We love Airbnb. Whenever we travel around Costa Rica, we first look for Airbnb’s and then hotels because we’ve had some incredible experiences with Airbnb in Costa Rica!
For our trip to Arenal back in October, we decided to book Airbnb instead of a hotel. There are some beautiful hotels in Arenal but we wanted something local and homey. We wanted to experience where the Fortuenos live and I found a house that looked amazing. Although this particular Airbnb is meant for families and big groups, I couldn’t help but splurge a little for the two of us.
So if you’re coming with a family or in a large group, this is an awesome Airbnb in Arenal only 5 minutes from La Fortuna downtown. It feels like you’re staying in the deep rainforest though!
We have also written a post about tips for using Airbnb in Costa Rica, make sure to read it so you know what to expect!
Our Airbnb in Arenal
This Airbnb is called Arenal Paradise Home – Wildlife Paradise.
Host
Our hosts were very easy to get in touch and they were Costa Ricans, which is something we prefer as many hosts in Costa Rica on Airbnb are foreigners. Nothing wrong with it, but we use Airbnb to have a more local experience and many of the Ticos who host on Airbnb have either lived there their whole lives or work in tourism so they can give insider tips and advice for things to do/eat, etc.
We communicated with our host to arrange where to pick up the keys beforehand. We met them at their office and followed them in our car to the house and when we got there, they had some fresh starfruit juice ready for us!
The House
I chose this Airbnb in Arenal for a few reasons. It was close to town but in a very quiet area. I read from previous guests that they saw a ton of wildlife on the property and that the hosts were incredibly nice. And those reviews were absolutely correct!
The house is gorgeous. It’s right next to a river with the rain forest as the backyard. There is another house for rent on the property as well as the owner’s house but they are far enough apart that you don’t even feel like you have neighbors.
There are 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, living room, a laundry room and large parking space. You can perfectly fit up to 12 people in this house.
In the backyard, there is a sitting area with a bench, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee in the rain forest or bird watching early in the morning.
There is a short path that connects to the owner’s house so in case you need to get in touch with them, you can knock on their door. It was great having them nearby in case we had questions or needed anything.
The room on top has a view of Arenal Volcano when it’s clear and there is air conditioning. Even though it’s the rain forest, it still gets hot during dry season so the AC is nice.
We stayed in the master bedroom with its own bathroom and it was very comfortable.
The Wildlife
One of the reasons why I chose this Arenal Airbnb is for the wildlife. We saw SO much wildlife just from the backyard of this house than we did in any other part of Arenal we’ve stayed at, including the national park. The Arenal area is home to 3 types of toucans, both sloths, snakes and lots of other animals.
In the backyard, there is a small tree and a bench where the owner puts bananas on every morning so you can see lots of birds and iguanas having breakfast. We saw several tanagers, woodpeckers, toucans and other birds. If you sit out there around 530 AM, you can see so many birds at once!
Our hosts knew we were into wildlife watching and called us over one day when he saw a Laughing Falcon close by.
We spent a good chunk of our mornings with our camera ready. We were really hoping to see the Keel Billed Toucan to make an appearance but they stayed further up in the trees. The Collared Aracari toucan (pictured above) and the Black Mandible Toucan snacked on the bananas very close to us though.
But the best part of this Airbnb in Arenal was that they had sloths living in the trees around the property. During the day, our host showed us a 3-toed sloth sleeping in a tree near the river!
One night we were watching TV and working when our host knocked on our down, it was around 8 PM. He asked us if we wanted to see a sloth because there was one right outside. And he was right, there was a small female 2-toed sloth taking a walk in the backyard! Very close to the tree with the bananas.
He also pointed out another 2-toed sloth who was making his way across a tree to the ground too.
Without our hosts, we would have never had this awesome experience of seeing the sloths so close!
Thoughts
We loved our Airbnb in Arenal, as you can guess. Our hosts were super nice and welcoming, the house is beautiful and the wildlife was the cherry on top. The house is definitely too big for just 2 people but it’s perfect for families. Even two families could comfortably stay at the house!
Learn more about using Airbnb in Costa Rica to make sure you have a stress and worry free experience.
Need ideas for La Fortuna? Here are our 10 favorite things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna!
Visiting Monteverde? Read about 2 Monteverde Airbnbs we stayed at, perfect for couples.
Sierra says
Do you know if this property is still available? I couldn’t get the link to work. Thanks!
Sammi says
I believe its now called Arenal Luxury Paradise Home Rental
Sierra says
I’ll try that. Thank you!
Susan Bishop says
This is an amazing property. The owners are very nice and responsive. They have recently opened a refuge just down the road (Sendero Las Mariolas) where we saw sloths, many birds, tiny brilliant black and green frogs and more. Highly recommend!
Nomad Nonna says
Thank you for this recommendation. We were in this area for just one night in March. We hope to return at the end of July and spend more time here. It is an enchanting area.
Carina Delmerico says
Hi, how far away is it from the beach?
Sammi says
La Fortuna is around 3.5-4 hours from the beach
Tom Griffiths says
Hi guys,
I already have a hotel booked for my group of 5 in December but I’d like to talk to you about this house. I can cancel the hotel.
In particular I’d like to know the location and how close it is to restaurants. We normally stay at or near Arenal Oasis Eco Lodge. This year we are booked at Catarata Eco Lodge.
Sammi says
Hi Tom, here is the listing for the house here you can get more information: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7207738 It’s a 5 minute drive to La Fortuna town.