“Wow! You'll love the Red Sunset!” Are you looking for a luxury guesthouse near Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano? If so, look no further and book yourself into the Red Sunset. My husband and I, along with six friends, spent a week in March there. We are so glad we did! We found the accommodations to be everything they were advertised and more. The views are amazing and the house, pool house and grounds will give you plenty of opportunities to relax and explore. While the guesthouse is excellent, the very best feature is the owner/operator Patrick. Patrick met with us each day to help us plan activities and make reservations with the best tour operators. His local knowledge and recommendations were spot on each day, and his help was invaluable. The breakfast provided each morning was a highlight unto itself. Come prepared to eat well – you won’t be disappointed. We’ve never had meals of this quality at similar style lodgings. We also took advantage of the optional evening Chef services. While there were several great places to eat in the Lake Arenal area, all of which were recommended to us by Patrick, you won’t beat the meals prepared by Patrick and his wife. Our favorite was the Chicken Parmesan – sorry, Mom, but it was the best we’ve had anywhere! The Red Sunset was the perfect place for our Costa Rica vacation. We arrived as guests and soon felt like family. We’re glad we chose the Red Sunset!

“Our stay at the lake arenal” We stayed with 2 families 54 kids between 5 and 7) in the Lake arenal cabins. We really enjoyed our stay in this fabulous environment. Tucans flying in the garden during breakfast, monkeys on top of the cabin, the noice of the volcano. The cabins itself are well kept and practical, perfect breakfast, the host very helpful. Do not miss this place during your trip in Costa Rica!

“An Excellent Place To Stay” I don't normally give the houses I've rented the "highest" rating, nor do I normally write reviews in the first place, buy I feel compelled to do so for Arenal Springs Villas. For the simple reason that, in the past when I've rented houses on-line, pictures posted have usually overstated how nice the homes and surrounding area actually was. Not they were bad, just that the their pictures left me with high expectations. But Arenal Springs was/is different. In my opinion, the pictures just can't quite capture how nice the houses/villas, the grounds, and the surrounding area, actually are. And that's why we keep going back.

“Beautiful home in lovely setting.” This home had all the amenities to make our family comfortable. We loved sitting on the patio in the morning watching hummingbirds and listening to howler monkeys in the distance. The extensive DVD collection was a hit with our kids during some of our down time. The location near the town of Nuevo arenal was nice for short trips to the grocery store and many restaurants.

“Spectacular!!!” Our stay at Hacienda Encantada during the days 21 to 25 July 2013, it was an unforgettable experience. Comfortable, clean and everything you need to have fun with the family. The landscape, the rainy season, and the ambient sounds of birds and animals were elements that made us feel at peace and in communication with nature. Although the way to reach the house was a bit difficult, the same was not reason to stop enjoying all of the wonderful of the place. Talk with Mayquel on the customs and way of life of the inhabitants of the area, it was very interesting. Without a doubt, we would love to return. Thanks Marty.

“Most enjoyable tropical get away” We stayed in the Cranford's Toucan Suite. Our friends stayed in the upper level suite. The house sits on pristine jungle - the sound and sight of rare birds is a daily occurrence. We could easily walk to the river, explore the grounds which abound with exotic plants.Toucan Suite is the larger of the two units and is fully equipped with linens, kitchen utensils. We were able to borrow and exchange with our upstairs companions for the items that we needed (juicer, coffee grinder, garlic press) but it would be nice to have both kitchens equally stocked. The stove and refrigerator worked well. The issues that we had with staying at the Toucan Suite would be that the fans need to be upgraded. There are two ceiling fans that function well, although the "blue bedroom" fan makes too much noise to sleep through. There were two portable fans; one of them was okay but the other one barely moved the blades and eventually went comatose. Fortunately our friends in the upper unit had powerful ceiling fans and two super powerful portable fans and they lent us one which saved us! I strongly suggest the Cranfords upgrade the fans in the Toucan Suite. The lovely wooden doors that lead from the main floor to the porch area need to be fixed. They are off their track so we were unable to close them when the hot eastern sun shone through. The house would be much cooler if these functioned well. Blondie and Michael have a sign asking that we remove our shoes before entering and I complied with this request the first night. I found the floor really dirty and in the evening the ants, frogs and other insects would come in so we kept our shoes on. The house could use a good cleaning and some general upkeep. The upstairs suite seemed cleaner and because of the fans, cooler. The views from the upstairs suite are to die for. As the Cranfords note, the Internet seldom works consistently. Overall, we enjoyed our stay very much and highly recommend the Toucan Suite.

“Thoroughly Impressed” My stay at Casa Ceiba was simply relaxing, fun, and adventurous. The house is brand new, very clean, and well designed with 3 bedrooms, each with their own porch, a nice living room, and gourmet kitchen. The house has tile floors throughout and a wooden ceiling design that catches your eye as soon as you walk in. We enjoyed a spectacular view while hanging out in the pool and hot tub. Pool and house were cleaned every day, no issues! We were greeted each morning by a charming woman who took great care of us during our stay, cooking us gourmet breakfasts and dinners and treating us so very kindly. Nearby town of La Fortuna was quaint and plentiful of our needs and included a coffee house for which we went to a few times and enjoyed the best cup of coffee I ever had. Our Zip Lining adventure was quite exhilarating and within 10 minutes of the house. Our hike up the very well maintained Cerro Chato Volcano in nearby La Fortuna was the most challenging hike ever but I enjoyed every minute! We also visited one of the many hot springs which are located nearby and just enjoyed a great afternoon of relaxation and beautiful atmosphere. While we drove by many other rental properties in the area, I think our rental was in the best area, with the best view, and offered the most amenities. I highly recommend this rental and I plan to revisit next year.

“Beautiful condo, very friendly owners!!!” As we love to explore and participate on as many outdoor activities as possible, we needed to stay on a central location. This was perfect for us as arenal Volcano is within 1.5 hrs drive to the left and Monteverde within the same distance to the right. Liberia airport just about the same distance (all in all, very convenient for our purposes) note: as Costa Rica has so much to offer, 1.5 hrs is not an unusual drive if you want to experience as many activities and sites as you can) All the units are state of the art (wireless, fiber high-speed internet, kitchen appliances, etc) and with all the amenities of a very modern condo. The owners, Zen & Doreen were very nice and friendly and made us feel quite welcome. Thank you!!! :-) I have provided my e-mail address, in case anyone is interested in contacting me with any questions; I won't mind sharing and confirming all this information as I have nothing but great things to say about this place and their owners. All in all, a Great stay and will definitely stay here again next time while in Costa Rica. ~Manny (from Los angeles, Ca)

“The Best of Costa Rica!” This was my second visit to Villa Encantada! After the first visit in 2010, my daughter decided this was the place to get married! We returned with a group of 30+. The bridal party(14) stayed at the Villa and Glenn helped to place the rest of us in properties close by, including his sister's house up the hill. The whole event could not have been better! Let me say that Glenn is a great guy and incredible host! If you want to experience the best of Costa Rica, stay with Glenn at the Villa! The grounds are as beautiful as the pictures indicate and you can be entertained right on the property. The Tabacon Lodge and Skywalk at Volcanoes National Park are under one hour drive. Shopping and dining in Nuevo Arenal has a true Tico feel and much better than dealing with the big tourist towns. Pura Vida! Thank you Glenn!