My husband and I, while on our honeymoon, booked a few nights at Arenal Rustic Lodge. According to their website, their reception desk is open starting at 8am. Imagine our surprise when we pull into the property at 12pm and see absolutely no one there. We looked around, asked the people nearby if they knew anyone who worked at the hotel, and came up empty. We called their number SEVERAL TIMES, only to be sent right to voicemail. I left a message with my contact info and never heard back. (In fact, we only heard from the hotel once I submitted a complaint with Hotels.com.) We had a tour planned that afternoon, and we were due to be picked up at the Arenal Rustic Lodge within the hour of our arrival. Since there was no one there, we had no where to leave our rental car and luggage, so we were forced to find another place to stay. I’m writing this review on as many platforms as possible so people can avoid the awful experience we had. It nearly derailed our honeymoon. Please don’t be charmed by the idea of staying in a “treehouse” unless you want to potentially be stranded. Costa Rica has been lovely so far, and the people are kind, but this experience with Arenal Rustic Lodge was terrible.

My husband and I, while on our honeymoon, booked a few nights at Arenal Rustic Lodge. According to their website, their reception desk is open starting at 8am. Imagine our surprise when we pull into the property at 12pm and see absolutely no one there. We looked around, asked the people nearby if they knew anyone who worked at the hotel, and came up empty. We called their number SEVERAL TIMES, only to be sent right to voicemail. I left a message with my contact info and never heard back. (In fact, we only heard from the hotel once I submitted a complaint with Hotels.com.) We had a tour planned that afternoon, and we were due to be picked up at the Arenal Rustic Lodge within the hour of our arrival. Since there was no one there, we had no where to leave our rental car and luggage, so we were forced to find another place to stay. I’m writing this review on as many platforms as possible so people can avoid the awful experience we had. It nearly derailed our honeymoon. Please don’t be charmed by the idea of staying in a “treehouse” unless you want to potentially be stranded. Costa Rica has been lovely so far, and the people are kind, but this experience with Arenal Rustic Lodge was terrible.

We started our family Costa Rica trip in La Fortuna and decided to stay at Arenal Rustic Lodge. It was a perfect way to start the trip. The lodge is around 15 minutes from town. The family hosts were amazing and incredibly helpful. They offered great advice and were very accommodating. They let my daughters (age 11 and 13) feed the family's horse and they even took us on a hike of a local trail they are starting to develop. We stayed in cabin #5. It had plenty of room for our family of 4. There was a small fridge and fan along with a coffee maker. It was basic but had all we needed. The balcony was a perfect hangout spot to play games and listen to music. A table on the balcony would have been nice along with a few more chairs but we made due. We stayed for 3 nights in April of 2023. We booked all of our tours ahead of time, but the family that runs the lodge was helping other guests with bookings. The lodge is centrally located. Our furthest drive was 30 min to explore hanging bridges. Most activities were within a 15 min drive. The daily "Gallo Pinto" breakfast was a perfect way to start the day. We were able to select our breakfast time every morning which really helped with our daily tours. Our family really enjoyed our stay and would recommend the lodge to other families or couples traveling to La Fortuna.

We started our family Costa Rica trip in La Fortuna and decided to stay at Arenal Rustic Lodge. It was a perfect way to start the trip. The lodge is around 15 minutes from town. The family hosts were amazing and incredibly helpful. They offered great advice and were very accommodating. They let my daughters (age 11 and 13) feed the family's horse and they even took us on a hike of a local trail they are starting to develop. We stayed in cabin #5. It had plenty of room for our family of 4. There was a small fridge and fan along with a coffee maker. It was basic but had all we needed. The balcony was a perfect hangout spot to play games and listen to music. A table on the balcony would have been nice along with a few more chairs but we made due. We stayed for 3 nights in April of 2023. We booked all of our tours ahead of time, but the family that runs the lodge was helping other guests with bookings. The lodge is centrally located. Our furthest drive was 30 min to explore hanging bridges. Most activities were within a 15 min drive. The daily "Gallo Pinto" breakfast was a perfect way to start the day. We were able to select our breakfast time every morning which really helped with our daily tours. Our family really enjoyed our stay and would recommend the lodge to other families or couples traveling to La Fortuna.

Wow what a beautiful place. The owner’s are incredibly friendly. They help us when we had a problem with our rental car.

Wow what a beautiful place. The owner’s are incredibly friendly. They help us when we had a problem with our rental car.

I am staying in 4 different places and so far all of them are good

I am staying in 4 different places and so far all of them are good

We enjoyed our stay. Bed was very comfortable, the lodge was very private and definitely "in" nature.

We enjoyed our stay. Bed was very comfortable, the lodge was very private and definitely "in" nature.

The lodge itself is located in a gorgeous garden with lots of birds to be seen. Best if you have a car as the location is a hike from Fortuna. We weren't impressed to be without water for 24hrs due to area works and without hot water for the whole stay. The attitude of the staff who were otherwise friendly, did also not scream they recognised this as a sizable problem. On balance, we felt the lodge pricing was quite high all this considered.

The lodge itself is located in a gorgeous garden with lots of birds to be seen. Best if you have a car as the location is a hike from Fortuna. We weren't impressed to be without water for 24hrs due to area works and without hot water for the whole stay. The attitude of the staff who were otherwise friendly, did also not scream they recognised this as a sizable problem. On balance, we felt the lodge pricing was quite high all this considered.

The property is very beautiful and the family is very friendly! The rooms are rustic and immersive. Make sure to call ahead of check in for the parking/check in instructions. Lots of wildlife sounds - We saw a toucan in the trees outside our room.

The property is very beautiful and the family is very friendly! The rooms are rustic and immersive. Make sure to call ahead of check in for the parking/check in instructions. Lots of wildlife sounds - We saw a toucan in the trees outside our room.

If you want a quite and peaceful stay in la fortuna this is a very good place. I stayed in the tree house and it was nothing short of amazing. Plenty of privacy and a very unique experience

If you want a quite and peaceful stay in la fortuna this is a very good place. I stayed in the tree house and it was nothing short of amazing. Plenty of privacy and a very unique experience

The property is in the forest, the he cabin is private and very well maintained. The staff is engaging as needed, helpful and friendly. We enjoyed staying here and will book again when in La Fortuna.

The property is in the forest, the he cabin is private and very well maintained. The staff is engaging as needed, helpful and friendly. We enjoyed staying here and will book again when in La Fortuna.

Cabin is one room, plus bathroom and balcony. It is beautiful. This is like a bed and breakfast but you have your own little cabin. The Host makes a wonderful breakfast for you. We loved the help the host gave us. Very nice people.

Cabin is one room, plus bathroom and balcony. It is beautiful. This is like a bed and breakfast but you have your own little cabin. The Host makes a wonderful breakfast for you. We loved the help the host gave us. Very nice people.

It was a wonderful stay!

It was a wonderful stay!