La Fortuna is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica thanks to the nearby active Arenal Volcano, tropical rainforest and many fun outdoor adventures. Thanks to La Fortuna’s popularity, there are plenty of restaurants, activities and hotels. There are so many lodging options in fact, that it may be a bit difficult to choose where to stay in La Fortuna since you can find everything from ultra luxury rainforest resorts to basic budget shared rooms.
In this guide, we’re going to give some of our recommendations for where to stay in La Fortuna. Don’t have an itinerary yet? Check out our 8 day Costa Rica itinerary that goes to Playas del Coco and La Fortuna!
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La Fortuna At a Glance
Location: In the Alajuela province. Approximately a 3 hour drive from Guanacaste Airport and San Jose International Airport. You can fly into either international airport for La Fortuna.
Known for: Hot springs, Arenal Volcano, nature, family friendly activities, farming, adventure, ziplining.
Main attractions: La Fortuna Waterfall, Lake Arenal, Arenal Volcano National Park, Arenal hanging bridges
How to get there: Driving (4wd not required), direct public bus from San Jose, private shuttle (~$240 USD for 1-8 passengers from SJO and LIR Airports), shared shuttle (~$59 USD per person), and domestic flights (~$100 USD one way from SJO with Sansa Air). In La Fortuna, there are a handful of Ubers and many official red taxis.
Tourists stay on average 2-3 nights in La Fortuna. They can also visit as a day trip from San Jose or day trip from Guanacaste.
Weather: Daytime mid to high 80sº F (29-32º C), nighttime mid 70sº F (23 C). Very humid year round. Dry season is December through April, rainy is May through November but as tropical rainforest, it can rain any time of the year.
Must bring: rain jacket, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, fitness clothes (dry fast, lightweight, moisture wicking, odor resistant) and hat or visor
Budget
Budget most likely will be your biggest deciding factor for where to stay in La Fortuna. Thankfully, La Fortuna has hundreds of lodging options at every price point. Something to keep in mind is that generally the closer you are to the volcano, the more expensive hotels become. The closer you are to the town center, the cheaper the place. If your hotel has its own hot springs and pools, it will be more expensive, especially if it has a view of the volcano. Find out how to travel to Costa Rica on a budget here!
Cheaper Hotels
Downtown La Fortuna: Hotels here are much cheaper. These options are ideal if you’re on a tight budget or a solo traveler on a strict budget. It’s cheap and convenient as you’re in walking distance to everything but it’s loud without nice views or rainforest around. Budget hotels can be around $30 USD – $100 USD a night. You can find the hostels in downtown.
Some options are Arenal Xilapalo, Secreto La Fortuna, Arenal Poshpaker, Poshtel Arenal and Hotel Las Colinas.
Mid to High End
There are many mid and high end options a little bit further outside of downtown near the waterfall and on the road to the national park. These prices are around $100-350 USD a night.
Some options: Volcano Lodge, Los Lagos, Kokoro Hotel, Arenal History Inn, Casa Luna Hotel, Hotel El Silencio del Campo, Noah’s Forest by Tifakara
Luxury
When it comes to luxury hotels in La Fortuna, you have a lot to choose from. Most of these hotels are close to Arenal Volcano with spectacular views of the volcano and surrounding rainforest. If you are visiting Costa Rica for your honeymoon or just want to splurge, consider staying at one of these hotels in Fortuna for a very luxurious experience. A night can start at $400 USD and go up to the thousands depending on the room category.
Some options: The Springs Resort & Spa, Tabacon, Arenal Kioro, Amor Arenal, The Royal Corin, Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs, Nayara Tented Camp
Hotels or Airbnb (vacation rental)
You will find tons of hotels, hostels, VRBOs and Airbnbs in La Fortuna. Although vacation rentals are very common and can be a good alternative to hotels, there are reasons why you should stay at one rather than the other. We have stayed in both vacation rentals (mostly Airbnbs) and hotels in La Fortuna. All were good experiences but I have some points to share about them.
You Should Rent a Car If Booking an Airbnb
Unless your Airbnb is right in town, then you should rent a car. Many Airbnbs in La Fortuna are in the outlying neighborhoods that are not in walking distance to town. If that’s yours, you should rent a car otherwise it will be hard to get around. There are a few Ubers in La Fortuna, but not a ton. I have seen the most 5 Ubers or so spread out throughout town and not more at night. However, there are official red taxis around. You can still find Ubers throughout the day but you may have to wait awhile.
Furthermore, some Airbnbs may require a 4×4, 4wd or high clearance car or they may not have secure parking. Make sure to check with your host what kind of car is required and if they have secure parking on site (not open street parking). Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here to save some money!
Tour Companies Do Not Usually Pick Up at Airbnbs
Which means you will have to meet the group at the closest hotel or meeting point. Or drive to the tour operator office and meet the group there.
Some tour companies may make exceptions if your Airbnb is on Google Maps with a pindrop and name. It has to be easy to find and within the free transportation zone but you must consult the company first.
Booking tours in La Fortuna? Get our discount for tours like hiking, safari floats, horseback riding, ziplining and more!
Bare Minimum
Airbnbs and VRBOs in La Fortuna tend to offer the bare minimum in amenities, likewise they normally do not offer house cleaning or breakfast. Even if you book an entire house, they likely will have the minimal or no amenities like shampoo, soap, towels, etc,
It is nice to have a kitchen and stay in a house, but if you don’t want to clean, you don’t want to cook and you don’t want to tidy up all the time, then consider staying at a hotel instead. We’ve booked two houses on Airbnb but the furnishings were very minimal and neither amenities or cleaning were included. We had to bring our own bathroom towels.
Like hotels, there are cheap Airbnbs and luxury Airbnbs that will include more. Make sure you read the listing carefully to see what is and is not included!
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Other Important Things to Think About When Deciding Where to Stay in La Fortuna
Are you renting a car?
If you are renting a car in Costa Rica, you can look at hotels and vacation rentals beyond the downtown area as you can find more unique or special ones. You can drive to the supermarket, parks and places of interests on your own. If you book tours and your hotel is outside the free transportation zone, you can drive to the tour operator office.
But if you are not renting a car, then you do need to take these factors into consideration. Check out our 13 day Costa Rica itinerary that goes to La Fortuna without renting a car!
Tour Companies Include Transportation from Certain Zones
For those without a car, tour companies normally include roundtrip transportation for free from Tabacon Resort to La Fortuna Waterfall and around downtown. If you are staying outside these areas, you will need to either pay for an extra transportation fee, meet the tour group at a designated location near your hotel or meet the group at the tour operator office on your own.
Some hotels that are outside free transportation zones are Arenal Observatory Lodge, Lost Iguana Resort, any hotel beyond Lake Arenal towards Tilaran, Chachagua Rainforest and Rancho Margot. The fee can be $40-80 USD plus taxes service roundtrip.
Map
Below you can read our reviews of a few hotels we’ve stayed at in La Fortuna.
**IMPORTANT* For the rates, remember that high season rates are much more expensive than low season rates. Peak season is Christmas, New Years and Holy Week with the most expensive rates. High/peak season can be DOUBLE the price of low season months.
Click here to go to our interactive map to see where the hotels are located.
Nayara Springs
The Nayara Hotels ranks as some of the top luxury hotels in Costa Rica. They have three different Nayara Hotels.
Nayara Gardens is open for everyone but if you’re there for your honeymoon or a couples getaway, book a villa at the adult only Nayara Springs. You don’t have a volcano view but each villa has their own private natural hot spring pool. Furthermore, the huge villa has indoor and outdoor showers with separate his and her bathrooms.
Nayara Springs truly focuses on privacy and exclusivity as they offer breakfast in villa and nighttime turn down service. We stayed at the adult only Nayara Springs once which was an absolutely luxurious experience for a romantic getaway. It is VERY $$$$$$$$ though!
They also have a glamping resort, Nayara Tented camp for a luxury experience closer to nature. Also very $$$$$$$$$$$$$!
The Springs Resort & Spa
Not only is The Springs Resort a gorgeous property, their hot springs are one of our favorites. They have a huge hot spring section with various pools near their hotel and another down by a river. They also have a lagoon like area closer to the hotel with a swim up bar and a waterslide for kids.
We stayed in a standard room with a beautiful view of the volcano, extremely comfortable bed and full bathroom amenities including an awesome hot Jaccuzi bath.
The resort property has their own on-site adventure center called Club Rio for hotel guests only. Their adventure club offers horseback riding, tubing, river kayaking, a wildlife sanctuary and rock wall climb.
The Springs Resort & Spa is amazing for all luxury travelers and their Club Rio center makes it an excellent place for families looking for an exclusive experience.
Read our review of the Springs Resort and Spa. Don’t want to stay at the hotel? No worries! You can still enjoy their property with their hot springs day pass. Get our discount off the Springs hot springs day pass here.
Room rates start at $500 USD a night. They also have huge villas for up to 10-15 people for much more (that’s what all the celebrities book when they stay at The Springs Resort).
Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa
Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa is VERY close to Arenal Volcano. They designed their suites to take advantage of this view with high ceilings, tall windows and Jacuzzis. We’ve stayed here twice and waking up to the towering view of Arenal Volcano every morning was truly spectacular.
One nice thing about the Kioro is that their hot springs are private. Only hotel guests are permitted in the hot springs, ensuring guests complete privacy and enjoyment of the pools. They also include a free pass to Titoku hot springs.
Rooms, pool, hot springs and spa were beautiful but we found their restaurant for dinner to be so-so. The free hot breakfast buffet was great though!
For a higher end hotel, we found it to be a more reasonably priced luxury hotel.
We paid $220 USD for one night in September, two people, family suite.
Arenal Observatory Lodge
Arenal Observatory Lodge is actually inside the Arenal Volcano National Park. This lodge offers a wonderful experience for nature lovers as it used to be a research center. Now as a lodge, it has hiking trails, a waterfall, hanging bridges and horseback riding trails.
Rooms are typical lodge style with no televisions or air conditioning. It doesn’t offer the typical luxury experience but it offers a one-of-a-kind luxury experience to get close to the rainforest, volcano, nature and wildlife. We’ve stayed here twice and it’s one of our absolute favorite lodges in Costa Rica. It is perfect for those who really want to immerse themselves in nature.
You should rent a car to get to the lodge because tour companies charge an extra fee to pick up from there. Since it’s in the national park, there is nothing around but they do have an on-site restaurant.
When we stayed at Arenal Observatory Lodge, we were with 2 other couples so we booked a house (La Casona) and split the cost.
Check the latest rates at Arenal Observatory Lodge.
Hotel Secreto la Fortuna
This cute family run small hotel is located very close to downtown La Fortuna within walking distance. Their rooms are simple but cozy and comfortable with air conditioning. The hotel property has a beautiful garden and small on-site pool. You don’t hear any car traffic, however since the main pathway is right outside your door, you will hear people and luggage leaving/arriving at all hours of the day.
The staff was incredibly sweet. They pointed out a sloth that was hanging out in the trees as well as a hummingbird nest! A hot typical breakfast was included in the rate and free parking was available.
For one night in October (lowest tourism month and cheapest time to visit Costa Rica), 2 people, standard king room, we paid $50 USD with breakfast included.
Check latest rates at Hotel Secreto La Fortuna.
Hotel Roca Negra del Arenal
We stayed here for one night at this cute and cozy hotel. It is only a 6 minute drive to downtown La Fortuna and there are some restaurants just across the street, a few minutes walk. We stayed in a standard bungalow with a king bed, air conditioning and patio with rocking chairs. They have a beautiful property with lots of lush gardens everywhere. Room was clean, comfortable and had good wifi.
Our rate didn’t include breakfast but it was available for ~$10 USD per person. I very much appreciated that their property is gated so it felt much safer, although the code they sent me wasn’t the correct one and we had to wait a bit to get buzzed in.
For one night, two people in a king room, we paid $68.40 USD.
Check latest rates at Hotel Roca Negra del Arenal.
Arenal History Inn
This is a good option for a small hotel with a very quiet atmosphere. There are only around 12 bungalows on the property and they are located further away from the main road so it’s nice and quiet. They have a good sized pool and lovely gardens. They include breakfast at the restaurant next door.
This is a good hotel for couples and families with one young kid as the bungalows are not huge and they don’t have big family rooms or suites. We stayed at a bungalow with a king size bed, air conditioning and nice sized bathroom. Good mid range option (~$100 USD minimum).
Check latest rates at Arenal History Inn.
Hotel Magic Mountain
This was one of the first hotels we stayed at in La Fortuna and it was a great option. We had a very comfortable standard room and yummy hot breakfast included in our rate. They have a couple pools and their location is great, about a 5 minute drive to town and in walking distance to other restaurants. Nice views of the volcano from certain rooms.
Check latest rates at Hotel Magic Mountain.
Read More About La Fortuna and Arenal Below to Help Plan Your Trip!
Best hot springs in La Fortuna
Driving from Guanacaste to La Fortuna and vice versa
Driving from San Jose to La Fortuna and vice versa
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