For about 4 hours in the afternoon (on the day of the "all-day tour" with this place preceded by Volcan Arenal), it was both "enjoyable & interesting" (although actually more of the latter than the former since it was my "first such" experience!): being in the "thermal pools" & feeling the warm water coming up from below (about 6 or 7 in total, of which I entered about 4 and some of which kind of "inter-connected"), sitting on the stools of one of the "water bars" (located right inside some of the pools with the stools fixed to the pool bottoms), going down a water slide for some "big splash" down below (3 in total, all just going into one pool and among which 2 looping ones & a straight-down one which was just "my choice" for being at slightly lower than the loops!), and just wandering around the "sprawling grounds" from one end to the other with the pools alongside (after coming up from the water). On a "guided tour" by a pretty well-organized tour company (with which I'd also done a day tour to Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio just the day before), we left San Jose at about 9 am followed by a stop in the small town called Sarchi for about an hour (with its own tour sites such as a "big decorative" ox-cart & the nearby church with actually some nice interior to see) before arriving...For about 4 hours in the afternoon (on the day of the "all-day tour" with this place preceded by Volcan Arenal), it was both "enjoyable & interesting" (although actually more of the latter than the former since it was my "first such" experience!): being in the "thermal pools" & feeling the warm water coming up from below (about 6 or 7 in total, of which I entered about 4 and some of which kind of "inter-connected"), sitting on the stools of one of the "water bars" (located right inside some of the pools with the stools fixed to the pool bottoms), going down a water slide for some "big splash" down below (3 in total, all just going into one pool and among which 2 looping ones & a straight-down one which was just "my choice" for being at slightly lower than the loops!), and just wandering around the "sprawling grounds" from one end to the other with the pools alongside (after coming up from the water).

On a "guided tour" by a pretty well-organized tour company (with which I'd also done a day tour to Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio just the day before), we left San Jose at about 9 am followed by a stop in the small town called Sarchi for about an hour (with its own tour sites such as a "big decorative" ox-cart & the nearby church with actually some nice interior to see) before arriving for lunch at about 1 pm pretty close to Volcan Arenal which was just where we headed after lunch (although for just a "partial cloud-covered" view of the Volcano for about half an hour from the "viewing deck" of a mirador site). And so, with this resort being the "second site" of the tour after Volcan Arenal, the day ended with the dinner at the hotel restaurant here before heading back to San Jose at about 7 pm (for about 3 hours of "night driving" without any stop except for a short one for bathroom). And yes, although not being able to recall his name, my "great thanks" are to our tour guide (a gentleman in his 30's or so) for being a really nice friendly guy throughout the trip.More