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Hot Springs and Things

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Welp. This is our last weekend in Costa Rica. Dwight thought it would be a great idea to spend it basking in the hot springs heated by the Arenal volcano. One way to do that is to stay at The Springs Resort & Spa, a five-star luxury resort.

As soon as we saw this place, I knew I wanted to go, but it is a five-star luxury resort, and I like to ball out on a budget. I typically, don’t spend more than $100 or so per night on a hotel. Anything else, seems excessive.

But Dwight thought otherwise.

He said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He said we might as well do it because we’re here. He said we could just split it.

I slept on the idea, thought about it the next day, and agreed. I used Booking to find a reasonable room and rate.

The drive to Arenal was uneventful. Unlike the Puerto Viejo trip, our route was primarily on flat land. All roads were clear, and it drizzled a little bit. Waze’s estimated arrival of 3.5 hours was accurate.

I knew when the guard checked my name off the list and took a photo of our car that this was about to be something grand. My suspicions were confirmed when we arrived and the welcoming attendant opened my car door and took our luggage out. Next, he asked us if we wanted some mango or passionfruit juice spiked with a little rum and then walked us to the front desk to be checked in.

Yeah. This place was nothing like I’d ever seen before.

After checking in, another attendant explained all of the things about all of the things: where our room was located, what time the pools and springs opened/closed, where to eat, what excursions we could do, etc. Then, he packed up the golf cart and escorted us to our room, which had the most breathtaking view of the Arenal volcano.

Friday night, we hung out at the swim-up bar, drinking and eating and relaxed in one of the twelve (yes, 12) pools. Later that night, I swung in our patio’s hammock and read Cicely Tyson’s As I Am.

Saturday, after breakfast, we walked around the resort a bit and then sweated it out in three of the seven springs. My favorite spring was 104 degrees, Dwight, not so much.

My goal was to hang out in the water most of the day, so after soaking up the minerals, we ventured back to the pool area and sat together in a round lounge chair. I was so comfortable I almost fell asleep.

Saturday, we’d also opted to watch a puma feeding at the Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Wildlife Sanctuary is exactly what it sounds like, a conservation situation. The headliner puma is named “Guapo,” which means handsome in Spanish. The attendant had hyped up Guapo so much that I was expecting some sleek, beautiful, tan cat to be voraciously tearing up meat during feeding time. It sounded like another once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Y’all, Guapo is fourteen years old. When our small group arrived, he slowly raised himself up and limped over to the side of the gate where the zookeeper pushed parts of a chicken that seemingly came from the local grocery store directly into Guapo’s mouth.

“I didn’t realize Guapo was gone have a cane,” Dwight whispered.

<sigh> The remainder of the hour-and-a-half tour is a blur because I checked out. I couldn’t tell you about the other animals if you paid me. If you’re able to visit this resort, pass on the cat feeding.

That night, we had The Springs’ version of fine dining. D and I have eaten at several high-end restaurants, so we are probably a tough crowd. Overall, we agree Las Ventanas wasn’t “fine” at all. My grilled tuna, coconut rice, and plantains were average and so was Dwight’s penne pasta. Plus, we found out the menu was the same one offered at the swim-up pool bar.

Afterwards…you guessed it, we went back and floated around in one of the pools.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed myself at The Springs Resort & Spa. It combined my love of water with a relaxing, adult-like atmosphere, and to be honest, I was sad to leave.

If you’re ever in Costa Rica and can only do one thing, stay at The Springs Resort & Spa. You won’t regret it.

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