Outdoor pool, sun loungers
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Reviews of Hotel Mystica

3 out of 5
Hotel Mystica
From Tilaran, 13km towards Nuevo Arenal, Lake Arenal, Santa Rosa, Guanacaste

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 64 out of 88 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 17 out of 88 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 88 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 88 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 88 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.6/10

Amenities

9.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

kristine

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
In spite of the fact that the clouds were low and glimpsing the volcano was limited to a small percentage, the grounds were beautiful with varied plant life laid out well. It was wonderful to begin the day looking out on so much beauty. Every breath was filled with peace and beauty
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Barbara Moglia on Jan 11, 2024
Siamo grati per le belle parole dedicateci. Un caloroso augurio di buon 2024 da tutto lo staff.

10/10 Excellent

Venkat, Lexington

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Its absolutely mystical property. The staff were exceptional. So friendnly and caring. The daily breakfast was one of the best i have had. The natural pool was a daily stop for me and my kids. We sat on the outside chairs and enjoyed the amazing breeze and lake arenal views. On a clear night we would watch stars. It was soo relaxing.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Yovania on Aug 20, 2023
Estamos muy felices de que su estancia haya sido placentera y, muy agradecidos por su comentario.Voy a pasarlo a todo el staff .Esperamos verlos pronto.

10/10 Excellent

Anthony, San Jose

Stayed 2 nights in May 2023
Response from Barbara on Jul 9, 2023
Muchissimas gracias por su nota.

10/10 Excellent

nga

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful property. Gorgeous view of Arenal Lake. Dinner was so yummy. Highly recommend. Really wonderful retreat.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

George

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A unique and lovely property. The staff was attentive. The menu and wine list needs more diversity. Cindy in Spa was over the top.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022
Response from Barbara on Sep 1, 2022
Thank you George for your evaluation and your suggestions.

8/10 Good

Javier

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff was great. Grounds were beautiful, room was clean. Only problem we had was that the internet in our building was not working. I complained about it to 2 people the afternoon we arrived and one more the next morning for breakfast. To our knowledge, nothing was ever done since it never worked in our building and no one ever checked if it was working or if we had any issues. We were there three nights!!
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Anthony, San Jose

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful place, magic place.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022
Response from Barbara on Mar 4, 2022
Muchas gracias Antony. Hasta pronto

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022
Response from Barbara on Mar 3, 2022
Muchas gracias. Los esperamos pronto nuevamente.

10/10 Excellent

Éric

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Le personnel est attentionné. Chaque soir il font un petit feu dans le salon. De bon vin Italien. Le domaine est propice pour le détente. Petit inconvénient nous avions l’habitation dans la jungle et celle-ci se trouve prêt des éloniennes. Le mouvement rotatif de celles-ci peut être dérangeant.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Barbara on Mar 4, 2022
Muchas gracias Eric! Hasta pronto.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021
Response from Barbara y Francesco on Feb 15, 2021
Muchissimas gracias por hospedarse con nosotros, ha sido un placer servirles.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020
Response from Barbara & Francesco on Feb 17, 2021
Thanks, we are honored to receive your evaluation. We hope to host you again

10/10 Excellent

Donald

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Such a cool place
We loved our stay. The place is truly “one of a kind” and Ananta was the best
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Ananta on Dec 15, 2019
Many thanks for your beautiful words. Hoping to host you again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Barbara on Dec 1, 2019
Muchas gracias

10/10 Excellent

Hazel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Ananta on Sep 29, 2019
Very grateful for your valuation. We hope you will return one day

10/10 Excellent

NORVEY

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Ananta on Sep 14, 2019
Estamos muy felices que su estadia ha sido placentera. Gracias por su evaluación. Esperamos que puedan regresar pronto. Saludos

10/10 Excellent

Christine, London

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A very last minute stay bought us here and what a find. Great rooms ad views, really relaxed with excellent food and lovely staff.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Ananta on Sep 11, 2019
Thank you very much for your comment. We would be happy to share your company again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Ronald

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Energizing
Beautiful setting, natural pool, good views, relaxing ambient, well maintained gardens, river, yoga platform along the river and woods.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Ananta on Jul 25, 2019
Thank you very much Ronald for your positive opinion we are very happy that you enjoyed your vacation in Mystica. We hope to see you again soon. regards

8/10 Good

Carol, Carrollton VA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place on west side of lake
We choose this location due to it being on the western side of Lake Arenal. Hotel is in a beautiful hillside location with a view of the lake and volcano (when not cloudy). Land is landscaped and mature grounds with lots of fruit trees, flowering trees, bushes etc. It has an outdoor "pool" but is small but still lovely. We did have an issue with mosquitoes near it so we couldn't enjoy it. Our hostess was so friendly and helpful and spoke English well. We were there during low season and were the only guests we were aware of. They still provided dinner and breakfast for us as our hostess called in staff just for us! The dinners we had were all wonderful - pastas, seabass, chicken in white wine and a homemade pizza. We ordered from the menu ahead of time and the staff made sure they could prepare them - talk about going above and beyond. We did pay for these meals but breakfast was provided in room rate and was also delicious - fresh fruits, homemade bread and jam, eggs and gallo pinto. Rooms are all part of a connected building with large front patios all facing the lake. Lots of hammocks and chairs to sit outside and enjoy surroundings Our room was for 4 - double bed and bunk bed. Bathroom had update large shower. Our only issue was there is no air conditioning - just a large open, screened window and a ceiling fan. We were all a bit uncomfortable sleeping due to heat. Area windy and surrounding area has large wind turbines which some may not like.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019
Response from Ananta on Jun 26, 2019
Thank you for your suggestions and your opinions. All Mystica staff have been honored by hosting you. Hoping to see you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Jason, Elora

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful
Wonderful place with an adult chill vibe
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Barbara on Apr 4, 2019
Thank you so much! Happy to welcome you again

10/10 Excellent

Exploreur, Charleston SC

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful relaxing property and Barbara (the owner) took great care of us! I would highly recommend this property for a relaxing, “zen” type of vacation experience. The food was good (pasta is made fresh in house), the stone splash pool was beautiful, and the walking trails are full of monkeys and other amazing wildlife.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Barbara on Apr 3, 2019
It was a pleasure to share the magic of Mystica with you. We hope to see you again soon

10/10 Excellent

NORVEY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A magic experience!
This place is amazing , people is so friendly, the rooms are so clean , the restaurant has really good options. Besides that is perfect for relaxing, reconnecting with yourself and your couple, healing your soul ... it is magic !
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Barbara on Jan 18, 2019
Thanks a lot for your review. Has been a pleasure to make your holiday joyful and peaceful. We really hope to host you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Mystica was absolutely amazing! We stayed in the jungle room and loved everything about it. The property is stunning and the food was amazing. Service was also top notch!! We will definitely stay here again!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Barbara on Jan 8, 2019
Thank you so much for your kind words, we really appreciated your stay with us and look forward to the next time you are here.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
An idyllic place for a getaway
The setting for the hotel is idyllic and it is the perfect place for a quiet getaway. The property has beautiful landscaping and a spectacular view of Lake Arenal. A porch outside each room has comfy chairs and a hammock that are the perfect places to soak in the beautiful surroundings. Rooms have no TV or Wifi, but Wifi is available in the main building, where there are quiet places to sit and use Wifi if you choose. The main building also has a cozy fireplace with a sitting area. The menu in the restaurant was limited but everything we ate was excellent and inexpensively priced. The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Recommendations they offered for activities outside the property were fabulous. The masseuse was outstanding. Although hotels.com says that the property does not have a front desk, they certainly do. One only need call to make arrangements if arriving after 9pm.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Barbara on Jan 9, 2019
Thank you so very much for your review and your great appreciation for all that you experienced with us at Mystica. It was a pleasure to have you with us and we'd love to see you again one day. Blessings!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful views, delicious food and an amazing staff
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Mystica Staff on Aug 23, 2018
We're flattered you enjoyed us! The views here really are something to write home about. We hope to have you back again!

8/10 Good

Lisa, Nantucket, MA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Rustic Comfort
Loved the energy of this place! Brad checked us in and could not have been a more gracious host! The breakfast was incredible, as was the view and grounds. The room felt a bit like camping, but overall was just what we needed. We didn’t realize that there’d be no dinner or yoga avail due to time of year. Brad did offer to provide dinner if we wanted. I’d love to go back when there’s more activities offered! We enjoyed a day trip to Monteverde, as well as a hike to see a 500 year old tree!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Mystica Staff on Aug 18, 2018
One of the greatest things about where we are is our day-trip proximity to lots of activities (not to mention the view). "Rustic Comfort" is a great way to describe our main lodge! You get the camping experience with the sounds of the wind and nature, but the comfort of an artfully designed hotel room. We hope to have you back next winter, so you can take advantage of some Yoga, too! PS. Brad is flattered by your kind words.

10/10 Excellent

Jeffrey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2018

6/10 Okay

Mike, Denver

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Very basic accommodations. Needs closets, dresser, shelves?
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Mystica Staff on Mar 31, 2018
Hi Mike, Thanks for the feedback, we're always looking on ways to improve to make our guests more comfortable. Based on your review, we'll review our current water-delivery system to ensure that there is enough water pressure in each room. Do you recall which room you stayed in? Feel free to reach out to us with further suggestions. Thanks!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Magical Mystica
A beautiful spot with beautiful gardens. Both pizza and pastas were excellent in the restaurant. Staff very friendly and accommodating. Lots of birds, beautiful plants, and a great view of the lake.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018
Response from Mystica Staff on Mar 29, 2018
Thanks for letting us know about the shower in Colibrí, we've made sure to fix the issue. After all, we don't want to waste the beautiful natural resources we have here!

8/10 Good

MCP, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nature and beauty at its best
This resort is located high in the mountain and has breathing views. It’s more towards a rustic atmosphere and offers a get away surrounded by nature at its best. Health conscious but delicious evening meals are offered; breakfast is a light buffet. The resort also offers yoga retreats which is very popular; massages can be arranged, there is an inviting natural pool and nothing compares to sitting and just taking in the incredible views and surroundings. It was a completely perfect way to end our visit to CR.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Mystica Staff on Mar 29, 2018
Excellent representation of the views from our restaurant and poolside! We hope to host you again in the future! Thanks for the kind words :)

10/10 Excellent

Lindsay, OR

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent food, customer service, location is beautiful. Such an amazing view out our door!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Love the owners
Amazing owners that made the trip. Very nice place and accommodations. Has that family owned feel but only missing the touches of a polished establishment but plays to the area.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Views of Lake Arenal
The owners (Laurie and Francesco) were very inviting and hospitable. We had a very enjoyable at Hotel Mystica and will definitely stay there again if ever in the area. The food was very good! Highly recommend to anyone traveling to the Lake Arenal area.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The people and the grounds were lovely but the windows and doors did not seal and there were a lot of bugs in our room at night
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Emma

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Surprise hideaway
Beautiful views over the lake. Very pretty rooms and gorgeous decor in the restaurant and lounge area. Kirsten was absolutely fantastic and helped up plan our activities. Food was natural and healthy and really fresh
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Briana, Minnesota

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Peaceful and very beautiful!
The property was beautifully manicured with plants and flowers. You get a very peaceful feeling when you are there. Food was delicious and staff was very nice and helpful. Thank you for the wonderful stay!

10/10 Excellent

Clifton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great staff and awesome views!
We had a great stay at this property. Great staff and beautiful grounds. Would highly recommend to others staying in the area.

10/10 Excellent

Karen, H

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Get away from it all!
Exceptional. Incredible. Be transported away... the walk down to the yoga platform by the river incredible. Great food at restaurant, terrific ambiance. We stayed in jungle room Corazon ... lovely!
Be at peace!

10/10 Excellent

Monica, Salt Lake City, Utah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mystical Place
Lovely hotel with beautiful dining room and spectacular grounds.

10/10 Excellent

Bára

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful stay. I wish we could have stayed longer
Beautifully situated overlooking lake arenal and it's heaven for people who like to surf. The breakfast and dinner are just amazing and the staff are really nice and helpful.

10/10 Excellent

Mohammed

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Patty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really enjoyed it!
We were in the Arenal area to wakeboard for the weekend. This hotel was recommended to us by my son's wakeboard instructor. I was hesitant to book because I saw several bad reviews, but we decided to go for it anyway. We were very pleasantly surprised. Staff great. Rooms were better than expected. Bathrooms new with frameless shower door and updated vanity and sink. We were concerned that there was no AC but with the windows open at night, we were fine. We walked down to the yoga area and found an open air yoga studio next to a beautiful running stream. Can't wait to go back during high season when classes are in session. I am typically picky about lodging. It's almost always a Marriott. Large hotel chains are non-existent in that area so we were ready to "rough it". What a nice little surprise! Very happy we stepped out of our comfort zone!

10/10 Excellent

Luis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing lodge in a beautiful location
Very remote and relaxing location. Small restaurant was lively on weekends and a unique experience I would recommend. For sure this is not your typical hotel.

10/10 Excellent

John, Washungton, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful views from a beautiful hotel
Really enjoyed our stay here - only one night, but a great stay. Staff were delightful, professional and caring. Highly recommend the hike to the ceiba tree ... And take your time, as the views along the way, including of Lake Arenal, local cattle herds and woods to pasture transitions are well worth it. The meals at the hotel were also superb. All in all, a great location and a great stay.

10/10 Excellent

seb, saint louis, mo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Peaceful, tranquil stay
We had a great time at the hotel. The cabin rooms complemented the landscape of the area. The view overlooking the lake from the restaurant was one of a kind. We will definintely come back!

10/10 Excellent

caroline, washington dc

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
wonderful views on top of Lake Arenal
we loved the view, the rooms, the restaurant, the friendly staff, the walks around the hotel, the walk to the baobab tree. Our stay was too cold to enjoy the beautiful natural pool, unfortunately... great stop half way between Arenal and Monteverde.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Disliked: Room comfort
Just OK
Landscaping is beautiful and the included breakfast was excellent, however, the room was small, decorated with ridiculous paintings, had the smallest queen bed I have ever seen (it was really a double) and a shower that ran red with rust for at least ten minutes before we could use it. Overall, a disappointment.

4/10 Poor

Douglas, California

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not worth it
A lot of bugs and spiders all over the room. My fiance found a hair of unknown origin on one of the pillows. A group of tiny spiders found their way from one of the beds into her backpack. This was the most expensive hotel in Costa Rica out of the 4 places we stayed, and our least favorite.

10/10 Excellent

NORVEY, Port Allen, Lousiana, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolute heaven! We love Mystica, very peaceful

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Overpriced..tons of bugs and not that comfortable
Mystica was a little disappointing given the reviews that I read. First of all, as the reviews already note it is a pretty far drive from La Fortuna and Nueva Arenal. When we drove to the towns we saw many more affordable nicer hotels and smaller bnb's and were disappointed not to stay there. The rooms were a little disappointing as well. I understand that it is Costa Rica and there are bugs but in our room we had a constant problem with spiders and mosquitos. On our last night we discovered that a spider had laid eggs in the headboard of our bed and thats why we had so many all over us at night. The receptionist who was there the majority of the time did not speak English so it was difficult for us to communicate with her. The bed was extremely hard and difficult to sleep on. The restaurant was cute but really overpriced for the quality of food....Overall we were pretty disappointed with our stay here.