After a full day experience of the Arenal combo of Desafio, I was rather exhausted. But no rest for the wicked and once I returned to my hostel I had a shower and took only a moment to relax. For the evening I had a hot springs experience planned, for which La Fortuna is famous. Eco Termales Hot Springs was one of the first ones in the area. The resort was not super fancy and it lacked a direct view on the Arenal volcano, but still it sounded perfect for me.
With five different pools it was a rather small resort, but that also meant less people. I wanted a hot springs experience without the crowds. By far the most famous resort is Tabacon, with an amazing online presence on Instagram and Pinterest. But I was less inclined to spend a fortune and then share my experience with hundreds of other people. It was also sold out for the next couple of days.
on my way to the pools @Eco Termales
I had booked my experience with Eco Termales online, starting at 5pm. You can either make a reservation for the day or the evening. But of course with a full day of adventures, there was no time for an earlier arrival. I also included a dinner in my reservation and I can only advise you against it. The food was not worth the price at all. Rather stay at the bar and order some of their snacks. Also the dinner cuts your pool experience short. There is a time limit until when you can arrive and you need to book a time slot upon arrival at the resort. You need to be at dinner with clothes on and dry. I advise you to skip lunch or dinner at the resort, stick to the bar!
first impression of the pools @Eco Termales
So if you go to Eco Termales, just go for the hot springs experience. At 5pm the pool was still empty and there was enough light to make the most of the hot springs experience. The pools were in order of temperature. From right to left, cold to warm. Meaning the hottest pool is about 40 degrees and the coolest between 33-36 degrees Celsius. I found the coolest pool really refreshing after arriving while the hottest was definitely a bit much after a couple of minutes already. Waterfalls line the sides of the pools, but beware, some of them were really cold.
waterfall on the side of the pool @Eco Termales
the coolest pool @Eco Termales
Enjoying the the hot springs after a long day hiking around was really the perfect experience. I soaked my muscles for a very long time and, since I brought a book, didn’t get bored. The pools were really nice and not too many people crowded them on my evening there.
the hottest pool @Eco Termales
I loved hanging around the middle pool and a beer added to this fabulous experience.
enjoying the full experience @Eco Termales
The warm water made me sleepy and since I needed to be at dinner dry and in clothes (a dressing gown is included in the hot springs package) I left right after. Which was really too bad. So I can’t stress enough to skip dinner and rather order a snack at the bar. The hot springs are open until 9pm which you can thus enjoy to the fullest. Yours, Pollybert
the full experience with a crowd @Eco Termales
when it gets dark at the pool @Eco Termales
