Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
La Fortuna, Arenal, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Location
La Fortuna / Arenal
In La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano National Park, around thirteen kilometres from town, with the thermal river a short complimentary shuttle away — the resort that put La Fortuna on the map.
Transfer
An Arenal transfer
Around two and a half to three hours by road from San Jose, SJO, to La Fortuna, with Liberia, LIR, an alternative — the hotel and thermal river a short shuttle apart.
Villas
105 rooms & suites
Around a hundred and five rooms and twenty-two suites, some with private terraces, in-room Jacuzzis and hot-spring showers, from around three hundred and eighty-seven square feet — from garden-view rooms to rainforest-facing honeymoon suites with private thermal plunge pools, all with unlimited springs access.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples, families and wellness travellers, with adults-only zones — Costa Rica's largest natural thermal-spring network, unlimited hot-springs access, an open-air rainforest spa and honeymoon suites with private thermal plunge pools, under the Arenal volcano.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast
A bed-and-breakfast base with unlimited thermal-springs access included, across several restaurants — Ave del Paraiso by the springs, the refined Los Tucanes, a private rainforest Ephemeral Table and four bars including the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens Bar.
Overview
Costa Rica's largest natural thermal springs
Tabacon is built around Costa Rica's largest network of naturally-flowing thermal mineral springs — the region's only natural thermal river, heated by Arenal and winding through tropical gardens under the volcano, and a Michelin Guide hotel. Some hundred and five rooms and twenty-two suites range from garden views to rainforest-facing honeymoon suites with private thermal plunge pools, several with in-room Jacuzzis and hot-spring showers and expansive terraces, from around three hundred and eighty-seven square feet, all with unlimited thermal-springs access included. Around five pools join the natural thermal river, where eighteen springs run from seventy-two to a hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit, the two hottest pools reserved for guests and the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens hiding the most secluded of them. The Tabacon Grand Spa treats in open-air rainforest bungalows with the thermal river at its core, while dining spans an international and Costa Rican restaurant by the springs, a refined evening venue and a private open-air rainforest table, with four bars. Volcano tours, suspension bridges, rafting and rappel wait beyond the gates, though the hot springs are the draw. San Jose is around two and a half to three hours away, on a bed-and-breakfast base — a thermal-wellness resort for couples, families and wellness travellers, with adults-only zones within.
Accommodation
Rooms & suites
Around a hundred and five rooms and twenty-two suites range from garden views to rainforest-facing honeymoon suites with private thermal plunge pools, several with in-room Jacuzzis, hot-spring showers and expansive terraces, from around three hundred and eighty-seven square feet. Every room includes unlimited access to the thermal springs, with an adults-only Rainforest Room and two-bedroom Arenal suites among the categories.
Entry
Orchid Room
Sleeps two to three. Around 387 square feet with modern décor and unobstructed tropical-garden views.
Garden view387 sq ft
Adults-only
Rainforest Room
Sleeps two. Around 645 square feet, adults-only, with a bathtub, glass-enclosed and dual rain showers and a balcony.
Adults-only645 sq ft
Suite
Tabacón Suite
Sleeps three to four. With rainforest views, an in-room Jacuzzi, a hot-spring shower and an expansive terrace.
In-room JacuzziRainforest view
Romance
Honeymoon Suite with Plunge Pool
Sleeps two, adults-only. Rainforest-facing, with a private thermal plunge pool.
Thermal plunge poolAdults-only
Family
Two-Bedroom Arenal Suite
Sleeps four to six. With volcano or rainforest views, a dining area, Jacuzzi and terraces.
Two-bedroomVolcano view
Food & Drink
Dining
Dining spans Ave del Paraiso's international and Costa Rican cooking by the springs, the refined Los Tucanes and a private open-air rainforest Ephemeral Table, with four bars including a swim-up pool bar and the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens Bar. It is a bed-and-breakfast base, the dining woven through the thermal gardens.
Signature
Ave del Paraíso
Ave del Paraiso, international and Costa Rican by the springs.
Refined
Los Tucanes
Los Tucanes, refined international dining.
Private
Ephemeral Table
The Ephemeral Table, private open-air rainforest dining.
Pool bar
Arenal Pool Bar
The Arenal Pool Bar, swim-up drinks.
Adults-only
Shangri-La Gardens Bar
The Shangri-La Gardens Bar, in the adults-only gardens.
Wellbeing
Tabacón Grand Spa
The Tabacon Grand Spa treats in open-air rainforest bungalows, but the wellness core is the natural thermal river itself — eighteen springs from seventy-two to a hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit across around five pools, the two hottest reserved for guests and the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens the most secluded. Unlimited springs access comes with every stay.
The thermal river
The thermal river, eighteen natural springs.
Open-air spa bungalows
Open-air spa bungalows, in the rainforest.
Adults-only Shangri-La
Adults-only Shangri-La, the hottest hidden pools.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
Thermal waters under a volcano define a stay — soak in the natural thermal river with unlimited access, slip away to the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens, hike Arenal and its suspension bridges, and raft or rappel nearby. A private rainforest dinner at the Ephemeral Table rounds out days built around the springs.
The thermal river
The thermal river, with unlimited springs access.
Adults-only Shangri-La
Adults-only Shangri-La, a thermal hideaway.
Volcano & bridges
Volcano and bridges, Arenal hikes and suspension bridges.
Rafting & rappel
Rafting and rappel, adventure nearby.
Ephemeral Table
The Ephemeral Table, private rainforest dining.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By road
From San José (SJO)
Around two and a half to three hours by road from San Jose International, to La Fortuna.
To the springs
Thermal river
In tropical gardens under Arenal, the thermal river a short shuttle away.
Trusted by Travellers
What Our Clients Say
Read verified, independent reviews from our customers who booked their bespoke luxury holidays with us.
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- A bed-and-breakfast base, with unlimited springs access.
Made for couples
- Made for couples, families and wellness, with adults-only zones.
Setting
- Thermal gardens under Arenal, in La Fortuna.
Getting there
- Around two and a half to three hours from San Jose, SJO.
Book This Property
Start Planning Your Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa Stay
Your HighStreet specialist will respond within 2 working hours with a personalised quote and the best available rates — guaranteed.
1
Your holiday
2
Your details
3
Review
Step 1 of 2
Tell us about your stay
Dates, party size, villa preference and budget.
Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
2
Children
0
Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
Villas Preference
Flights
You Might Also Consider
Other Costa Rica hotels you might consider
Costa Rica
Nayara Tented Camp
Nayara Tented Camp raises around 29 luxury tents on stilts above Arenal Volcano National Park — one of the only luxury tented camps in Central America and a member of Leading Hotels of the World. Each tent has a private mineral-spring plunge pool, a freestanding soaking tub and a terrace facing the volcano. Sloths live in the reforested grounds, naturalist guides lead the rainforest, and Ayla serves Mediterranean plates over the Arenal view.
Costa Rica
Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Andaz Costa Rica is the design-led, lifestyle counterpart on Peninsula Papagayo — Ronald Zúrcher's cocoon-like architecture on a hillside over Culebra Bay, the first Andaz in Latin America. Rooms open through floor-to-ceiling windows to river-stone rain showers and bird's-nest balconies, three beaches and a clutch of pools split adults-only from family, and the 11,000-square-foot ONDA spa runs a steam-and-cold-plunge circuit and sound baths. Ostra leads the dining; Papagayo Explorers fills the days with adventure.
Costa Rica
Kura Design Villas
Kura Design Villas is an eight-villa, adults-only hideaway on a mountain ridge above Uvita, gazing over Marino Ballena National Park and its famous Whale's Tail sandbar. A 62-foot infinity saltwater pool seems to pour straight into the Pacific — humpback whales pass below it in season — and glass-fronted villas open to ocean-view rain showers and double hammocks. Owned by an architect and a biologist, it pairs tropical-minimalist design with serious eco credentials and total seclusion, helipad arrivals included.