Central America · Rainforest & Volcanoes
Costa Rica’s green north, where Amor Arenal keeps thirty-one hardwood casitas on a forest canyon in the foothills of Arenal Volcano.
Now in Costa Rica
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Central America · Rainforest & Volcanoes
Costa Rica is smaller than West Virginia, yet it shelters a remarkable share of the world’s wildlife and protects roughly a quarter of its land in parks and reserves. A spine of volcanoes and cloud forest runs between its two coasts, the Pacific to the west and the Caribbean to the east, and in the green north, above the plains of San Carlos, stands Arenal: a near-perfect cone above rainforest, rivers and hot springs. Mornings here begin with birdsong and mist on the forest; afternoons often bring rain that leaves the canopy brighter than before.
We open the country at Arenal, through Amor Arenal, an independent retreat of thirty-one freestanding casitas on the edge of a forest canyon, each with a heated plunge pool facing the volcano. It is the Costa Rica of mornings on the trail and evenings in warm mineral water, arranged privately from first conversation to flight home.
The country around the volcano asks to be explored. Hanging bridges cross the canopy by day or at twilight; guided walks find sloths, frogs and birds; river safaris drift along the Peñas Blancas; and day journeys reach the wetlands of Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the improbable blue of Río Celeste in Tenorio Volcano National Park. For the adventurous there are volcano treks, canyoning and white-water rafting, and at Amor Arenal the days can begin with yoga above the canyon stream and end at El Rancho with the cone in view.
Why visit
The film
Amor Arenal’s own film of the volcano, the rainforest and the house. Sound on.
Featured properties
Your advisor works directly with Amor Arenal, from a single casita for two to several for friends, and sequences the flights, the road or the short hop to La Fortuna, and the days beyond the gate. Arenal pairs naturally with a few nights elsewhere in Central America, or with Belize when the journey should end on the reef.
Foothills of Arenal Volcano, 7 km west of La Fortuna · Alajuela, Costa Rica: thirty-one freestanding Canyon Casitas
Thirty-one hardwood casitas on the edge of a rainforest canyon in the foothills of Arenal Volcano, each with its own deck and a heated mineral-water plunge pool turned toward the volcano.
Arenal Volcano National Park · Costa Rica: twenty nine tents, six family tents and two private residences on a replanted rainforest hillside facing the volcano
Safari style tents on stilts in a replanted rainforest facing Arenal Volcano, each with its own plunge pool fed by mineral hot springs, the first tented camp in Central America.
Pacuare Protected Zone, Atlantic slope of Costa Rica · about 20 miles from Siquirres at 770 feet · roughly 20 luxury bungalows in a 340-hectare protected reserve
A 2 MICHELIN Keys rainforest lodge on a bend of the Pacuare River in Costa Rica: about 20 luxury bungalows in a 340-hectare protected reserve, Cabécar-inspired architecture, farm-to-table dining at Nairi Awari, and arrival by whitewater raft.
In the cloud forest at Bajos del Toro, Alajuela, Costa Rica · a 500-acre reserve ringed by five protected wildlife areas · about 90 minutes from San José (SJO)
A Relais & Châteaux lodge in Costa Rica's cloud forest at Bajos del Toro, with Two MICHELIN Keys, 24 suites and villas, three waterfalls and Esencia Spa.
On the beach at Santa Teresa, on the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica · in one of the world's five Blue Zones · bungalows, suites and three-bedroom villas steps from the sand
A barefoot luxury hotel on the beach at Santa Teresa, on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, with plunge-pool bungalows, three-bedroom villas, Manzú on the sand and Numu Wellness in the gardens.
The house
A first reading of the stay: rooms, light, and the quiet between them. Each still is a note, not a catalogue.
Sub-destinations
Towns, islands, and smaller landscapes that sit inside this one.
When and how
Each season keeps its own calendar. We plan the transfer around it.
Best time to visit
December to April are the drier, busiest months; the green season, May into November, brings afternoon rain, deep green forest and quieter roads. Around Arenal the forest is green all year and the air stays mild, roughly 18 to 29°C (65 to 85°F).
Seasonality
Around Arenal, May, June and mid-August to mid-November are the greenest weeks. Christmas and New Year are the most sought-after weeks and are best reserved early. Your advisor confirms Amor Arenal’s dates when you inquire.
Airport / logistics
Most travelers arrive through San José (SJO) or Liberia (LIR). Arenal is then two and a half to three hours by road, or thirty to forty minutes by domestic flight to La Fortuna (FON). Amor Arenal lies seven kilometers west of La Fortuna, toward Arenal Volcano National Park.
Month by month
Seasons follow the notes above. Average daily high and monthly rainfall for 2015 to 2024 from ERA5 reanalysis, via Open-Meteo.
Luxury experiences
Photo: Nayara Resorts
Journeys
Every journey here begins with a conversation: seasons, transfers, and houses are shaped with your advisor. Browse our journeys and collections, or begin here.
Related destinations
Landscapes that sit well beside this one.
Destination
Belize’s Ambergris Caye corridor and a true private island: Cayo Espanto, a handful of villas off San Pedro.
Destination
The Caribbean’s Nature Island: rainforest, 365 rivers, the world’s second-largest boiling lake and a UNESCO World Heritage site, with Secret Bay’s clifftop villas on its coast.
Destination
Argentina’s wine country at the foot of the Andes, where The Vines Resort & Spa keeps thirty-three villas within 1,500 acres of private vineyards in the Uco Valley.
Plan My Trip
Tell us the season, the company, and the feeling you want to keep. We will write back with a considered path, not a link to a search.
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