Arenal Green

Karen, David, and Jesus made our anniversary stay feel special. Karen helped sort out transportation, which was easy with her assistance, and the team took care of our needs. David and Jesus were great to chat with, and Jesus gave us excellent service at breakfast. They also offered wonderful sightseeing suggestions. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy nature while staying near town and tours.

The room WiFi kept dropping and was very poor. A few other details also missed the mark: there was no shower gel or shampoo for the price, the curtains were awkward to use, and my early check-in request wasn’t handled properly even though I’d asked ahead. The grounds look pretty at night, but they’re spread out, involve long walks, and felt less like a garden than I expected. The rooms themselves were clean, well finished, and comfortable, with a great bed. The shower stayed hot and had good pressure, despite what some other reviews said. Breakfast was good, with fresh fruit and a solid traditional Costa Rican choice. Staff were friendly and helpful, including with tour bookings over WhatsApp. It’s a quiet spot about five minutes from town, and Uber is easy and affordable.

I expected Natural Green Lodge to be pretty from the photos, but the real place surprised me with how beautiful it was. Each bungalow sits among lovely greenery, and the restaurant has a gorgeous view. It’s less than five minutes from downtown La Fortuna, with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. The staff were kind and helpful, Minor at the front desk answered our questions, and Jesús at the restaurant was especially pleasant and friendly. It was the best place we could have booked for our Costa Rica vacation, and I feel lucky we found it.

The outdoor kitchen had potential, but it was often dirty, with animals crawling around, and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for weeks. All the dishes were dirty when we checked in. Our room also felt dim because the lighting was inadequate compared with the bright listing photos. Hot water was another letdown. It was barely lukewarm at first, and even after waiting an hour for it to heat up, the system only supplied hot water for about 5 minutes. On our first day, reception forgot to service the room, then blamed us for not putting out a request card we hadn’t received. After we complained, they gave us the card and replaced the trash bags and towels, but this should have been handled proactively. The place has potential, but better lighting, reliable hot water, basic comforts like a TV, cleaner outdoor areas, and better communication and service would make a big difference.