Ecotermales Fortuna — Attraction in La Fortuna

Date of visit: 6/5/24 Cost: $44 (springs) + $33 (buffet) per person Total guests and cost: 2, $154 My review as a restauranteur, and frequent traveller to Costa Rica.

The springs are great - the pools are tastefully decorated and constructed. There is lush, healthy foliage surrounding the pools, and there are several varying temperature pools to choose from, from 105F through 85F. There are many adjustable lounge chairs that are very comfortable. The locker room structure is safe and secure (locks provided), and there are bathrooms for changing, showering (but don’t rinse off the mineral water after!) etc. The reception staff are friendly, and thoughtful even going as far to make sure my arm hairs weren’t caught in my wristband when applying it. Towels and umbrellas are provided, and if you’re lucky you may see some animals/wildlife (birds and butterflies in my experience). This is unfortunately where the positives stop- now on to the buffet / lunch period.

The buffet is a standard setup featuring primarily Costa Rican inspired foods, and follows the standard buffet formula of protein area, grains/carbs, fruit/salad, bread station, desserts, etc. The hostess was amazing and sat us promptly, making sure we knew where everything was, and to reach out if we needed help. A chef / cook patrols the buffet, allegedly checking the stations for food safety and stock- emphasis on allegedly.

Unfortunately, their fruit section (specifically papaya) was very infested with little bugs- I couldn’t even count them, there were so many. To be clear, this is not the same thing as flies buzzing around open food as exists / is to be expected in the rainforest, the fruit was crawling with insects, right next to the pineapple and cantaloupe, and spreading throughout. How the entire staff missed this, as many people commented and shied away was incredible. Additionally, their “Costa Rican hot chocolate” (name forgotten) which is supposed to be thicker and creamier was thin, and was almost identical to Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix and hot water- if it was not water, it was very very Skim milk (why would any Tico do this?). Additionally, their coffee station was entirely neglected, and the coffee they had on hand was burnt and very stale- no one changed or checked on the coffee for over two hours while I was there, so a sip was all I could muster. There was no butter for the bread, or oil or vinegar despite being advertised (I don’t think Ticos eat plain bread?) which all things considered confirmed that their checks/staff are not familiar with running a food service establishment. Checks were completed without fresh instruments, and nothing was rotated (or removed, re: infested fruit) the entire 2 hours I was there. This restaurant would not pass a food inspection in the first world, and while I don’t know food safety laws or standards of CR, I cannot believe that the standards I witnessed would be acceptable, regardless of the price point. I have eaten at farm to table restaurants in Costa Rica that were infinitely cleaner than this establishment. Ultimately, for $66 I was sorely disappointed, but thankfully the vegetarian options (with lids, eg Vegan Thai Soup, despite lacking a description) were sufficient for my partner. Having done prior research and selecting this option based off of other reviews, I must have caught the restaurant on a bad day, or the other reviews are of suspicious origin. I was eager to leave that place hungry and get back to the springs which was well worth it and quite lovely. I will return here for the springs, but I will not again spring for the food (pun intended).

The bars here are well stocked and fairly priced compared to most of the resorts nearby/are comparable to local prices- these staff members were knowledgeable, friendly, and enjoyable to interact with.

3/5 Stars -1 for price point considering infestation and standards -1 for lack of food safety standards /...

After doing a ton of research on which hot springs to choose, we decided to go with the Ecotermales. And we LOVED it! We chose the late shift and it was really nice to have the daytime/sunset/nighttime in the pools. The place is magical! It feels pretty natural, the bottom of the pools is made of big smooth rocks and the last pool even has black sand on the bottom. Feels like a very warm ocean. The whole facility is in very good condition and feels luxurious. It's surrounded by a lot of plants and trees, we saw two jesus christ lizards, two small toucans and one of the biggest species of toucans they have in Costa Rica. We chose to go on monday instead of sunday so it was not crowded at all. Most times there were only 2-4 other people with us in the same large pool. Around 7pm all the people with the pink bracelet went to the buffet and a lot of them did not come back. So by 7 pm we have been maybe 10 people in all pools together. We loved the Cuba Libre and Virgin Cocktails.

Be CAREFUL though, they tell you to go into one of the cold pools every 15-20 minutes. And that you should really do. We felt dizzy a few times and after that went to the cold pools regularly. And it's important to know, that the highest pool ist the hottest (41 °) and as you go down they get colder little by little. But the first one is really hot and after a few hours being in the different pools, i couldn't go back to it and had to stay somewhere further down. Also I couldn't stay a whole day from morning til late. So if you do struggle a lot with being dizzy in the sauna or jacuzzi, and have never been to a hot spring, it's worth considering trying in cheaper hot springs (otherwise you could end up paying the more expensive ticket here and not being able...

We had a wonderfully relaxing evening trip here on a Sunday. The grounds are pristine and everything is well-maintained. There are different pools to choose from, all ranging in different temperatures. They start as low as 80° and go up to over 100°. One of the pools has black volcanic sand as the base and in some areas you can actually feel the heat coming up from under your feet. The pools are very clean with its constant water flow from the upper waterfalls to filter it. Enjoy some natural therapy by allowing the hot water to hit your neck, back, and shoulders. There are employees on hand to take your drink orders, but be prepared for very expensive drinks by Costa Rican standards. We did stop and enjoyed the buffet dinner at the restaurant that is set up nearby. There was a good variety of Costa Rican cuisine and the timing was good because it poured down rain while we were eating. After about an hour, we were able to return to the pools until about 9:30 PM. They limit the amount of people that are able to attend, and it is clearly more crowded during those early evening hours. By the time we got out of the waters there were only a few people left. This is a place worth visiting and we felt so rejuvenated after doing so many outdoor activities in Costa Rica up to that point. Thank you for a...