Arenal
The Arenal Volcano is exactly how I always
imagined volcanoes to be - a perfect cone with lava spewing out the top. The only other volcano I've been to is the one on the Big Island of Hawaii - but Arenal was much more impressive and scenic.
The main town in the area is La Fortuna - located just East of the volcano. Most of the lodging (and some of the restaurants) in the area are located on the road between La Fortuna and the Lake Arenal Dam.
A quick note on Lake Arenal: it's really big and
the tour books all mention that it's a prime windsurfing spot. Oddly, we didn't see anyone, not even a single boat on the lake, when we were there. The water also didn't look too inviting or of swimming quality (think volcanic, sulphuric runoff). So don't worry about activities on the water, I didn't hear of any being offered anyway. The lake seems to serve mainly as scenery.
Volcano Watching. Although the volcano is impressive to see during the day, the real show begins at night when you can actually see the glowing lava coming down the sides of the volcano. Although the flow patterns change, they change very slowly and when we were there the lava was flowing down the Northern side of the volcano - perfect for viewing practically all the way from Tabacon to La Fortuna. Check out some video of the volcano during day and night:
imagined volcanoes to be - a perfect cone with lava spewing out the top. The only other volcano I've been to is the one on the Big Island of Hawaii - but Arenal was much more impressive and scenic.The main town in the area is La Fortuna - located just East of the volcano. Most of the lodging (and some of the restaurants) in the area are located on the road between La Fortuna and the Lake Arenal Dam.
A quick note on Lake Arenal: it's really big and
the tour books all mention that it's a prime windsurfing spot. Oddly, we didn't see anyone, not even a single boat on the lake, when we were there. The water also didn't look too inviting or of swimming quality (think volcanic, sulphuric runoff). So don't worry about activities on the water, I didn't hear of any being offered anyway. The lake seems to serve mainly as scenery.Volcano Watching. Although the volcano is impressive to see during the day, the real show begins at night when you can actually see the glowing lava coming down the sides of the volcano. Although the flow patterns change, they change very slowly and when we were there the lava was flowing down the Northern side of the volcano - perfect for viewing practically all the way from Tabacon to La Fortuna. Check out some video of the volcano during day and night:
[CLICK here to watch video of the Arenal Volcano]
Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs. We stayed at the Tabacon Resort, one of the nicest (and
priciest) placest in town, solely for one reason: to gain free admission to their hot springs. Volcanically heated natural hot springs are one of the prime attractions in Arenal and Tabacon has the biggest, baddest one of them all. Tabacon charges an eye-popping, Disneyland-esque $45 per person for admission ($35 after 6pm - also when it's the most crowded) - see price chart to the right. We probably wouldn't have visited the Tabacon Springs if we hadn't stayed at their resort.
Was it worth it? Yes. The resort itself is very nice. There is a great volcano view where the resort's pool is.
The service is excellent and the activities desk is top-notch and not too overpriced. There is also a free breakfast buffet, although I understand they will be doing away with this perk around Winter of 2006.
A free, on-call shuttle takes you from your room at the Tabacon Resort to the Hot Springs and back, just 1 km away. The hot springs are fun. Go in the morning if you want privacy. Even if you go in the evening (when it's the most crowded), the place is so big that you can probably find a waterfall (but maybe only a small one) all to yourself. I recommend wearing sandals or other waterproof shoes in the water because the ground is made up of gravel and black rocks that you cannot see - which can hurt your feet when walking around in the pools. Couple other notes: different pools are different temperatures, some are quite hot. Also, we didn't try the food (buffets) at the Hot Springs but it looked pretty extensive (and expensive). And like I said, if we had to pay $45 to get in we probably wouldn't have gone at all (there are cheaper imitations). Here's a FilmLoop of photos from the Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs:
Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs. We stayed at the Tabacon Resort, one of the nicest (and
priciest) placest in town, solely for one reason: to gain free admission to their hot springs. Volcanically heated natural hot springs are one of the prime attractions in Arenal and Tabacon has the biggest, baddest one of them all. Tabacon charges an eye-popping, Disneyland-esque $45 per person for admission ($35 after 6pm - also when it's the most crowded) - see price chart to the right. We probably wouldn't have visited the Tabacon Springs if we hadn't stayed at their resort.Was it worth it? Yes. The resort itself is very nice. There is a great volcano view where the resort's pool is.
The service is excellent and the activities desk is top-notch and not too overpriced. There is also a free breakfast buffet, although I understand they will be doing away with this perk around Winter of 2006.
A free, on-call shuttle takes you from your room at the Tabacon Resort to the Hot Springs and back, just 1 km away. The hot springs are fun. Go in the morning if you want privacy. Even if you go in the evening (when it's the most crowded), the place is so big that you can probably find a waterfall (but maybe only a small one) all to yourself. I recommend wearing sandals or other waterproof shoes in the water because the ground is made up of gravel and black rocks that you cannot see - which can hurt your feet when walking around in the pools. Couple other notes: different pools are different temperatures, some are quite hot. Also, we didn't try the food (buffets) at the Hot Springs but it looked pretty extensive (and expensive). And like I said, if we had to pay $45 to get in we probably wouldn't have gone at all (there are cheaper imitations). Here's a FilmLoop of photos from the Tabacon Resort and Hot Springs:
posted by Jason at 5:23 PM
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