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Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga

3.0 star property
3-star hostal near Lake Arenal

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Photo gallery for Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga

Lake
Free toiletries, towels, soap
Superior Room, 1 Double Bed | 1 bedroom, bed sheets
Outdoor pool
View from room

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Spa
  • Pool
  • Room service
  • Breakfast available
  • Laundry
  • Housekeeping

Explore the area

Map
1 Km Sur Escuela del Castillo, Arenal Volcano National Park, Peñas Blancas, 1230
  • Arenal Volcano
  • Costa Rica Sky Adventures
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Tabacon Hot Springs
    ‪21 min drive‬
  • La Fortuna (FON-Arenal)
    ‪41 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Superior Room, 1 Double Bed

Superior Room, 1 Double Bed | 1 bedroom, bed sheets

Superior Room, 1 Double Bed

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Triple Room, Shared Bathroom

Triple Room, Shared Bathroom | 1 bedroom, bed sheets

Triple Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Casitas nomadas

Casitas nomadas | 1 bedroom, bed sheets

Casitas nomadas

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Standard Quadruple Room, Shared Bathroom

Standard Quadruple Room, Shared Bathroom | 1 bedroom, bed sheets

Standard Quadruple Room, Shared Bathroom

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Twin Bunk Beds

View all photos for Casa Bella Vista

Casa Bella Vista | Exterior

Casa Bella Vista

  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 5
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Bunk Bed

View all photos for Superior Quadruple Room, Private Bathroom

Superior Quadruple Room, Private Bathroom | 1 bedroom, bed sheets

Superior Quadruple Room, Private Bathroom

  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bunk Bed

About the neighborhood

Peñas Blancas

In Peñas Blancas .At this Peñas Blancas hostal, you'll be within half a mile (1 km) of Lake Arenal and 3 miles (5 km) of Costa Rica Sky Adventures. Arenal Volcano is within 6 miles (10 km) and Tabacon Hot Springs is within 9 miles (15 km).

What's nearby

  • Costa Rica Sky Adventures - 8 min drive - 2.8 miles
  • Tabacon Hot Springs - 21 min drive - 8.2 miles
  • Arenal Volcano National Park - 21 min drive - 8.4 miles
  • Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park - 27 min drive - 10.4 miles
  • La Fortuna Waterfall - 42 min drive - 18.3 miles

Getting around

  • La Fortuna (FON-Arenal) - 35 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Restaurante Río Lounge - ‬36 min drive
  • ‪Agua Ardiente Pool Bar - ‬18 min drive
  • ‪Fusión Arenal Mirador. - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Soda La Palma - ‬20 min drive
  • ‪Restaurante Las Palmas - ‬25 min drive

About this property

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga

3-star hostal near Lake Arenal
There's a restaurant on site. Public spaces have free WiFi. An outdoor pool, spa services, and a terrace are also featured at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga. Self parking is free.

This 3-star Peñas Blancas hostal is smoke free.

  • 15 guestrooms or units
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Coffee in lobby
  • Dry cleaning
  • Self-service laundry
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Front-desk safe
  • Tour and ticket information
  • Concierge
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • Outdoor picnic space
  • No smoking on site
  • Dining venue
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga offers 15 shared accommodations with complimentary toiletries. Housekeeping is provided daily.
Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in the onsite spa services. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, sports massages, and Swedish massages. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including reflexology. The spa is equipped with Turkish bath/hammam. There are hot springs open between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Languages

English, French, German, Spanish

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  • Breakfast included
  • Spa
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Property amenities

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Internet access
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Daily full breakfast available 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM for a fee: USD 10 for adults and USD 8 for children
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas

Things to do

  • Books
  • Hiking/biking trails
  • Hot spring
  • Outdoor pool
  • Volleyball
  • Yoga classes

Accessibility

  • No elevator

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Private or shared bathroom
  • Soap
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Room service

More

  • LED lighting
  • Recycling
  • Shared accommodations

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 7:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 7 AM - 9:00 PM
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

  • Pets and service animals are not allowed at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Cribs (infant beds) are not available.

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Fee for full breakfast: approximately USD 10 for adults and USD 8 for children

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children. If you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, debit cards, and cash. This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products.

We should mention

  • Hot springs access available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
  • Reservations are needed for massage services. For reservations, contact the hostal before arrival using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
  • Pets and service animals are not allowed on site.

Property is also known as

Essence Arenal Hostel El Castillo
Essence Arenal El Castillo
Essence Arenal Spa
Essence Arenal Hostel
Essence Arenal Spa Yoga
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Hostal
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Peñas Blancas
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Hostal Peñas Blancas

Frequently asked questions

How close is Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga to the airport?

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga is 15.6 mi (35-min drive) away from the La Fortuna (FON-Arenal) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

Does Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga have an airport shuttle?

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga offers an airport shuttle.

Does Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga offer free breakfast?

Free breakfast isn’t provided at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga, but full breakfast is offered for a fee of USD 10 for adults and USD 8 for children. It's available every day from 7 AM to 9 AM.

Is there a casino at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga?

No, there is no casino at this hostal.

What time is check-in at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga?

Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 7:00 PM.

Is there free parking at Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga?

This hostal offers free self parking.

Does Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga have a pool?

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga features an outdoor pool.

Does Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga have a restaurant?

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga is home to No aplica, which features vegetarian cuisine.

Does Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga have a spa?

This hostal doesn't have a spa, but it does offer reflexology and sports massages.

How close is Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga to downtown Peñas Blancas?

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga is 0.6 mi away from El Castillo.

Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 25 out of 45 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 14 out of 45 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 45 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 45 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 45 reviews

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Tiffany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property was a true sanctuary. Nestled in the jungle with various short walking trails, daily yoga and a spa circuit. The hosts were just amazing and kind and the property was pure heaven. If you want snacks or coffee, there’s no refrigerator or coffee in the room so just plan accordingly. :)
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kimberley

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Loved this stay so much!!!! Highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Heidi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Caroline

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

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.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Franka

Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We had a wonderful time. The grounds are beautiful. We saw monkeys lots of birds and other wildlife right from our window. The staff is incredibly nice and helpful. The restaurant is cute and offers good food at a reasonable price. We had lots of rain while there and it does creep into the casitas. Our towels never really dried and the bed felt clammy too. So be aware of this and decide if that works for you before booking. The kitchen is also only sparsely equipped. It would've been nice to have a chopping board and a sharp knife as we did cook a few times. If you like to cook extravagant meals at home this is not your place but we did make pasta, tacos and other simple dishes without any problems. There is much to explore in the area and it's helpful to have a car, preferably even a 4x4. Overall, we very much enjoyed our time at Essence and would come back. Bring a raincoat and change of shoes and don't miss the Night Jungle Tour. It was a highlight!
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Janice

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

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.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jose Manuel

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, eco friendly hotel
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The most wonderful place to relax, detox, and recharge. The staff is full of genuine love and kindness. Beautiful views and excellent heathy food.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Jeff, Prince George bc

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Rustic. Beautiful views. Staff was amazing. Beds were not so comfortable. Food was great. Right in the jungle so lots of wildlife.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing stay! Beautiful view of Lake Arenal and good vibes
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I absolutly loved staying here. It was a great setting, a nice break out of town, with a wonderful view of the volcano. The staff were amazing and extreamly helpful. I loved the daily yoga classes out in nature with amazing teachers. There were lots of walking trails around the property and you could go walk around the farm where they grow a lot of the fruit used in the kitched for vegitarian meals. Also the massages were super relaxing. I will definitely be coming here again!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Carrie, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing view, beautiful property and trails, delicious meals with the lovely Lillian. If you want some time away from the tourism and to be in nature, this is the place! The staff are so helpful and kind, and I highly recommend you get a tour of the area with Lilander in horseback... will blow your mind!
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Cameron

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Beautiful place to stay

The rooms are small but nice, service is great and the views are amazing!
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

erin, Tacoma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Family fun time

We took our three young kids, agreed 6, 8, and 10. Our room was very small, but doable. If the kids were a little older, we would have gotten 2 rooms. The service was fantastic. My kids didn't want to leave. The pool wasn't a pool, but more of a mosquito pond children's pool. The food was fantastic. I'd like to see maybe another light out brighter light brought into the room. It was a bit darker than I prefer..
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

Yann, Philadelphia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Very nice hotel next to the Volcano Arenal

Very nice place, easy to find, the staff is nice and very welcoming. If you stay more than a night you will be able to enjoy the swimming pool and the jacuzzi. Waking up and taking a very good breakfast while looking to the Volcano is priceless!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing place with amazing staff
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Núria , London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great location to feel close to nature

We stayed 3 nights in a troom-tent and it was very clean and nicely done. We really liked the location and the lovely walks around!, specially the horse riding journey to the nearby waterfall. Very convenient they have a communal area with a small fridge where you can keep stuff. We had shared bathroom and I wouldn't say that is the highlight of the place... Very basic and impossible to get a decent warm shower from it, I'm afraid that you can only freeze or burn on it... The upside is definitely the almost isolated location away from the tourist crowds but the downside is that you're far away from town / amenities and the "road" is quite a pain to drive! It's a good 30 min drive through road with the most potholes I ever seen...be ready!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Nice secluded hotel in the jungle

Hotel staff were friendly and accommodating. It's far from out of town but there were ahuttlea that went to the main town if needed or to arenal observatory. It was nice to go into to town for the day by sleep in the jungle. During our stay we were able to see howler monkeys on the trail. Lillian's meals were worth coming back for everyday.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing views from the property! Friendly and helpful staff. Incredible value!

10/10 Excellent

Raphaëlle, Montreal, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Very comfy & relaxing Hostel

It was a great experience, we were recommended this Hostel by a friend. When we arrived we were very excited to spend some time there and we wished we could've stayed longer. The room was clean and comfortable, they had hot water in the showers, and the meals were very complete and tasty. It was very easy getting around thanks to the shuttle driver Luis, and the view from the Hostel is magical.

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Salvador

Traveled with family

Basica hotel with great views to the arenal vulcan

Basic hotel with great views to the arenal vulcano, our room with private bathroom was simple but clean. Nice property with great walks in nature, 30 mins away from fortuna but a car would solve all.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

Laura

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

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!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Emile

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice little hotel with Hiking trails, spas, healthy food options and very nice view of Arenal as well as the lagoon
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Pascale

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Cuisine excellente. Manque lampe de chevet

Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022