Luxury and Romance in Costa Rica: Arenal Springs Resort

For us an ultimate destination is filled with adventure, relaxation and romance.  When we decided to break away from the office, we thought Costa Rica would be a home run.  The Nayara Hotel & Spa was the ultimate spot for luxury and romance in Costa Rica!  The property receives high praises as one of the top hotels in South America and we couldn’t agree more.

The Location

Nayara is located in the Arenal region of Costa Rica.  The property offers great view points of the famous Arenal Volcano, that is when mother nature decides to clear the clouds for her to make an appearance!  The property is one of the most lush we have ever visited.  The shear number of greenery and flowers around the property is amazing!  The walking paths make you feel like you are the only people on the property and add to the seclusion of the rooms.  You really feel like you are in the middle of the rainforest at this property which was the perfect way to experience luxury and romance in Costa Rica.

The hotel consists of the older Nayara side and the newer Nayara Springs side.  The property is so well maintained that we didn’t really notice any difference in the conditions of the buildings on either side.  For an adult couple’s trip, the Nayara Springs side is adults only so it definitely checked the luxury and romance in Costa Rica requirement for us.

The Room

The room also checked the ultimate luxury and romance in Costa Rica box for us!  Each room is in an individual building with a private entrance through the lush pathway.  There are 3 categories – Casita Deluxe, Rainforest Villa and Springs Villa.  All rooms are relatively similar in design with the private plunge pool of the Springs Villa as the standout difference.  We chose the mid-range Rainforest Villa.  It was one of the largest rooms we have ever stayed in!  We would have been content staying inside the room most days.

There was a large king bed and sitting area as you walked in the door.  To the left of the bed was one of the largest bathrooms we’ve ever had while traveling.  It had dual sinks separated by a glass shower in the center.  The entire wall to the right was one large closest with the toilet in the right back corner.  The door to the left of the shower led out to one of our favorite parts of the room.

An outdoor dual shower!  After spending 4 nights here, we decided our next home is going to have an option of an outdoor shower.

The last part of the room was found through the doors at the foot of the bed that led to an expansive terrace.  Complete with a sitting area, hammock, view of the volcano and hot tub!  Can this room get any better?  It checked every box for finding luxury and romance in Costa Rica!

Costa Rica was in rainy season when we traveled however with an expansive room such as this, we didn’t mind the few days of rain.  Just being amongst these surroundings was an incredible way to spend our time outside the office.  Don’t worry, there are plenty of umbrellas stocked outside your room and amongst the property should you need them!

The Food

There are 5 restaurants throughout both of the properties.  Overall we were pleased with the options and did not venture out during our stay.  It was so convenient to have a variety of options right on the property.  As a bonus, there is a happy hour each day so we always took advantage of that option to enjoy cost effective cocktails!

We began each day with breakfast at Altamira Restaurant.  There is no shortage of options included on the buffet.  While the open air building provides the perfect way to begin the day!

The slow drip coffee was an excellent inclusion as well.  Coffee just hasn’t tasted the same since we’ve been back.

This restaurant also serves casual ala carte dining for lunch and dinner, although we opted to visit their other restaurants each evening.

There is the Terrace by the Pool on the Nayara Springs side of the property that offers more of a sit-down style breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Several trees are lit during the evening therefore we enjoyed having dinner poolside with such a beautiful setting.

There is also an Asian dining option at Asia Luna.  To be honest, this was our least favorite meal of the trip.  While the setting was nice on an outdoor patio, we were underwhelmed with the food at this one.

Our favorite restaurant for ambiance was Amor Loco.  The plush, purple velvet furniture added such a cool vibe to the restaurant. The cuisine is gourmet and they have live music in the evenings. All around, an awesome luxury and romance in Costa Rica spot!

Lastly there is the Nostalgia Wine & Tapas Bar.  This is a great option for a glass of wine as the name suggests.  But the unique feature is that they offer a 5-course wine pairing dinner on the outside patio.  There is limited seating every evening therefore reservations are a must.  We highly recommend you book this during your stay!  The food was fantastic and we had some great wine parings along the way.  Well done!

The Spa

Finding luxury and romance in Costa Rica isn’t complete without a world-class spa!  Luckily this property has 2 on site!  We visited the spa as part of the Nayara Springs side.  They offer secluded, couple’s rooms complete with jacuzzi, shower and side by side tables in an open-air concept.

We chose a coffee body scrub followed by 1 hour Swedish massages as our treatment.  It was incredible to have these side-by-side with the sounds of the rainforest in the background.  Spas we visited in the past had to have music playing to give that extra relaxing vibe but due to the location, the sound of nature is literally a foot in front of the table!  Don’t miss a treatment in this setting.

After our treatments, we had the opportunity to use the steam bath and sauna as well as enjoy a beverage.  What a fantastic way to spend the afternoon!

The Property

Lastly the property has some great common areas for use by all the guests.  There are 2 pools – one for families and a second adult only option.

The adults only pool was our favorite due to the lush greenery surrounding it.  It is located right at the edge of The Terrace Restaurant.  The only complain was that it was a bit awkward to swim when there were people dining right on the left edge of the pool.  Brian’s cannon balls into the pool may have splashed a diner or two…

The family friendly pool was large and included a built-in bar for adult guests to indulge.

If the jacuzzi on your terrace isn’t enjoyable, there are secluded ones throughout the property. We didn’t use it but this was a nice option as well.

The main lobby was always bustling as it was the meeting point for many of the tours in the area.  We found the concierge to be extremely helpful in arranging activities throughout our stay.  We went to the lobby at the time of departure and the concierge took care of all the other booking details. That is luxury!

Overall we definitely found luxury and romance in Costa Rica at Nayara Hotel & Spa!  It was such a lovely way to break away from the office and reconnect as a couple.  We would highly recommend staying here on your visit to the Arenal Area.  Cheers!