Hi!
Family of four (two adults/2 kids) visiting CR in August, unfortunately only for two weeks. Can anyone recommend accomodation in the Arenal area. Plan to take in the volcano and visit Canon Negro. Also any info on Santa Rosa and the turtles would be useful - how easy is it to reach and is it feasible to "day trip" from Guanacaste region where we will be based for the majority of our stay.
Thanks for any help.


The Tabacon resort is right there at the base of the Arenal, but I opted for heading into town and staying at a cheap guest house for about $7 USD per night as the resort was well over my budget at the time. I did pay for a day pass to enjoy the hot spring and ammenities at Tabacon, which was well worth the $$$...
Not sure what your budget is but I liked La Pradera ($50/night in Green Season). It's about 5 min west of town and the property is right across the street from the volcano which dominates the view. The grounds were nicely landscaped and there are two nice swimming pools. Our room was basic and clean with satellite TV, good air conditioning and hot water, and a small porch with chairs to relax while admiring the volcano. The restaurant and bar area were pretty plain and uninspiring. We were the only peopple in the bar for a few hours while it was raining. Go into town to eat/drink/have fun. The only meal we ate there was the free breakfast which was basic but good nonetheless.
Overall it was a good bargan - we paid $65 for one night with all taxes and breakfast included. They also have a tour office and offer atv rentals and tours