Costa Rica Hotel Tip: Can you name your Arenal or Monteverde hotel?

When it comes to choosing a hotel for your vacation, you have done the research. You know more or less where the accommodation is located, what the room price is, and the amenities that are offered on-site, but can you quote your reserved accommodation’s name? Sounds easy, doesn’t it? After all, who would put so much time and effort into their vacation only to forget the name of the item they have so thoroughly decided on? Surprisingly, many travellers. Truth be told, the majority do not forget their hotel name entirely, but they do have to think twice about it when they are asked to provide tourism companies, travel agenices, or transportation service drivers with the exact title of their chosen accommodation.

This is especially true for those travellers who opt to visit either arenal or monteverde when in costa rica. The tour operators and transportation service providers who are responsible for most hotel pick-up and drop-off services must receive the full name of the accommodation a traveller plans to stay at in order to correctly coordinate the required transportation service. When this does not occur, drivers receive comments resembling the following instead:

“I am staying at the Monteverde hotel…”

“I can’t remember the name fully, but it has Arenal in the title…”

“It is Monteverde something, I’m sure…”

“My hotel is named after the Arenal Volcano…”

Unfortunately, little do travellers know how similar hotel names are in costa rica. Since it is common for hotels to include the name of the city in which the accommodation is located in its title, confusion resulting from hotel name similarities can cause travellers to miss transportation services and/or depart later than intended. From the transportation service provider’s perspective, without the complete accommodation’s name on file there are a variety of hotel options to have to decide between when picking up and dropping off travellers. Consider the following hotel names citing ‘monteverde’ or ‘arenal’ in the title:

Monteverde hotel options

Monteverde Lodge
Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge
Monteverde Inn
Monteverde Rustic Lodge
Monteverde Villa Lodge
Monteverde Country Lodge
Montana Monteverde
Jardines de Monteverde

Arenal hotel options

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa
Arenal Kioro
Arenal Paraiso
Arenal Rossi
Arenal Carmela
Arenal Manoa
Arenal Nayara
Arenal Volcano Inn
Arenal Lodge
Gran Arenal
La Pradera del Arenal
Lavas del Arenal
Arenal Rabfer
Arenal Backpacker
Arenal Resort
Arenal Country Inn
Arenal Observatory Lodge
Arenal Jireh
Vista Arenal
Arenal Vista Lodge

Even more confusing can be the sharing of words amongst hotels. Take the following two hotels in arenal for example:

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa
The Springs Resort & Spa

These two hotel options are entirely different arenal accommodations. The former is a superior hotel option offering hot springs on-site and nightly stays ranging between $135 and $175. This hotel should not be confused with the later which is a resort hotel option also offering hot springs on-site but with nightly stays ranging between $400 and $1000. In these cases citing the words ‘springs’, ‘resort’, and ‘spa’, are simply not enough to identify which exact accommodation you plan to stay at.

In addition to ‘arenal’ being an important (and prevalent) term, the words ‘volcano’ and ‘lodge’ should also be used carefully when describing your arenal hotel. The following hotels are often mistaken for one another:

Arenal Volcano Inn
Volcano Lodge
Arenal Lodge
Arenal Vista Lodge
Arenal Observatory Lodge

Any slight misuse of the name ‘arenal’, ‘volcano’, or ‘lodge’ could send you to a different hotel than the one you have a reservation for. In these cases, it is not enough to simply know the words that make up the title of your preferred accommodation, as you should be able to quote your hotel’s name completely and accurately in order to ensure a proper pick-up or drop-off as planned.

Although simple and straightforward, we recommend that travellers keep a list of their hotel accommodations with them throughout their trip. There is nothing worse than forgetting the exact name of your accommodation, only to have to be driven from hotel to hotel in search of your name on a receptionist’s check-in list. Having the titles of your hotel choices in writing and handy throughout your trip can save you a hassle and a headache, leaving you with more vacation time to spend at whichever hotel options you decide on for your trip.

Looking for an arenal or monteverde hotel? Check out the gallery below for photos of some of our recommended accommodations.

*Discounts for costa rica hotels are available through Pura Vida! eh? Incorporated at: http://www.costaricahoteldiscounts.com/