---
title: "Forest to Table: Three Kitchens, One Arenal Rainforest"
description: "Forest to Table: Three Kitchens, One Arenal Rainforest\n"
---
[Nayara Resorts Blog](https://blog.nayararesorts.com)
# [Forest to Table: Three Kitchens, One Arenal Rainforest](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor)
Written by [Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1) | May 2, 2025
Key Findings
11 restaurants
Across one connected estate, all open to guests of any of the three Costa Rica resorts.
5 classes
Wine, cooking, coffee, mixology, and rum, each designed to turn a meal into something you can carry home.
$76B
The projected culinary tourism market by 2033 in the research cited in the original article.
In This Article
6 min read
[01 Forest to Table](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#intro) [02 Nayara Gardens](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#gardens) [03 Nayara Springs](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#springs) [04 Nayara Tented Camp](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#tented) [05 Gelato & Cocktails](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#bars) [06 Five Culinary Classes](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#classes) [07 Frequently Asked Questions](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor?hs_amp=true#faq)
Dining in Arenal
## Forest to Table: Three Kitchens, One Arenal Rainforest
**In short:** Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs, and Nayara Tented Camp form one connected culinary world in Arenal. Guests can move from relaxed family dining and sushi to tasting menus, Northern Italian cooking, open-fire Mediterranean, wine, coffee, cocktails, and hands-on culinary classes without leaving the larger rainforest estate.
Imagine the intimacy of your own secluded hotel, with the culinary world of three properties within reach.
That is what awaits at Nayara Gardens, Nayara Springs, and Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica's Arenal region. Each property keeps its own character and rhythm, yet guests share a larger world of dining that turns a stay into a journey through one rainforest.
You are not choosing between three isolated hotels. You are choosing one interconnected destination where meals can move from the familiar to the unexpected. For the broader estate story, read [Three Hotels, One Rainforest](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/three-hotels-one-rainforest).
Nayara Gardens
## Where It All Begins
**La Terraza** is the open-air family restaurant, serving local and international cuisine with Arenal volcano views from every table, alongside local produce, fresh fish and meat, an extensive wine list, and live music. At adjacent **Bar Azul**, tropical drinks extend the same easygoing rhythm.
**Asia Luna** pairs Costa Rica's produce with Asian technique. The signature Nayara Roll incorporates sweet plantain, while grilled yellowfin tuna, sushi, and an intimate terrace create a completely different dining language within the same resort.
**Nostalgia Wine Bar** shifts the emphasis again, with Latin American and European vintages and guided tastings led by a sommelier. Gardens remains the family flagship of the estate. Read the [full Nayara Gardens family guide](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/best-family-resort-in-costa-rica).
Nayara Springs
## Elevated Dining
**Amor Loco** is the signature restaurant at Nayara Springs, a Relais & Châteaux retreat. In the source draft, Executive Chef Gianluca Re Fraschini and his team present the restaurant as a tasting journey through Costa Rica, filtered through French and Japanese technique.
**Mis Amores** moves toward Northern Italy, drawing on family recipes, wood-fired pizza, and tableside preparations. **Besame Mucho** offers a more private format, with candlelight, a dedicated chef, and a dedicated server.
At **Mi Cafecito**, coffee becomes part of the culinary program rather than an afterthought, tracing the journey from cherry to cup and the longer history of Costa Rican coffee.
Nayara Tented Camp
## Fire, Earth, and Open Air
At Nayara Tented Camp, **Ayla** serves modern Mediterranean cuisine with a Middle Eastern influence, and cooking with fire becomes part of the restaurant's identity.
The open-fire grill anchors the experience: meats cooked over hardwood, vegetables charred to sweetness, flatbreads from the oven, grilled octopus, lamb kofta, and mezze designed for sharing.
Next door, **Henry's Bar** changes the mood with a fireplace, library, and cocktails. Tented Camp is also the adventure base of the estate. Explore [adventures around the Arenal Volcano](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/family-adventures-around-the-arenal-volcano).
Sweet Endings & the Bar Scene
## Gelato by Day, Cocktails by Dark
**Lyla's Gelato** at Nayara Gardens is described in the source draft as small-batch gelato made with Italian technique and Costa Rican ingredients, including guanabana, cas, and local Caribbean chocolate.
After dark, the bars shift the emphasis from dessert to spirits. **Cielito Lindo**, **Lapas Bar**, and **Henry's Bar** each occupy a different setting, from poolside cocktails to a more intimate fireplace-and-library atmosphere.
Learn the Craft
## Five Classes That Go Beyond the Meal
Why simply eat when you can learn the techniques, ingredients, and traditions behind what arrives at the table?
The source draft identifies five culinary experiences: **Wine Tasting** at Nostalgia, a hands-on **Cooking Class** at Ayla, a two-hour **Coffee Class**, a **Mixology Class**, and a **Rum Tasting** spanning aged expressions. Together they shift food and drink from consumption toward participation.
At Nayara, food is not a service. It is a vocabulary.
Taste Arenal
## Three Resorts. One Culinary World.
Choose the stay that fits you, then explore the larger dining landscape across Nayara's connected Arenal estate.
Family-Friendly
Nayara Gardens
La Terraza, Asia Luna, Nostalgia, family dining, and a central base for exploring the wider estate.
[Check Availability](https://nayararesorts.com/#/booking/destination/dates)
Adults-Only
Nayara Springs
Amor Loco, Mis Amores, intimate dining, natural hot springs, and the estate's most romantic culinary rhythm.
[Check Availability](https://nayararesorts.com/#/booking/destination/dates)
Fire & Open Air
Nayara Tented Camp
Ayla's open-fire cooking, Henry's Bar, Arenal volcano views, and an elevated rainforest setting.
[Check Availability](https://nayararesorts.com/#/booking/destination/dates)
[Explore dining menus and restaurant information →](https://nayaragardens.com/eat/)
About the Author
[Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1)
Digital Marketing · Nayara Resorts
Albert Ghitis leads digital marketing at Nayara Resorts, overseeing editorial, email strategy, organic social, paid social, search, and AI discovery. He also hosts Nayara Horizons. Explore the latest episodes below.
Nayara Horizons
## Explore the Podcast
Conversations about the people, places, cultures, and ideas behind Nayara's destinations.
01
Understanding the Atacama: A Conversation with the Atacameño Community
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/kzQWMUk49io?si=F6mKVna2uN0pO7gA)
02
Guardians of Rapa Nui: A Conversation with Tau Mana
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/FRPVRcUTNmk?si=2SrY7mElfqprkyJg)
03
The Collapse That Wasn't: A Conversation About Archaeology
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/qFVLTTJa7hE?si=LU3lrWxrFGbL6gpF)
04
The Nayara Story: A Conversation with General Manager Jairo
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/kogGcI2-pBc?si=JI-a82zE1nZODNfl)
05
A Taste of Nayara: A Conversation with Gianluca
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/NuWOobuMc2k?si=g7uHgszKtOhiMekv)
Frequently Asked Questions
## Dining Across Nayara's Arenal Resorts
What are the best restaurants near the Arenal Volcano? +
Nayara's connected Arenal estate includes restaurants ranging from La Terraza and Asia Luna at Nayara Gardens to Amor Loco and Mis Amores at Nayara Springs and Ayla at Nayara Tented Camp. The best choice depends on whether you want family dining, tasting-menu dining, Italian food, Asian influence, or open-fire Mediterranean cooking.
Can guests dine across all three Nayara resorts? +
The source draft states that guests of Gardens, Springs, and Tented Camp can access restaurants and bars across the connected estate, with some venues requiring reservations and certain spaces remaining adults-only.
Is there fine dining at Nayara in Arenal? +
Yes. Amor Loco at Nayara Springs is the signature fine-dining venue described in the source draft, while Mis Amores and private dining at Besame Mucho offer other elevated formats.
Is the dining family-friendly? +
Yes. Nayara Gardens is the most family-oriented of the three properties, and several of the dining and culinary experiences described in the source draft welcome families. Adults-only restrictions apply to selected Nayara Springs experiences.
Do I need restaurant reservations? +
Some restaurants require or recommend reservations. Availability and policies can vary, so the safest option is to confirm directly with Nayara before dining.
Sources & Further Reading
- [Nayara Gardens · Dining venues, menus, and reservations](https://nayaragardens.com/eat/)
- [Nayara Journal · Three Hotels, One Rainforest](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/three-hotels-one-rainforest)
- [Nayara Journal · The Best Family Resort in Costa Rica](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/best-family-resort-in-costa-rica)
[View full post](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayara-arenals-adventures-in-flavor)
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