Tabacón Hot Springs

Save
  • 10:00 - 22:00

Let us know if these details are incorrect

Lonely Planet review

If Spielberg needed a set for the Garden of Eden sequence in Genesis, Tabacón Hot Springs is what it would look like. Enter through the opulent ticket counter, flanked by an outrageous buffet and glittering gift shop. Then, rare orchids and more florid tropical blooms part to reveal a 40°C waterfall pouring over a 'cliff', concealing 'caves' complete with camouflaged cup holders.

The spa is actually on the site where a volcanic eruption ripped through in 1975, killing one local (there weren't any tourists here in those days), and several times a year the resort is evacuated whenever Arenal has a bit of indigestion and decides to belch some poisonous gas (and we haven't even told you about the threat of avalanches).