Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort

Open from lunchtime through to the evening, the Playitas Restaurant is known for its delicious lunch menu and enticing dinners, the hotel’s restaurant is a must-visit. With lunch served to you at your lounge chair, you barely have to lift a finger. As the sun sets, the restaurant offers beachside barbecues and street food nights, a truly alternative way to dine. With indoor and outdoor seating on a private beach, the restaurant’s setting is one of extravagance and romance. Enjoy the sound of the waves as they reach the sand, as you look out to the water and the surrounding jungle.

The Mirador Oceanview Restaurant is truly spectacular, and the cliff-side perch, attached to the restaurant, was featured in 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. With views not only of the stunning Pacific Ocean, but also of the enchanting Manuel Antonio National Park. These views paired with exotic Costa Rican dishes, offer a little slice of paradise. With mostly local ingredients used, you can rest in the knowledge that your dining experience has contributed to the local farmers and fishers. With great food and a sense of luxury, who could deny the Mirador Oceanview restaurant a visit?

After just a 30 minute drive from the hotel, you can embark on the Rainmaker Tropical Rainforest Tour. A four hour tour of the private reserve that hosts a cosmopolitan of trails, hanging bridges and waterfalls, witness the rich biodiversity Costa Rica has to offer. An opportunity so rare and unique, it is difficult to put into words this amazing opportunity.

Departing in the evening, this Nocturnal Rainforest Adventure is perfect for viewing the rainforest in a different light. With an eagle-eyed guide, spotting rare owls, frogs and snakes during the night is a guarantee. Four hours of nighttime exploration will provide you with memories that will last a lifetime.

Just 20 years ago, the plot of land that houses Arenas del Mar was a plantain farm, not the lush Rainforest it is today. Over the last two decades, they have successfully reforested the area, planting 7,000 native trees and thousands of endemic plants that are native to the region. In designing and building Arenas Del Mar, conservation has always been front of mind. You’ll notice that several roofs have trees penetrating their eaves, and other areas like the Mirador Restaurant incorporate trees into their spaces. On the 11 acres, you’ll see plants that are almost exclusively native to this region of Costa Rica. These plants naturally flourish in the climate, requiring drastically less water and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They also attract plenty of local wildlife, including exotic birds, sloths and monkeys.

The Arenas del Mar Hotel has a strict policy on plastics. All single-use plastics have been banned at the resort. They made this decision in order to eliminate the impact of single-use plastics from the resort. Instead reusable bottles are provided to all guests and staff at the hotel, and plastic straws have been replaced with bamboo stalks.

The dedication of Arenas del Mar has been recognised by the Costa Rican Tourism Board’s CST, and they have achieved 5 ‘leaves’ (the highest award). The CST evaluates the natural, cultural and resource management of hotels, including water conservation, renewable energy and carbon-emissions reduction. As Arenas del Mar holds the highest band of certification, you can be rest assured that they are going above and beyond to be sustainable.

At Arenas del Mar, they have an on-site Hydroponic Garden. These types of gardens provides plants will all the nutrients they need to grow, without using any soil. They also use 10 percent less water than normal gardens, and the water that they do use can be recycled. Growing in the safety of a greenhouse, no pesticides are used, making these Hydroponic Gardens clean, simple and sustainable.