The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal — Hotel in Monterrey

We recently spent two days at the Springs utilizing day passes. We couldn't quite afford to actually stay at the hotel but the day passes really did the trick! If we could justify spending that much money for a room we would stay here in a second! The place is absolutely beautiful, service top notch, food great, and the views.... I should say we normally stay at Hyatt, Marriott and other standard hotel brands. We like full service hotels but do not usually stay at Four Seasons, etc.... So to us this place was over the top! ||The property is remote, 15 minutes outside of town, but tucked away in an amazingly beautiful spot (and I am not one who normally appreciates natural beauty). You enter through a guard gate and they were pretty good at checking our credentials to get in. One slight slip was we pulled up to the valet, not considering that self parking was even an option, and the valet took several minutes to get out there to help us (there were none when we arrived around 10am on a Saturday) and basically used words and/or facial expressions to indicate we should self park. We normally valet at hotels so this was odd but one of the only slipups and was minor. We took his suggestion and self parked which was maybe 100 feet away so not a big deal... although later it was POURING RAIN when I had to go get the car. Anyway, went inside, checked in, got our wristbands, were given a map and off we went!||First stop, after the well appointed locker area, was the main swimup bar/restaurant. We had a couple drinks, swam in the pool, and before we knew it was lunch time. The nice thing is at this bar they had menus from multiple restaurants on property so the variety was much more extensive than a normal bar menu. We ordered a variety of Costa Rican and Mexican foods and all was good. The bartenders were excellent btw! I'd say our favorite was Anthony. My wife would have been happy if he had asked our college age daughter out, right there on the spot, as he was a cute kid. Props to Anthony for smiling a lot and being very efficient with everything we asked both days! ||After all that we headed onto the bus (an old rickity school bus) for the 5 minute ride downhill (way down) to the river. That is where another bar is, natural hot springs, horses, rock climbing and the river rafting. We did the river rafting. For day pass users we had to pay $50 or so and it was well worth it. The guys on there were super-helpful and friendly in getting us down the river. Everybody enjoyed it! It's not difficult rafting but I wouldn't put my 80 year old mother in law out there. After that I sat on the river's edge for a while, sipping a beer, and chillin'. A GREAT atmosphere to just relax. There were not a lot of people. The rainy season probably has less people than other times of the year I assume.||We got back into the pool, at our favorite swimup bar, for dinner. Another great meal from a variety of restaurants. Service was as attentive as it ever is in CR! It started to rain so we decided to call it a night.||The next day we got there at a similar time (10:00ish) and headed toward the locker room. As we did we passed the spa. As I knew my wife and daughter were heading to ride the horses I opted for a massage. They only had time for one hour but were able to get me in right away which was nice. The price was typical for a nice resort. I don't remember exactly but maybe $150-200!? The massage was excellent and the spa was very nice. I actually enjoyed hanging out in the chairs, near the spa check-in, just overlooking the volcano. I sat there for a half hour just waiting for the family to get back and it was truly a relaxing time.||We went back down to our swim up bar for our last meal and to say goodbye to Anthony. Another great meal! They do charge for refills of iced tea so be prepared for that.||After that we headed back to San Jose... in pouring rain! If you don't like driving and/or aren't a great driver I would strongly consider having someone else drive. You really have to pay attention to the roads as they are narrow and the rain was as hard as I ever seen it in my life! POURING!||In conclusion we would all go back to the Springs! Overnight if we're feeling crazy but even the day passes were really...

The view of the mountain is spectacular, and looking out into the jungle, you realize the magnitude of the resort, the weight of 5 stars

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...

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...