I was not able to stay at this location because it was booked solid for the next couple weeks, but I had the opportunity to stop by and take a look. Wow. The view of the volcano is unbelievable and not even comparable to other lodges (we stayed down the road at a cheaper lodge). If want to see the... more

Overall I am very pleased with this hotel. Your not guaranteed to see the volcano and all I could see was clouds during my stay. I had a Smithsonian room with a big window that would have been perfect if I had clear visibility. On a few occasions I was able to hear what seemed like volcanic rumblings from the... more

After a long and rough ride to Arenal, we checked in at the Observatory Lodge. The room wasn't the most comfortable but the view was what I went there for. My first ever experience of seeing a volcano and an active one. More so from my room in Arenal. The lodge is a very pretty property and right in front... more

The lodge is beautiful with an absolute focus on environmental preservation and volcano watching. What is not said by the hotels touting volcano views (including this one) is that seeing the volcano is not a guarantee. One local told us the volcano is only visible about 25% of the time. Your chances of seeing red lava are about 5% or... more

We stayed at the Observatory Lodge for our last night in Costa Rica. From what we could see the location was ideal and the views would be fantastic, unfortunately, the volcano was not visible due to the clouds. Obviously, this was not the hotel's fault, but was a bummer nontheless. The room was spacious and clean, while a bit rustic.... more

We had a great stay at AOL. It is a spectacular property and, as all have noted, the views are magnificent. During our stay in early November, we saw the volcano very clearly but, unfortunately, no lava flows at night or rumbles any time. Not a big deal. The morning walk is a must do! Tour guides are very good... more

We stayed at AOL for 4 nights and had the rare opportunity to see a live volcano and lava for 3 out of our 4 nights there. We stayed in a Smithsonian room and had a full view 24/7. Sometimes in the middle of the night we were awakened by the rumbling and merely had to open our eyes to... more

We got a 6:30 wake up call from Mr. Arenal. Fortunately we had left the curtains open and could see everything. There are a couple rooms on the second floor that are the best! more

This place was great. Very friendly employees who were always helpful and kind. We stayed in the Smithsonian room. It is a large room that has a huge window that is set perfectly to view the volcano from bed. It was a very clean room. It is down a long gravel road, so it makes you want to eat at... more