Arenal Manoa Resort & Hot Springs

I recently stayed at Arenal Manoa Hotel, and I must say it exceeded all our expectations. This was our first of two stays in the area, and it truly set the bar high for our subsequent accommodations. The hotel's cleanliness was exceptional, and we experienced both the standard and superior rooms, both offering stunning views of the volcano. The breakfast at Arenal Manoa Hotel deserves a special mention. The variety of options available ensured there was something for everyone, and the quality of the food was top-notch. It provided the perfect start to our days of exploring the area. However, what truly made our stay special was the exceptional service provided by the staff. I would like to give a special shout-out to the team at the swim-up pool, especially Hilda, who went above and beyond to ensure our orders were taken care of promptly and accurately. Additionally, the entire front desk and guest services team, including Rols, Daniela and Yorle, were incredibly helpful in booking our tours and even arranged a thoughtful surprise for our special occasion in our room. Their dedication and attentiveness made our stay truly memorable. Every member of the Arenal Manoa Hotel staff exuded a genuine desire to assist and ensure our stay was remarkable. We highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting La Fortuna. In fact, after our time at Arenal Manoa Hotel, we also stayed at another location nearby, Los Lagos, and it is safe to say that Arenal Manoa Hotel stands out as the superior choice.

A stunning hotel in a beautiful location in the rainforest. We absolutely loved the setting of the Arenal Manoa hotel, 2 pools with hot springs to enjoy after a busy day of excursions, beautifully set within the rainforest in the middle of the wildlife where we spotted lots of birds, iguanas and lot's more. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner quite a few nights in the hotel and it was a lovely calm setting where the staff couldn't do enough for us. There was also a pizza restaurant (with their own pizza oven) and sushi bar, one at each pool We celebrated our son's 3rd birthday whilst we were away too and they went out of their way to make it special with cake & balloons which was very much appreciated. Would visit again in a heartbeat!

Nothing - we loved it!

Manoa is absolutely beautiful! The view from our room was gorgeous- private and looked directly at the volcano. Location was terrific, pools beautiful and spa was amazing. We really enjoyed having dinner at the pool - tons of options - you can order from the expansive lunch menu at dinner time. Breakfast buffet was great too!

Our only complaint was that the room did not have enough storage space for a family of four. The closet should have some built in drawers or there should be a separate dresser. Breakfast hours could be a bit longer to accommodate early and late risers. Best to change to 6am - 10am.

It looks like a quaint, little neighbourhood that allowed you to park your car right outside your condo which was handy. Also I believe to have spotted more animals there than I had in some national parks which actually made our stay! The breakfast was brilliant and had loads to choose from and the customer service there was one of the best I’d encountered in my life. That really made a difference. Lastly, the nice, warm shower and the little details the lovely cleaners left in the room :)

The only thing we didn’t like much about it was that even if we did have our little condos, we could still hear noise from the neighbours while inside. Also, the interior of the condos are a little bit outdated and the dinner menu in the main restaurant wasn’t that great or diverse. Neither were the selection of happy hour cocktails. For dinner we ended up going to the pool area most of the time to have an early dinner there cause that area closes at 8pm. Pizzas there are amazing.

The hotel was a "horizontal" complex in that all rooms were at ground level with just two rooms per building and the buildings are scattered throughout the property. As the rooms were on ground floor the view was limited, I guess because of privacy concerns by just stepping out the the door the the Arenal volcano is right in front of you, an amazing view! The breakfast was a well stocked buffet and the a la carte restaurant was also very good. For a less formal atmosphere we tried the excellent Sushi bar at the pool that is open til 10pm. (There is also a pizza place but we didn't try them). The staff were very friendly and helpful. Tours are available at the hotel and we took one to the volcano and another to jungle tour with suspension bridges. Both were good but we preferred the jungle tour. The thermal water hot pool was a great place to relax after hiking and sightseeing. If you have a car and feel a little adventurous the "Rio Celeste" in the Tenorio Volcano National Park is worth the trip. Its about 90mins from the hotel but be aware that the walking trail in the park is about 5 to 6 Km to take in all the viewing points and places can be uneven. To get to the waterfall there are perhaps 200 steps down (and then back up again!)

There was not much we did like during our 3 night stay. Perhaps, for late risers, the breakfast buffet ended a little early at 9am (maybe 9.30) but this wasn't our case.

At some point, the rubber of my hiking shoes came loose and a member of the staff drove by and saw that I was walking with a broken shoe. He sent a colleague with glue to fix it. I was really impressed! We loved the breakfast and the incredible view from the restaurant, the birds and animals that we saw in the trees near the room and on the property. We loved the spa which was super relaxing situated in little bungalows overlooking the river and I had an incredible masseuse. Lastly we loved the huge room , views of the volcano from every place on the property and the hot spring.

The food was incredibly expensive (eg 12 dollars for ice cream) and I wish there was access to the other hot springs (at least for early hours) for the kids.

Breakfast: was fantastic! It was buffet style you had options. A section of customized eggs, salad/dressing section, local breakfast that changed daily, or American breakfast. Coffee is poured when you sit and orange juice you serve yourself! The view from the breakfast area omg glorious! Enjoy it! Embrace the rain! Lunch: amazing food and you must get a pizza to try! The nachos are to die for! They have great juices definitely grab one! Dinner: the best of the best! Get the house drink! The drinks are fantastic along with dessert! Room: The beds were comfortable a bit firm and the pillows excellent The air conditioning even better! Nice and cool! Seeing the view from my window and sitting on the rocking chairs outside you can see all the birds flying over in the trees. Bathroom: there's a giant plant in the bathroom with skylight it's a huge bathroom. Great water flow. Transportation- you can request getting picked up from your room to any area in the hotel if you don't want to walk. We did especially after arriving from our tours. Thermal waters- wonderful time super warm and relaxing especially at happy hour! Buy one, get one free! Definitely take the free tour to the dairy farm! We saw so many animals different monkeys, sloths, etc all at the property! Yeah, you have to ask for it and they bring a guide to walk you there and teach you about everything! Completely free! Tours: this is a prime spot if you don't have a car I chose tours from the hotel, then viator, and air bnb experience everyone came to pick us up and we had the best time. If you have your own car you can drive yourself to different areas. Staff: super organized and amazing customer service from the cleaning lady to servers, to front desk Amazing group of people!

Honestly, they're so efficient and organized. Fantastic customer service.

A very luxurious resort with stunning views of the volcano. The breakfast is served with a view on the volcano and over a lake with crocodiles and other wildlife. Swimming pools and hot springs with poolside bar service. We were there at Easter and staff laid a mystery trail in our room for the kids to follow to find a token for a surprise gift to be collected in reception.

Staff were generally great but at busy times service wasn't as good as it could be and staff seemed to struggle. We ultimately had an amazing experience and it is a stunning resort, but it was expensive and so that was expected. There are probably better value resorts in the area but I would recommend this one.

The minute that we entered the reception area we were greeted by the kindest sweetest staff ever !! It was truly amazing from beginning to end !! My friend was visiting from Canada and sadly needs a wheelchair to get around , I honestly could not believe how helpful and warm and kind everyone was ! The help we received regarding the wheelchair situation was top notch !!! When I say top notch I really mean it ! Our room was perfect as it was also wheelchair accessible!!! I was so worried if I was ever going to find a way to show my friend the Volcano while she was here , it was on the top of her list and if it where not for everyone at the Manoa Resort I don't think we could have done it ! Then let's talk about the spa " WOW " that's the only way to describe it ! We both had massages that sent us straight to heaven !!!! We were so relaxed we could barley keep our eyes open but we knew we had to get into the Mineral Springs lol well after that we ate a fabulous late lunch in the Springs area and ended up falling asleep at the table because we were so relaxed !!! I was so embarrassed hahaha ! I hope no one was looking lol ! Best Margiritas ever !!! I don't think either of us has ever had such an amazing sleep that night !!! Excellent breakfast buffet / everything you could ever want!!!! We had a perfect view of the Volcano from our room !!! We were only planning on staying 4 nights but because we just couldn't bring ourselves to pack our bags so we decided to stay another night !! Hahaha ! Then the most amazing gift came along , it was the Manager of the Lodge who was absolutely lovely in every way ! She was very pleased to hear we were staying another night and then she said she had been trying to make contact with us all day ? I'm thinking hummm , I couldn't figure out why ? Was it because we almost fell asleep in our lunches the day before Hahahaha!

Leaving !!!!! We really disliked that so much !! Hahahah ! But no we really hated leaving !!!

The view of the Volcano, the grounds are like "the garden of Eden". All the people are professional and friendly- Anything we asked for was delivered in a timely fashion. The grounds are 100 acres so some rooms will require a pick up and drop off- they always came in less than a minute. Rooms and bathroom are ample, with great small refrigerator. Plenty of hot water and excellent water pressure. Pools were clean and well maintained. Food at pool could use improvement. The breakfast is wonderful with plenty of fresh options, you won't go hungry or disappointed. Air conditioner broke and they fixed it in 2 hours. A special thank you to Silvio and Esteban for their exceptional friendliness and service and great smiles.

we rented the Superior suite, which is worth it for only 30 more dollars a night- The bungalows are attached, 2 next to each other.....occasionally we could hear the people next door.