tkmg23

Hi -
Does anyone have a preference among Baldi, Eco Termales, and Tabacon?

This is a great forum! Very helpful, thank you!

volcanogirl

We've been to both Tabacon and Eco Termales. Our personal preference was for ET because it was smaller and more intimate, and they have great food - especially their chicken. Tabacon seemed a little more Disney to us, flashier with water slide, etc.; they have a rep. for bad food, although we didn't eat there.

Our guide was telling us that Tabacon is corporate owned, but ET is owned by locals, and that also appealed to us. Baldi gets some pretty bad reviews; we met people in Arenal that couldn't get into ET because it was sold out, so they tried Baldi and had to pay $10 per drink vs. the $3 or $4 we paid at Eco T. If we went back, I'd definitely do ET again.

Pat_Hewitt

I agree with volcanogirl. Search Baldi on this site, and you will see what she is referring to.

There is a new springs too. It is simply called "The Springs", and it is owned by the same folks that own La Paz Waterfall Gardens / Peace Lodge. It is just as over the top as that property is. They sent me some advance pictures, and it does look stunning.

They are in the midst of a "soft opening" and are offering cheap rates ($25.00) admission on an advance purchase. No word yet on drink prices.

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

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

tkmg23

Thanks, volcanogirl! We are thinking of staying at Erupciones Inn and they are very close to Baldi, but I too had heard mixed reviews about it.

beloit96

Another vote for Eco Termales. No music, soft lighting, very natural surroundings, and reasonable prices on food/drink.

I haven't been to Baldi or Tabacon so I can't offer comparison, but ET is wonderful. Definitely get the chicken. Book in advance if you can--we had to wait 2 days for an opening for our group of 6. We had one of the friendly staff people at a tour company office call them for us to make a reservation (we didn't go with a tour though - they were just super friendly and called for us).

traveler708

Eco Termales is nice. I have not been to the other springs for comparison though. There were several people (2 families) on the tour that I went on that went to Baldi and were disappointed, saying it was overcrowded, loud, and not at all relaxing.

No volcano view at Eco Termales though, which I have heard is one of the strong positives for Tabacon.

volcanogirl

When we went to Tabacon, the volcano was socked in by fog. Honestly I wouldn't have even known it was there. I asked my husband what he thought of Tabacon, and he said that if he were going on a guy's trip in his 20s that that would have been his pick for the louder atmosphere, music, etc. but now that he's an old married guy in his 30s he's an ET kind of guy. Tabacon is supposed to have a great spa though.

SiteC_er

We really enjoyed Eco Thermales (ET). Not only did we enjoy our meal but nearly had the place to ourselves (though I've read on hear that's not usually the case). Baldi is right across the street and the night we went to ET the parking lot at Baldi was full of tour buses and vans. We thought we had either really missed out on something or go lucky in our pick. Based on our experience and everything we're read (mainly on this forum), we made the right pick. Enjoy!

flapenny

Another vote for Eco Termales. It just seems more personalized and friendly; the food is great!

volcanogirl

I thought Eco T was romantic - the rocking chairs, beautiful flowers hanging down through the trellis, great dinner, nice service, quiet even though there were quite a few people there.

hipvirgochick

tkmg23 -- We really enjoyed Eco-Thermales as well. It's not that far from Baldi, so I wouldn't choose Baldi simply because it's a little closer to your hotel.

raderbarbarian

By my count, there are 8 votes so far for Ecotermales and 0 for Baldi and 0 for Tabacon. How things have changed over the past year or two! Someone needs to tell Conde Nast Traveler so that they can stop telling the world that Tabacon is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

(I've been to all three, and I also cast all my votes for Ecotermales - except for one vote, which I cast for Termales de Bosque.

looknsee

Can you get a reservation on line for Eco Thermales? We're going during the New Year's season. I'm afraid it might be full ..

beloit96

You can try Arenal.net -- click on "Tours" I think. I'm not sure, though, if this puts you into a tour group, or if you show up independently. There was also some question (on a post above) about whether the dinner they advertise is actually the dinner at the hot springs, or stopping somewhere outside the springs for dinner.

You might just email the folks at arenal.net to ask those questions. They probably have a customer service email address. They also have a phone number.

The Desafio folks gave us their direct phone number, too. If I can find that, I'll post it. But if you book any other tours through Desafio or Sunset, you could just ask them to make a reservation for you. They'd be happy to do it.

hipvirgochick

You can reserve through Arenal.net, or just ask your hotel to do it for you. The hotels are usually more than happy to do it for you unless they have an agreement with one of the others and try to push those.

volcanogirl

I think I'd just ask your hotel to book it for you; we found ours very helpful with anything we wanted to book.

maureencol

We booked through Arenal.net and had no problem. We just selected the date and time and if we wanted dinner. You pay for it and they give you a code. When you get to the gate, you just tell them the code on the intercom and the gate opens. It is not a tour, you provide your own transportation..it's just the hotsprings and if you want dinner.

Dana_M

We actually enjoyed Baldi. We went there because we could not get into EcoTermales. Baldi is quite large, and about 90% of it is, IMO quite annoying. Loud music, crowded, and as Pat H. mentioned in another thread, very "disco." But, the other 10% is quiet and peaceful. We spent 99% of our time in that back 10% of the property, and we had a wonderful time. To get to this section you actually have to walk past where most people think the springs end. The large paths disappear into what looks like a garden. You walk a bit further and it opens up to another set of springs/pools. These are the hottest pools, so if you are looking for cooler temperatures and peace and quiet, you will not like Baldi. But, if you go to the back of the property, it really is quite nice. I don't think most people know what's back there.

bawlmerhon

EcoTermales is wonderful and the dinner was magnificent. The last time I was there you drank on the honor system and paid as you left. You can RSVP in advance.

Tabacon is way expensive, but their Spa services are to die for. On our honeymoon my husband and I did the volcano mud wrap and then shared a private spring to rinse off. Their reflexology is enough to make your whole body melt. Don't do the Japanese thing (can't remember what it is called), she about killed me. Also, there is a small overhang with a waterfall that when you sit under it it feels like a thousand hot fingers massaging your shoulders and back. You can RSVP via e-mail in advance for here, too.

Have a wonderful trip.

tkmg23

Thanks to everyone! I think Eco Termales is the overwelming winner here. We will definitely check it out.