I had trouble making reservations here by finally found a website called arenal.net to make it. That was the only problem we had. This family owned hot springs is worlds apart from the others in the area and I am so happy we picked this one. The food was great, the bar honor system, the showers and the absence of people in general. You will love it, I would recommend this place to ANYONE.

Made reservations for dinner and hot springs at Eco Termales for May 30, 2008 based upon recommendations from TA posters. So very glad we did!! I knew my husband would not like or feel comfortable with crowds of people. ET totally met every expectation!! There were maybe 20 people there all night (it was a Friday). The food was delicious and the hot springs perfect!! The extra perks were the romantic lighting after it got dark, the great bar and bartender with drinks on the honor system, and noticing the small details which helped the pools blend in naturally with the environment. My husband really liked it!!

one of my favorite Costa Rica experiences! What a lovely place and what a great healthy home cooked meal. This family run hot spring is a beautiful relaxing paradise at the end of a long dark driveway after entering a wooden gate with no signage. You'll feel like your going to a speak easy and may even be concerned your at the wrong place! It is directly across the street from Baldi Hot Springs. We went 2x! Can't say enough how much we enjoyed it.

We loved going from hottest to coldest. I thought there were more than the 5 or 6 there. It was really crowded... That was the only thing I didn't enjoy... but I guess the secret's out. Everyone knows this place. My husband loved the hottest one... I couldn't stand it after 5-10 minutes. I enjoyed dunking into the coldest one for a little bit. We could order drinks by the springs. No need to bring money in because it was all honor system. At the end you tell them what you ordered by the pool and at dinner. I loved the trust there.

The food was completely unexpectedly delicious. I recommend the chicken in orange sauce. It was not dry and chewy as chicken normally is cooked. They had tortillas with rice and beans and there was salad with corn, lettuce, avocado and cauliflower. We each had a pitcher of pineapple and some other kind of fruit juice. They also gave us a little cup of rice pudding with slivers of almond and coconut... I should've asked for seconds... The food was extremely enjoyable.

Word of caution: The shower was cold water.... No need to bring soap or shampoo... You don't want to stay in the shower longer than 5 minutes... some don't even take a shower.

So the sequence is:
Make reservation. Pay. They tell you what time is dinner.
Bring slippers and swimsuit. They give you a towel and key for locker. Purt everything in locker. Bring camera if you wish... bring the towel if you wish (not recommended cause you'll get it wet and then you have nothing to dry yourself with after shower) and wear your slippers.
Sit for 1 hr to 11/2 hrs. There is a clock by the bar. When it's close to your dinner time, get out, take a shower, and bring your stuff out... sit on the rocking chairs and wait for someone to call you.
Bon apetit!