The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal

This must be one of the best places to stay near the Arenal Volcano. Immaculately maintained property. Excellent staff. Food is way above average. The bars are excellent too. Lots to do for families. One of the most distinguishing features includes the variety of hot springs and pools to explore. There’s no other place quite like it. I would return with my family or just as a couple. One of the managers, named Roosevelt, is by far one of the most professional and competent hospitality managers I’ve ever worked with. He knows everything that’s going on and is incredibly accommodating. Randall is an excellent waiter and very detailed and knowledgeable. All of the staff, including the grounds crew, activities people, bartenders, and cleaning staff are bilingual and kind.

We had a great experience with the sunrise horseback ride that we took last at the Springs Resort. My wife, 9 year old granddaughter and I went. None of us had any experience on horseback. Oscar was our guide. He did a GREAT job making the experience fun and memorable. He was funny, knowledgeable and was tremendous at putting us at ease. He took our photos at various parts of the ride (with the volcano in the background) and even had my granddaughter and I galloping toward the end! We all loved it. For me it was the high point of our trip!

Did a day trip here for my birthday and it was fantastic. The property and all the springs are immaculate. Great customer service and decent food. Drinks were good but expensive. Was a perfect way to spend a Saturday! It's worth the hike to get to the springs behind the falls on the river. Beautiful hike!

Using the resort’s day pass + an additional free day, I was able to explore the 27 pools and even complete the tubing excursion. This resort is completely magical (specially at night). I was blessed to be here during night fall under the rain and warm spring water, completely made my experience worth every second. Will definitely return. The staff members were friendly and polite. They provided towels and soap within their locker. Throughout their ‘expensive’ restaurants you can have great meals and free drinking water.

We visited the spring resort in December 2024 as part of a girls getaway/birthday trip. We have been dreaming about it ever since!. |If you would like to be at a five star stunningly, beautiful resort, surrounded by the most gorgeous nature with a view of a volcano and sloths hanging in the trees, this is your place. |First off, the staff is unbelievably friendly and helpful. There is always someone close by to answer your questions, help you get to where you’re going and just offer the beautiful vibe of Pura Vida! The springs are absolutely gorgeous. We spent lots of time enjoying the springs, and as many of the activities as we could get in! The horseback riding and ATV trip are our absolute favorites! If you get a chance to ride the horses at sun up, do it. It was the most beautiful experience. The food, all amazing and delicious! This beautiful place lacks absolutely nothing. Byron, Orlando, Alexandria, Tristan, Carla and Jeffery… these unbelievable people made our trip what can only be now described as “The Trip”. We are already planning our return for 2026!

It was a 5-star experience. I have been to Costa Rica over 50 times but never visited the La Fortuna area. The Springs Resort has it all and the facilities and staff are top notch. We dined at every restaurant and the food and service were amazing. To be located in the rainforest with a view of the Arenal volcano is a must for your bucket list. The regular rooms were huge with spectacular balconies and views. Our friends had villas and that would be my choice next time.

We have never been to a remote location and glad we tried it as it was very nice!|The Springs Resort and Spa is a luxurious escape that was captivating, stunning views of the Volcano and lush surroundings. Staff super friendly and the craftsmanship of the buildings, pools, springs etc as designed by Lee Banks the owner is out of this world. Would love to meet him on our next trip and see how he came up with all the intricate details||Special thanks to Bismarck Hernandez for her assistance.

The Springs Resort. Staying at any of the resorts seems expensive, easily starting at 600$ a night. If you have a family and you don’t want to move, its luxury is probably worth the price. But the cost of admission via the day pass was only 105$ +tax. And because it was off season, the day pass worked for 48 hours, with unlimited re-entry. |We’re not dirt cheap, but we are financially savvy. We eat before coming in, since the food onsite is good but expensive. We bring snacks, meaning we can graze the menu instead of needing to satisfy a hunger. (If you want recommendations, I enjoyed the red snapper sashimi, the seaweed salad, the burgers, and the tico tacos. I also really enjoyed the key lime pie.) I don’t drink, but the fresh fruit juices were worth it. Also, if you tip a waiter, you can ask them to cut up fruit you bring in from the stands.||[There’s nothing to replace the experience of local produce, but you should pay local price at the fruit and veggie stands. Cold coconuts. Mangoes in season. I love guanabana, and papaya. Pineapple is sweeter and juicier than you’ve ever experienced.]||There are many additional offerings at The Springs. The tubing, the rock-climbing wall, horseback riding, big cat feeding, just to name a few. We pay 20$ to tour the wildlife sanctuary, seeing a diverse assortment of rescued jungle animals. It was raining, as rain forests do. It meant we were alone with our guide in the encampment. The animals were mostly under shelter from the aforementioned rain, but occasionally with good curious energy, the animals did want to gambol. A naughty spider monkey reaches its prehensile tail through the chain fence to try to grab my umbrella. The toucans show off their ariel skills, then peer at us, one bright eye, orbiting the profile of a beak painted by God’s brush stroke. The puma, gets the zoomies and comes to scratch itself on the chain link fence. I’m so tempted to touch its fur and give a good scratch. I think I should have.||We might have tried more activities but we were saving our pennies for the spa and massage treatment.||Both days, because I sprang for two, I was in Diana’s hands, and she undid days of hard walking -in hours. I felt each of my toes caressed, long stretches of muscles, pools of blood moved through my body. The second was better as she knew my pain points and gave them enough love that my body actually responded by unwinding. I tipped heavily, and enjoyed the spa amenities with gusto. The tea was sweet, delicious ginger. The sauna was hot if spartan. The shower was enormous, and the views incredible. ||On our second day we take the bus shuttle that leaves [fairly promptly] at each :15 and :45 of the hour to the lower deck. We are in resort mode, so we take casual strolls around the hot springs. [Look if you’re not a hot spring person, perhaps this isn’t your place. But the water is rejuvenating every time you take a dip, which makes it for us, endlessly entertaining.]||The secrets are in some ways mundane. The iguana we see has blue specks down it’s leathery green skin. At the activity center, the hot thermal water combines with the cold river, to make this dual sensation that is delightful to embrace. We don’t make the waterfall, but there are lots of waterfalls.||All in all, this place was magic. Our total? Three massages, two meals, couple extras, plus the ~125 day pass? ~$610. And I tipped out maybe $120, because yeah. Prosperity.||A luxury but worth it entirely. Might be hard to stay in economy after this one.||Probably would take my parents next time.