- airynfaerie
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 4
- Reviews
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4
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Editor Pick
Relax in Volcano Heated Water
Baldi Hot Springs Spa has a series of pools with water heated by Arenal Volcano. There are around 20 different pools, with temperatures varying from about 90 F to about 150F. We tried to sample each of them. The 150 degree pool is really to hot for swimming of course, and is just at the massage area to make steam.
We spent about 2 hours there one evening and enjoyed the relaxing water. Several of the pools have little waterfalls that you can stand under to massage your back (but the waterfalls coming in tend to be hotter than the pool in general). There are a couple of swim-up bars which sell drinks for about $10.
One larger pool has three waterslides going into it. You really fly down the slides! The middle one seemed almost dangerously fast.
You can go there as part of a tour or just by tickets on your own. If you walk up and buy tickets at the reception, they are $28, but they have a deal with one tour agency in town (La Pasada, I think?) which lets you buy tickets for only $18/person (cash only), which seemed to be a pretty good deal. Baldi also charged a lot for lockers ($5, I think) once inside and required a $10/towel deposit, and of course other treatments like massages, etc. are extra. In contrast, Tabacon Hot Springs, a little further down the road toward the volcano park, charged $60 for a day pass. We thought that was a little ridiculous, but Tabacon's parking lot seemed jammed every time we went by, so it looked like they were really raking in the money there.
We enjoyed Baldi, but it wouldn't have been horrible if we had not had time to get there.
From journal Arenal Volcano, Center of Costa Rica Adventures
Editor Pick
Relax in Volcano Heated Water
Baldi Hot Springs Spa has a series of pools with water heated by Arenal Volcano. There are around 20 different pools, with temperatures varying from about 90 F to about 150F. We tried to sample each of them. The 150 degree pool is really to hot for swimming of course, and is just at the massage area to make steam.
We spent about 2 hours there one evening and enjoyed the relaxing water. Several of the pools have little waterfalls that you can stand under to massage your back (but the waterfalls coming in tend to be hotter than the pool in general). There are a couple of swim-up bars which sell drinks for about $10.
One larger pool has three waterslides going into it. You really fly down the slides! The middle one seemed almost dangerously fast.
You can go there as part of a tour or just by tickets on your own. If you walk up and buy tickets at the reception, they are $28, but they have a deal with one tour agency in town (La Pasada, I think?) which lets you buy tickets for only $18/person (cash only), which seemed to be a pretty good deal. Baldi also charged a lot for lockers ($5, I think) once inside and required a $10/towel deposit, and of course other treatments like massages, etc. are extra. In contrast, Tabacon Hot Springs, a little further down the road toward the volcano park, charged $60 for a day pass. We thought that was a little ridiculous, but Tabacon's parking lot seemed jammed every time we went by, so it looked like they were really raking in the money there.
We enjoyed Baldi, but it wouldn't have been horrible if we had not had time to get there.
From journal Arenal Volcano, Center of Costa Rica Adventures
Editor Pick
Relax in Volcano Heated Water
Baldi Hot Springs Spa has a series of pools with water heated by Arenal Volcano. There are around 20 different pools, with temperatures varying from about 90 F to about 150F. We tried to sample each of them. The 150 degree pool is really to hot for swimming of course, and is just at the massage area to make steam.
We spent about 2 hours there one evening and enjoyed the relaxing water. Several of the pools have little waterfalls that you can stand under to massage your back (but the waterfalls coming in tend to be hotter than the pool in general). There are a couple of swim-up bars which sell drinks for about $10.
One larger pool has three waterslides going into it. You really fly down the slides! The middle one seemed almost dangerously fast.
You can go there as part of a tour or just by tickets on your own. If you walk up and buy tickets at the reception, they are $28, but they have a deal with one tour agency in town (La Pasada, I think?) which lets you buy tickets for only $18/person (cash only), which seemed to be a pretty good deal. Baldi also charged a lot for lockers ($5, I think) once inside and required a $10/towel deposit, and of course other treatments like massages, etc. are extra. In contrast, Tabacon Hot Springs, a little further down the road toward the volcano park, charged $60 for a day pass. We thought that was a little ridiculous, but Tabacon's parking lot seemed jammed every time we went by, so it looked like they were really raking in the money there.
We enjoyed Baldi, but it wouldn't have been horrible if we had not had time to get there.
Editor Pick
Baldi Termae
- August 25, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
airynfaerie from St. Augustine, Florida
One evening while we stayed in the Arenal volcano region, we walked several miles from our lodge to the Baldi Termae Hot Springs resort for a night of soaking, swimming, and sipping! This resort is a nice and slightly cheaper alternative to the popular Tabacon Hot Springs in the area. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening in the 10 pools of varied temperatures and 2 swim-up bars. The pools are fed by individual springs along the land near the heated lava from the neighboring volcano. There was some construction during our visit to expand and improve the facility, and overall the cleanliness and beauty of the resort is highly rated.
We paid about $25 per person for entrance and several more dollars for use of towels, changing rooms, and a private locker. After touring the resort and pool area, we sampled several pools and enjoyed lounging in a private area of the front bar pool. A couple of pools were a little too hot for our taste, but to cool down, we'd take a break on the nearby hammocks or lounge chairs. Since it was after dinner when we visited, we didn't try the on-site restaurant, which seemed to have a limited selection and high prices, but we did have a couple unique cocktails at the back pool bar. Don't leave without trying the tasty "Mono Loco" (Crazy Monkey) drink, which mixes banana, caramel, condensed milk, liqueur, and more!
A hot spring visit is a must for the Arenal/La Fortuna region, and the Baldi Termae is a beautiful option with the colorful tiled pools, relaxing palms, and not-so-crowded atmosphere!
From journal Extensive & Adventurous Week in Costa Rica