1 Km Sur Escuela del Castillo, Arenal Volcano National Park, Peñas Blancas, 1230
Costa Rica Sky Adventures
8 min drive
Arenal Volcano
15 min drive
Tabacon Hot Springs
18 min drive
La Fortuna (FON-Arenal)
35 min drive
Room options
View all photos for Superior Room, 1 Double Bed
Superior Room, 1 Double Bed
Sleeps 2
1 Double Bed
View all photos for Triple Room, Shared Bathroom
Triple Room, Shared Bathroom
Sleeps 3
1 Twin Bunk Bed
View all photos for Casitas nomadas
Casitas nomadas
Mountain view
Sleeps 2
1 Double Bed
View all photos for Standard Quadruple Room, Shared Bathroom
Standard Quadruple Room, Shared Bathroom
Sleeps 4
2 Twin Bunk Beds
View all photos for Casa Bella Vista
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
Sleeps 4
1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bunk Bed
About the area
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 - 4.1 km
Arenal Volcano - 15 min drive - 8.4 km
Tabacon Hot Springs - 18 min drive - 11.5 km
Arenal Volcano National Park - 20 min drive - 12.0 km
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park - 25 min drive - 15.0 km
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.
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
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 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
Essence Arenal Spa & Yoga Reviews
Reviews
8.8
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers 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.
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!
Super beau spot! Staff exceptionnel! Au resto végétarien, tout était absolument délicieux! Jaccuzi avec vue sur le volcan Arenal très apprécié! Chambre plutôt minimaliste, mais on n'était pas là pour rester dans la chambre...
La piscine est assez loin sur la finca (ferme) et demande une bonne marche en nature.