Blue River Resort and Hot Springs in Costa Rica
Travel Tips | Destinations |Travel Savings |Travel Oklahoma
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Blue River Resort and Hot Springs and our stay as well as activities were comped so that I could write our review. As all always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
This past week my husband and I celebrated my 40th Birthday as well as our 20th Wedding anniversary in Costa Rica. This was the first time I have been out of the country without a large group and I was a little nervous. Costa Rica has been on my bucket list for quite some time and we stumbled upon the Blue River Resort and Hot Springs online by accident and I am so glad we did. As a travel blogger we have stayed at many resorts, but this one was quite different. Blue River is very secluded way up in the mountains, which provides an experience like we have never experienced before. You are an hour and half away from Liberia and the drive to the resort through the mountains is beautiful.
I would definitely deem Blue River Resort and Hot Springs a romantic getaway. My husband and I really didn’t know what we were in for. My life as a blogger can be pretty hectic and I am usually tied to my phone and my laptop, so sometimes I don’t get to fully enjoy my vacations because I feel the need to “CHECK IN” all the time. The only Internet on the property is at the restaurant, which literally made us both realize how addicted to our electronics we really are. The only thing we used our phones for on this trip was to take photos and the occasional check-in’s with family while waiting for dinner.
There are several different room options. Our room had a kind size bed, mini fridge, satellite TV, closet with 10 -15 hangers, shelves and a safe. It also had a large bathroom, shower and separate toilet. Honestly the only slight negative that I had was that the beds were a little hard for us as well as the pillows but nothing that was a cause for concern.
Blue River has 5 pools on the property. Three of them are natural hot springs, meaning that the water is like a natural hot tub because the nearby volcano heats the water. You will notice that the water is green because of the all the natural minerals in the water. The other two pools are cold water pools, one with a slide.
Also on the property is a botanical garden that you can walk through, full of native flowers and plants. You can even take a volcanic mud bath.
Inside the botanical garden is a Coy pond with humming bird feeders where you can sit and watch the hummingbirds fly all around you. Do you know how hard it was to get a pic of a hummingbird? I spent days trying to get a pic and finally settled on this one.
As well as a butterfly garden inside a greenhouse where you walk through as butterflies literally fly all around you. My husband sat and read his book while I took photos. He said it was so peaceful and quiet. There were some gigantic beautiful blue ones, but once they land they stay with their wings closed so I didn’t get a shot with the wings open, but you can see how beautiful the outside is on this little beauty, so you can only imagine what the inside looked like.
While I was there taking photos, one of the ladies taking care of the area showed where a butterfly had laid her eggs. Just a few minutes later she showed me a butterfly that was actually laying her eggs. This was something I had never seen before. I had a hard time getting shots of the butterflies because, well, let’s just say it look like mating season because they were too busy chasing each other to stand still.
They also have 9 horses, 2 donkeys and 2 miniature horses. I had fun playing with them and I think I made a few friends as well.
Let’s not forget the Spa. We ended up both getting a massage towards the end of our trip to get us ready for the plane ride home.
The Tours:
There are 3 main tours that Blue River offers. Zip lining, Horseback Riding and Tubing.
Horseback Riding: We did a 1 hour horseback ride up into the mountains where we started down a road where we got to see local plants and fruits. It’s very interesting to see how very different an orange or a grapefruit looks like in a different country. They aren’t actually orange because everything grows naturally and there are no modifications or pesticides. We then started our journey up through the mountains where we experienced that natural blue river, waterfalls as well as catching a glimpse of some Howler Monkeys in their natural habitat.
At the end, we were taken to a double waterfall with a pool at the bottom where sat and swam for awhile.
My husband had so much fun playing with a local dog called Echo who enjoyed playing fetch in the water.
Ziplining: The Ziplining tour has 9 lines with a Tarzan Swing at the end, which is pretty frightening, but optional. My husband decided to literally take the plunge as you can see from the video above, he had a lot of fun.
Tubing: This is NOT your average tubing people. This is like EXTREME tubing lol. I have to say I was literally terrified, but had so much fun. This is like white water rafting except in a tube. I actually flipped over once, but the guides were so awesome and were right there to help. My husband actually flipped three times. I recommend taking only a GoPro (with helmet attachment) and your swimsuit ONLY on this wild and crazy ride. Plan this activity last.
Travel Tips:
- There is only one restaurant on the property and all the food is local so don’t expect to go into town for anything. We actually packed a small suitcase full of snacks and had the driver stop by a local grocery store on the way to pick up drinks to keep in our mini fridge.
- The tap water here is amazing and better than the water at home, so no need to buy bottled water.
- Plan all of your activities during the morning, this is a rain forest and we were able to do all of our activities rain free. It rained every day but not until the late afternoon and they were short bursts of rain that didn’t last long.
What to Bring:
- Bug Spray ( see my natural recipe)
- Sunscreen
- Umbrella
- Small flashlights (it’s dark out here people)
- Camera
- Cash for tips
- 2 swimsuits
- Water shoes for tubing
- Long pants for horseback riding
Peppermint Spray ( I made up a spray of essential oils to spray around the doors to keep any bugs away because you’re out in the rainforest)
I cannot stress how peaceful and relaxing this place is. This is an extremely laid back atmosphere and not your typical commercialized resort. If you are looking for an excursion filled, crowded, impersonal resort, then this is not for you. If you are looking for a romantic getaway, where you and your significant other can disconnect from the world and focus only on yourselves then this is the vacation for you.
My Suggestions:
This is the spot where I make suggestions to places I visit, doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing just ideas to make the trip extra special:
I would recommend a few more options to the restaurant menu, especially for guests staying a week or so. If I missed these items on the menu, then don’t change a thing!
Menu Suggestions:
- Chips & Salsa
- Guacamole & Chips
- Qusadillas
- Chicken Wrap
- Fruit Salad
- Gluten Free Options
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