The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal

A beautiful hotel with lovely rooms, great facilities and friendly staff. The rooms are exceptionally spacious and nicely furnished. The bathroom with a jacuzzi bath is particularly large. We loved the view of the volcano from the balcony. There are a few restaurants on site, though we only ate in the main restaurant. Food was good, though not amazing. The facilities are amazing, which is good as the hotel is a few km from the town. We went in what we thought was the dry season (December) but this is the rain forest and it rained a lot! This didn’t spoil our stay as the hot springs are fun in the rain, but pack accordingly.

Five stars isn’t enough for The Springs Resort — this place is next-level amazing. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this isn’t just a resort, it’s a team of genuinely caring humans who actually love what they do (rare. refreshing. magical). Paula gave one of the best massages I’ve ever had — the kind where you forget your name, your responsibilities, and possibly your past life. Absolute wizard. Nano in equestrian was phenomenal: patient, knowledgeable, and made the entire experience feel special whether you’re a beginner or seasoned rider. Donald in dining took hospitality seriously — attentive, warm, and clearly proud of the food and experience (as he should be). Michkael at the pool bar deserves a medal — drinks were perfect, vibes were immaculate, and he somehow knew what we wanted before we did. And Daniel at Club Rio? Total pro. Fun, engaging, and elevated the entire evening. What truly sets The Springs apart is the people. Everyone cared — not in a forced, corporate way, but in a real, human, “we actually want you to have an incredible time” way. Relaxing, luxurious, and full of heart. We left refreshed, spoiled, and already plotting our return. If you’re on the fence — stop thinking and book it.

I traveled with my husband and two boys (13 & 16). We first went to the W on the coast for 4 days then Springs for 5 days. My honest review and we travel a lot all over the world staying at 5 star resorts/hotels. The drive was 4 hours, it was long! The roads were crazy but luckily we don't get car sick. The driver said most do. When we arrived it was gorgeous, Byron, who was excellent the whole trip (my younger son loved him) toured us around the property which was really nice. By the time we were done, they led us right to our room in the main building. We were on the fourth floor, so we had a great view and it was a big room for the four of us. The property is gorgeous, natural springs all over, just lovely! They are very organized here with check in and throughout. Our first lunch at Treetops was great, after that, they didn't try as hard or they got busy, but the same sandwich I got again was totally different, it's like they forgot to put anything on it, very bland. The worst part about this resort and something I have never experienced to this degree was the constant upselling they do. It is beyond obnoxious and very creepy. They do it all the time and it's just way too overboard and not a 5 star feeling. The breakfast buffet was not good at all. You can do a la carte or buffet which is basically the same price. It was just ok, the waffles and pancakes had no taste, super dry. Eggs to order were the best thing. The pastries were dry and seemed stale. It was surprising they actually put them out there for people to eat. The springs are really lovely, but a lot are man made, not natural, they are all warm to hot and really nice. The pool is also nice. We like to have a drink before dinner at the bar. I didn't like the wine they gave me the first night so I sent it back. (each glass is about $26!) I found one on the premium list that was much better and only $2 more. Their drinks are ridiculously expensive! The waiter suggested we get a bottle for dinner which made sense so we said yes. The sommlier brought over two bottles, one I asked for the other, over $100 more. He told us about both, making the more expensive one seem way better. I still chose the one I asked for because I know I liked it. He or the waiter, I forget, came back after we were drinking to tell us "if we could afford it, we should really buy the other bottle." Just because you can afford something, doesn't mean you want to waste your money. Too much and rude! All the good alcohol is usually an up charge. At the restaurants, they try to tell you to get more expensive foods. Tres Cascadas was just ok. Ventanas (the nicer restaurant) is pretty but even if you get a window seat for dinner, it doesn't make a difference because you can't see anything. The nice thing about these restaurants is you can order from any of them while you're at one. So my kids didn't like the Ventanas menu so ordered somewhere else. (although the waiter gave us a hard time about it at Ventanas). The food wasn't great here. My husband loved the jerk chicken, my pasta was eh and my kids ordered from Ginger Sushi. Kept trying to upsell us there too. Best restaurant is Ginger Sushi! We eat sushi a lot, and their sushi was exceptional, most of their dishes were great! Dessert was just ok at all the restaurants except for the cookie skillet, that was fabulous (but you can get that anywhere). We went to Jalapa's one night off property (only 5 minutes) it was great and worth it! Much less expensive and better food. Club Rio (is a bus ride) was not as they talk about it and you have to pay for most things there. My kids liked the tubing(extra charge), we did the safari walk to see the animals in cages (extra charge) our guide was great though and it was a fun walk. The restaurant there is awful. I think a Friday's is better. The staff is lovely, everyone is kind and super helpful, they are always ready to take you on a golf cart when you need to get around. Sorry so long but to sum it up, the property was gorgeous, the staff is wonderful and the rooms are nice. The restaurants aren't great and everything is an extra charge and expensive. The upselling was the worst part, it's really tacky. At night, there is nothing to do! I don't know where everyone is either. Restaurants aren't that busy (even though they say it's all booked) and then the bars are empty. No entertainment. There is one guy (2 different we saw) that sing for a couple of hours. They're good singers but not that exciting. Most of the resort is fairly quiet. You do hear the animals often. I did get.a great massage, the spa was nice. They have poker, basketball, pickle ball, and lots of other things for kids to play. Overall, we were mostly disappointed.

Das Zimmer war wunderschön und der Spa Beteich war genauso wie man sich diesen in einem 5-Sterne Hotel vorstellt. Die Mädels aus dem Spa super zuvorkommend und sehr freundlich!

Dieses Hotel ist einfach nur teuer! Das Überfallkommando bei der Ankunft, welches einen an die Rezeption schleppt und danach durch‘s ganze Hotel. Man wird mit Informationen besudelt, fürchterlich! Das Personal bedarf einer Schulung, wie man sich in einem 5 Sterne Hotel dem Gast gegenüber bewegt. Gerade beim Frühstück kam man sich vor wie in einer Imbissbude. Ein Glas Wein für 25 Dollar anzubieten, ist eine Frechheit. Und dann ist es noch nicht mal guter Wein. Nur weil man teuer ist und dem Gast das Geld aus den Taschen zieht, macht das kein 5 Sterne Hotel aus! Das war für uns das erste und das letzte Mal! Da kann sich das Hotel und sein Management mal von richtigen 5 Sterne Hotels etwas abgucken!!

Was absolutely blown away by the experience. Exceeded my expectations - which are not the lowest - in so many ways, possibly in every way. The rooms are absolutely brilliant. The pictures on the website UNDERSELL the rooms - hard. I took some photos of my own but they cannot seem to illustrate just how wonderful the room is: the wood paneling is a lot more beautiful in real life, and you have to be there in order to appreciate the view: direct view to volcano in every room. Bathroom feels absolutely lavish. There are more pools and springs than you can count. Overall great vibe. Not to mention the staff are the best, every single one of them. You can tell they were trained to high standards. This was probably among the best hotel experiences I've ever had. The only drawback is that the road to get there is hazardous. Very narrow. 20 min drive from La Fortuna. Be careful when driving.

I rate a 1 because of managements lack of caring about customer service. We purposely booked an Alta vista room so we could enjoy the patio and the volcano view. Every morning, while having our coffee outside, the room below us would have someone smoking which we could smell and impacted my wife’s athsma. Management told us they are not supposed to be smoking but basically said they cannot do anything about it since they don’t know what room it is and they might wake someone up trying to address it…they were awake because they were smoking. It was very obvious what room was smoking. Management didn’t try to offer anything to better the situation. The food is nothing special and way over priced. The resort is a bit remote with respect to town so it’s not real convenient to run into town and enjoy the many restaurants in town. The volcano view was spectacular.

Honestly I could have lived there was legit the best time I could have asked for! Top tier service mixed with good food and better atmosphere! Esteban was our go to helper! He knew all the animal noises and could point out all the birds reptiles and more! I can’t wait to come back!

What an amazing resort! We had such a lovely time with our family. Gigantic rooms facing the volcano. We were lucky that we got clear views of the peak from our balcony. We stayed at the Arracaria building. The thermal springs were incredibly relaxing. Dunno how they manage it but every single member of staff is amazing! My only regrets are that we didn’t stay here longer and that every other place in Costa Rica is going to be very ordinary afterwards. Def recommend.