The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal

The property sits in the highlands of Costa Rica's northern lowlands, where Arenal Volcano dominates the horizon and the air carries the mineral scent of geothermal springs. This is rainforest country, dense and alive with howler monkeys calling at dawn and toucans flitting through the canopy. La Fortuna de San Carlos, the nearest town, serves as the gateway to this volcanic landscape, founded in the shadow of Arenal's perfectly conical peak. The volcano, dormant since 2010 after centuries of near-constant activity, still heats the groundwater that feeds dozens of thermal springs cascading through the jungle.

The surrounding province of Alajuela extends from these cloud-draped highlands all the way to the Central Valley, where the provincial capital of the same name has stood since 1782. At this elevation, 950 metres above sea level, the climate hovers between tropical warmth and highland cool, the temperature moderated by altitude and proximity to rainforest.

The closest international gateway is Juan Santamaría International Airport, 79 kilometres southeast in the Central Valley, a drive that climbs through coffee plantations and passes the twin volcanic peaks of Poás and Arenal. La Fortuna Arenal Airport lies just 13 kilometres away for charter and regional flights.

The property's location puts you within reach of some of Costa Rica's most striking natural landmarks. Arenal Volcano National Park, 12 kilometres from the hotel, offers hiking trails through old lava fields where pioneer vegetation now carpets the black rock, and lookout points where the volcano's symmetrical cone rises above Lake Arenal. The park's trails wind through secondary rainforest where coatis rustle in the undergrowth and morpho butterflies flash electric blue between tree trunks. For waterfall seekers, El Salto lies eight kilometres away, followed by a string of cascades culminating in the powerful Waterfall Río Fortuna at nine kilometres, where the river plunges 70 metres into a swimming hole ringed by ferns and moss-covered boulders.

The region's geothermal activity manifests in hot springs scattered through the jungle. Ecotermales, four kilometres from the property, channels volcanic-heated water into stone pools beneath forest canopy, while Río Tabacón's free hot springs at five kilometres let you wade into naturally heated river water where it mixes with cool mountain runoff. Book a guided hike through Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, 26 kilometres west, where the elevation creates a perpetual mist and epiphytes drip from every branch.

The dry season from December through April brings the clearest skies and easiest hiking conditions, though even these months see afternoon clouds gathering around Arenal's peak. February and March offer the least rainfall, with temperatures climbing into the high twenties and the forest floor drying out enough for comfortable trail walking.

May marks the shift to the green season, when daily afternoon downpours drench the canopy and waterfalls swell to their most dramatic volumes. The rain comes predictably, usually between two and five in the afternoon, leaving mornings clear and bright for wildlife spotting. July brings a brief respite, a mid-summer dry spell locals call veranillo.

September and October see the heaviest rains, when clouds cloak the volcano for days and dirt roads turn to mud. The landscape reaches peak lushness, every leaf dripping, every stream rushing. November begins the gradual drying, the forest still saturated but the skies clearing more frequently as the year turns.