Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, Rincón de la Vieja

Blue River Resort & Hot Springs is a family hot springs resort on the quiet northern side of Rincón de la Vieja volcano, about 90 minutes by road from Liberia. It’s built around three volcanic hot pools, a large botanical garden and a turquoise river, with waterfall hikes and tubing close by. It’s a resort first and an eco lodge second, so come for the soaking, the gardens and the rivers rather than for a deep conservation story.

At a glance

Where it is

Most visitors to Rincón de la Vieja stay on the volcano’s southern, Guanacaste side, near the park’s Las Pailas entrance. Blue River sits on the opposite flank, in the farming country around Dos Ríos, just across the provincial line in Alajuela. The resort’s address places it 500 meters north of the bridge over the Río Azul in El Gavilán, and its about page gives the drive from Liberia as about 90 minutes. The resort has gone by “Blue River Resort & Spa” in some of its branding, but it’s the same property.

That location shapes the stay. You’re closer to forest, rivers and waterfalls than to the beaches, and the surroundings are rural rather than touristy. If you also want to hike the national park’s fumarole trails, plan on a drive around the volcano.

The hot springs

The springs are the reason most people come. The resort’s hot springs page explains that the water rises at about 60°C (140°F) in a small area of the botanical garden, fed from deep beneath the volcano. It’s cooled, filtered and piped into three pools, each kept at a different temperature, and then flows away along a warm creek that begins in the garden. The water has a green tint, which the resort attributes to dissolved copper.

After a soak, guests can try a natural mud bath and a sauna built over the hot springs creek, both included with a stay. A 2019 report in La República described the sauna as a volcanic steam cave big enough for about 30 people.

Two freshwater pools round things out: one with a bullet waterslide that’s popular with children, and a larger Island Pool with its own waterfall.

Gardens, ponds and the Dino Park

Blue River is more garden than jungle lodge. According to the resort, its botanical gardens hold around 700 plant varieties, alongside butterfly gardens, a hummingbird sanctuary and ponds with fish, turtles and caimans. The same 2019 La República piece also listed an orchid garden and a frog house.

The newest attraction is a dinosaur park at the base of the volcano, with 28 life-size moving models set along marked forest trails. It’s a hit with young children and a clear sign of the resort’s family focus; travelers looking for an unadorned nature retreat may find it out of place.

Rooms

The resort publishes three room types rather than a room count:

• Superior King Bed: about 720 square feet, sleeping up to four with two cots, with air conditioning, a mini fridge, a safe and a balcony hammock.
• Superior Two Queen Beds: the same size, sleeping up to five, aimed at families.
• Honeymoon: a couples’ option listed on the site without further detail.

Breakfast is included, with a choice of a Costa Rican or American plate, and the resort says up to two children under seven stay free. It’s also pet friendly.

Food

The restaurant, signposted as the Tiki Bar & Restaurant, mixes Costa Rican plates with burgers, wraps, pizzas, seafood and pastas, plus a kids’ menu, fruit drinks, cocktails and a wine list. A vegetarian menu is available; the site doesn’t mention vegan or gluten-free cooking, so ask ahead if you need either.

Waterfalls, rivers and tours

The best of the surrounding country is water. The resort’s tour list covers most of it with its own bilingual guides:

• Grand Waterfalls: a hike, or a horseback ride over farm roads and pasture, to a swimming hole below the falls, with an optional rainforest walk on to the blue pools of the Río Penjamo.
• Cathedral Waterfalls: a more demanding hike to a cave-like chamber with falls inside.
• Laguna Serena and Bellavista farms: hikes through private family farms and reserves to waterfalls and swimming spots, one with an optional jump into the Río Azul.
• White-water tubing: one to two hours on the Río Azul, or the Penjamo or Cucaracho depending on the season. The resort recommends it for fit adults.
• Zip line: the resort’s own course of nine cables covering about 3 km, the longest over 600 meters.

Guests can also simply walk down to the Río Azul for a swim. For the national park itself, Costa Rica’s tourism board describes Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park as having two sectors, Las Pailas and Santa María, with trails to fumaroles, bubbling mud pots and hot springs.

How green is it?

Blue River doesn’t appear in the official CST directory, and its website doesn’t describe any energy, water, waste or conservation program. What it does offer is a large planted garden, a working hot springs creek and tours that spend money with neighboring family farms. That’s a reasonable nature experience, but it isn’t the same as a certified eco lodge. If verified sustainability matters to you, nearby Hacienda Guachipelín holds the CST Elite level, and our guide on how to choose a sustainable hotel explains what to look for.

Who it suits

Blue River works well for families with children of mixed ages, for couples who want a hot springs break without the crowds of La Fortuna, and for anyone happy to base themselves somewhere rural with river and waterfall outings on the doorstep. The 2019 La República report noted that the resort had won a World Boutique Hotel Awards prize in 2018 as a family hotel.

It suits less well if you’re after wildlife-focused guiding, a small rustic lodge, or a beach. For a ranch-style stay on the volcano’s southern side, compare Buena Vista Lodge; for the blue rivers and cloud forest of Tenorio, an hour or so east, see Tenorio Lodge. Browse more options in our Guanacaste eco-lodges section, and our guide to waterfalls, jungle rivers and hot springs covers the wider region.