Travel Advice & Tips
Tips For Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano and The Hot Springs
Most of our trip we decided to stay in hostels or lower budget accommodations, but when visiting Arenal Volcano we decided to splurge and stay at Baldi Hot Springs Resort. I must admit, it was absolutely worth it. People visit Arenal for many reasons. Some go to rock climb, zip line, hike, enjoy the hot springs, or simply see the animals and nature surrounding the volcano. Depending on what your overall plans are this may determine where you decide to stay.
If you are only planning to go to the hot springs for one day (or if you are not planning to go at all) then it is not worth paying the extra money to stay one of the Hot Spring Resorts. Instead you can pay the ticket for a one day pass into the resort where you can get access to all of the spring pools. But, if you want to enjoy the hot springs during the entirety of your stay then it will save you money in the long run to stay at one of the resorts. We enjoyed our different day excursions in the morning and afternoons and then at night we would come back to our hotel room, put our bathings suits on, and head on down to the spring. It was nice to have it as an every day option!
When we walked up to the reception desk the workers behind the counter were distracted attempting to catch a snake. A few hours later we saw lizard and iguanas, we definitely were not in New Jersey anymore. Baldi hot springs has 25 thermal baths ranging in different temperatures. Each spring get's hotter as you move closer to the base of the volcano. The larger pools have water slides and many of the springs have a full serviced bar in the center of the pool. There is nothing better than drinking a Pina Colada while sitting in hot spring while there is a water fall behind you and a handsome Costa Rican bartender serving you.
We visited Costa Rica during June, which is their rainy season. Every afternoon, almost on the minute, it would begin downpouring for about 2-3 hours. Eventually it would clear up but the lightning would continue through the night. In the states if there is even a small sign of lighting, everyone must get out of the pool and away from any water. In Costa Rica, lighting is not nearly as big of a fright. With huge bolts striking through the sky, we expected the workers of the resort to ask everyone to get out of the water, but instead they simply kept serving you drinks.
Excursions At Arenal
Sky Adventures (Sky Trek) is the company we went through for our day trip and excursion. I highly recommend using this company! We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel which made it completely hassle free. Along the way they stopped the bus so we could see Monkeys climbing in the trees. When we finally arrived at the Sky Adventure Main Building they gave us a quick run down of any safety precautions we needed to be aware of as well as how to use the equipment we would be utilizing throughout the day.
We brought our own Go Pro on this trip but the company allowed you to ask for specific helmets that would let you strap your camera onto your helmet. That was HUGE because we realized we would not be able to hold the GoPro in our hand and complete all of the obstacles. Also, if you realize there is a chance your battery is running low, you can pay a small fee and they will rent you an extra battery before you head out! They do not take any pictures throughout the excursion so I highly recommend bringing a Go Pro as you cannot take your phone or any hand held device with you.
Sky Adventures offers 4 different excursions. Sky Trek, Sky Limit, Sky River Drift, and Tree Climbing. In the end, Sky Limit is the best bang for your buck. We could not believe the amount of activites we got to do for only $84 dollars. In the US if you want to go ziplining alone that can cost anywhere between $50-$100 dollars. We were able to all of the below for only $84!
4 Zip Lines (1 is Superman Style!)
Tarzan Swing
Tight Rope Walk
Descending Ladder
Hands Free Tree Descent
Vine Rope Swing
Waterfall Rappel
Tibetan Bridge Crossings
Do get a better idea of what these looked like in action, watch the video above!