Hotel Arenal Experience

We only discovered at the airport that the cash we'd kept with our documents was gone, leaving an empty envelope. I thought Costa Rica was very safe and had left our belongings in the room without hiding them. It seems someone found our folder of documents and took the money, possibly during room cleaning. The hotel itself wasn't bad, but this was very disappointing. I called, and they said they'd look into it, but I haven't heard back or received any information.

It's a nice place, with easy parking, and everything you need is a 10 to 45 minute drive away. The staff were friendly, and breakfast was good enough. The address points to the neighboring property, which made it confusing to find, but we eventually got there.

The rooms were decent, but our group had a very bad experience, so I can't recommend this place. Cash was stolen from four rooms. A newly married couple in our group also left their wedding and engagement rings in their room for a few hours, and those were taken too. We had asked for no cleaning and kept the doors locked. The hotel owner gave us no support.

The shower only worked when it felt like it, and the toilet wasn't comfortable either. More seriously, four of the 22 people in our group had things stolen, likely during cleaning while we were out for the day. All the doors had been locked. Visible items were taken, including cash worth about 1000 dollars in total and, worst of all, the wedding rings of a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. I could never recommend a place like this. Find somewhere more trustworthy. UPDATE: We filed a report with OIJ, and they said another American family had also been robbed at the hotel that same day.