Amor Arenal Resort, Costa Rica | Exclusive Villa Collection

Foothills of Arenal Volcano, 7 km west of La Fortuna · Alajuela, Costa Rica: thirty-one freestanding Canyon Casitas

Amor Arenal

An independent rainforest retreat on 106 acres at the foot of Arenal Volcano, where thirty-one freestanding casitas of tropical hardwood stand at the edge of a virgin forest canyon, each with a volcano-facing deck and its own heated mineral-water plunge pool. Arranged privately by Exclusive Villa Collection on inquiry.

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The house

In stills

A first reading of the stay: rooms, light, and the quiet between them. Each still is a note, not a catalogue.

Canyon Casita King at Amor Arenal: a king bed with a woven runner beneath a vaulted hardwood ceiling, a stone wall and glazed gables open to the forest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Aerial view of Arenal Volcano above unbroken rainforest, with the casitas of Amor Arenal, near La Fortuna, Costa Rica set into the trees below — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Aerial view of the hardwood casitas of Amor Arenal rising out of the rainforest canopy on the edge of a canyon — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Steep-roofed Canyon Casitas at Amor Arenal, near La Fortuna, Costa Rica, each with its own lit deck, half hidden in tropical forest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Canyon Casita Queen at Amor Arenal: two queen beds against a stone wall under a vaulted timber ceiling, with glass doors to the deck — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Inside a Canyon Casita at Amor Arenal: hardwood floors, an armchair and a glass gable looking out to the deck and its plunge pool — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Doors open from a Canyon Casita at Amor Arenal onto its hardwood deck, plunge pool and Adirondack chairs in the rainforest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A guest on the deck of a Canyon Casita at Amor Arenal, beside the heated mineral-water plunge pool, with the bedroom beyond — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The double vanity of a Canyon Casita at Amor Arenal: twin basins beneath a hardwood-framed mirror and pendant lights — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Arenal Volcano framed by an open shuttered window above the rainforest at Amor Arenal, near La Fortuna, Costa Rica — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A mineral spring pool fed by a stone waterfall, surrounded by tropical planting at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A curved hardwood deck beside a spring-fed pool and waterfall in the gardens of Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A warm mineral pool among volcanic boulders and ferns at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The swim-up wet bar in a warm spring pool beneath a timber roof at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A guest resting at the edge of a warm spring pool facing a waterfall at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A treatment room of the Rainforest Spa at Amor Arenal: two massage beds beneath a carved timber roof, open to the forest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Two treatment beds facing an open wall of rainforest in the Rainforest Spa at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The thatched-roof pavilion of the Rainforest Spa at Amor Arenal, raised among palms and tropical trees — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The open-sided yoga deck at Amor Arenal, its hardwood floor looking out over the rainforest canyon — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A timber platform at Amor Arenal held among tall rainforest trees, a guest practising yoga inside — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The gym at Amor Arenal, with racks of kettlebells and dumbbells beside floor-to-ceiling windows onto the forest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Tables on the covered terrace of El Rancho restaurant at Amor Arenal, with Arenal Volcano beyond the rainforest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Coffee in a French press and fresh pastries on a table framed by timber posts, with Arenal Volcano in view at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The open dining room of El Rancho at Amor Arenal, under a high timber roof with glass walls onto the garden — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A live-edge wooden table set for a tasting in La Cava, the wine cellar at Amor Arenal, against a stone wall of bottles — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The glass doors of La Cava wine cellar at Amor Arenal, opening onto a private table and a stone wall of bottles — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A table with built-in grills on the garden terrace of La Jaranita at Amor Arenal, lit at dusk among tropical leaves — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The Raindrop Platform at Amor Arenal: a vast covered hardwood deck open on every side to the rainforest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The lobby at Amor Arenal: a lounge beneath a soaring timber roof with glass walls onto the forest — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

A thatched open pavilion at the end of a timber walkway through the forest at Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

The Experience

How the days feel

Amor Arenal lies on the road from La Fortuna to Arenal Volcano National Park, on 106 acres where the foothills of the volcano fall away into a canyon of untouched forest. Amor means love, and the place rewards unhurried attention: to the cone that fills the view from the decks, to the stream in the ravine below, and to the person you came with.

There are thirty-one Canyon Casitas, each standing on its own. They are built of precious tropical hardwoods beneath vaulted ceilings, with wide panes of glass to the forest and a deck suspended over the canyon. A heated mineral-water plunge pool waits on every deck, Adirondack chairs face the volcano, and the rain shower looks straight out into the rainforest.

The days keep their own gentle order. Yoga, meditation or sound therapy at eight; a guided walk on the Nancitón trail; paths that leave from below the casitas for streams and waterfalls; an afternoon in the warm mineral spring pools, a drink at the swim-up bar, and dinner at El Rancho with the volcano in view. Through the day, a shuttle makes the ten-minute run into La Fortuna for those who want the town.

Your Exclusive Villa Collection advisor arranges the stay directly with Amor Arenal, from a single casita for two to several for friends, and shapes the dinners, spa hours and days beyond the gate around the week you want.

The film

The Amor Arenal film

Amor Arenal’s own film of the volcano, the rainforest and the house. Sound on.

Why EVC loves it

Why we would send you here

A casita, not a room Thirty-one freestanding Canyon Casitas of 84 square meters, each built of tropical hardwood, with its own deck over the canyon.
The volcano from the water Every casita has a heated mineral-water plunge pool on its deck, turned toward Arenal Volcano and the rainforest canyon.
The rainforest at the door Trails lead from below the casitas into the canyon, past streams and waterfalls, with a guided hike on the Nancitón trail each day.
Wellbeing in the canopy The Rainforest Spa’s three treatment rooms, a yoga deck above the canyon stream, a meditation platform among the trees and warm mineral spring pools.
A table with a sense of place Latin-accented cooking at El Rancho from organic and regional produce, tastings and private dinners in the wine cellar, and a Tico grill at every table.

Accommodations

Two ways to stay on the canyon

Every casita is freestanding: 84 square meters of tropical hardwood beneath a vaulted ceiling, with a deck over the canyon, a heated mineral-water plunge pool and a rain shower that looks into the forest. The difference is the bed.

Room 01

Canyon Casita King

King bed · 84 m² (904 sq ft) · Up to 3 guests · Plunge pool

Twenty-one casitas built around a king bed with fine linens and four generous pillows, beneath a vaulted hardwood ceiling. Glass doors open to the deck, its heated plunge pool and Adirondack chairs facing the volcano; inside are a writing desk, cedar closets with robes and slippers, and a dual-headed rain shower overlooking the rainforest. A twin bed can be added for a third guest.
Room 02

Canyon Casita Queen

Two queen beds · 84 m² (904 sq ft) · Up to 4 guests · Plunge pool

Ten casitas with two queen beds, for friends or a family with teenagers, and the same generous space: a deck over the canyon with its own heated mineral-water plunge pool, a double vanity with a lit mirror, a separate toilet and a rain shower with a view of the forest. Air conditioning and ceiling fans keep the room as cool as you like.

Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Inside the stay

The house, in notes

Where you sleep, what you eat, and how you arrive: the essentials, in brief.

The casitas

Thirty-one casitas, each on its own

Thirty-one freestanding Canyon Casitas in two configurations, each 84 square meters (904 sq ft), built of precious tropical hardwoods with a full deck over the canyon and a view of the volcano.

Canyon Casita King. Twenty-one casitas with a king bed, made for couples; up to three guests, with an additional twin bed on request.

Canyon Casita Queen. Ten casitas with two queen beds, for friends or a family traveling with teenagers; up to four guests.

In every casita. A heated mineral-water plunge pool and Adirondack chairs on the deck, a dual-headed rain shower facing the rainforest, a double vanity, cedar closets, air conditioning and ceiling fans, and high-speed Wi-Fi.

A guest at a table on the El Rancho terrace at Amor Arenal, looking out across the rainforest to Arenal Volcano — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Dining

The flavors of the land

The kitchen works from fresh, local and organic produce, grass-fed, cage-free, seasonal and regional by principle, with the bread and desserts baked on site.

El Rancho. The main restaurant, with the rustic elegance of a hacienda and the volcano in view: international cooking with a bold Latin American accent, from breakfast to dinner, and in-casita dining through the day.

La Jaranita. A Costa Rican watering hole of masquerade art and guaro infusions, home to the Tico Grill, where every table has its own small grill for gallitos, soft corn-tortilla tacos.

La Cava. The wine cellar: sommelier-led tastings of five wines from around the world, and private dinners of six courses with pairings. La Granea, the coffee shop, keeps the pastries coming.

Inside a treatment pavilion of the Rainforest Spa at Amor Arenal: carved timber arches, louvred walls and the forest beyond — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Wellbeing

Held by the forest

Wellbeing here is shaped by the forest, and it begins each morning at eight with yoga, meditation or sound therapy.

The Rainforest Spa. Three treatment rooms wrapped in vegetation, for Costa Rica Touch massages and facials, Tibetan singing-bowl rituals, a cacao ceremony, and Aqua Harmony, a floating water therapy in a warm, shallow pool.

Platforms in the trees. A yoga deck above the canyon stream, and a meditation platform that seems to float among the rainforest.

Water and movement. Warm mineral spring pools with a swim-up bar, and a gym with valley views, equipped for cardio, strength and functional training.

A guest walking a rainforest trail beneath palms and tall trees on the grounds of Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Experiences

Into the rainforest

The rainforest begins below the casitas, and the country around Arenal asks to be explored.

On foot. Trails through the canyon to streams and waterfalls, a guided hike each day, and signature private expeditions to secluded falls away from the usual routes.

At the table. A Costa Rican cooking class, a mixology lesson with tapas, a tasting of Central American rums, and the Route of the Chef, six courses through the country’s regional cooking.

Beyond the gate. Volcano treks, hanging bridges by day or at twilight, hot springs, canyoning, birding and sloth spotting, river safaris on the Peñas Blancas, Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and the blue water of Río Celeste.

A newly married couple embracing on a Canyon Casita deck at Amor Arenal, with Arenal Volcano rising behind them — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Who it is best for

Made for two, and a few more

Two travelers

Travelers who want the rainforest close and the comfort complete.

Couples. A King casita, the plunge pool at dusk, a spa ritual for two and six courses in the wine cellar; the name, after all, is Amor.

Friends and families with teenagers. Queen casitas for up to four, with trails, rafting, ziplines and the warm pools to share.

Celebrations. Intimate weddings and gatherings, with an open-air platform in the rainforest for up to sixty guests.

Good to know. Amor Arenal welcomes guests aged thirteen and over.

Aerial view of Amor Arenal: the casita roofs along the edge of the canyon forest, a path and a pool below — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Arrival

The road to the volcano

Amor Arenal lies seven kilometers west of La Fortuna on Route 142, the road to Arenal Volcano National Park, in Costa Rica’s northern province of Alajuela.

By air. Juan Santamaría International (SJO) near San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International (LIR) in Liberia are each about two and a half to three hours by road.

The short way. Domestic flights reach the La Fortuna airstrip (FON) in about thirty minutes from San José and forty from Liberia.

On arrival. Golf carts carry guests between the casitas and the main buildings, and a shuttle runs into La Fortuna through the day. Your advisor sequences flights and transfers with the stay.

Arenal Volcano above the rainforest, with red heliconia flowering in the foreground, seen from Amor Arenal — Photo courtesy of Amor Arenal

Seasonality

The rainforest year

Arenal is green in every month, and the air in the foothills stays mild, typically 18 to 29°C (65 to 85°F), with breezes that draw you outdoors.

High season. January to April, July to mid-August, and mid-November to mid-December are the busiest weeks.

Green season. May and June, then mid-August to mid-November, when the rains return and the forest is at its fullest.

Festive weeks. Christmas and New Year, from December 20 to January 5, are the most sought-after dates; your advisor confirms availability when you inquire.

Pair it with

A natural companion

A second stay that belongs on the same itinerary.

Related stays

Houses we would weigh alongside this one.

Also in these collections

The collections that hold this stay

Each collection gathers houses that share a way of traveling. Open one to see its companion stays and shores.

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Begin with a conversation.

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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Amor Arenal

Amor Arenal

In stills

How the days feel

The Amor Arenal film

Why we would send you here

Two ways to stay on the canyon

Canyon Casita King

Canyon Casita Queen