Nestled seamlessly into the cloud forest, it’s immediately obvious that The Springs Resort and Spa at Mount Arenal has figured something out (www.thespringscostarica.com). We couldn’t help but appreciate the amazing bit of architectural trickery in the expansive lobby that made us feel simultaneously inside and outside. Luckily, one of the adults had the presence of mind to divert to the check-in desk after being greeted by the friendly staff. The rest of us were too mesmerized by the beautiful mountain view. We beelined to the back of the lobby to gawk at the incredible Arenal volcano. Quiet but still active, the gorgeous mount Arenal was our unwavering companion during our amazing 3 nights at The Springs.
After an amazing golf cart tour of the grounds featuring an overview of the amenities we were dropped off at our suite. (Take this tour! It might not seem necessary, but the grounds are so expansive that it's worth it.) The Springs has multiple large buildings and private villas. Our building (The Aracari) was across an elevated, covered walkway from the lobby. Cutting through the trees and wide enough for two carts to pass, this walk became another way we felt the Springs brought the jungle to our doorstep. Sloths, quadai, dauntless leaf cutter ants and a wide variety of colorful birds never failed to show up. And this was just on our way back and forth. Definitely take your time on this bridge to scout out the more reclusive jungle dwellers. Our visit to Costa Ricca was during the dry season so expect more rainy days and deeper greens if you plan a trip the other half of the year.
Our suite featured two queen beds and a pullout with a massive bathroom and more than enough room to spread out for 5. We loved the innovative pull out caster platforms under the end of the beds for suitcases! The room opened to a porch designed, I think, for an artist relaxing with a Costa Rican coffee, leisurely painting the immaculate grounds and volcano but simply not doing it justice. We were overwhelmed by the floor to ceiling windows. It was one of those spaces that seemed a shame to leave.
But leave we did. We were anxious to get wet and warm in the numerous natural springs all over the property. The adults found our way to Perdido Springs just adjacent to the pool deck. The hot springs are fueled by the endless geothermal energy below your feet in Costa Rica and the Springs has harnessed them in a series of descending pools through the jungle. Jumping from top to bottom means moving from hottest to coolest. At the bottom is a short water slide (The Monkey Slide) which some of the adults thoroughly enjoyed before the kids even found out about it.
The kids made themselves busy in the game room before we met up for dinner. Dinner was on the property at the Japanese restaurant. It is certainly possible to go into La Fortuna for meals but we found that the generally reasonable resort prices, great food and availability of tables (recommend making reservations earlier in the day to be sure) made the trip and cost of transport seem unnecessary. The menu was extensive and offered reasonable choices for all comers.
Day 2 was all about Club Rio. It proved not so much a club but a self contained zoo and adventure park on property. Reservations at Club Rio can be made for rafting, the massive rock climbing wall, a nature tour through their conservatory, horseback riding, ATV tours and (of course) lunch. We started with an amazing set of tube rides down the river. It was very approachable for all levels. We made it more challenging as usual by Dad stalking his children and attempting to upend them. This got the attention of the guides and ultimately the kids recruited them for a revenge assault. We dried off, had a leisurely lunch at the open air restaurant next to the river (again, a location not to be underappreciated in its casual beauty). We finished our day at Club Rio with a tour through the nature conservatory. Here, we saw rescued and rehabilitated Costa Riccan native fauna. Howler monkeys (both rehabbed and in the wild above our heads), puma, sloths and crocodiles regarded us and our guide gave us their individual stories of injury and improvement.
After cleaning up, we enjoyed nighttime relaxation with dinner (at Treetops, a casual spot with a wide variety), darts and drinks. We closed out the evening with a great night watching Mount Arenal disappear into the starry darkness from loungers around a fire.
We spent Day 3 in the trees. First, a word about breakfast. Our planning for most of our active days usually involves a big breakfast so lunch can be light and on the go. The Spring’s buffet (at Tres Cascadas) was up to the challenge everyday. We enjoyed delicious local juice mixes and fruits in addition to the massive selection of breads, proteins every morning. All of this with open air views of Mount Arenal dressed in mist. It was an amazing way to set off on our adventures in the cloud forest. Maquique Adventures picked us up right at the lobby at no extra charge- promising a day of rappelling and ziplining through the jungle (www.maquiqueadventure.com). Since this is one of the main reasons people travel to the cloud forest, there’s plenty of competition for these tours. The guides at Maquique delivered on every aspect of the day with some really pleasant surprises along the way. After a bumpy ride to their mountaintop base we set off into the jungle to find the first of 6 repelling sites. We’ve done a number of repelling tours and usually find the extra money for a private tour keeps the group small and more enjoyable. At Maquique we chose their non private option and the group was a medium sized one. This did slow us down a bit rappelling the 3 waterfalls and the 2 ziplines but the views and extreme efficiency of the guides made it not matter much. Our guides did a great job with safety first but also provided some jungle facts, pointed out interesting features and kept the group confident especially at the final 60 meter open air drop into the final canyon. The tour ended with some competitive, side by side ziplining directly back to their base (spoiler: kids won for speed, parents for style). Our late lunch stop, El Fogon de Chela, is a gem. It’s part restaurant, garden, souvenir shop and cooking school under a broad corrugated roof. Its authentic Costa Riccan menu and proud staff capped an active morning and early afternoon perfectly. Their chicken, rice, beans and plantains totally hit the spot!
Our stay at Springs concluded early the next day and we reluctantly made our way back to San Jose. We felt The Springs had perfected its layout on the side of the mountain. We loved its combination of exquisite decor, vertical playgrounds of cascading pools, springs, bars and private corner vistas. The facilities never felt crowded or overutilized (we frequently had hot springs all to ourselves) and the staff was universally welcoming. We are already conspiring our return.
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