Arenal Hostel Resort Reviews

Estiban at the counter was incredibly helpful in planning our trip! He saved the day on numerous occasions. Definitely a great place for a good price.

I loved it! It exceeded my expectations and the staff was overly helpful!

This hostel was excellent! It has a really great atmosphere and the staff members were so friendly. There's a SWIM UP BAR which is awesome. Even though it has a party environment, it's never loud after 11 or midnight. The only thing is that the water went out several times during our stay and the kitchen is very poorly equipped with cooking utensils. Aside from those minor details, i would TOTALLY recommend it.

The best part of the hostel was Esteban who helped us book jeep-boat-jeep tix, arranged taxis, reserved us a hostel in monteverde, and gave us many suggestions on what to do in the area. He was an immense help, and we literally could not have done anything without him. It was also nice to get a free drink at the hostel bar!

Really I can't even describe how surprised we were when we got to Arenal Hostel Resort expecting a typical hostel with two beds in a mixed dorm. We were upgraded to our own bedroom, and the facilities were outstanding, with a pool and bar and a terrific kitchen. The staff was extremely accommodating. If I had any complaint, it would be the the hostel resort spoiled us so severely that our expectations were raised too high for the other locations we stayed at.

I was really impressed with this hostel. It has all the features of a large hostel with the personality of a small place. The staff was friendly and very helpful for booking tours and advising about travel plans. I would stay here again.

The resort is beautiful, it has a great atmosphere, it's clean, and there is air conditioning and hot water! What more could you ask for. Some of the staff really went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. They organized rides, tours and activities, and even cooked for us one night (free of charge!). However, some of the other staff were not so kind or helpful. All in all, a highly recommended hostel.

Coming from a relatively dingy hostel in San Jose that costed the same per night, this seemed like heaven. Hot water! TOWELS. Clean toilets! Room service! AC! 10+ outlets! A swim-up bar, pool, fountain in the middle, view of Arenal from our room, rocking chairs outside, and super helpful staff who all seem to speak perfect English. They helped us place calls, make reservations, find good places to eat for our budget, and always asked us how everything was going. It was practically a nice hotel.

Far and away, the best hostel I've ever stayed in. Every single aspect was great. You should mention that they also have a small cafe, featuring the Tico special "casados" for a great price every evening. "Host" Esteban shuts the swim-up bar down every night at 10:00, so it gets and stays quiet at a reasonable hour for those of us who like to sleep.

I've stayed at many hostels and this is right up there with a few other favorites. Very cute place and rooms. The common area is so cute and the small swim up bar pool is a bonus. Happy hour is cheap and a great way to relax after a day of activities. I was worried about my friend, as it was her first time staying in a hostel, but she thought it was fun, cute, social, yet private enough as we got a double. (I usually stay in dorms.) she loved it as much as me!

Excellent hostel with a bar and restaurant that's open all day. The tour guide guy (sorry i forget your name after a couple days, but thank you!) took a group of us to a local rope swing and set me up on some awesome tours. I met friends at the bar to adventure with and overall had a great time in La Fortuna. Thanks!

Fantastic hostel! Very nice

Very nice hostel with charming courtyard that makes it a little paradise. Rooms are well kept, clean and spacious. Bar and restaurant offer good food for decent price. Swimming pool is a good bonus. On the main road, location is perfect close to supermarket, restaurants and tour offices.

The friendliness of the staff was phenomenal. Esteban served as our "activities coordinator", and his advice & recommendations were great! Our time in La Fortuna/Arenal would not have been the same without the awesome staff at Arenal Hostel Resort

Seriously one of the nicest hostels I've stayed in. Roberto the bartender is one cool dude!

Very friendly and helpful staff. My only issue was some kind of critter on or in the roof at night--they were a bit noisy. But, it was a minor issue, overall.

The staff made our stay exceptional. Would easily return to this hostel. Alonso and Jennifer made us feel as though we were family. Felt that we were at a resort not a hostel.

IMO the hostel is very good for the price. Rooms are situated around a nice courtyard with hammocks and roofed picnic tables to relax at during down time. There's a small pool for enjoying when the weather cooperates. Also, a nice bar/restaurant with a very friendly staff. The hostel staff was very helpful when i needed to call the bus service for a change in pick-up location. The only complaints i have are the quality of the matress and there was no hot water at "peak" shower times.

We took the hostel's Volcano Hike tour. The tour and guide were excellent. Recommended!

Great hostel. Great location. Great breakfast available at the hostel.