During our long drive to the town of La Fortuna, we had to battle insanely slow roads as they curved through the mountains and around Lake Arenal. The drive seemed endless, and I battled motion sickness much of the ride.
Then as we approached the final six kilometers of our trip, we ran right in a traffic jam rivaling rush hour in any major US city. All the cars in front of us were completely stopped and we couldn’t see why. It was 5pm on a Thursday. Was this normal commuter traffic for La Fortuna??
As we slowly crept forward, crowds of people began walking across the road. Cars were haphazardly parked along every inch of the road’s the shoulder. And everyone seemed to be in swimsuits. That was odd.
We seemed to move forward a only few feet at a time over the next 40 minutes. Soon we could see signs indicating that we were passing the various hot spring resorts. Tabacon… Arenal Paraiso… Los Lagos… Royal Corin… Baldi…
I’d later learn that Holy Week (i.e., the week prior to Easter) is one of the busiest times of year for this little vacation spot. And we landed right in the midst of the pandemonium.
What are the hot springs?
If you’ve never heard of these Costa Rican hot springs, it might be because they are relatively young. The 1968 eruption of Arenal Volcano changed this region from farmland to a tourists’ haven.
The magma from the volcano formed natural hot springs in the waters near its base. It also warms the Tabacón River, and the locals turned this natural phenomenon into a major attraction for local and foreign visitors.
Luxury spas and resorts soon sprung up in the area, making the Arenal hot springs are one of the most popular attractions in the area. But with so many places to choose from, I was at a complete loss at which one we should try out during our visit.
Luckily, I stumbled onto a great blog post by My Tan Feet comparing the hot springs resorts in the area. They explained that some resorts are great for families, while others target couples or honeymooners. There’s also hot springs have more of a 20-something “party” vibe with music and swim up bars, and others that provide a more relaxed spa-like tranquility.
After reading their comprehensive blog write-up, we settled on visiting the hot springs at Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort.
Hotel Los Lagos
Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort topped our list because it has the reputation of being less crowded. Many visitors to La Fortuna assume that this hotel’s amenities are exclusively for their overnight guests and detour to other resorts. However, Los Lagos has a day pass option for $17 per person (or $31 if you want to add lunch or dinner in the restaurant to your visit).
The resort includes 11 different pools of various temperatures from 77 to over 107 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 42 degrees Celsius). Some of the bigger pools are really large and have waterslides. Meanwhile others pools are more secluded and feel like spas.
There are also a few sections with smaller hot and cool pools next to each other so you can move between the two variations as your body heat rises or falls. This is a good thing, especially if it’s a warm day.
One of my favorite aspects about the soaking pools was the amount of shade each one afforded. There’s no reason you need to risk getting sunburned on this excursion. You can just move to one of the canopies over that section of the pool.
The highlights of our hot springs visit
Although we loved everything about this hot springs experience, there were a few things that really stood out in our opinion.
Serenity. My initial fear that we’d be sitting in a throng of crowds was all for nothing. We waited until the week after Easter. But then, the resort had a relaxed, tranquil vibe. There were only a handful of people milling around the larger pools when we arrived, and Keith and I had no problem finding a smaller hot pool to relax in by ourselves. Overall, it was a sublime experience.
Lush landscaping. Something that really adds to the relaxing feel of this resort is how the various pools blend into the landscape. Each one is separated by tropical trees and plants that screen it from the nearby pools. The pathways between the areas meander and curve throughout he landscape, creating the appearance that you are discovering little hidden gems around each bend.
Water slides. We picked a resort with a little excitement for our 12 year old son too. Los Lagos has several water slides, and they are truly phenomenal. They are long enough that you cannot see the end, and they go much faster than you’d expect for a hotel pool. Our favorite one had a solid 20-30 second ride, taking you under a waterfall and through a tunnel before spilling you out into one of the cooler, refreshing pools.
Tropical drinks. Hotel Los Lagos also has a swim-up and walk-up bar, which prepared some great drinks to quench our thirst. Like many of the other extra details at this resort, they amp up the ambience and remind you that you are in the tropics. I ordered a piña colada that came inside a hollowed out pineapple. Talk about swanky! I nearly ordered a second one just to enjoy sitting there drinking out of a pineapple.
Animal reserve. After a few hours of soaking in the hot spring pools and enjoying the waterslides, we closed out our trip by taking a trip down to the resort’s animal reserve. This outdoor zoo boasts turtles, frogs, a crocodile, and other animals. Our hands-down favorite though was the butterfly house. This conservatory houses dozens of tropical butterflies and blooming flowers for them to land upon. There were giant butterflies and small ones fluttering everywhere. Every time we turned around, we’d catch mesmerizing blues or reds wings floating by. It was a real treat.
Final Thoughts
We’d absolutely recommend taking in the hot springs near La Fortuna. Despite my initial misgivings about the potential for insane crowds, we had a truly relaxing experience there. Los Lagos was definitely the right resort for what we were looking for.
And although I loved staying in our casita back in La Fortuna because of the ease in walking to everything, I’d even consider staying at the hotel here for a few days at the end of a trip. It was the perfect way to close out all the adventures we had earlier in the week.
Want know more about our Costa Rica adventures?
Check out my blogs on:
- Whitewater rafting & zip-lining in the rainforest
- Chocolate Fondue for the Soul – a visit to a cocoa plantation
- Hiking the Arenal 1968 Trail
