Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga
4.2
Excellent(696 Reviews)Nature lodge in Alajuela Province
Reasons to book
Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind
Includes essentialsGarden, Pool, Kitchen or Kitchenette and more
Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental
About this nature lodge rental
Essence Arenal is an ecological hotel surrounded by Tropical Forest that offers a wellness center to tourists, it is surrounded by gardens and beautiful views of Lake Arenal, the Arenal Volcano and Cerro Chato.
Amenities
Pool
Kitchen or Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
Fireplace
Smoking allowed
Parking
Laundry
Balcony or Patio
Hot tub or spa
Gym or Fitness Center
Garden
Family friendly
Map of Alajuela Province
Available Rooms
1 Double • 193 ft²
Sleeps 2
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
2 Bunk • 236 ft²
Sleeps 4
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Bunk • 236 ft²
Sleeps 4
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Bunk • 161 ft²
Sleeps 3
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
1 Bunk • 1 Sofa • 645 ft²
Sleeps 5
+
You'll be directed to Booking.com for availability & pricing
$$$$
Reviews
4.2
Excellent(696 Reviews)100% verified reviews
4.2
El enclave es maravilloso. Las cenas temáticas y el personal. Elena nos atendió y ayudó muy bien.
Al ir en época de lluvias, es un poco incómodo dormir en las tiendas, ya que el baño y duchas están fuera.
4.2
La vue splendide sur le volcan Arénal.
Repas du soir végétarien, très savoureux et pas trop cher.
Service de massage incroyable, le meilleur de ma vie !
Cadre luxuriant, de nombreux oiseaux, notamment.
La chambre était assez vieillotte.
Il y a une ferme et d’autres équipements, mais qui sont assez loin dans la propriété et assez difficilement accessible.
4.2
el lugar, una ubicación espectacular
4.2
The location was amazing. I took hundreds of photos. My son loved the bunk beds in the room. We went to the creek on one of the paths. the chicken coop was a great entertainment for him. The food was exceptional. We had hard time to fit all the things on the menu on each day of our trip so we could taste everything. Chef Gabriel made us feel like he was our private chef. the themed dinners were amazing. three courses for dinner and for good value for the quality. the veggies were from the farm on the premises. very well kept overall. yoga here was amazing. I could’ve gone every day if my family situation allowed.
not much really. we could use some hand soap and glasses for the rooms. that is about it.
4.2
The manager HAIDO was very helpful and was very responsive to all our needs. Ariana the evening concierge was great as well.
I recommend you rent a 4x4 because some of the rooms are in location that require such a vehicle.. our little Toyota couldn’t make it there
4.2
Nice location
Could have used a fan
4.2
The food was tasty, the staff was very nice. I especially recommend the smoothies :)

unfortunately our room was directly on the street and therefore it was noisy at night
4.2
Our stay at Essence Arenal was a magical experience. The hotel and our room was directly next to the jungle, we were in direct contact with the local eco-system! We saw more wildlife from our window and walking round the property as during our hikes in the national parks.
The restaurant serves beautiful local products and dishes, we enjoyed starting our day with the traditional pico de Gallo :)
Amenities and activities offered are also top notch. Our night walk adventure with Aurelio was like a BBC documentary with a Costa Rican David Attenborough. ;)
The rooms and furnishing are basic but comfortable.
4.2
Everything was perfect ! The staff is amazing and the place is magical!
Nothing !
4.2
I loved staying in the camping tents in the trees. I thought it was pretty amazing. The land it was on was wonderful to explore. Great way to unplug from.the rest of the world for a few days.
It was completely away from other restaurants, stores or excursion offices. They were no able to offer me the horseback riding tour I wanted. A lot of ppl were getting sick while staying there it's hard to say if it's the food or water but there were three other females on a yoga retreat that got pretty sick as myself. The restaurants had some type of medication to help with the stomach concerns but my fever lasted 20 hours. However it was a lovely place to be sick.
4.2
We loved the grounds - great bird life across the trails you have! You were also very accommodating for dietary requirements.
We had difficulty with the bill - our card originally didn’t work in their card machine and the second time it did. We basically got charged twice and getting our money back took over an hour of discussions. We did however get it sorted in the end - the manager was very friendly and helpful.
4.2
amazing location, beautiful nature, lovely hot tub with a gorgeous view of the whole Arenal lake
the only downside was having to drive to the room from reception on a very bumpy, hilly, bad road
4.2
We were separated and the room was way too noisy during from the rain on the rooftops. parking on a muddy driveway was not fun at all.
4.2
We only stayed 1 night out of the 4 nights booked has the hotel was not advertised as a vegetarian hotel and that you would need a 4x4 to get to your room and the walk to bar/restaurant was 10 minutes away down a very steep hill or you could drive to but u could not have a drink
The hotel view was amazing over looking arenal volcano if your into yoga it's a great retreat for that and meditation 🧘♂️.
The place is amazing the views the area you have your own bit of costa rica. Fabulous.
The long walk this is not advertised on booking .com or that it is a vegetarian hotel you only had 1 choice not good if your not if you don't want to travel out to eat
4.2
Not worth the cost- so far and dirty
4.2
- surrounded by wildlife
- tours offered on site
- not clear how far from away it is from the pain attractions and how difficult it is to get to them
- unorganised stead
4.2
What a great place. We loved our stay there, the view of the volcano is spectacular. Very quiet and peaceful. They have a great vegetarian chef, food was delicious.
The road to our cabin was very steep. I mean I've never seen anything like this. And as I have fear of heights it caused me some stress.
4.2
My stay there was excellent, it exceeded my expectation with all the friendliness and breathtaking experience the surrounding nature provided, I was also so much impressed by the honesy and kindness of all the hotel staff there because I lost my wallet there because of my carelessness but everybody was providing help and found it back for me, it was my first time losing such an important item during traveling and I'm so grateful that I learned the lesson there and not anywhere else because they were super decent and honest.
I paid for the most 'basic' room but I enjoyed my stay there so much, there was always a nice natural smell in the room that smoothes my nerve during the night, and I enjoyed sitting on the chair facing all the banboos and watch sunset while enjoying the fresh wind, was such an extraordinary experience that I'll always miss.
The food there was great, I paid for the menu and hotel was switching from different plates so that we don't feel bored, they were also served in decent manner like in a good restaurant and all the staff were very polite and friendly, English communication with any of them is no problem at all.
The location is great and very accurate like described in the picture, the arena volcano is just near the hotel together with the lake, they offer shuttlebus to all the parks and places you might be interested in at a fair price.
I also very much enjoyed the yoga courses provived by the two teachers there, they were very soft and friendly and talking to them and practicing yoga with them were very comfortable and relaxes so much, I had a private course with Elena she developed, it included chakra reading, yoga course (strengthening the weak parts she sees in your body and soul), super soft and comfortable massage and some advices on life, it was a special and relaxing experience.
It was a bit cold during the night during my first night's stay, but the friendly staff were actively asking about my sleep and they didn't hesitate at all to give me another thick blanker for other nights and I were able to sleep even better.
The shower water temperature was a bit hard to control at first but they've recorded the problem so in your stay it might have been already solved.
4.2
The views and quiet of our cabina location. The wildlife sounds were nice. And, a very nice gentleman in the farm area was very informative of the benefits of the area.
Easier access to the upper level commons area. Pillows and mattresses need improvement. Very uncomfortable on both.
4.2
Friendly helpful staff. Great spa halfboard deal. Good food
4.2
Lovely staff. Great food on site. Good views (when not cloudy!)
The accommodation had very limited kitchen equipment. No way of making coffee.
4.2
The team are great especially the kitchen team who create delicious food. Our rooms were simple however very clean and really comfy beds, I slept really well. The view is amazing and looks over the lake and volcano and also next to the Butterfly Conservatory which is a great activity for an easy day. Pleasant to stay out of the main town. There was massages too which I didn't have time for. Easy to organise transport and the team helped us with our transfers too.
I had booked a room that I believed to have an outside table and chairs for the view. This room was allocated to someone else when I arrived. In the end the team and view easily made up for the disappointment. Without a car you will need to pay for transfer which is easily organised however note its up a BIG hill so you won't be able to walk or pop to another restaurant with no car. We still had a brilliant time though.
4.2
the view of the lake and volcano from the property is breathtaking. the location is close enough to all activities in the area yet far away from hustle and bustle and very peaceful
4.2
The breakfast was made to order with fresh ingredients it was delicious !!!! The Mountain View’s were spectacular and the spa was amazing as well
4.2
The staff was very nice and helpful, and there was hot water for the showers which was appreciated.
The amenities were not it. Contrary to what it appears on booking, the jacuzzi is not free. Out of the 3 hammocks, two were "being washed" for our whole stay (4 nights). The pool is 15 minutes away, and the road to go there is super difficult (just going uphill and downhill the whole time). There, out of the 2 hammocks, one had a giant hole preventing us from using it.
The place was undergoing construction the whole time we were there, which we didn't know about beforehand.
If you are using public transportation, the walk from the bus stop is very difficult was well.
We had breakfast once at the restaurant. It was super expensive and we had half as much to eat as we would have gotten anywhere else.
Overall and okay stay, but very disappointed by what the price payed got us compared to other cheaper hostels that were a lot better.
4.2
Location and views were incredible and the the staff were super helpful and friendly and the food was very good
As we had a shared toilet and bathroom, it would of been nice if the toilet was cleaned and bin emptied more often, once in the morning is not enough and no mirrors in the bedroom 🤔
4.2
Friendly staff
Much nicer than La Fortuna
Beautiful natural surroundings
Takes longer and so more expensive to get to other attractions but could easily spend all of your time on site
4.2
we stayed in a private room for three nights , the place is very nice and offers a lot. the jacuzzi/sauna for one hour is great in a rainy afternoon, the staff is super helpful and friendly. yoga classes are great.
rooms are comfortable, no AC but it’s not hot.
I would highly recommended eating at the restaurant because food is delicious.
staff is really really nice, we forgot some clothes there and they helped us get them back.
shower was cold
bear in mind that all services (yoga, spa, restaurant, breakfast) have an extra cost
4.2
staff were all very friendly and the restaurant has really good food.
We stayed in room 11 and it was a pretty long/scary walk in the dark to get back to the room, up a steep hill - you would definitely need a car to stay there comfortably. Location is not too far from National Park, but it’s nearly 1hr drive from La Fortuna with all its shops etc, again, you do need a car, which we weren’t aware of. Also the pool was closed and we weren’t informed about this beforehand - we also weren’t offered any compensation.
4.2
nice view over the Vulcano and the food is nice (but pricey and small portions)
booked 3 nights but left after 1 night! when checking out, I was not even asked why I didn’t like my stay. staff was not very accommodating, no tours could be organized (due to low season), laundry took very long and almost was lost. the hotel is very far away from everything. Don’t book it if you don’t have a car, transport to la Fortuna is $25!
4.2
Food was good
affordable
Did not get the rooms we booked
Staff were not friendly. They recommended places to visit, but overall customer service was not great
Place could use a proper cleaning
FAQs
How much does this nature lodge cost compared to others in Alajuela Province?
The average price for a rental in Alajuela Province is $89 per night. This rental is $52 above the average.
Is parking included with this nature lodge?
Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this nature lodge?
Yes, a swimming pool is available for use at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga. Enjoy the water!
Is Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this nature lodge is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga?
We found 12 amenities for this rental. This includes pool, kitchen or kitchenette, internet / wifi, fireplace, and smoking allowed.
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