges, waterfalls and crossfit challenges waiting to be found. There's an onsite spa, pool, restaurant, bar, museum and shop, and reception offers additional information around tours and practical things like laundry services. The hotel offers a complimentary nature walk, plus a tractor ride around the grounds to get the most from your stay plus paid for activities such as a night walk. The room includes complimentary breakfast each morning overlooking the Arenal lake and volcano - I'll never get bored of that view! So many birdwatchers come to the hotel, as the grounds attract over 500 species of bird.

Once you discover the history of the lodges (available in the onsite museum) the hotels aesthetics makes more sense, but nonetheless rhe rooms are a little dated and could do with a freshen up. We were located in lodges away from the main building and it was a 10 minute walk uphill to get to the reception. More information on how to order the shuttle would have been great. The hotel is quite a distance from the town of La Fortuna so you definitely need a car to get to the hotel and the road is bumpy in parts. There is an online restaurant and bar so you don't have to head out in the evenings, however I personally wasn't a huge fan of the evening food on offer so it became a little repetitive.

The lodge offers a fantastic nature experience with excellent guides. Christian provided a free, insightful presentation on Costa Rica’s biodiversity and led a morning tour that was both informative and engaging. We encountered a lot of wildlife. The bird feeder outside the restaurant adds to the enjoyment, offering a great variety of birds while dining, and the lodge is environmentally conscious. The trails are exceptional-easy to navigate, safe, and rich with wildlife, including a frog pond where the iconic red-eyed tree frog is almost guaranteed to be seen (between 6-7pm). Service in the restaurant was attentive and thoughtful, enhancing the overall experience.

On the downside, the food was average considering the high prices, and with only one restaurant on-site, dining options are limited and can be costly. The coffee shop was a bit disappointing, relying on an automatic machine instead of offering authentic Tico coffee. Without a car, the lodge’s remote location (40 minutes from La Fortuna) means transportation can be expensive, with taxi fares around $40 one way. Rooms are comfortable but not luxurious; expect some creaking beds. The balcony room near reception can be noisy due to its proximity to the parking and tour van drop-off area.

It was absolutely perfect! With commanding views of the lake and intimate views of the volcano it was perfect! The gardens are planted with an abundance of butterfly and hummingbird friendly pollinators making the bird watching rewarding for neophytes like myself. The staff were kind, attentive, respectful and accommodating- absolutely perfect blend without being over-bearing! The trails are easy to follow and short enough to do a pre-breakfast hike! If you want privacy, wildlife and delicious food in a private setting this is your place! Absolutely loved our stay at the Observatory!

We thoroughly enjoyed the room and beautiful grounds/trails. Thanks for feeding the birds so we could get a closer look at them. Next time I will bring a camera with a zoom. Hard to get pictures of the wildlife without one! Nice to have the restaurant for main meals as road up and back to the lodge is rather rough. Had a wonderful massage at the spa-highly recommend.

Was initially confused about the breakfast. I would probably just get items from the buffet as don't like to waste food. With the price for the stay, it would be nice to have a few more free activities. (Such as bird education/viewing.)

It's the only lodging within Arenal Park -- a beautiful natural setting at a cooler elevation, above the hubbub of nearby La Fortuna. Easy bird viewing at a prominent feeder and ornamental gardens. Extensive trail system to forest waterfall, river, wild monkeys, and finca (farm). Great night tour by flashlight seeing red eyed tree frogs etc, good even in the rain. Comfortable rooms -- balcony has direct Arenal volcano view plus frequent wildlife such as squirrels, agouti, crested curassow, crested guan, etc. Excellent dining. Although we had wanted 5 nights, the Lodge began to fill up 8 months in advance for our dates. It turned out that our two nights were sufficient, in combination with 3 inexpensive nights in bustling La Fortuna town (just 40 minutes drive away), which is closer to the excellent North Fields coffee and chocolate tour, Bogarin sloth trail, many restaurants (sushi, pizza, etc) and tourist town services.

The Lodge's deserved popularity makes it rather pricey and it can fill up 8+ months in advance.

The views were fantastic, Arenal volcano is intimidating ( as it is very close to the resort) but mesmerising. The bird life is abundant and the Coatis walk around ignoring people just doing their own things (which is as it should be) The breakfast was fantastic. The road to the resort is a dirt road and could be rough. there are no lights at night ,hence be careful when venturing out at night.However if you have a good car and consider the road conditions it can be easily done with an SUV or a constant 4WD. I will recommend a big car but not necessarily 4x4. As the resort is very isolated the only place to have dinner is the restaurant which was expensive. However with a good car you can venture into the small local towns an have a multitude of choices.( alway ask the staff about eating choices you will get good information from them ).Hence that is one of the reasons I will recommend an SUV. As the resort is so vast you could stay there without going anywhere else and honestly say you know Cost Rica. The waterfall within the property was breathtaking, you get to it via a beautiful walk via the forest. There are 2 suspending bridges, lots of well marked walks and the births are. amazing.

The restaurant was very expensive.