Essence Arenal Hotel, Spa & Bio Farm

Amazing gem of a hotel. Absolutely beautiful hotel with incredibly friendly service and amazing food. I would highly recommend it. The chocolate tour was a highlight.

My daughter and I headed to the Arenal Volcano are for 5 nights in January. I selected Essence Arenal Hotel because it offered yoga on site as well as other spa services/activities and its location near Arenal Volcano National Park, La Fortuna, and other adventure activities which were on our list of things to do in the area. Essence EXCEEDED my expectations! I don't even know where to begin... the beauty, food, service??? All of it! The surrounding beauty will immerse you in the rainforest eco system. The food is not to be missed. We ate every breakfast and dinner on site and completely enjoyed every bite. The restuarant should be a destination in and of itself. We attended yoga twice (loved it) and had massages (delightful!) A highlight of our trip was the nighttime wildlife tour with Aurelio was a once in a lifetime experience. I have to recognize this amazing staff who made every touchpoint memorable especially our friend, Manfred in the restaurant. A warm thanks to Johelin who helped coordinate before arrival, Nicola who greeted us upon arrival, Alejando and Kay for their yogic guidance, Chritina and Alejandro for relaxing massages, Rudda and Jairo for their on point service. I know there are many others working behind the scenes to make this resort a destination like no other. WE WILL BE BACK!

From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed and at home. Staff are exceptional - very helpful and well informed. The vegetarian food served is delicious and imaginative, grown on their farm. Beautiful surroundings and places to walk and relax with yoga, massage and a spa. Excellent, informative and thought provoking tours on site. It seems to attract very nice guests and meal times were a great opportunity to talk together. We felt very relaxed and were sorry to leave

I went to Essence Arenal not really sure what to expect. What I received was amazing service, great experiences and a very restful stay! From the check in with Nichola, to Yoga with Alejandro and the Cacao Tour and Night time Jungle walk with Aurelio, it was awesome. I can’t say enough about Aurelio’s knowledge and passion for what he does. He is a true gem and big asset for the resort. I highly recommend doing all of the experiences, especially if you have an interest in learning about the ecology of the area.

Beautiful surroundings This place is really nice. The surroundings are amazing - you can see both the volcano and the lake, and they have a beautiful garden with a pound, a pool, a spa-area and yoga studio. The morning yoga was really good! And the make really nice food in their kitchen. We thought their activities were a bit to pricy for our taste - but that shouldnt stop anyone from going. Im pretty sure you wont regret it!

Amazing Essence is a wonderful place to stay…. The property is well thought out for you to enjoy nature and has a variety of accommodation options. The Glamping tents are surrounded by bamboo trees and very peaceful. (Shared bathrooms, but that was no problem for us….expected with Glamping) They have their own farm and I would recommend taking a walk through it. There are also a number of hiking trails, which makes it feel like you are not only staying at a hotel, but also a nature park. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Gabriel is an amazing chef and wonderful person. We enjoyed our stay tremendously and will recommend Essence to friends.