Campos Arenal Hotel

The location is excellent, and the room was okay for the price. But the service wasn’t very accommodating. The kitchen usually opens at 7, and since we had to leave for activities at 6:30, I asked if I could get coffee at 6:15. They said they could only serve it at 7. I hadn’t had that kind of experience before in Costa Rica, and I wouldn’t come back.

Hard to spot and tucked off the main road, so finding the hotel took some effort. Still, it was worth the hunt. The staff were awesome. When our Uber didn’t show, he changed our dinner reservation without us even asking.

Breakfast was the standout, absolutely tremendous, and the woman who made it was magical. Most things worked fine too: the air conditioning was good and the showers were fine. The Wi-Fi in the room, though, was treacherous, practically unusable.

The volcano view is fantastic, and the hotel is a short walk from La Fortuna. It’s far enough from the main street that trucks and motorcycles didn’t wake us, and there’s a standard pool. Our room and bathroom were clean, the beds comfortable enough, the air conditioning worked well, and the Wi-Fi was great. The downside was how clearly sound carried through the thin walls. We could hear neighbors talking and moving around, and it could wake you up. Service was nothing special, though that matters less to me. Breakfast was mediocre, with no fruit juice and food that seemed to have been sitting out for hours. Pretty standard for the price.