Montaña de Fuego Hotel & Spa

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  I Couldn't Possibly Rate it Higher

  This hotel was our first stop after a night in San Jose. It is a short drive from the Fortuna airport and directly at the base of the Arenal Volcano. We were very fortunate to have a cabin with an unobstructed view of the volcano - although out of 68 cabins it appears as though at least half have volcano views. There was some traffic noise but nothing disruptive, as the property is removed from the road. The cabins are private and unattached-although they do have larger cabins for bigger groups. Our cabin was well appointed with big windows, a shower built for two, AC, a semi screened in porch and comfortable beds.
  
  The hotel restaurant, Acuarelas, is divine for any meal (breakfast was included in our rate), but can be a bit pricey for dinner. The spa is reasonably priced and a peaceful oasis with great staff. There is a pool on site with a swim up bar, a jacuzzi and a kiddie pool (although we didn't see any kids!). We got an amazing deal due to traveling in the rainy season (which I highly recommend) and received a great rate for booking online ($372, 5 nights, 2 people in late August 2009).
  
  Three important things here: Service. Tours. Discounts.
  1) I have only encountered supreme customer service such as this in one other location - the Conrad in Chicago. Everyone on the staff was helpful, kind, polite and more than willing to help. My companion and I speak Spanish but we did speak English on several occasions as well and that was fine. The receptionist was beyond helpful at every opportunity - giving us insight to everything from taxis to hot springs to food. Ditto the restaurant staff, the drivers (who provided a free trip into nearby Fortuna because they were on their way) and the tour guides (see #2).
  
  2) We had two tours that were arranged directly through the Hotel. The Hanging Bridges tour was $45 per person, and was well worth it. Our guide Ismael was extremely knowledgeable, bilingual in Spanish / English and an absolute delight. Transportation to the park was included, and we stopped several times along the way to see wildlife. The tour itself was beautiful and lasted 3 hours in which we climbed from the lower canopy to the upper canopy over 9 bridges.
  
  The second tour was horseback riding to the volcano, riding horses from the ranch across the street. This was also $45 a person, lasted 4 hours and included a great guide, Alex, who actually rode with one of our cameras and took photos for us (lots of them).
  
  The other tour was canyoning (waterfall rappelling) with Pure Trek, which I will review in the activities section. If you're into adventure, don't pass them by! Our hotel staff called and made this reservation for us, as well as our reservation at the hot springs - they are beyond accommodating.
  
  3) Discounts. Starting with the room rate, the rainy season spelled serious discounts ("discuentas") for everything. Meals, spa treatments, you name it. This alone made it possible for us to spend much less than we intended to.
  
  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this property - the experience completely blew my mind and they are first on my list for a return trip to this area of Costa Rica!

  by thisblonde, 9/7/09

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