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Tabacon Hot Springs
Good-for-Kids Rating
Babies
Toddlers & Pre-KSchool-Age KidsPre-Teens & Teens
Hot Spring
Water
Swimming
Scenic Landmark
Tabacon Hot Springs Description
Forget your preconceptions about hot springs resorts; Tabacon is much more than a traditional mineral soak. This thermal resort features 12 different pools to choose from, all fed by the natural springs that bubble up from the active Arenal volcano. Some pools are as hot as 140 degrees, others are cooler and perfect for kids, and all are surrounded by lush gardens and dramatic landscaping including waterfalls, fountains, and rushing rivers. You can spend all day at Tabacon, thanks to an abundance of restaurants and bars, so you don't have to leave the premises to eat. If mom and dad want to add a spa treatment, massages, body wraps and other indulgences are available, all performed in a languorous outdoor setting and set to a soundtrack of birdcalls and hooting monkeys.
Kid Tips
Babies: The water in most of the pools will be too hot for the sensitive skin of babies, but there are cool and temperate pools where parents can holding a baby or non-swimming child. There are not lifeguards present in sufficient numbers to offer any safety.
Planning Notes
- If coming in high season, you absolutely must book ahead or day passes will be sold out. One of the great things about Tabacon is that they limit the numbers of visitors at any one time, but the drawback is that between December and April and again in July and August it can be impossible to get in if you don't get them in advance. Several types of day passes are available: ones that include lunch, ones for the evening that include dinner, and unlimited passes that include both meals. Unless you're traveling with teens, the unlimited pass with lunch is probably the best deal.
- Kids under 5 are free. A reduced children's rate of $20 applies to kids 6-11 but kids 12 and older count as adults and pay $60.
- Paradise for parents. The Grand Spa offers all types of spa treatments if mom and dad want to take turns treating themselves while the rest of the family soaks and splashes.
Just the Facts
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fees: More than $40
Recommended Time: Full day
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