About this hotel
General information
The Springs Resort & Spa spreads across 67 hectares of mountain ridge some 300 m above the Arenal valley, 6 km north of Arenal Volcano. The height gives it an unusually open outlook: the volcano's cone straight ahead, the forested Arenal River valley below and, after dark, the lights of small towns on the far slopes. The ridge also catches the area's cooling breezes, so the heat feels gentler here than on the valley floor.
The resort is built around its own hot mineral springs. Tiers of pools and waterfalls step down from the main building into a forest canyon, and further down, on the riverbank, the Club Rio adventure centre has natural springs set right in the rainforest. Add five restaurants, several bars and a large spa. Rooms, suites and villas suit couples and big families alike, from rooms with a terrace jacuzzi to villas with their own pool for 14 to 18 guests.
Location
The resort sits on a ridge above the Arenal valley in the San Carlos canton, 9 km west and 4 km north of the centre of La Fortuna, around 20 minutes by car, at an altitude of 473 m. A resort shuttle runs between the main building and Club Rio on the riverbank.
Spa
The Sanctuary Spa fills an entire floor of the main building, some 1,300 m². The menu covers massages, facials, body wraps, manicures and pedicures, using tropical botanicals from Costa Rica and volcanic clay taken from the resort's own grounds. Las Hojas Spa Bungalow, a separate pavilion, stands in the river canyon among hot springs and creeks. The fitness centre has a cardio room looking out to the volcano and the valley.
Sports & leisure
The centrepiece is Club Rio, an adventure centre on a mile-long stretch of the Arenal River directly below the resort. It offers:
- river tubing and inflatable kayaking on Class I–II rapids
- horse riding on forest trails, with a river crossing and a ride through meadows facing the volcano
- a 15 m climbing and rappelling wall with several routes
- guided nature walks, night walks and birdwatching
- trails to secluded hot springs on the riverbank
Up at the resort there is a nine-hole tropical mini golf course, open into the evening, the Monkey Slide water flume at Perdido Springs, and a billiards lounge with darts, chess and checkers. Off-site excursions on the resort's list for the Arenal area include waterfall canyoning, a zip line, ATV rides, a quiet raft float on the Peñas Blancas River and a swim at La Fortuna Waterfall.
For children
The main building has a children's game room with table tennis, air hockey, table football, PlayStation, Xbox and Wii consoles, board games, dolls and fresh popcorn. It is not a babysitting service, so parents of younger children stay close by on the same level as Ginger Sushi.
Restaurants & bars
There are five restaurants and several bars, some of them right by the pools and springs. Cooking draws on produce from neighbouring farms and seafood from both of the country's coasts.
- Las Ventanas — fine dining, dinner only and by reservation; fusion cooking with Costa Rican produce and sommelier wine pairings
- Tres Cascadas — all-day café-style restaurant: Latin breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner on a terrace facing the volcano
- Ginger Sushi — Japanese classics reworked with tropical flavours and spices
- Treetops Grill — poolside lunch grill on a cliff above the tree canopy: burgers, quesadillas, tacos and the traditional casado
- Rancho Club Rio Restaurant & Bar — riverside lunches at Club Rio: ceviche, seafood rice and other Costa Rican dishes
- Heliconias Bar — fourth-floor bar in the main building for cocktails before dinner
- La Laguna Bar — swim-up bar in the largest pool, with a view of the volcano
- Los Perdidos and Los Palos — a palm-thatched bar among the waterfalls of Perdido Springs and a larger bar overlooking the volcano and the Piscina Celeste pool
- The Ranchito Bar — a setting above the pools for private events and romantic dinners
Swimming
Hot mineral water is pumped 130 m up from springs by the river; the pools are drained, cleaned and refilled every night, and fresh water flows in through the day at temperatures from 28 to 40 °C. The pools fall into three areas:
- Las Lagunas at the foot of the main building — 12 pools with cascading waterfalls across almost a hectare of terraces: eight fed by the springs, four chlorinated and heated; La Laguna Bar is here
- Perdido Springs — seven spring-fed pools in a forest canyon 100 m from Las Lagunas, with bars and the Monkey Slide water flume
- Club Rio Springs — natural hot pools along the river in the rainforest, among them the blue Ojo del Agua spring, where bubbles rise straight from the bed
Rooms
Rooms, suites, bungalows and villas are spread across several buildings and gardens on the slope, each with its own terrace or balcony facing Arenal Volcano. Stays are room-only and include unlimited use of all the hot springs and pools.
A terrace or balcony with hammocks and rocking chairs, central air conditioning, a marble bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and several shower heads, a smart TV with Apple TV and streaming, surround sound, Wi-Fi, a telephone, a safe, a minibar fridge and a coffee maker.
Vista Guest Room
A first-floor room with a volcano view from the king-size bed and a marble bathroom with a jacuzzi; the large balcony has two hammocks and rocking chairs. Up to 4 guests with two extra beds.
Alta Vista Guest Room
A second-floor room with a vaulted ceiling of almost 5 m and a wider view over the valley and volcano; king-size bed, jacuzzi bath and a balcony with hammocks. Stair access only, up to 4 guests.
Vista Grande Guest Room
A generous room in the Aracari building with ceilings over 3.5 m: king-size bed, single day bed and sofa bed, jacuzzi bath and a balcony with a hammock facing the volcano. Lift access, up to 6 guests.
Vista Grande Double Queen
A room with two queen-size beds and a sofa bed; the marble bathroom has twin basins, a freestanding bath, a separate shower and a private WC. The balcony has a sofa and a dining table for four; lift access, up to 6 guests.
Honeymoon Vista Guest Room
A first-floor room with a king-size bed and its own garden terrace with a jacuzzi filled with hot spring water. Jacuzzi bath indoors and a balcony with hammocks; up to 4 guests.
Honeymoon Vista Grande Guest Room
A larger first-floor room with a private jacuzzi on its garden terrace, a king-size bed, sofa bed and day bed. The volcano is in view from the bed; up to 6 guests.
Vista Plus Guest Room
A Vista room with an extra small bedroom with two single beds and its own bathroom, reached through the king-bedded main room. Up to 6 guests.
Two-Bedroom Junior Springs Suite (#317)
A third-floor suite with a wider volcano view: a king-bedded main bedroom with a jacuzzi bath and a twin-bedded second room with curved floor-to-ceiling windows over the slope. Both rooms open off a shared hallway; stair access only, up to 7 guests.
Two-Bedroom Junior Springs Suite (#320)
A third-floor suite with a king-bedded main room and a twin-bedded second room where a jacuzzi stands at the picture window facing the volcano. The second room is reached through the first; stair access only, up to 6 guests.
Family Suite
A two-level suite: a king-bedded room with a jacuzzi bath below and an open mezzanine above with another king-size bed, two sofa beds and its own bathroom. Stair access only, up to 8 guests.
Two-Bedroom Springs Suite
A top-floor suite in the Oropendola building: a main bedroom under a vaulted ceiling of almost 5 m with a king-size bed and sofa bed, and a second room with its own entrance, two single beds and a jacuzzi at the window facing the volcano. Stair access only, up to 7 guests.
Two-Bedroom Aracari Suite
A suite with ceilings over 3.5 m: a main bedroom with a king-size bed, day bed and sofa bed, and a second room with three single beds, its own bathroom, entrance and balcony. Lift access, up to 9 guests.
Penthouse Two-Bedroom Aracari Suite
A corner suite at the highest point of the resort, with a living and dining room looking east and south over the forest, the San Carlos valley and the volcano. King-bedded main room with a jacuzzi bath and a twin-bedded second room without a view; up to 8 guests.
Two-Bedroom Oropendola Suite
A townhouse-style suite over the third and fourth floors with an inner staircase: a king-bedded room with a jacuzzi bath below and a vaulted great room above with a king-size bed and sofa bed. Both levels have balconies with hammocks; up to 8 guests.
Three-Bedroom Springs Suite
A fourth-floor suite: a king-bedded main room with a jacuzzi, a second room with a queen and a single bed, and a third king-bedded room with its own entrance looking towards the pool waterfalls. Stair access only, up to 9 guests.
Three-Bedroom Premier Suite
Three bedrooms with their own bathrooms and a large living room with a bar counter; the vast balcony, with some of the best views at the resort, holds a multi-jet jacuzzi, a dining table for six and loungers. Up to 11 guests.
Palm Bungalow
A bungalow with an open bedroom and living space under 4.3 m ceilings, a bathroom with a window-side jacuzzi and both an indoor and a garden shower. The terrace has its own jacuzzi facing the garden and volcano, hammocks and a sundeck; up to 4 guests, with a golf cart for the stay.
Villa Guayaba
A villa with two king-bedded rooms, a vaulted great room, a full kitchen and a heated infinity-edge plunge pool with jets. It sits beside Perdido Springs and the Monkey Slide; up to 6 guests, with a golf cart for the stay.
Villa Calatea
A villa with a king and a queen bedroom on opposite sides of a living room with a kitchen bar, each with a jacuzzi bath. The terraces hold a heated infinity-edge plunge pool, hammocks, an outdoor shower and dining for six; up to 8 guests, with a golf cart for the stay.
Villa Escondida
A detached king-bedded master suite with a garden shower and a separate great-room pavilion with a kitchen, dining table and sofa beds. Between them lies a lagoon pool with a waterfall and an infinity-edge jacuzzi facing the volcano; up to 6 guests.
Falcon's Nest
A villa on the resort's highest point with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a living area with a kitchenette. The terrace has a large jacuzzi above the river valley and a covered dining area with hammocks; up to 14 guests, with a six-seat golf cart for the stay.
Villa Palacio
A private Mediterranean-style estate on a hilltop: five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a 15.5 × 7 m pool and a 12-person infinity-edge jacuzzi facing the volcano. There is also a fire pit, a nine-hole putting green, a basketball hoop, a bocce court, table tennis and an organic garden; up to 18 guests.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.