Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa 

With 18 mineral-rich pools, wellness has never felt so warm

A famed rainforest eco-resort of bubbling hot springs at the foot of Arenal Volcano.

At this holistic haven a free bus shuttles you to the resort’s spectacular river of thermal springs, the largest in Costa Rica. An escape to this Garden of Eden is to soak in 18 natural hot pools with cascading waterfalls cut into tropical gardens. Honeymoon heaven. Back at base, wellness continues with a gleaming pool and open-air cabanas offering lemon grass wraps and sixth chakra Indian massages.

Why we love Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

  • Built in the late 90s, this iconic hotel is the original Arenal resort

  • Complimentary shuttle bus to Tabacón Hot Springs where you can bathe morning until night

  • Lots of extra activities including waterfall hikes, birdwatching tours and cooking classes

  • Recharge in one of the spa’s open-air treatment cabanas, surrounded by nature

5 stars
11 hours
In a wonderfully secluded spot at the foot of Arenal Volcano, just outside the northern boundary of the national park
Approx. 3 hours’ transfer from San Jose airport
Honeymoon, Wellness, Spa

Rooms

Facilities

  • Restaurants & bars
  • Board
  • Spas & wellness
  • Sustainability

8Expect Costa Rican favourites and international cuisine in a choice of two restaurants. Bars come with their own food menus and lots of drinks options including wellness cocktails, fresh juices, sparkling wines and rich rums.

Tucanes Restaurant
Under vaulted ceilings and with open sides, Tucanes specialises in à la carte dining with the choice to book a seven-course Costa Rican tasting menu.

Ave Restaurant
Head to Ave for casual lunches and dinners – seafood, shrimps, salads and burgers – in the Hot Springs area.

Agua Ardiente Pool Bar
The main pool’s swim-up bar comes with a menu of seasonal seafood, classic nachos, mocktails, cocktails and tropical juices.

Shangri-La Gardens Bar
A tropical retreat hidden away in the Hot Springs, adults-only Shangri-La Gardens is exclusive to guests and offers a menu of snacks, wellness cocktails and Champagne alongside cocoon-style seating.

Caña Brava
A simple bar in the hotel lobby specialising in rums and artisan cocktails.

Bosque Bar
Tapas and signature cocktails in an indoor/outdoor setting.

What's included

Breakfast at Tucanes

Upgrade options

Half Board • Breakfast and dinner at Ave Full Board • Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Tucanes and Ave

Transporting you to another world, the spa’s thatched-roof open-air cabanas are as lush as they are languorous. Treatments are powered by natural and local ingredients including coffee, volcanic mud, pineapple, avocado and thermo-mineral water. Cabanas come with two beds, the perfect set up for couples massages.

With a spectacular network of hot springs on your doorstep, wellness is taken care of. The thermal waters range in temperature from 22°C to 40.5°C and offer natural hydrotherapy that increases blood circulation and oxygen flow.

From the very beginning Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa has had a vision for a sustainable future and in 2009 it was certified as carbon-neutral. The hotel is 100% LED and its ongoing clean energy project includes the installation of solar panels. As guardians of an incredible natural setting, they have programmes in place that include environmental species tagging, reforestation and sustainable gastronomy. Their thermal waters are naturally heated by the volcano and mineralised underground whilst the spa uses local, natural and organic ingredients.

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