Features:  The Arenal Observatory Lodge has thirty spacious rooms. All are comfortable and most have volcano views from the privacy of your own bedroom. Five rooms are fully equipped for disabled travelers, with rooms, bathrooms, hallways, parking areas and even the new swimming pool designed accordingly. Arenal Observatory Lodge is a 3 STAR mountain lodge, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the highest rating a mountain lodge can receive. It is also categorized as a 4 BAND Ecolodge (out of a maximum of 5) in a program sponsored by the ICT to rate sustainability.

Review:  The lodge is located just 1.8 kilometers from the active crater of Arenal Volcano, and is separated from it by a deep river valley. The location was specifically chosen by scientists from the Smithsonian Institute, who needed a close but safe vantage point from which to study the volcano. Rooms are priced according to the quality of their view of the volcano and luxury. 

Ten Smithsonian rooms are housed in a modern building located about 120 yards from our main lodge, reached via a 134 foot suspension bridge through a small patch rain forest. These rooms feature huge walls of glass that provide premiere views of the volcano from the comfort of your bed, or from the two sitting chairs strategically placed for you comfort and enjoyment. These rooms feature varnished wood floors, private bathrooms, and one queen- and one full-sized bed. The Smithsonian also features a viewing deck, a conference room and our own volcano museum, with an active seismograph constantly monitoring the volcanic and seismic activity just outside your door.

White Hawk Villa, located approximately 800 meters from the lodge, is a big house with a spectacular view of the volcano and the lake, with capacity for 10 guests. The two individual rooms "Trogon" and "Toucan", have one double bed and a cradle-bed each and their own bathroom. The villa also has a living room with a sofa-bed, a dining room and a equipped kitchen.

< See Other Accommodations >