Jungle Love
Costa Rica's tiny-footprint resorts have (unexpectedly) big-deal spas
It's not news that Costa Rica excels at ecotourism: It has one of the highest percentages of protected land than any other nation, magnificent scenery, and small-footprint resorts that give you the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing your presence isn't mucking it all up. The unexpected twist is that its top spas compete on a world stage. While they're as diverse as the country's flora and fauna (lipstick red hibiscus and daredevil spider monkeys anyone?), they share a deep commitment to training, a penchant for innovative thinking, and a precise calibration of the therapeutic and the cosseting.
At the foot of the active Arenal volcano, Tabacón is centered on hot pools, fed by thermal springs and connected by rivers in a lush rain-forest setting. The spa, added in 2006 as part of a major resort-wide upgrade, is substantial (11 treatment bungalows), pretty, and very serene—surprisingly so, given the rowdy crowds in the pools right outside it, which are public and a stop on the tour-bus route. (Tip: Visit the springs before 11 a.m.) Most memorable treatment: the Tabacón Massage, in which my therapist used volcanic mud in lieu of oil—it felt like the gentlest possible scrub—and led me to a private stretch of river to wash it off. The hotel's 114 rooms are handsome, and service is smooth, despite the fact that low rates mean the hotel is often full (average occupancy: 97 percent). Book one of the Deluxe Forest Rooms, which have big window-side Jacuzzis, wide terraces, and reach-out-and-touch-it forest views.
