Last updated on July 18th, 2019 at 12:07 pm GMT-6 (Costa Rica time)
Written by Nikki Solano
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
For you. For free.
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Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- DO YOU WANT CREME BRULEE? OR WOULD YOU BE HAPPIEST WITH JELL-O?
- OUR LA FORTUNA HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS (A.K.A. OUR ARENAL HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS)
- WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (STANDARD-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): LA PRADERA DEL ARENAL
- WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): THE ARENAL OBSERVATORY LODGE
- WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): EL SILENCIO DEL CAMPO
- WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): THE ARENAL SPRINGS RESORT & SPA
- WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (RESORT-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): ROYAL CORIN
- MAP OF LA FORTUNA COSTA RICA
DO YOU WANT CREME BRULEE? OR WOULD YOU BE HAPPIEST WITH JELL-O?
Given that La Fortuna/Arenal is one of the most popular destinations foreign travellers visit when they come to Costa Rica, we are regularly inundated with requests for La Fortuna / Arenal hotel recommendations. Smart travellers not only ask us which hotels we opt to recommend, but they question us why we do so. We love sharing our thoughts with others, so we never hesitate to provide travellers with the specific details that support our opinions and inform our recommendations.
When travellers ask us for our favourite La Fortuna / Arenal hotels, our immediate response is to question what the traveller is specifically looking for (ie. a hotel with great value, a rustic setting, a relaxing sanctuary, luxury, etc.). Every traveller wants something different, whether that difference is offered by the hotel’s location, price, setting, amenities, or another distinguishing factor, and it is this difference that helps us identify the type of accommodation experience that a particular traveller is looking to obtain. As Julia Roberts explains in My Best Friend’s Wedding, “crème brûlée can never be jell-o”, just like a four-star luxury resort-quality hotel will rarely provide the down-to-earth rainforest lodge experience that some travellers search for, and an affordable standard hotel will likely never spoil travellers rotten. Since one accommodation type may be equally deserving of a recommendation as another, the value of the recommendation itself depends largely on the travellers’ specific desire. Do you want crème brûlée? Or would you be happiest with jell-o?
OUR LA FORTUNA HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS (A.K.A. OUR ARENAL HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS)
Over the years we have worked with many, many hotels in the La Fortuna/Arenal region. We have formed strong bonds with some of them based on their continued dedication to high-quality customer service, and we have run in the opposite direction of others (who shall remain nameless) as a result of their blatant lack of concern for the care of their guests and business partners. We have been in this business long enough to know why (in our opinion!) some hotels are deserving of a positive and evaluative recommendation, and we are proud to offer such recommendations if and when we feel they are due. As a result, we have created a blog series titled Where To Stay In Fortuna/Arenal showcasing a spectrum of our preferred accommodation options in the area and detailing our reasoning for opting to recommend each. The following accommodations are have been included in this series to date:
WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (STANDARD-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): LA PRADERA DEL ARENAL
Read our related blog post: Arenal Hotel Recommendation: The Absolute Best Value Hotel In La Fortuna / Arenal
WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): THE ARENAL OBSERVATORY LODGE
Read our related blog post: Costa Rica’s Arenal Observatory Lodge Series – Part #1: The Hotel
WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): EL SILENCIO DEL CAMPO
Read our related blog post: Arenal Hotel Recommendation: An Authentic, Rustic Hideaway In La Fortuna / Arenal
WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (SUPERIOR-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): THE ARENAL SPRINGS RESORT & SPA
Read our related blog post: Arenal Hotel Recommendation: A Romantic & Peaceful Sanctuary In La Fortuna / Arenal
WHERE TO STAY IN LA FORTUNA (RESORT-QUALITY HOTEL OPTION): ROYAL CORIN
Read our related blog post: Arenal Hotel Recommendation: Luxury & Relaxation At Its Finest In La Fortuna / Arenal
MAP OF LA FORTUNA COSTA RICA
QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: What La Fortuna / Arenal hotels would you like to see us recommend? More importantly, why do you recommend a particular accommodation option over others located in the same area?
Pura vida!
Costa Rica Hotel Recommendation Series: Where To Stay in La Fortuna / Arenal
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