Arenal Xilopalo

The rooms are a bit dated, but still functional and comfortable enough for a pleasant stay. We were especially happy with the bird-watching spots, one in the restaurant and another in a public area, both great for seeing local wildlife. A staff member also took time to show us which animals come out around the hotel at night, a thoughtful touch that made the visit more memorable. The Arenal Xilopalo Hotel's location was excellent and made it very easy to explore the area. The staff were consistently friendly and welcoming.

What made our La Fortuna visit special was how easy it was to spot wildlife here, even without taking a tour. The hotel has two bird-watching spots, and from the forest and volcano views we saw lots of birds, including three kinds of toucan. Armando's sloth tour was fantastic. He also showed us red-eyed tree frogs in the evening and let me know when he spotted a new bird for my Merlin app. The staff were very helpful, and housekeeping cleaned our room every day, which we really appreciated since it was our first time experiencing that in Latin America. The spacious room had plenty of storage, comfortable beds, a good hot shower, a fridge and a coffee machine. The onsite restaurant served really flavourful food. I couldn't recommend this hotel enough!

I didn't book rooms here, but booked almost all our tours through them. They had a huge selection at pretty good prices, and the people at the front were friendly and knew their stuff. Jose handled our bookings. We had some rare problems, so maybe we just got unlucky, but Jose helped us contact the tour company and get everything sorted smoothly. I really appreciate his help and would recommend booking tours with them. And Armando's sloth tour was a gem. No wonder he's the star guide!

Every morning we had local coffee and watched the birds right outside, and a toucan welcomed us when we arrived. The rooms were spacious and the whole place had such peaceful vibes. It's tucked beside the mountain slope, yet just a short walk from lots of great restaurants and cafes. Armando was the best part. He offers sloth tours and knows so much about the animals and local environment. His eyesight is superhero-level: we got to watch four different sloths hanging out in the trees, doing what they do best and being adorable. The staff were super friendly. An absolute gem, highly recommend the place and a tour with Armando.