My boyfriend and I spent 12 days in Costa Rica, including 3 nights at Tabacon. The hotel and facilities were absolutely gorgeous! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. We drove from Manuel Antonio to Arenal – took about 7 hours on windy, hilly roads. Lonnnnggg drive, but would rather have driven in this direction than the opposite direction. Tabacon is THE place to stay in the area. The van service was GREAT – door to door. Every time we called to get picked up, the van would come in less than 5 minutes. The hot springs were awesome. And the spa was five star!!! Spring for the “VIP” option of your massage, where you are taken to a private open air bungalow in the rainforest. My boyfriend and I were both able to get our massages in the same hut – HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Room: We booked a Standard room and they gave us one of the closest rooms to the volcano, with a full view – it was amazing! The room looked like it had either just been built or just been renovated. It was meticulously clean and contrary to previous reviews, had no mold that I could see or smell. The room was large with cable tv and air conditioning. Nice bathroom too!

Food: Breakfast buffet was always great and was included in the rate. Yes, there were some bees, but only around the sweets. We ate at the buffet 2 nights. We typically steer away from dinner buffets, but this one was actually really great! And if you want to stay at the hot springs at night, this is the way to go. We ate at the a la carte restaurant the last night – the food was pretty good. We did not get a chance to venture into La Fortuna to eat, unfortunately.

Activities: WATERFALL REPELLING!!! What an amazing adventure!!! We booked this through the hotel - $80 per person and SO worth it!!! The company that runs this is Pure Trek. The guides are excellent and knowledgeable and we felt very safe.

My husband and I stayed here in June 2006 for our honeymoon and we loved it! The room was good, but we weren't there for the room. The great thing about this hotel is you could go to the springs before others could get in. They were a close walk from the hotel which was really nice. We loved the springs--some were warm, some were HOT (with steam coming up and you'd turn red before getting out)!!! We did a price comparison and staying at Tabacon actually was a great deal if you plan to go to that park (which we heard was the best one around and it looked it too). You get access to the park with the price of your hotel room and you get a GREAT buffet breakfast. It had a waffle making station, omlette station, breads, cereals, fresh fruit, yogurt, juices, coffee, etc. It was well worth the price of the room to get both of these great benefits included.
My husband had done a little research before and found out about a few restaurants. I can't remember the names, but there is a steak place that is at the base of the volcano that was good. We also ate at one that had plastic white chairs that was good. The town was pretty fun as well. We even saw some howler monkeys in the trees near the volcano. We didn't get out and walk around because the park was closed when we drove over there one day. Very cool place--from the town, we could see the lava flowing (and from the springs at night).
The vegetation around the hotel was so nice. The Hot Springs were clean and not crowded. The slide was a lot of fun into the big pool. Overall, it was a great experience! We really enjoyed Tabacon!!

I decided to stay at the Tabacon resort only because of the hot springs, which were incredible. However, the resort itself seems entirely too expensive. Our room was large and very clean, but nothing extraordinary. The room was constantly damp feeling even with the air conditioning on. The staff did seem eager to please the guests and plenty of staff was on hand to do so, but we never requested any special services. The food and drinks at the onsite eateries were very pricey also. We did book some tours through the hotel and I believe we were charged more than other people who were not staying at the hotel. If I were to go back to the area, I would stay at one of the cheaper hotels (perhaps the Observatory Lodge) and would just get a day pass the springs, which is $55. (If you stay at the resort, you can go to the springs without paying an additional entry fee.) The springs were beautiful and perfectly manicured. Lockers are available along with showers and towels and hairdryers -- everything you need.

Just return from Costa Rica on the 20th of this month. This hotel exceeded our expectations! We had a newly renovated room with the largest spa tub we have seen. The hotel is very quite and the staff was incrediable. The springs were amazing and very relaxing, and different. We went on several tours that we booked thru the hotel, all were excellent. We went during low season and were on the tours alone with the guide. They are very nice and know their stuff. We also took a private car to San Jose one day which was very nice. We had the hotel pick us up from the airport and return trip also. Ask for Ted Campbell he is very friendly and a safe driver.
I would not recommend you rent a car. The hotel is central to all of the sites in the area. The breakfast was a buffet and very good. The evening buffet is also good, but small on variety. We ate in Las Fortunas at Don Rufinos which was very good. We have traveled the world and this vacation now tops the list. We also stayed at the Four Seasons in Costa Rica and Tabacon topped them!
St. Louis MO