Reviews of Essence Arenal Boutique Hostel

20 December 2011

Liked: the staff are really nice. good view.

Disliked: we reserved a private double bedroom, and we got a dormitary room (not very clean one) that one of the bank beds has on the lower level a double bed, this is not a double bedroom, i'm not 10 year old. on our reservation it's was described as a garden view room, well..., we did get 2 alcatraz style windows, one viewed the parking space and the other was blocked by a bank bed of course. the ensuite that we had was useable only on the day time, cause on the evening it was conquered by the flies from the forest outside, the hostel did put a screen on the windows, but flies thought it was really ridiculous that they didn't blocked the gap between the roof and the side walls and passed through there. El Castillo itself is found on another side of the arenal which has no lava anymore. it's very remote (40 minutes by jeep to la fortuna) which meens that when you come here you rely on the hostel services , which in this hostel doesn't give you breakfest for free, dinner is 12$ fixed(not include drinks), drive to la fortuna 6$ on hotel shuttle schedule, which add to a very expensive place after all. we stayed 1 night and run away the next day to la fortuna and we found at the same price, hotel(not hostel) with bigger and cleaner rooms , with outside jacuzi and a pool(real pool, not micro Boutique pool) and a great view of the arenal. if you looking for social life you will get it here, but also being in prison will get you some friends too.

29 November 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The staff at Essence was wonderful! They were so helpful in helping us organize excursions and in showing us around. They even helped us organize the rest of our trip in Costa Rica. The food is absolutely phenomenal! It was a great idea having everyone get together to cook. I definitely recommend Essence to anyone who wants a some time away from busy city life.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

20 July 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The location was fantastic with a great view of the volcano & surrounding countryside in El Castillo. The staff were very friendly & helpful & pointed us in the direction of some free hot springs & a free waterfall (a bit of a walk away). The idea of getting people to help out with the evening (vegetarian) meal is great & helps the guests get to know each other. Also the prices for anything extra you wanted were quite fair. And finally they had a pool surrounded by a community area where you could all chill out & relax & their collection/courier service to and from town for $6 is good value for money.

Disliked: Some of the rooms are quite small & there aren't currently enough toilets & bathrooms for the number of people that are staying there. The only other negative points were that the hot tub wasn't working (but they did have a pool, so you can't really complain!) & the one other thing (that can't be helped by the hostel but I thought I'd include it as info for others), is that the volcano hasn't had any activity apart from smoking for about 8 months+ now & the locals believe that it may be going into a dormant state. So don't expect too much on the lava flow front. However on the whole, I'd definitely recommend the hostel based on the location & the staff.

17 July 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: staff and food and owner who was great

Disliked: the room

16 July 2011 Lisa would recommend this property

Liked: The view was spectacular with a cute pool overlooking the lake and volcano. The staff was amazing, going above and beyond to help us with details on our trip and offer trip advice. Also, the food was amazing to participate in and delicious to eat, my boyfriend didn't even notice until the meal was over that there was no meat, since it was so good.

Disliked: The rooms and facilities were dilapidated and looked rather unmaintained, a little bit more upkeep on the floors, walls, and ceilings would go a long way.

05 July 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The views were incredible, and there are so many amenities it feels like your staying at a resort. the staff is friendly and super helpful. The food is amazing. A really unique experience!

Disliked: Its pretty far from the center of La Fortuna, you need a car, taxi or shuttle to get there. Its about a half hour trip to most places.

29 June 2011 Gabriela would recommend this property

Liked: It is situated on a very beautiful terrain overlooking the lake and the vulcano. I liked the rainforest walk right behind the house and we enjoyed the very communicative dinners.

Disliked: Small room

02 June 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The view of the volcano and lake was excellent. The staff were very helpful and friendly and the idea of helping to prepare some of the evening meal was great although they should develop it by giving people the option to get even more involved.

Disliked: As a single traveller, I found the evenings a bit hard to fill because it's so far from the main town (Fortuna) that you have to remain at the hostel or pay a hefty taxi fare.

07 May 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Great atmosphere, really helpful for onward travel and activities in the area, great food at good prices

Disliked: nothing

06 February 2011 Aaron would recommend this property

Liked: Amazing view, quiet and peaceful, beautiful garden area, amazing food (and great fun being taught a cooking trick as a part of each theme dinner), great value, great people... simply superb.

Disliked: There's only tiny nit-picky things to improve, and they asked for suggestions, I'm sure they'll keep getting even better. I really had no notable complaints.

31 January 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Amazing view of volcano and mountains.Loved the pool. Wish hottub was working. Staff is amazing. Dinner was fab! Visit the hotsprings for free!! Very secluded.. nearby village about 15 min walk away.

Disliked: Pricey to get there by taxi. But have their own pickup service.

30 January 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Everything was great. It was a quiet hostel with plenty of opportunity to meet other travelers. The food was amazing for a good price. My carnivore boyfriend really enjoyed the vegetarian meals. I would definitely recommend it.

Disliked: We were a little worried when we arrived that it was out of the way from the activities but after staying we realized it was actually closer to the things we wanted to do.

14 January 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: This place is all about the atmosphere. Nico, the owner, and his staff are great people who help you out with everything you need and are full of good tips on what to do at any weather.

Disliked: Nothing, we loved the place.

03 December 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: We had a great time at Arenal Essence. The people were very friendly and helpful and the food was excellent.

Disliked: It's a little out of the way but worth the drive.

22 October 2010

Liked: It had a nice view overlooking the lake and volcano.

Disliked: It was hard to get to El Castillo, really bad roads and it costs 25 dollars to get there from downtown Arenal so it can get quite expensive in the end. Also because you were in the middle of nowhere you had to eat breakfast and dinner at the hostel which was a bit expensive but nice food though. There was no kitchen so that you could make you own dinner.

10 October 2010 Roman would recommend this property

Liked: Incredible view of the volcano, lake, and nature all around. Kelly is very friendly and helpful in planning activities all over. Great hiking path on the property. Can't say enough about the view.

Disliked: It's a hike from the main city of La Fortuna, about a 35min drive.

23 September 2010

Liked: Wondeful view on the vulcano

Disliked: quite expensive, because all services like breakfast and shuttles are not included and rather expensive

20 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: the ambient, the owner, the staff, the meat, the place, the views, the rooms

Disliked: nothing, but if i have to say something to improve, it could be the way of getting the place, but it ´s something that doesn´t depend on the owner

03 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Essence Arenal is incredible. The location has spectacular views of Lake Arenal and of the volcano. You can swim in their pool and enjoy the view. The food is exceptional and the participation dinners are a lot of fun. The staff goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and provides any assistance you may need.

Disliked: Nothing. Everything about Essence Arenal is wonderful.

21 July 2010 Alejandro would recommend this property

Liked: It has a beautiful view

Disliked: They charge taxes for everything but in many cases are not covered by their price list

28 May 2010 Romaric would recommend this property

Liked: .

Disliked: Romaric left no negative feedback.

10 March 2010 daniel would recommend this property

Liked: The place was great. A marvellous view on volcano. the meals were delicious

Disliked: daniel left no negative feedback.

05 February 2010 rhian would recommend this property

Liked: Fantastic staff who went out of their way to be super helpful. The location has a fantastic view of the volcano and they will transfer you to the park, hot springs etc when you feel like draggin yourself out of the lovely garden.All round beautful place

Disliked: rhian left no negative feedback.

05 February 2010 inge would recommend this property

Liked: the location is wonderfull, but rooms are very small, to many rooms for the shared bathroom. The cook was very inventive.

Disliked: inge left no negative feedback.

12 January 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: great views, easy atmosphere, helpfull owners, remote location, close to Arenal NP, unique dining options, fun people.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.