Oh, did I mention Jurassic park too? It seems like this place has all the top list celebrities flocking over, so we had to see what exactly it’s like to stay in a place good enough for the Kardashians and the Bachelor! We had to see what all the hype was about and if it was worth the price ($500 a night). We stayed here for 4 nights, at the Deluxe Room and mainly stayed on property. There’s so much to do in the area, we definitely feel like we could have stayed longer to explore the surrounding area a little bit more!
Getting There
The Springs Resort & Spa is located as close to the Arenal Volcano as you can get! (Check out the awesome views below!) The closest town is called “La Fortuna”, and it’s located about 3 hours away from the San Jose (SJO) airport. Prices for private transport are listed here on their website.
We actually took the bus in, and around all of Costa Rica. After arriving to La Fortuna, we then took a 6$USD Taxi Ride (about 20 minutes) to the hotel. Departures from San Jose leave early, if you end up needing to leave after 12pm I suggest getting a shared van. Looking back on our entire Costa Rica trip, if you are going to multiple locations I suggest just renting a car.
The Rooms
Each room at The Springs Resort & Spa has an outdoor balcony and an AMAZING view of the volcano. Seriously the best view I’ve ever had in my life. The interior is fully wooded, giving you that mountain lodge/resort feel. The bathrooms are beautiful, all including a jacuzzi separate from the shower and 2 sinks. They’re very cozy, to say the least.
Food
They have 5 different restaurants that you can choose from, and being the foodie that I am we tried them ALL. Each has a slightly different feel to them, but overall the food was pretty good. Food is not included with your stay, but the prices were surprisingly not bad. If you’re looking for a date night, I definitely suggest having a dinner at Las Ventanas. But during the day, definitely try the TreeTops! We saw sloths while having lunch and it made my day! There are also 5 bars around the property, serving a variety of drinks (I recommend the Piña Colada!) Everywhere we went had a special “green” menu to cater for vegetarians, vegans, and those with other dietary restrictions.
The different restaurant options were:
Las Ventanas (The Windows) – It’s required to make a reservation as it’s the finest dining they have on site! The menu is a well-balanced combination of beef, seafood, pork and pasta (with vegetarian options as well!). They have some amazing desserts as well!
Tres Cascadas (Three Waterfalls) – Named after its location next to some natural waterfalls from the hot springs, we found this to be our go-to restaurant. It had a great variety of food, quick service, and open at all times.
Ginger Sushi – it’s exactly what the name implies! You get to see the chef make the sushi right in front of you, and there’s an amazing variety of flavors! There was even sushi with plantain in it! (Which makes the Dominican in me VERY happy). Everything is made fresh, and tastes delicious.
Treetops Grill- WE SAW A SLOTH WHILE HAVING LUNCH! Only open during lunch hours, this treetop grill gives you all the views! To one side you have hot springs, and to the other theres a vast forest, filled with wildlife. We loved the view.
Rancho Club Rio- This restaurant is actually down at the Club Rio area, and is perfect for either right before or after your adventure activities. It has a wide variety of options, big and small, along with a bar, and overlooks the river. You’ll see the occasional rafter or kayaker come down while you eat!
The Springs
The hotel is named The Springs because of its 24 hot springs! Each has a different amount of clarity and different temperature, allowing you to experience the full range of beneficial and soothing effects of the springs. You can find them all over: on property, on a special hidden trail, and down at Club Rio (these ones are the most “natural!”). We managed to take a dip in all of them, and I can confirm that each one is absolutely amazing.
What to Do
Where do I even start with this one, there’s so much to do! While they have an entire book filled with things to do and different tour options (literally a BOOK), I’ve narrowed it down to our favorite 3!
Club Rio
What separates The Springs most from other hotels and resorts around the area is definitely Club Rio! It’s the adventure half of the property, and is full of activities like tubing, rock climbing, more hot springs, river kayaking, horseback riding, bird watching, and even has an animal sanctuary where you can see rescued animals like sloths, tucans, and pumas. They have an evening feeding where you can learn more about the cats and get a more intimate and personalized tour of the area.
Hanging Bridges
Yes, THE insta-famous hanging bridges of Costa Rica are located just a short trip away from The Springs. There you’ll see all kinds of wildlife, including birds, monkeys, and breathtaking views.
Arenal Waterfall
Commonly coupled with the Hanging Bridges as a full day trip, this waterfall is huge! (and very picturesque!). It’s one of the highest waterfalls in Costa Rica, but the water can be quite chilly so come prepared!
Spa & Fitness Center
The on-site spa and fitness center is there to cater to all of your needs. All of them. Whether you’re sore from the days activities, or wanting a place to put all the amazing food you’ve been eating to good use, there’s no doubt your body will be thanking you after.
Final Thoughts
The staff here was SO nice. They somehow all remembered our names, and were always extremely attentive to our wants and needs. The property is HUGE and there are plenty of things to do. We loved that even though there were others at the resort, we were able to get some quiet and alone time because of the sheer number of springs. We slept with our blinds open because we just couldn’t get over how amazing the view was. I’ve never been a morning person, but I found myself getting up with the sun and chirping birds.
We also stayed at their sister resort Peace Lodge & Waterfall Gardens, between them both we felt we got a good feel of everything Costa Rica had to offer (except the beach!)
To check out the equipment we used to capture these awesome moments look at our Travel Gear!
For more photos visit our review on TripAdvisor and follow along on Instagram!
**Disclaimer: we were hosted by The Springs Resort & Spa as guests, however all thoughts, photos and opinions are our own.