3-star Peñas Blancas hostal walkable to Lake Arenal
An outdoor pool, a restaurant, and coffee/tea in a common area are available at this smoke-free hostal. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Other amenities include spa services, concierge services, and dry cleaning.
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga offers 15 shared accommodations with complimentary toiletries. Housekeeping is provided daily.
Recreational amenities at the hostal include an outdoor pool.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
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.
The hostal offers a restaurant. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access. This hot springs hostal also offers an outdoor pool, spa services, and a terrace. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga is a smoke-free property.
Full breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 7 AM and 9 AM.
No aplica - This restaurant specializes in vegetarian cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Room service is available.
Languages
English, French, German, Spanish
Property amenities
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
Restaurants on site
No aplica
Things to do
Books
Hiking/biking trails
Hot spring
Outdoor pool
Volleyball
Yoga classes
Family friendly
Laundry facilities
Outdoor pool
Conveniences
Laundry facilities
Limited-hour front desk
Luggage storage
Safe at front desk
Guest services
Concierge services
Dry cleaning/laundry service
Housekeeping (daily)
Proposal/romance packages
Tour and ticket assistance
Outdoors
Garden
In the mountains
Picnic area
Terrace
Spa
Deep-tissue massages
Hot spring
Hot springs open from 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Hot springs water temperature - 90 ºF
Hot stone massages
Reflexology
Sports massages
Swedish massages
Thai massages
Turkish bath
Accessibility
No elevator
More
Eco-friendly cleaning products used
Smoke-free property
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
No pets or service animals allowed
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
Fee for full breakfast: approximately USD 10 for adults and USD 8 for children
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
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
We should mention
This property does not have elevators
Hot springs access available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Reservations are required for massage services; reservations can be made by contacting the property prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property
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
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Reviews
Reviews
8.6
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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..
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!
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!
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.
This place was nice and the food was great, however, it is not a hostel. There was no available area to cook or prep your own food and barely an area to store food. Due to the location, your options are to pay to eat at the hotel (which would really add up) or stash non-perishables in your room. This is not ideal for a person on a budget! Also, there were a lot of drop offs and I didn't really feel like my kids would be safe wandering the property. It is also one heck of a drive up.
This place would be ideal for a romantic getaway or for adults only.
Again, the food was great, the property was beautiful and the staff was so accommodating - it just wasn't what I had expected or planned for.
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.
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!