This was a great experience toward the end of our vacation last week. After hiking, shopping, swimming, surfing, horseback riding, canopy tour, and canyoning all week, our bones were a little tired! These hot springs were wonderful. We had to wait three days to get a reservation, so I would definitely recommend planning this ahead of time. We were there on a Wednesday night, and it was definitely not crowded at all. I appreciated the honor system from the bar, so you don't have to have cash with you. We did not have to wait for drinks, and they were delicious. I was there with my two young adult children and three of my siblings. After reading reviews on this website, I had no interest in going to Baldi or Tabacon. There was a beautiful hydrangea garden near the desk where you check in. The only criticism I could make was the beef was not very good. I would definitely order the chicken. But the rest of the dinner was delicious. I thought it was fairly priced, and would definitely recommend Eco Thermales.

We decided to visit Eco Thermales hot springs because it was significantly less expensive than Tabacon. It was beautiful, relaxing and not very crowded. Cost was $41 per person and included a great lunch.

I would obviously have hated Tabacon, because I thought even this place was way too crowded.
It is a lovely setting, and I enjoyed coming through the huge unmarked gates, but then we got there and it was absolutely packed with American tourists. Dinner was just ok.

We did enjoy sitting under the waterfall and enjoyed testing the temperatures of the different pools, although most were quite similar.

The honor system on drinks is great, but it took forever to get a drink as everyone wanted Pina Coladas which take a while to prepare. It took a good 5 to 10 minutes to get even a beer.

Overall I enjoyed it, but thought the price was too high. We enjoyed lazing in our hotel's free on site spring as much.

Living in Costa Rica I have been to Arenal many times and have seen the droves of tourists lined up to get into the "other" hot springs in the area. This really had turned me off to ever going BUT after reading all of the positive reviews here about Eco Thermales we decided to go. It was worth it, not only was the food excellent (we went in the evening/dinner session but the whole event was laid back (especially with the honor system bar). This is what I wanted from a hot spring experience. My only added "two cents" for those who may go as well, is that the entrance is simply two huge gate doors and a small security microphone box which you must ring with your reservation name in order to be let in - don't look for a huge sign or arrows as you won't find them. This was perfect for us though as it meant no one was going to stumble upon it, and reservations were enforced.