Eco Termales Hot Springs: Romance in the Rainforest

Put on your swimsuit, leave your flip-flops and soak in the volcanic natural hot springs surrounded by the rainforest. This pinnacle of relaxation is one of the best things to do in La Fortuna and also a must do activity on your Costa Rica itinerary. For an intimate hot springs experience at a natural thermal spa, consider a visit to Eco Termales Hot Springs near La Fortuna.

Why should you visit the hot springs in La Fortuna?

Due to the location of the nearby Arenal Volcano, the town of La Fortuna is blessed with natural thermal springs containing magnesium and other minerals. These mineral rich thermal waters are beneficial for the human body and mind as they help fight stress, fatigue, anxiety and skin irritations.

So, during your visit to Costa Rica, while you are indulging in activities like flying over forest canopy, hiking along nature trails, chasing waterfalls, it is a good idea to sprinkle in a bit of relaxation too. The hot springs in La Fortuna offer that absolute relaxation as your body assimilates the healing properties of the thermal waters.

Where to experience hot springs in La Fortuna?

Many hotels and resorts in La Fortuna offer this hot springs experience for its resident guests as well as for day-pass holders. Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa, Baldi Hot Springs Hotel Resort and Spa, The Springs Resort and Spa, Hotel Los Lagos are some of the popular ones.

However, Eco Termales Fortuna is not a hotel or resort. So this is not for accommodation. It is a boutique natural spa offering solely the hot spring experience along with other necessary amenities. It is a perfect place to experience the hot springs in La Fortuna when you are staying in hotels without hot springs on their premises, like Arenal Observatory Lodge.

The Eco Termales Hot Springs Experience

We relished our time at Eco Termales Fortuna, not just for the healing effects of the hot springs, but for the whole experience. From entering the first thermal pool to concluding the evening with a delicious dinner, everything seemed perfect.

Thermal Pools

Eco Termales has six natural thermal water pools of varying sizes and two fresh water pools. The water temperature at the thermal pools ranges between 37-41 degrees Celsius (~ 98-106 degrees Fahrenheit).

All the pools lie adjacent to each other in a natural setting, surrounded by the rainforest of Costa Rica. The stone carvings at Eco Termales have been made to create couple of waterfalls too from the hot spring water. The whole setup at Eco Termales Fortuna oozes an ambiance of romance.

As we stepped on the stone stairs leading to a thermal pool, the hot water of the thermal pool brushed our ankles. That first stroke of the hot spring water was enough to indicate what was in store for us for the rest of the evening – warmth, comfort and ultimate relaxation. And we were not wrong!

The flooring of the thermal pools differed from one pool to another. Some had stone finished pool bottoms and others had sandy floors. While sitting on the sand or dipping your feet into the sand can give you a beach like feel, I personally liked the stone finishing more.

Cocktails

You can complement the warm thermal energy in your body by sipping on some cool cocktails or chilled beer. There is a bar right next to the hot springs area. You can either take a cocktail break at the bar in between moving from one thermal pool to another or you can get the poolside bar service.

Indranil ordered a Pina Colada and I got myself a BBC. Both the cocktails were delicious. Apart from rich cocktails, the bar at Eco Termales also serves craft beers.

Dining

The restaurant at Eco Termales serves quality meals, the traditional dishes often cooked in a fancy fusion way. You can either purchase the meal at the restaurant or you can include the meal in your entrance package (more on that later).

We had purchased the entrance with meal combo and had three options to choose from for our dinner. Each meal included a dessert and a natural beverage.

Indranil opted for Tilapia encrusted with Yucca in Shrimp Sauce. I chose Mozzarella and Basil Filled Chicken in Passion Fruit Salsa. Both of us replaced our natural beverages with locally produced craft beers (at an extra cost).

At the end of a (literally) steamy romantic evening at the hot springs, our dinner too was equally satisfying.

Day or Night – When should you visit Eco Termales Hot Springs?

Eco Termales Fortuna offers two different slots everyday to space out number of visitors to limited capacity in each slot. The two slots are:

• 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm

I think it is a personal choice whether you want to visit the hot springs during the day or in the evening. For our visit to Eco Termales, we chose the evening slot so that we could spend the day doing other activities, like seeing sloths or visiting waterfalls.

We totally loved the mystic mood of the rainy evening while soaking in the hot springs at Eco Termales. So, we are happy about having chosen the evening slot versus the day slot.

However, for our next visit to a hot spring in La Fortuna, we might as well choose the day time slot. If we do so, the primary reason would be the chances of photography in natural daylight.

Also, if you do not plan to stay the night at La Fortuna and just want to make a day trip from San Jose, it makes more sense to do the hot spring activity during the day.

Best weather to visit Eco Termales Hot Springs

Relaxing at the hot springs is one of those activities in Costa Rica that you can perform any day of the year, rain or sun. When we visited Eco Termales, it rained almost all evening, at times drizzling and pouring otherwise. Yet we had a great time at the hot springs. In fact, I feel the rain drops on our wet skin enhanced the romantic vibe of the hot springs at night!

The facilities at Eco Termales Fortuna

The facilities at Eco Termales are sparkling clean and well equipped. You can spend a whole day or an evening at the hot springs without worrying about the logistics.

Parking

Free secure parking is available on site. The parking area is right next to the reception area, so there is not much walking involved.

Lockers

You will get a locker to store your belongings. Locker access is included in the entry fee.

Towels

You need not bring your own towel. Eco Termales will provide the towel from the same locker key pick-up counter.

Restrooms and Showers

There are restrooms and showers near the locker area. You will also find restrooms near the bar as well as in the restaurant.

Note: Read the notice in the shower area carefully. They recommend NOT to take a shower after soaking in the hot springs. This will allow your body to absorb the minerals from the hot springs for longer.

Plan your visit to Eco Termales

Are you already interested to make your own trip to the Eco Termales hot springs? We have got you covered! In this section, you will find all the details to plan your visit.

How to reach Eco Termales Hot Springs

Eco Termales Fortuna is located less than ten minutes’ drive away from La Fortuna town. From both San Jose Airport and Liberia Airport, it takes about 2.5 hours to reach the hot springs.

Distances between Eco Termales Hot Springs and other major destinations:

• La Fortuna town: 5.6 km / 3.5 miles
• San Jose Airport: 122 km / 76 miles
• Liberia Airport: 138 km / 86 miles

You can find Eco Termales Fortuna on Google Maps.

Entrance Fees and Packages

As mentioned earlier in this post, you can either purchase entrance only or buy the combo of entrance with meal.

For foreign nationals, the pricing structure is:

• Hot Springs Entrance Fee: 44 USD
• Hot Springs Entrance Fee Plus Lunch or Dinner: 72 USD

For citizens and residents, Eco Termales Fortuna offers discounted rates and special packages. As stated on their website, please contact them directly for the best rates.

At the time of our visit in November 2020, they had promotional packages for citizens and residents. Hot springs entrance plus choice of dinner from 3 different options were set at prices ranging between 13,800-18,200 CRC (~23-30 USD).

Reservations process

You can make your reservation online through the reservation page on the website of Eco Termales. Other options are to contact Eco Termales through email or WhatsApp or Instagram DM. Their response is fairly quick. They will assist you through your booking and payment process.

Eco Termales Fortuna Contact Details

• e-mail: reservas@ecotermalesfortuna.cr
• WhatsApp: +506 8745 6363
• Phone: +506 2479 8787
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecotermalesfortuna/

Final Thoughts

At the end of our Eco Termales Hot Springs soak, we could feel a calming effect from inside. The thermal waters not only revitalize your skin, but they rejuvenate your spirits too. And the best part is that this natural spa at the hot springs helps induce a peaceful sleep.

So, whether you are looking for romantic things to do in Costa Rica or just want some pure relaxation with the added bonus of healing benefits, plan a trip to Eco Termales Hot Springs in La Fortuna.

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