Four friends from Groton came to visit for a long weekend. I rode down to the airport with a driver and picked everyone up. We then drove about 3 hours to La Fortuna where the volcano Arenal is located. We stayed at the Observatory Lodge which was originally built for scientists who were working for the Smithsonian Institute. It is now a luxurious resort VERY close to the volcano.
We were super lucky to see thte volcano without cloud cover. It was very active all day and night. At night, after we arrived we heard it rumbling and we could see the lava coming down the side. During the day we could hear it and see thin lines of hot lava runnin g down the side but the only visible sign was the smoke rising as it went down the side of the volcano.