Essence Arenal Hotel, Spa & Bio Farm

Essence is a magical place to get away from the stress of everyday life and reconnect with yourself and nature. I stayed for a week in September and had to come back just 4 months later. The staff is amazing!! They will go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and comfortable. The food, the yoga, the rooms, the spa circuit are all absolute perfection! The food is so fresh and made with love, you can really tell. As a solo female traveler, I felt so safe and at home at essence. I would recommend this retreat to everyone and will definitely be back!

Essence is great place for a little of everything. I had daily yoga, fantastic good, the option to join wonderful tours and experience local culture. Essence is not a fancy place but has everything you need. I met some of the most amazing people and haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. The service and staff were fantastic and I felt like family as I was well taken care of. I highly recommend this place especially if you are a solo traveller.

We very much enjoyed our 4 night stay at Essence. The setting, nestled in forest and jungle and infused with wildlife, is sublime. The beauty of the view leaves a lasting impression.
The staff are exceptionally friendly and they excelled in making our stay as smooth as possible. Food is fresh and delicious with so much variety.
We enjoyed the Cacao Tour led by Aurelio very much. I advise anyone to take the tour and experience the wisdom, joy and passion of Aurelio in explaining local plants and animals and the ancient tradition of cacao.
I had to do some work whilst staying and the WiFi is super fast and reliable.
The daily spa circuit was one of the highlights of our stay.
Thank you so much Essence Arenal!!
We will be back
Andy and Serena

I am very glad to discover Essence Arenal BioFarm and Spa as a place where I can "retreat". I came this February 2024, this is peak season for Costa Rica and yet they offer reasonable Yoga Retreat Packages which includes 02 yoga sessions per day, 01 massage, 01 hour private Spa Circuit that provides a breath taking view of the Arenal Lake and Arenal Volcano ; PermaCulture Farm Tour; Cacao Familiarization Tour and full board delicious, artistically crafted Vegetarian Meals. The culinary expertise of Chef Maria and Chef Gabriel is truly exceptional. They create delicious 03 course vegetarian meals using local ingredients and provides international flavors to it.
Their plating and presentation skills are of a Fine Dining Restaurant. On top of this, their serving seems to have been carefully thought of. The portioning is just perfect to fill one's hunger.

From my arrival experience that is with their Transportation Partner - Luis Angel and Stephanie who transports their guests safely to and from various airports across the main island of Costa Rica that is San Jose and Liberia. The transportation service they provide is also exceptional.

The whole team of Essence Arenal headed by Jairo and from Wendy, Lena, Deborah, Mauricio (Front of House Team) ; Resident Tour Guide - Aurelio ; Yoga and Meditation Facilitators - Inna and Alejandro ; Resident Masseuse Johanna - they all have been A-MAZING at what they do. They provide affordable laundry services as well as housekeeping service on a daily basis.

The team at Essence Arenal is a group of warm hearted people who are passionate at what they do. The "Luxury" that is expected from a 05 star hotel, I have experienced at Essence Arenal and even more.

The concept of the CEO - Niko Boutifer is really great. He is a "promoter" of Sustainable Tourism. He preserved the rainforest and also created an organic farm and so they offer a "Farm to Table" dining experience. The dishes they serve are all freshly picked from their organic farm which is also inside the Eco Resort.

They offer various room categories that will fit your idea of a Costa Rican get away.

Travelers who stay at the Essence Arenal also built community over Yoga, Meditation and Meal Timings. So, even if you are a solo traveler you will never feel alone because you will meet other solo travelers or even group who signed up for various retreat packages and could plan other trips together to share the cost in visiting other province and sites nearby.

The views are breath-taking. Un-pretentious yet Luxurious because of the exceptional service and products they provide.

Jairo the Assistant GM just made me the best Hot Chocolate ever! I can compare it from Angelina Cafe in Paris and he used fresh cacao to prepare it.

Essence Arenal is a place that I highly recommend. The resort is powered by Solar Energy so I recommend bringin a flashlight or "torch"; hiking shoes ;sports wear; hiking stick if you wish to; swimsuit, and your camera :)

Essence Arenal is nestled in a quiet area with breath-taking nature views that provides almost everything you need for a great re-treat.

Come and experience Essence Arenal and feel THE PURA VIDA LIFE!

The memory of this place and experience you have here stays with you. Essence is a place for anyone to find answers and experience the beauty and awe of Costa Rica surrounded by incredible staff and an environment that allows for connection. The staff at essence are incredible kind, supportive, and hard working. As a solo female traveller they made me feel welcome and will go above and beyond to assist and help you. The food that is served in incredible. No need to eat elsewhere during your stay as you will be well fed and nourished with all natural ingredients and amazing flavours. If I could recommend anything the cacao tour is an absolute MUST. The guide is an incredible human being whose passion will have you engaged without hesitation. The daily yoga was accessible to all experience levels. The best part about this place is it is small enough that you end up meeting other visitors through communal eating, yoga, and activities and make true connections. This place has everything you need for a vacation whether that’s staying at the retreat and exploring the grounds or you could fill your days with the tours and activities that are numerous and offered in the surrounding area.

I am extremely grateful to have chosen to stay at essence for a 6 day yoga retreat. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience than essence and there are so many reasons to stay here. I hope I am able to come back again one day soon.

Pura Vida 💚

Rooms are basic, nothing special, with comfortable beds (and pillows too (rare in Costa Rica)). Staff are all awesome, you’ll soon feel like a treasured friend. Beautiful view or volcán Arenal 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of La Fortuna (an interesting day trip, but I would not want to stay there). World class vegetarian menu, the best I’ve had in Costa Rica!!

Waking up with the sound of nature and be surrounded by nature was amazing! The food is really delicious! A nice place to stay and practice yoga. I loved the birdwatching tour!! It was a good way of starting my solotrip in Costa Rica! I would definitely recommend it!!

Essence Arenal was an incredible retreat that I would highly recommend to anyone. The staff is incredible - Jairo is fantastic, and in his introduction to the property genuinely asks guests how he can help ensure their retreat needs are met. Gabriel and the kitchen team deliver beautifully presented, healthy, and delicious meals. The reception staff are fantastic and accommodating. With all that Essence Arenal offers - a beautiful yoga shala, a dry and steam sauna, and a beautiful hiking trail through the forest to the farm it is a wonderful place that I look forward to coming back to.

Essence is a 10 out of 10. The people are honestly interested in making sure you are pleased. The food is delicious, the yoga is great leaving you feeling relaxed and energized. The grounds are magical. I laughed, I got stronger and I relaxed. I highly recommend it. 🥰

Overall an amazing place to feel connected to nature and people. The food is the best I've had so far in Costa Rica, the dinners are high end restaurant standard. The property is wonderful with many plants, animals and walking trails. The guided tours were really fun and delivered with great enthusiasm. The yoga and massages from Tomas (apologies if not spelt right...) put you in the right place to connect more deeply with the experience. What ties everything together is the great service from all the staff and the great people you meet. The rooms are a little rustic, but they are clean, have hot showers and hardly any bugs. Thanks for a great few days 🙏🏻.

We slept in a tent and our stay was perfect. View was insane and the experience of sleeping in a Cosy tent like this was cool.
People were very nice, nothing else to say! Just a very cool place at cool prices 😁

I simply loved my time at the Essence. I traveled there in March 2023 as solo traveler. It’s incredibly beautiful and peaceful there, right next to a beautiful rain forest with breathtaking views at the Arenal Volcano, and everyone who works there was nothing but kind. I stayed for the 6-day yoga retreat and enjoyed every single minute. The yoga instructor Michelle is an amazing, kind soul, and her classes were gentle and powerful at the same time. I also enjoyed the full board, as a vegan I appreciated that they serve only vegetarian and vegan food. The breakfast was my favorite: delicious scrambled tofu with rice, beans and some fresh veggies ☺ I also took two tours; a night jungle tour and the cacao tour, and it couldn’t have been better. I learned so much, the guide Aurelio was exceptional.
Special thanks to Lena, Jairo and Christian, who helped me a lot organizing my transports in CR, even after I left the Essence.
Beautiful people, beautiful place! I hope I can come back one day ❤

I stopped in for a visit to see this place and was pleasantly surprised at how friendly the staff is! The grounds are gorgeous and the view is world-class.

I also highly recommend the vegetarian menu. I cannot wait to come back and experience the 3 day detox and traditional Temazcal.

Pura Vida new friends!

This is a must visit resort. They made me feel at home and like family - stayed for 5 days and I didn't want to leave! I honestly teared up leaving - beautiful people, resort, views, food and more. I will definitely be coming back my next trip in Costa Rica. Tranquility at its finest.

This place is magical. I had a hard time sleeping for the first few nights and was trying not to get grumpy. They ended up moving me into another room that had a more comfortable bed for me. The meals are amazing and it's super safe for solo female travelers. The yoga was the best way to wake up. I extended my 7 day retreat to 9 days. There is much to do when you get here and plenty of time to yourself if you need it.
The staff here are the friendliest people, too.

Breathtaking views of the volcano and wildlife far from touristy areas. Everyone was super friendly and we loved our am yoga classes with Freddy. We stayed a week and tried the massage, sound healing and reiki and the most fun was the Cacao tour. The restaurant prepares fresh vegetarian food and it was always delicious. We meet a lot of people and really enjoyed our time. It was a clean and modest accommodation with limited spa time.

Hands down the best meal we have had in Costa Rica. We went on Peru night and were delighted with the atmosphere and service. Each vegan
course was surprising, flavourful and unique. We found ourselves astounded that each course was better than the last. We immediately booked a reservation for the following night because we couldn't imagine eating a better meal anywhere else.

We have spend a few days at this place and I must say; your stay depends on what you make out of it. The rooms are very simple, no luxury but the nature around the hotel is a five star (biological) environment ;)

Here are some information:

TOUR: The tour with Aurelio is outstanding!!! He is the best guide I ever had. Everything he says is super informative and interesting and I have never met a person loving his jobs as much as he does. He should become the minister of agriculture of Costa Rica ;) The world would be a better place.
I would come back just to do another tour with him! ;) Tasting all herbs, making our own chocolate paste and seeing the red eye frog was amazing! Thank you!

YOGA: The yoga classes in the morning was also outstanding! I definitely recommend them.

ROOM: We had a "superior" room, but I would not recommend it for people with a light sleep. It's directly next to the kitchen and the fridge is very loud! Unfortunately the shower doesn't has a door. The view to the mountain from the restaurant is very nice. It would be nice to have a mosquito net for the door, so we could open the door for more air but the insects stay outside.

FOOD: It is great that they are serving vegetarian meals and regional food! However, the lunch we had wasn't great: Spagetti Bolognese without a sauce and the springrolls were just carrots. It seemed that the cook was very uncreative und unmotivated.
The cook in the evening is very nice and the food is very good in the evenings :)

ANNOYING: Lastly, I was very annoyed about the fact that this hotel is calling itself an "eco" hotel, but then the gardeners did cut the hedge with a lot of flowers, which are food for the hummingbird and other important insects. I could not believe it! Please teach your gardeners about how to be eco in gardening!

Unfortunately everything costs extra. 2$ for a small cup of coffee is quite a lot in the morning and 40$/ 1 hour in the jacuzzi for 2 persons isn't cheap either.

So overall, I think this place tries its best to give its visitors a good experience and I loved the nature there and (most) employees are super friendly :)

Had a wonderful retreat experience at Essence Arenal in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Signed up for the 4-day yoga retreat which included morning yoga classes, daily spa circuit, a cacao and permaculture farm tour, daily access to forest walks, one 60-minute massage as well as food and accommodation for a reasonable price. I wanted to highlight the wonderful services provided by the lovely staff including Lena, Jairo, Michelle, Ari, Carlos, Aurelio, Maria, Maria, Priscilla, and all the others whose names I either didn’t get or unfortunately don’t know how to spell correctly. It was amazing to be able to breathe in the clean, fresh La Fortuna air and be so close to nature - something very much lacking in my life. The farm-to-table meals were such a privilege to experience and delicious. I loved the early morning yoga on the deck with Michelle as well as all of the special treatments I got to experience. Wish I could have experienced more of that. If you’re looking for a tranquil, peaceful, rustic retreat getaway in a place of exceptional beauty, this place comes highly recommended. Muchas gracias a todo el equipo de Essence Arenal por la experiencia inolvidable. Un fuerte abrazo desde Canadá.

The best place on Earth! Must visit!
I booked this yoga retreat without much research and I had the best time of my life there. Hotel is located in the mountains with jungle and lots of wild life, people there are very kind and welcoming, we had yoga every morning with an amazing instructor Michele. I saw a tucan, parrots, wild turkey , variety of plants and flowers is insane. You are literally living in the National park ( they have actually more variety of plants and animals than a National park that I visited) Experience great variety of vegetarian food, fruits and juices, it’s super fresh and organic.
Cacao & night tour, massage and cleansing is included in your package which is extremely nice and interesting.
You will wake up at 5 am from birds signing and will see a beautiful sunrise. You ll meet new solo travelers and enjoy their spa circuit which is facing the volcano and a lake. Highly suggest to book Te Mazcal ceremony and Tai Massage with Michele. Also visit Eco thermales hotsprings and book horse back riding to waterfalls.
It’s the best place I ever seen after traveling to 40+ countries… I will definitely come back there soon.
The owner Nico is very kind, interesting to talk to and very hospitable. Don’t look any further, this place is pure magic! If you want to recharge from city noise, or find an answer to some questions, come here and you will be amazed how fast you ll rejuvenate and make important life decisions.