The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal

From the second we arrived, I was mesmerized and I am not easily impressed! We have been to many upscale resorts but this one blew them out of the water! It is truly a unique property. It is a 4.5hr drive from Liberia airport. We hired a driver from ILT Costa Rica which made it a seamless journey. The hotel is located right in the middle of the rain forest. While at the pool above the hot springs, we saw several monkeys up in the trees which was a very cool experience. One thing we loved about the property was the ability to do multiple tours & activities on the property at Club Rio. The hotel has a quick bus shuttle to club rio down at the river & the activities desk makes it extremely convenient to book an activity at a minutes notice. The top activity I would recommend is the night rainforest walk. It is a once in a lifetime experience walking through the rainforest in the dark(with flashlights)hearing all the creatures. The expert guides will show you snakes, poison dart frogs, etc that you would never spot on your own. The major draw of this hotel are the hot springs. They are very private & you will never have to share them as there are over 20 of them. We were here 5 nights & each day that we spent here was more exciting than the last. We are already talking about coming back next year.

We were impressed by the photos online, but nothing compared to the magic of being there. We visited for our anniversary, and the staff made us feel truly celebrated, congratulating us everywhere we went. Our room was spacious and beautiful, with a bathroom that felt like a private retreat. The serene hot springs, breathtaking views, and delicious meals made our stay unforgettable. We visited the spa twice, once indoors and once outdoors surrounded by the trees, and it was an unforgettable experience. We will definitely be back.

This place was amazing! The best part by far was the workers! They were so accommodating and we loved getting to know them. Our favorite bartender was Antonio he was the life of the party and even taught our friend how to make drinks! There were multiple other amazing workers like Esteban who was the best tour guide, Rachel the best money slide operator, Anthony who was also an amazing bartender, Tony the Tiger who helped us look for sloths, Byron who took us around in the golf cart, Joe who made sure we got our rain jacket back after we lost it, and both Gustavo’s! The resort was also very gorgeous and had lots to do even when the weather wasn’t the best. Our room was very spacious and clean. The food was also amazing we ate at basically every restaurant at the resort and loved every single meal! Once again this trip wouldn’t have been as amazing as it was without the amazing workers though they definitely completed the experience and we were so sad to leave them.

Our stay here was absolutely wonderful! We stayed for 4 nights and didn’t get to see the full volcano at all, but the atmosphere and overall views made up for it! The activities are so fun, we tried tubing, horseback riding, wildlife walks, and the animal tour. The food is amazing, all of the restaurants have great options, I definitely recommend making earlier reservations as you will likely have a better view at dinner. The workers are all very friendly and go out of their way to help you and ensure you are having a good trip. Antonio and Rachel helped us celebrate our last night and made the trip so much more memorable! This is a great destination for both friends and family!

If you have kids and are considering staying here or anywhere else, choose the Springs! We were a family of 4 with 9yr old twin boys. We had the most magical start to 2026 at the Springs! The drive to get here from Manuel Antonio was BRUTAL! Kids were car sick (be prepared with barf bags, thankfully we were!). But man is this place worth it! Every single person who works here and we interacted with was amazing. They genuinely engaged with our kids and were helpful in every way. This place is a mecca for kids... pool slide, play room with all the video games, darts, ping pong, pool, mini golf... our kids had a blast. To the reviewer below who said there is nothing to do at night..... I am confused because there are alllll of these things! Our kids would hang in the kids club or play darts while my husband and I had a drink at the Ginger Sushi bar. Also I wholeheartedly disagree with anyone who complains about the food here. We enjoyed every bite we ate from fresh omlettes at breakfast, to the pool area, to dinner at Las Ventanas. I personally ordered the pulled pork empanadas from the Tree Tops Grill menu every single day at the pool. The kids loved the smoky bean dip and guacamole with the fried green plantain chips! The ahi tuna at Tres Cascadas was probably the best meal I ate during our entire stay in Costa Rica, and I wasn't expecting that from the casual dining option. Las Ventanas was also special. There were little geckos who were playing just on the other side of the window we were seated at, which kept our kids entertained. Our kids loved the pasta offerings here and my husband and I split a waygu steak.... soooo good! We also enjoyed a day at Club Rio. We loved the river tubing and the wildlife sanctuary where the kids could feed the spider monkeys (there was also a baby spider monkey that was adorable!!). We soaked in the hot springs there and enjoyed a drink. Our room was a grand double queen, so basically three queen beds with the couch pull out. It was super spacious and had an amazing view of the volcano (when it wasn't cloudy... we saw it fully one early morning). The bathroom was also quite luxurious. There is also free laundry which was handy to dry our clothes the night before check out. It was so hard to leave this amazing property! We enjoyed every hot spring and amenity (except the spa... we just didn't want to leave the hot springs or pool bar). Special shout out to Jason at the pool bar.... he made the best perfect margarita every day and knew our order by the 2nd day!