Finding a place to stay in Costa Rica is easy. The only hard decision is how luxurious you desire your accommodations.

Why Stay in San Jose? Unless you take a red eye flight into Costa Rica, most U.S. flights arrive in the evening after dark. Because the roads are not very well lit, making driving at night very risky, we highly recommend spending the night in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Or, minutes away from the airport by free shuttle is a Hampton Inn for $120 and is adjacent to a, dare we say it, Denny's. The Garden Court Hotel & Casino is located across the parking lot from both, just waiting to take your money before your vacation even begins.

Saving money, Sharon and Alex will taxi downtown to check-in at the Tranquilo Hostel at $22 for a private room with double bed. We stayed here in April, 2006 and found it perfect for our budget and tastes - clean room, fresh sheets, hot showers, locks on doors, internet access.  It's also just blocks to the center of town which is nice since we arrive on Saturday, March 17^th at 8:40 p.m. and may need to find El Pubo serving pints for St. Patty’s Day!

Note: We've reserved 10 private rooms for 3/17/2007. Let us know once you book your flight if you want to book one of these reserved rooms. Refer to the Blog for updates.

Lodging in La Fortuna (Lah For-tuna) and Arenal (Air-in-awl)

La Fortuna and Arenal are small mountain towns located so close to one another we had a hard time determining when we left one for the other. So for purposes of explaining places we will designate everything as La Fortuna.

When you drive the three hours from San Jose to La Fortuna, you will arrive at the center of a small town which has food markets, restaurants, sodas (diners), and a Catholic church that serves as a landmark for most driving directions into La Fortuna. Whether you wish to sleep cheaply or ensconced in luxury, there's plenty of places to choose where to rest your head.

Luxury Accommodations: Wed & Relaxation

We selected The Lost Iguana Resort because it is everything we had hoped for when we first began wedding planning so many months ago. As Sharon notes in the video invitation, owner Elaine Knight poured her artistic heart and soul into this place to make it a piece of paradise worth returning to. Also worth noting, the hotel staff is extremely friendly, helpful, honest, and makes your stay that much more relaxing with exceptional service and warm smiles.

The Lost Iguana has a split-level "cool pool" and a "warm pool" that serves as a large jacuzzi with a swim-up bar serving all your premium cocktail cravings at affordable prices ($3-$5). Nature trails with river bottoms and wildlife surround this 100 acre parcel of paradise for hiking and exploring. The hanging bridges are conveniently next door, too. (Refer to "Adventures")

Brick pathways lead you from hotel rooms to The Blue Hibiscus Restaurant which is where we'll hold our reception dinner party. The food and service here is excellent but be prepared to pay a little more than you would at other local eateries; a nice dinner was ~$50 which included a bottle of wine. Golf carts are available on the grounds for those needing a special lift around the property. Every room has a beautiful porch or balcony with rocking chairs and a view of the very active Arenal Volcano. Rooms range from $145-$205 a night. When you book your room at the Lost Iguana, say you're with the Dewar-Yates Wedding.

Tabacon Resort is the best marketed hotel in the area. However, like we discussed under "Adventures", Tabacon is best for their hot springs only! The hotel rooms here are sterile in design and decor, lacking any originality and personality. We visited many hotels in Arenal and feel very strongly that if you are going to spend any decent amount of money for a memorable and relaxing trip, you will only get your money's worth at the Lost Iguana Resort.

Mid-Range Accommodations: Nice for the Price

Arenal Observatory Lodge has an incredible front-row view of the Arenal Volcano. It is surrounded by forests and hiking trails. In fact, the grounds are so nice you must actually pay a small fee to visit (about $5 per car). The setting and view is amazing, but the lodge and rooms are, well, a bit out-dated. And the restaurant doesn't have much to offer other than cafeteria-quality hamburgers and sandwiches. We had lunch there and it reminded us of camp food (and not the good camp food either). Nonetheless, the views and setting make up for its rustic antiquity. Prices range from $68 for a small room to $150 for a suite. Price includes breakfast buffet and a guided morning walking tour. A 15 min. drive to Lost Iguana.

Arenal Lodge is located next door to the Lost Iguana Resort. This hotel offers nice volcano views and decent accommodations. Rooms range from rustic wood-paneled walls to spacious light chalets with panoramic views of the volcano. Rooms range from standard rooms of no view at $78 to a chalet with a big window and volcano view for $137 per night.

Hotel Fuego Arenal is a small 15 room family-owned hotel located between Lost Iguana Resort and the town of La Fortuna. All the rooms offer volcano views and range in price between $51 to $77, depending on # of people in room. This hotel does not offer a restaurant, but there is one within walking distance.

Budget Accommodations: Sleep Cheap

For those seeking budget accommodations, we've recommended a few spots below that we visited, and/or stayed at and can vouch for. There are many more in the area. We highly recommend buying a travel book. Lonely Planet's Guide to Costa Rica served us well. Such guide books have detailed information that's nearly as good as this website, chock full of knowledge and insight. ;-)

Arenal Backpacker's Resort Hostel is a new lodging facility with a bar for fellow travelers, pool, hot tub, and hammocks. Lodging options here include community dorm rooms with bunk beds for $10pp. Private rooms are $25pp. Unlike the Tranquilo Hostel that was $22 for a private room, this is $25per person for a private room, therefore it's $50 for 2, more for 3 or 4.

Hotel Sierra Arenal (no website) is next door to the hostel. We found it perfect for us at $45 a night. We got a 2nd floor room with balcony and a great view of the volcano. Rooms included A/C and cable TV. If we had chosen a bottom floor room it would've cost only $35 a night. Working the front desk at the time of our visit was Vanessa, a friendly woman from San Francisco. She was very helpful. Unfortunately, we called and they do not have a website nor email. But, if you can make an international call, the phone number to make a reservation at Hotel Sierra Arenal is 011-506-479-9751.

Both of the above spots are within walking distance of shops and restaurants of La Fortuna.

Get a sense of the area's layout.
Map #1 of hotels around Arenal Volcano.
Map #2 of hotels around Arenal Volcano