This resort Arenal Kioro was highly recommended and I can see why!

The service is awesome right from the start. There are great tours and the best spa experience awaits. This is definetely a romantic spot with beautiful views, great food and hot springs.

The rooms were well equipped, including the essentially and a large flat screen tv. Not sure why anyone would be unhappy with the rooms, although they are not designed to spend your vacation in one.

They encourage to to go out and experience Costa Rica. All of the tours offered through the hotel were incredible - rappelling down waterfalls, the Arenal Volcano Hike, Hanging Bridges, Zip Lines, all a must!

It’s a must stay! No compaints!

The Arenal Kioro is a lovely hotel right in front of the Arenal Volcano. The property is beautifully maintained and the staff was friendly and accomodating. Our room was clean and spacious with a great view of the volcano, which unfortunately for us was under cloud cover for our entire stay (we could hear it rumbling though!). We especially enjoyed the canopy and the horseback riding to the waterfall althoguh Tabacon hot springs cannot be left behind specialy the swim/dinner outing.

The “included” breakfast offered a buffet style with delicious food. There was always fresh fruit, cereal and oatmeal, and an omlet station where a chef cooked eggs to order. The orange juice was unbelievable and was fresh squeezed each morning! The staff was friendly and attentive.The buffet breakfast at the restaurant was excellent.

The spa was amazing at Kioro, you should definitely try a treatment.

My husband and I would definitely stay here again. We had an amazing time and amazing views.
Enjoy!

La Fortuna Commemorates 40 Years of Arenal’s Eruption

It seems quite hard to believe that just 40 years ago, the majestic Arenal Volcano went unnoticed by scientists and locals alike.

It was on July 29th, 1968, that the neighbors of La Fortuna in San Carlos woke up to a violent eruption of the then unknown Arenal Volcano.  Scientists and residents of La Fortuna, gathered yesterday to commemorate 40 years of this historic event.  Over 87 people were killed and two nearby communities were completely destroyed.

Survivors gathered yesterday and recalled their experiences and thoughts during the events in 1968.  For many, the today Arenal Volcano was just another regular mountain in the region.  There were no scientific studies and no one even suspected that the “mountain” could have been an active volcano building up momentum underneath the ground.

Although survivors do recall that even though no human suspected what was about to happen, the animals did.  The cows didn’t eat or rest and the dogs and chickens were restless all night as well.  That Sunday morning at 7am, the pressure build up was too much to be contained and the volcano’s west side finally gave way.

The explosion gave way to three craters, one at 3,200 ft, the second at 3,900 ft and the third at 4,500 ft.  The third crater is now considered the Arenal’s active crater and due to the accumulation of material from the volcano is now 5,600 ft above sea level.

The Arenal Volcano is today one of Costa Rica’s most visited volcanoes by local and foreign tourists.  The once devastated town is today one of the most rapidly growing tourist destination in Costa Rica.  A number of spas have proliferated thanks to the volcano’s hot spring waters and minerals thus allowing tourists to receive invigorating treatments and pampering.

The Arenal Volcano remains active and is constantly spewing rocks and gas as part of its growing process.  Tourist activity takes place opposite of the Arenal Volcano’s active side.

We arrived late at night after our taxi driver had taken us to the wrong hotel NOTE: the Arenal Kioro IS NOT hotel mountain paradise, so make sure your driver is clear because the other place is way off the beaten path. The guest service was fantastic from the minute we checked in. The girl greeted us by name and had the waiter bring us two smoothies and invite us to the restaurant for dinner.

Our room was great, a romatic, simple rustic paradise. There was a beautiful king bed with a small jacuzzi on the deck. The bathroom was just perfect. The whole room just wowed us. The service was fantastic all around. We booked tours and transportation through the front desk, both worked out great.

The restaurant was fantastic!! We could have spent a week there trying everything on the menu.

Housekeeping was also great, they evern dressed up our bed with a few flowers shaped like a heart. What a great gesture.

The views of the volcano from your deck first thing in the morning are just breathtaking. The hotel grounds are wonderful and I saw lots of frogs all around our room at night, which was quite a sight.

The pool and swim up bar were also wonderful.
It wasn’t busy there at all and I think that made our stay even more special.

I would recommend a few nights at Kioro for anyone!

After the long and winding ride from San Jose this was paradise. I definitely recommend a driver or shuttle as others have mentioned, I cannot imagine driving it. The welcome at Kioro was really nice and the room was large, clean with a view of the volcano from our own little back yard and a nice tv (would have been perfect if a flat screen was there).

In addition to the wonderful people of CR and all the tours you can do like the Arenal Volcano hike and the zip line the highlight of our 3 night stay was the Thermal Hot Springs just up the road within walking distance. We walked there every day we were there before or after our tours.

The morning is the most peaceful time there. I have never seen such lush beauty and felt such theraputic waters. THIS IS A MUST! And of course the Neidin Spa is also a must. A massage outside in a tropical paradise with the sounds of birds and the hot springs was over the top. This place is a must stay on a visit to Costa Rica. My husband and I went for our anniversary and can’t wait to go back with our kids.