Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga

I liked the location—far away from the overcrowded 'resorts' but close enough to the places worth visiting. The view of the Arenal Volcano and the lake is amazing. The organic and environmentally friendly concept is what makes this place different. I also liked the spa, the Turkish bath, and the Swedish sauna.

The cabins need soundproofing; you can hear literally everything in the next room. Additionally, they need a fan, as the wind is not enough to combat the heat. I would also suggest adding some meat to the menu. You definitely need a car, or you should be prepared to climb one or two very steep hills on foot

Beautiful immaculate grounds, incredibly peaceful. Staff were unfailingly helpful. Property includes incredible jungle trails, and trail to a beautiful view of Arenal lake and volcano. Lovely pool and facilities. Highly recommend the jungle night walk - extremely informative, superb guide. Two of the family had massages, also recommended. Great location.

The location, the view, the atmosphere, the friendly staff, the food, the accommodation

Before you book a room, here is what you need to know. Yes the staff is amazing and friendly, yes, the views are spectacular. Yes it is quiet and has some great places to hang out, meet people, and do yoga. However, there are some things that you should know up front. If you book a room that is not right near reception, you can drive out to your room or wait and take hotel shuttles. The drive is sooooo steep that our car got stuck multiple times after it rained, as our wheels just spun and the car could not make it up the hills. The other issue that borders on unethical is that they list all of there prices in Dollars but instead of charging in dollars like other paces, they convert to colones at a low rate so you end of paying more than the listed price. This starts at check in and goes for every meal and activity. Breakfast is $15 dollars but after they do the conversion, it comes out to almost $17. It isn't much money but they should either charge in Dollars or list prices in Colones. Lastly, a small but important missing touch, is there is no tea kettle or way to heat up water for coffee and tea in the rooms. Being so far away from reception where you can buy cofee or green tea (they do not serve black) this seems like a small but important missing touch for a nice place. These are just a few general issues to know up front.

Above are the general issues with the property. We also had specific issues that might not happen to every guest or that may be resolved in time. During out stay of 4 days, we did not have hot water in the shower 3 times even after they said they fixed it. The wifi out in the rooms said it was connected but none of our devices could load a web page. The water dispenser for cold and hot water for making tea or coffee at the mirrador in the mornings was broken. For early risers who want to watch the sunrise with a hot drink, this was a problem for us a many other guests during our stay.