Adventure Under The Volcano at Lake Arenal and La Mansion Inn Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Read this entire feature FREE with photos at:From airplane to bus to taxi to horse, I arrived at La Mansion Inn Arenal with tons of questions: exactly what does a nice Costa Rican hotel look like? What types of food do they eat there? Will my Spanish be good enough to get me farther than el baño? All these questions and more were quickly answered as I quietly stepped forward into a tropical grotto neatly planted between
cities of Arenal and Fortuna of north-western region of Costa Rica.
Decked out with a perfectly manicured lawn, exotic flowers and an infinity pool, this is far from a typical hotel. This resort comes with privacy and a backdrop that jumps right off screen of Discovery Channel. Palm trees dot hillsides, and clouds massage deep blue skies over blazing volcano.
I was immediately greeted by Joey, a middle-aged American from Tennessee who has been managing hotel here in Arenal for about three years and lives in a private villa attached to main hotel. When you work in paradise, you might as well live there too. And in a place where temperature is 75 degrees year ‘round, why wouldn’t you?
Joey smiled constantly. I guess you could say he had a perma-grin and with good reason. In next couple of days at La Mansion Inn, Joey explained to me that he doesn’t need fancy cars or money to be happy; being here was enough. He also told me how there are approximately 14 private cottages on property, each with their own view of mystical Arenal Lake and surrounding mountains. Since lake faced east, sunrises are as magical as sunsets. Each cottage is equipped with private covered parking, patio furniture for those astonishing views, and maid service to keep rooms immaculate.
When I first walked in to my cottage, I was a little taken aback by small size, but then remembered to not expect norm. Each cottage is perfectly decorated by Italian artists, giving each its own individual look and feel. The honeymoon suite — still under construction — will house an indoor pool, spa, two bedrooms, and complete kitchen (if you can afford it).
Costa Rica is a land of beautiful simplicity. The pace of life is much slower than anywhere in United States. People are more in tune with nature, and less inclined toward technology. La Mansion Inn does have internet access, phones, and even cable television for occasional glimpse back to reality. Imagine, if you will, that instead of watching Costa Rica on Discovery Channel, you have ventured inside your television set into Costa Rica and brought your television with you. That’s sort of how it feels. Familiar shows remind you that home is not that far away. Still, it’s much more exciting to turn that tube off and go get lost amidst some of most exotic creatures in world.
On night 1 at La Mansion Inn, I decided to take a night walk around neighborhood in an attempts to get lost. A lightning storm was brewing, as they usually did during wet season. Costa Rica, unlike U.S., only has two seasons. The wet season lasts half year and has up to 20 days of rain in one month. The rest of time it’s dry season.
So as this lightening storm brews and billows above, huge bolts of yellowish flashes are striking lake and almost simultaneously, explosions of thunder crack through sky like a million metal trash cans slamming down on a driveway. My body quivers from power, as this is quite a change from southern California ’s weather, or lack thereof. Fireflies and strange bugs are sprinkled about night with fluorescent green and yellow flashes indicating that one certainly is not alone out here.
