It’s a cliche, but it’s also true: I’ve saved the best for last.
If you remember from my Samara post, we’d originally planned on staying in La Fortuna, near the Arenal volcano, for only 4 nights. However, after an AirBnB blip in Samara, we decided to head there 2 days early, giving us almost a full week.
In the end, we probably should have always spent the most time in La Fortuna, because, of the three places we visited during this particular trip, it was, by far, the most jam-packed with stuff to do. As it turned out, it also ended up being our favorite stop.
Originally, we’d booked a large two-queen room at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. It’s an “eco lodge,” which means that it doesn’t have a lot of the modern luxuries you might be used to. There are no TVs, the rooms are fairly basic (though clean), and there’s no AC. After having spent several nights in 100-degree Samara, sleeping in an AirBnB with hardly any AC, we realized that we needed to end in a place where we would be more comfortable. (Although, having now experienced the much more temperate climate in La Fortuna, we probably could have hacked it without AC.)
So, when we decided to cut our time in Samara a bit early, we also made a very last-minute lodging switch, opting instead to stay at Hotel El Silencio del Campo, which wasn’t really on our radar before. To be honest, it was one of the only affordable places that had rooms available, and the website boasted that they had an organic farm onsite. So, we gave it a shot.
Although the Arenal Observatory Lodge looked great, and it is the only lodging actually INSIDE of Arenal National Park, meaning I think it is still worth a look, ending our trip at Hotel El Silencio del Campo really ended up being a twist of fate, as it is one of our favorite places we have ever stayed.
The property is composed of 20-something cabin-like villas, each with a large bathroom, a mini bar, one or two beds… and AC! It’s right near the center of the action in La Fortuna, and right next door to a pretty gaudy resort, but they have done such an amazing job of making the boutique hotel feel like a quiet, isolated oasis.
The grounds are the real champion, as there are several different hot springs, a full-sized pool, a restaurant that offered a perfectly good breakfast each morning, a playground, and a little farm, which made for the boys’ favorite experiences of our trip.
On the farm, there are ponies, cows, goats, sheep, peacocks that roam free, a couple hundred chickens, and other kinds of fowl. Kids can milk the cows, ride horses, and gather eggs every single day, which we took advantage of as much as possible. We also saw a momma and baby sloth, which live on the property, along with several lizards and iguanas.
Honestly, I really can’t say enough good things about the property. We aren’t the kind of folks who like to spend a lot of time at a hotel, which is why we usually opt for smaller lodgings or AirBnB type places, but Hotel Silencio del Campo was the exception. We spent a lot of time on onsite, and we enjoyed every second of it. It probably helped that, due to COVID, the property was only occupied at 30%, and we were often the only people around.
Anyway, our days in La Fortuna went something like this: wake up, grab breakfast onsite, milk the cow and ride a horse, venture out for an activity, grab lunch in town, come back for nap time, wake up and spend an hour or so in the hot springs (which are especially lovely when it is raining), grab dinner in town, go to bed early. Even though we did an activity or two every single day, we still couldn’t get it all in.
One of the things La Fortuna is known for, other than the Arenal volcano, is that there are natural hot springs. A lot of the big resorts have created their own hot springs, but they just aren’t the same. Although many, many people buy day passes to one of several beautifully tempting resort properties, where you can use their hot springs for a fee (Tabacon is the one we would have chosen, if we did the day pass thing, but it’s better for adults only), we really wanted to go to the free, local hot springs, which are hidden away off the side of the main road.
I’d read several reports of families going, and I figured it was safe enough. So, on our first full day in La Fortuna, we headed out to find Chollin’ hot springs. To get there, you park on the side of the road, right next to the Tabacon entrance. You’ll know when you find the spot, as you’ll likely see other cars parked, and you’ll also find unofficial parking attendants, who will watch your car for $3 or so. Pay them. You can afford it, and they are helpful.
There’s a little trail that leads into the jungle from the road. Follow the trail down for a few minutes, and you’ll come to what looks like a shallow, babbling river with lots of little pools. On one side, a cool creek flows down from the rainforest. So, you can choose whether you want to sit in a little pool of lukewarm water, or whether you want to venture further in to find water that is quite hot. We did both, and, honestly, it was my favorite day of the entire trip. I have never seen a place so magical.
By around 11AM, it starts to get busier. So, if you can, go early. Also, make sure to bring a waterproof bag so that you can keep it close. Again, we felt totally safe, but you want to be smart.
On another day, we drove 40 minutes outside of La Fortuna to do the half-day volunteer tour at Proyecto Asis–another highlight of the trip. Because of COVID, we ended up having a private tour, which was really a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.
Proyecto Asis helps rehabilitate wild animals who have been injured or who have been illegally kept as pets. Their goal is always to release animals back into the wild, and they run a really admirable operation. As part of our volunteer experience, a guide introduced us to and taught us about every animal at the property, and then we got to prepare the food for all of the animals and make the daily feeding rounds. It was unbelievable, and I’d do it again in a second.
Another day, we did the Don Olivio Chocolate Tour. Sona and I have done a Costa Rican chocolate tour before, but we wanted the boys to experience it. To prep Finn, we watched the StoryBots episode about where chocolate comes from the night before. He was so excited! Admittedly, Elias was a little bored, but the Don Olivio family tried SO hard to engage the boys, giving them constant snacks, allowing them to be hands on, and cracking lots of jokes.
It’s a very small, family-run operation, but that’s also what made it special. We got to not only see cacao, but we also got to try freshly picked pineapple, different varieties of bananas, mango, fresh-pressed sugar cane juice, orange juice straight from the orange, and other delicious things. (We may or may not have done a couple shots of the rum they distill onsite.) We saw and learned about over 25 different kinds of spices, fruits, and vegetables grown in Costa Rica. And, of course, we got to harvest cacao, grind the roasted beans, and make fresh hot chocolate!
Another must do in La Fortuna is the Mistico Hanging Bridge tour. It’s a 2-3 hour hike through the rainforest, complete with 6 hanging bridges above the canopy. We really suggest going with a guide, as you’ll see MUCH more wildlife that way (this is true of most places in Costa Rica–the guides are experts at spotting things you’d never see), and we booked with Tavo through AirBnB experiences. He was amazing–and great with the boys! We told him the last animal we really wanted to see before leaving was an eyelash viper. And I kid you not: he found one within 3 minutes!
Pro tip: you can rent really nice strollers there for $8, which SAVED us, as Elias would never have made it the whole way otherwise.
On our last day in La Fortuna, we awoke to the clearest view of the Arenal volcano we’d seen. It was such a gift!
Then, we decided to cram in ALL THE THINGS. We started by doing the SkyTram at Sky Adventures. Admittedly, it’s a little pricey for a relatively short ride, but the view was worth it. If your kiddos are old enough to zip line, they have an amazing course, and the tram is included in the tour.
We also checked out the butterfly conservatory, which has a lot of indigenous frogs, too. We could have easily spent a full morning there, but sped through in just an hour, as it was crammed in right before lunch.
We went into town for one last lunch at Soda Viquez, a place we loved, and one last copo in the park.
We had one last swim in the hot springs.
Even as I write this very long post, I feel the frenzy of panic, wondering what must-dos I have missed. La Fortuna has so much beauty to experience, and the temperate climate makes it a lot more comfortable than other parts of Costa Rica. Although I thought I’d like it least, as it isn’t near the beach, Sona and I both ended loving it the most, saying that it was the kind of place we could see ourselves settling for an extended period of time.
Leaving Costa Rica was hard, but La Fortuna sure did a good job of offering us one last hoorah.
Our nearly 3 weeks in Costa Rica went by too quickly, as it always does, but when I look back on my posts about Manuel Antonio, Samara, and La Fortuna, I’m damn-near knocked over by all we got to see and experience–and more importantly, all our boys got to see in experience–in that time.
Every time we go to Costa Rica, we find it harder to leave.
Our La Fortuna faves and recommendations:
- stay at Hotel Silencio del Campo
- eat at Soda Viquez (LOVED the arroz con camarones and the chuleta Casado and the iced tea)
- eat lunch at Rancho Mi Tata (on the way back from Proyecto Asis)
- get pretty decent pizza and let your kids run wild in the playroom at Cafe Mediterraneo
- do a guided tour of the Mistico Hanging Bridges with Tavo
- taste the wonders on the Don Olivio Chocolate tour
- do a half-day volunteer experience with Proyecto Asis
- visit the butterfly conservatory
- get chocolates at Chocolate Fusion Cafe
- eat arroz con pollo at Soda La Parada (right on the square)
- walk around the park in the square and get a copo and fresh OJ from the cart on the corner
- visit Chollin hot springs (in the AM, if possible)
- hike down to the La Fortuna waterfall (we didn’t do this, as we weren’t sure Elias would last on the 500 steps up and down, but we’ve heard it’s amazing)