Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort, Arenal/La Fortuna

Pros

• Relax at the on-site hot springs with eight different pools, and enjoy the spa's signature treatments featuring natural products. 
• You can enjoy views of the Arenal volcano from the hotel grounds, but to get a better look, the property offers a hiking trail of less than 2 miles (3.2 km) to a lookout point.
• There's also a smaller nature trail where guests can find frogs, ducks, a butterfly garden, and more.
• Enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the on-site Las Palmas restaurant, serving traditional Costa Rican and international cuisine, or dine casually at the swim-up bar with its woodfire pizza oven.
• You don't have to leave the property for adventure, as the resort hosts activities like horseback riding and canopy ziplining. 

Cons

• Getting around the property on foot is a bit tricky (since it's so large and hilly).
• Some of the architecture and infrastructure is earth-brown and almost cartoonish, with shapes modeled after petrified tree trunks and oversized mushrooms—a look that hasn't aged particularly well. 
• The hot springs are also available for day-use visitors, not just hotel guests.
• The pools are not treated with chemicals, so they may get a little dirty when the resort is busy ( they're drained and cleaned every three days).

Authenticity

Entering the grounds of Hotel Los Lagos feels like you're driving straight to the Arenal volcano. Despite expanding throughout the decades, the property has preserved much of its land. Guests can thoroughly enjoy Costa Rican nature on site, with the hotel's butterfly garden, a nature trail leading to an observation point overlooking the volcano, and ponds providing habitat for ducks, frogs, and turtles. 

Location

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort is in a decent location if you have a rental car or don't mind transferring to the area's attractions. You'll be just off the main road that runs through La Fortuna and not far from Baldi Hot Springs. Getting to the national park takes about 20 minutes by car, but the downtown area and La Fortuna Waterfall are just 10 minutes away.

Rooms & Bathrooms

The hotel offers 116 rooms, ranging from standard units to villas. The standard options are a bit farther up the hill, so plan on more walking (or using the shuttle) if you book within that category. All units are relatively simple and feature air-conditioning, minifridges, and volcano views. Some rooms can accommodate families and sleep up to six guests, while the villa has a full kitchen and living room and sleeps up to nine guests.

Amenities

Guests will find plenty of activities at Hotel Los Lagos. Enjoy soaking in the hot springs, featuring eight pools, with five using natural thermal spring water. The main pool has a swim-up restaurant with woodfired pizza and tropical cocktails. You can also go horseback riding throughout the grounds or have fun at the hotel's ziplining course. The hotel's spa faces the rainforest. Los Lagos offers a 1.7-mile (2.8-km), 13-platform canopy tour circuit and horseback riding tours on-site. There's also a souvenir shop and volcano viewpoints around the property.

Family-Friendliness

Children are welcome at this hotel. Kids aged seven and below stay free when sharing with at least two adults; kids older than seven pay the full adult price. Two pools are especially for kids: one is for younger children and has a waterfall from a fake volcano, and the other is for older kids and has another waterslide. Older kids will enjoy the canopy tour circuit, horseback riding offered at the hotel, and plenty of walking trails through nature. There's also outdoor play equipment, and a kids' menu is available in the restaurant.

Wildlife

The lush grounds are home to many birds, animals, and insects. There's a crocodile and caiman farm, a butterfly garden, a leaf-cutter ant display, and a tropical frog farm. The restaurant looks out over the rainforest and is a perfect place for spotting birds, with feeders near the tables offering close-up views of hummingbirds, woodpeckers, toucans, and more. From the canopy tour site in the rainforest, travelers can spot howler monkeys, sloths, coatis, and exotic birds. 

Sustainability

Much of the hotel's land provides habitat for area wildlife, and the resort has officially designated part of its property as a butterfly garden and crocodile farm. The owners also donated part of their land to establish the "Hogarcito Don Bosco" orphanage.

Other Highlights

The hotel's Las Palmas Restaurant serves Costa Rican and international cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The dining room looks out over the rainforest, and guests may get close-up views of hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and toucans. There's a swim-up bar by the main pool with underwater bar stools. The bar serves 56 types of cocktails and 14 nonalcoholic cocktails, beer, wine, and soda. Some cocktails are served in hollowed-out pineapples. This bar also offers snacks, including burgers, tacos, and Costa Rican plates, and has excellent view of the volcano.