Arenal and Manuel Antonio in August

tabacon.com my fav

skytrek.com best zip

tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide

best park guide other tours there lots to do

maybe Damas Mangroves.

Kapi Kapi in MA

El Emperador royalcorin.com for fine dining Arenal

Have fun!

We liked both Tabacon and Eco Termales; those are probably the two most popular. Eco T is smaller and locally owned, very charming, and they serve a nice chicken dinner. I like that they limit the number of people who can enter, so it doesn't get crowded. Tabacon is beautiful and elaborate. It was louder and more crowded when we were there, but offers some options that Eco T doesn't like a water slide. Just depends on your preference. In MA, horseback riding is popular, sailing, snorkeling (a dud for us due to poor visibility), and the Damas mangrove tour. In Arenal, we love the waterfall and the Cano Negro tour with Sunset Tours to see wildlife.

Restaurants we like: Don Rufino, El Novillo (steaks), La Choza de Laurel, and Soda la Parada in Arenal; in MA, Cafe Agua Azul, Ronny's Place/Mi Lugar, Salsipuedes, and Cafe Milagro for coffee drinks. MA has a lot of good fresh seafood and pretty sunset views.

For hot springs, I really like The Springs Resort and Spa. They offer a reasonably priced two day pass, that is good for unlimited admission. You can spend an evening there, then come back the next day after a tour or whenever you feel like it. They also have an animal rescue that is worth seeing. Lots of big cats!

The Gaia has a great restaurant. Excellent ceviche. This is a pricey option, but worth it if you have the budget. Check out Salsipuedas. Casual and inexpensive tapas bar, with good fresh fish. Perfect place to watch the sunset.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer any more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

Pat, do you feel like The Springs is fake at all? We asked a couple of our guides about it, and they said it was too fake so we gave it a pass. It does look pretty though.

No more fake than Tabacon.

The only thing natural about any of the resorts is the water itself. Everything else is man made. The waterfalls and rivers, and of course the pools and the slides. All man made.

I think the springs is better planned, and just nicer. They also offer the two day unlimited admission pass.

Most people spend an afternoon or evening in a hot springs. This give them the opportunity for a second visit.

I always tell my clients to throw their bathing suits into their day packs when they go canyoning, horseback riding, or whatever. After their tour, they can ask the tour company to drop them at the Springs instead of their hotel. They can hang out for as long as they want, and wash the mud and sweat off at the swim up bar.

The two day pass is less than half the price of a one day admission to Tabacon. They also offer an option that includes a meal.

The animal rescue at The Springs is worth a visit too.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer any more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

Yea, I think they were referencing the water because they said that unlike the others, it's not heated by the volcano. That wouldn't make much of a difference to me though. Where is the Springs located? We haven't seen it.

The water is heated naturally. This property is owned by Lee and Cindy Banks, the couple who developed and operate La Paz Waterfall Gardens. They had originally planned to build a first class hotel, with a volcano view.

They were digging a well for the gardens, and the water came up hot. Everything stopped for a year and they went back to the drawing board, to figure out what to do next. They have done a first class job.

When you see the size of this place, you will realize how expensive it would be to heat without help from Mother Nature.

Here is a link to a blog posting I put up about two years ago (I really need to update this more often): http://truecostarica.com/?cat=110 This was before the wildlife rescue, the spa, and before we got to actually stay there a year later

By the way. The blog is non commercial, and I don't link to it very often.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer any more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

I also heard that on the other side of the tabacon is an actual hot spring river you can swim in (free of charge!). It's where the locals go, that's what I was told while I was there. We never actually made it because the pools at our hotel the Royal Corin were good enough for us. We enjoyed them.

Thanks Pat for the information. We have our heart set on The Springs 2 day pass and have been given less than enthusiastic responses when inquiring. Seems like since the other Springs are so much more popular and recommended, maybe we'll have the The Spring resort to ourselves when we go. That would be wonderful.