Hot Springs La Fortuna Costa RicaLos Lagos Hot Springs: The Pools, Slides and Grounds in Arenal
Los Lagos hot springs sit inside the Los Lagos Hotel, Spa & Resort grounds about 9 minutes by car from La Fortuna, and they play more like a small water park than a quiet rainforest soak. This page covers what the property actually offers: eight thermal pools, three cold pools, waterslides, a butterfly garden, a turtle pond, hours, towels, lockers and what the bookable ticket includes. If you want a comparison with every hot spring in La Fortuna Costa Rica, the Costa Rica hot springs in La Fortuna homepage lists them all side by side. Families and kids come here for the slides. Travelers chasing a natural river experience should look elsewhere.
Quick answer Los Lagos at a glance
Los Lagos hot springs are constructed thermal pools with waterslides inside the Los Lagos Hotel, Spa & Resort grounds about 9 minutes from La Fortuna, and the bookable admission ticket costs $65 for a 2-4 hour visit. The water is genuinely geothermal, heated by groundwater in contact with magma from the Arenal volcano system. It suits families. It does not suit travelers who want a natural river.
Key takeaways
- Book the Los Lagos admission ticket at $65 with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
- See how the $65 ticket compares with the Tabacón day pass and other venues in the price table below.
- Traveling with kids? The Baldi day pass is the other big water-park-style option near Arenal.
- Want a natural thermal river instead? The Hot Springs Pura Vida river access costs $29.
What Kind of Hot Spring Los Lagos Really Is
Los Lagos is a constructed pool complex on hotel grounds, not a natural river you walk into. Knowing that up front saves disappointment.
Constructed Pools, Real Geothermal Water
The honest starting point: the pools at Los Lagos are built, tiled basins filled with geothermally heated water, the same setup as Baldi, Paradise and EcoTermales. This is not the river experience you get at Tabacón or at the free El Choyín river. The heat source is real though. All the La Fortuna and Arenal hot springs draw on geothermal heat from the Arenal volcano system, where water is heated underground and surfaces through springs and rivers. Resorts either channel that water directly or pump it into constructed pools, and Los Lagos is in the pump-and-pool camp.
The water at Los Lagos is heated by groundwater in contact with magma from the active Arenal Volcano, which is exactly what the admission ticket description states. The hottest pool runs about 100°F, which is warm-soak territory rather than scalding. Swimmers who want to rotate between temperatures will find variety, because the thermal pools vary in heat and there are cold pools too.
How Many Pools and What They Are Like
Third-party hotel guides report the thermal area has eight thermal mineral pools of varying temperature plus three separate cold-water pools. Five of the eight thermal pools are fed by natural spring water rather than pumped or heated municipal water, which matters if water provenance is part of your decision. The property mixes playful waterslide zones in some pool areas with quieter spa-style corners in others, so you can move away from the splashing if you want calm.
Beyond the pools there are on-site restaurants and a spa. The spa and the restaurants are separate purchases, so budget for them separately if you plan to use them. The venue also runs a butterfly garden and a turtle pond, which are included in the grounds and give the place a small-zoo feel that young children tend to enjoy between soaks.
Sources: My Tan Feet and Hotel Los Lagos
The Hotel Grounds, Butterfly Garden and Turtle Pond
Los Lagos is a full resort, and a day visit gets you more than pools.
A Large Property With a Volcano Viewpoint
The property is large. Third-party hotel guides report it at roughly 1,050 acres beside Arenal Volcano, with an internal resort road leading to a volcano viewpoint and the small emerald-colored lake the hotel is named after. Day visitors do not automatically get a guided walk to the viewpoint, so ask at reception whether day guests can access it. Remember that Arenal sits in cloud for long stretches, so a volcano view is never promised on any given day.
Hotel Los Lagos explicitly sells day access to non-guests, stating you can enjoy the thermal mineral waters and spa without the need to be a guest at the resort. That makes it one of the easier Arenal hotel properties to visit as an outsider, since many resorts treat the springs as a guest-only amenity.
Butterfly Garden and Turtle Pond
The butterfly garden and turtle pond sit within the hotel grounds and are part of what separates Los Lagos from a plain pool complex. They are small attractions rather than a full animal park, and they work well as a break between pool sessions, especially for children who burn through pool time quickly. There is no separate published fee for these areas in the research available, so treat them as part of the grounds you can wander.
If animal encounters are a priority for your trip, note that this is a modest on-site feature. The nearby La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs Tour bundles a rainforest hike and a Maleku village visit with a soak, which covers nature and springs in one 10-hour day for $95.
Los Lagos Hot Springs on Video
The pools and slides at Los Lagos. Third-party video by Where Next Travel. We did not shoot it and have no relationship with the creator.
Hours, Tickets, Towels and Lockers
The practical facts you need before driving out.
Opening Hours and Booking
Los Lagos hot springs open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, which gives you a full day window or an after-dinner soak. Reservations are handled by WhatsApp on +506 8986 1000 rather than a self-serve website, so response times can lag in high season. The simpler route is the bookable Los Lagos Hot Springs Admission Ticket, which costs $65, needs only your ID at the gate and no printed voucher, and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The ticket's stated duration window is 2 to 4 hours. That is a guideline rather than an enforced limit, but it tells you what most visitors actually do here: an afternoon or evening session, not a full day. Only your ID is needed at the gate. What the ticket leaves out is private transportation, so you drive yourself or arrange a taxi.
Towels, Lockers and Extra Costs
Lockers are included with your visit. Towels are not free: reported towel rental runs $2 per towel, so either pack your own or carry small cash. Parking cost is not stated in the available research, so do not assume it is free. Food and drinks are extra, since the admission ticket covers pool access only and no meal is bundled in.
Children's pricing runs in age bands. The tour listing for Los Lagos uses infant 0-5, child 6-10 and adult 11-99, so a child aged 10 books at the child rate while an 11-year-old counts as an adult. Bring swimwear, sandals for the wet pavement and cash for towels and snacks.
Pools at Baldi Hot Springs, Fortuna. Photo: John Menard from Phoenix, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting to Los Lagos From La Fortuna
Los Lagos is one of the closest hot spring venues to town.
Distance and Driving
The drive from La Fortuna takes about 9 minutes, which makes Los Lagos the kind of place you can decide to visit on the same afternoon. There is no hotel pickup with the admission ticket and transport is not included, so you need your own rental car, a taxi or a pre-arranged driver. The resort sits on the road toward Arenal Volcano, in the same general corridor as several other springs.
Because the property is a working hotel with its own restaurants, staying for dinner after an evening soak is an easy option. If you would rather not drive at all, the Arenal Volcano Hike + Hot Springs River tour includes round-trip transportation from the La Fortuna zone for $54, though its soak is at the natural Río Choyín river rather than at Los Lagos.
How the Los Lagos Ticket Compares on Price
The table below lines up the bookable tickets this site covers so you can see what each price buys before you commit. All figures are the ticket prices listed on the booking platforms, in US dollars. Note that what a ticket includes differs by venue: some bundle meals or transport, some do not, and Los Lagos covers pools only with no meal.
| Venue | Ticket price | Hours covered | Meal included | Transport included | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Lagos | $65 | 2-4 hour window | No | No | Check Availability Details |
| Paradise Hot Springs | $47 | 11am-9pm pools | No | No | Check Availability Details |
| Baldi Hot Springs | $60 | Full day to 10pm | Optional add-on | No | Check Availability Details |
| EcoTermales Fortuna | $81 | 10am-4pm day pass | No | No | Check Availability Details |
| Tabacón | $180 | 3-7 hour window | No | Shared shuttle option | Check Availability Details |
| The Springs Resort | $124 | 2 days, 8am-10pm | No | No | Check Availability Details |
Who Los Lagos Suits and Who Should Pick Another Spring
A water-park character is a feature for some travelers and a dealbreaker for others.
Pick Los Lagos If You Want Play, Not Silence
Los Lagos works best for families with children, groups who want slides between soaks, and travelers who like having restaurants and a spa on the same property. The $65 ticket with free 24-hour cancellation makes it a low-risk afternoon plan, and the 9-minute drive from La Fortuna means a rained-out morning can turn into a springs afternoon without much planning. The butterfly garden and turtle pond give restless kids a second activity at no extra published cost.
If that description fits, the Kalambu hot springs guide covers the other slide-heavy water-park option near Arenal, which is worth a look before you book either one.
Skip Los Lagos If You Want a River or Romance
If your mental image of Costa Rica hot springs is a natural river under rainforest, Los Lagos will disappoint. It is tiled pools and waterslides on hotel grounds. For the river experience, Tabacón's network of natural thermal springs is the benchmark at $180, or the Hot Springs Pura Vida river and pool ticket delivers a thermal river for $29. For quiet and romance, Paradise Hot Springs caps visitor numbers to keep pools uncrowded and charges $47, and EcoTermales hot springs limits daily visitors and bans photos in the thermal area.
Travelers watching every dollar should read the guide to cheap hot springs in La Fortuna, which covers the small family pools that charge a fraction of resort rates.
Do and Don't at Los Lagos
Small things that make the day smoother.
Do
- Do book the admission ticket in advance, because direct reservations run through WhatsApp and can be slow to answer.
- Do bring your own towel or $2 per rented towel, since towels are not free.
- Do plan 2 to 4 hours for the visit, matching the ticket's own duration window.
- Do check the butterfly garden and turtle pond between soaks, since they are part of the grounds.
- Do rotate between the thermal pools and the three cold pools, because the temperature range is the point of an eight-pool complex.
Don't
- Don't come expecting a natural river, because the pools are constructed basins fed by pumped geothermal water.
- Don't expect a promised volcano view, because Arenal hides in cloud for long stretches.
- Don't leave the property for dinner out of habit, because the hotel runs its own restaurants.
- Don't forget your ID, because it is the only document the gate needs, with no printed voucher.
Los Lagos Hot Springs FAQ
Are the Los Lagos hot springs natural?
The water is genuinely geothermal, heated by groundwater in contact with magma from the Arenal volcano system, but the pools themselves are constructed basins rather than a natural river. The full Los Lagos admission ticket description states the volcanic heating directly.
How much does Los Lagos hot springs cost?
The bookable admission ticket costs $65 per adult for a 2-4 hour window, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Compare it against the Tabacón day pass at $180 if you are weighing a bigger budget option.
What are the opening hours at Los Lagos?
The hot springs run from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, so both daytime and evening soaks work. That matches the EcoTermales day pass daytime window of 10am to 4pm only if you book the day version, though EcoTermales also sells a night pass.
Is Los Lagos good for children?
Yes, and it is one of the most kid-friendly springs in the area, with waterslides, a butterfly garden, a turtle pond and a 100°F maximum pool heat. Children aged 6-10 book at the child rate on the ticket. The other slide-heavy option nearby is covered in the Baldi hot springs guide.
How far is Los Lagos from La Fortuna?
About a 9-minute drive from La Fortuna town, and transport is not included in the ticket so you drive or take a taxi. If you would rather have a vehicle handled for you, the waterfall, volcano and hot springs tour includes round-trip hotel pickup in La Fortuna for $95.
Are towels and lockers included at Los Lagos?
Lockers are included with your visit. Towels cost a reported $2 per towel to rent, so bring your own if you want to skip the fee. Travelers comparing amenities across venues will find the full rundown on the Costa Rica hot springs in La Fortuna homepage.
Is Los Lagos better than the free hot springs river?
They are different products. Los Lagos gives you staffed, built pools, slides, lockers and included security for $65. The free river at El Choyín costs nothing but has no staff, no lockers, slippery rocks and reported theft from unattended bags. The trade-offs are laid out in the guide to free hot springs in La Fortuna.