Los Lagos Hot Springs Review: La Fortuna Hot Springs Guide
Last updated on June 24th, 2021 at 04:32 pm GMT-6 (Costa Rica time)
Written by Nikki Solano
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
Do you want to know our pick for the BEST HOT SPRINGS in Costa Rica? It is featured on DIY Costa Rica!
Want to save money in Costa Rica?
Our sister site, Pura Vida! eh? Inc., has hot springs pass discounts. Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome) and pura vida!
🙂
We’ve experienced all 12 hot springs in La Fortuna Costa Rica!
Continue reading below to read about our visits to Costa Rica’s Los Lagos Hot Springs.
Best feature(s) that influenced our rating (see below for our full review): Affordable day pass cost; free access to on-site exhibits
This article offers our review of the Los Lagos Hot Springs. Don’t miss all of the hot springs reviews we include in our La Fortuna Hot Springs Guide:
*****
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- An overview of the Los Lagos Hot Springs in La Fortuna Costa Rica
- Learn what to expect from Costa Rica’s La Fortuna Hot Springs according to which hot springs attraction you plan to visit
- Los Lagos Hot Springs photo gallery
- Los Lagos Hot Springs location
- Los Lagos Hot Springs hours
- Los Lagos Hot Springs price range
- Los Lagos Hot Springs reservations
- Los Lagos Hot Springs size and design
- Los Lagos Hot Springs popularity
- Los Lagos Hot Springs pools and rivers
- Additional on-site features and amenities offered by the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Los Lagos Hot Springs atmosphere
- Dining at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Staying overnight at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Towels and lockers at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Parking at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Los Lagos Hot Springs 4×4 requirement
- Alternative names for the Los Lagos Hot Springs
An overview of the Los Lagos Hot Springs in La Fortuna Costa Rica
The Los Lagos Hot Springs are one of La Fortuna’s most popular hot springs properties, no doubt in part due to the attraction’s affordable hot springs pass. Though the Los Lagos Hot Springs aren’t the least expensive hot springs property in La Fortuna, the hot springs pass at Los Lagos buys access to a collection of hot springs and cold-water pools adorned with small waterfalls and waterslides, plus free entrance to a few on-site wildlife exhibits. If you’re looking for good value (and not much else), the Los Lagos Hot Springs provides it.
Who should (and who shouldn’t) visit the Los Lagos Hot Springs
Consider choosing the Los Lagos Hot Springs if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on visiting a hot springs property in Costa Rica but you want a nicer hot springs experience than what La Fortuna’s economy hot springs currently provide.
Due to the layout of the Los Lagos Hot Springs (see the “size and design” section below for details), the Los Lagos Hot Springs are also recommended to travelers who need (or who prefer to visit) a small hot springs property that reduces walking distance between pools.
If you wish to stay at a La Fortuna hotel that has hot springs on-site, you can choose Hotel Los Lagos, the resident hotel of the Los Lagos Hot Springs. It’s important to note, however, that Hotel Los Lagos’ on-site hot springs and cold-water pools are accessible to the public via the purchase of a hot springs pass; they are not reserved for hotel guests. If you’d prefer to stay at a La Fortuna hotel that limits hot springs access to hotel guests only, it would be best to choose a different hotel.
Learn what to expect from Costa Rica’s La Fortuna Hot Springs according to which hot springs attraction you plan to visit
Want to know what kind of thermal water experience you’ll have before you decide which hot springs in La Fortuna is the best to visit? We’ve got you covered. Not only have we personally experienced 12 different hot springs attractions in Costa Rica’s La Fortuna area alone, we’ve written a review of each La Fortuna hot springs property to help you decide for yourself which is most deserving of your time and money. Below is our review of the Los Lagos Hot Springs attraction which documents the following:
- Location: Where you’ll find the hot springs property, complete with the hot springs’ physical address and a map
- Hours: When you can visit the hot springs property during the day and throughout the week
- Price range: A range of prices you can expect to pay for a hot springs pass with or without a meal included (prices are subject to change without notice)
- Reservations: A confirmation of whether advance reservations are required to acquire a hot springs pass
- Size and design: Whether you can expect to enjoy and explore a small, medium, or large hot springs property
- Popularity: Whether you can expect to be joined by crowds at the hot springs
- Pools and rivers: What you can expect to find at the hot springs in terms of thermal-water pools and rivers
- Additional on-site features: What else you can expect to find at the hot springs in addition to thermal-water pools/rivers
- Atmosphere: What type of ambiance you can expect to find at the hot springs
- Dining: Whether you can expect to eat and/or drink on-site at the hot springs
- Accommodations: Whether the hot springs property offers a hotel on-site
- Towels and lockers: Whether you can expect to receive and/or pay for towels and lockers at the hot springs
- Parking: Whether you can expect to find parking at the hot springs
- 4×4 vehicle required: Whether a 4×4 vehicle is required to reach the hot springs
- Alternative hot springs names: Other names for the hot springs property that locals, GPS navigational systems, and maps may cite
Our La Fortuna Hot Springs rating system
We also rate Costa Rica’s La Fortuna hot springs according to a 1-10 scale (1 being the worst and 10 being the best). If you’re short on time, visit each hot springs review page on our blog (we’ve written one review for each hot springs property in La Fortuna; see the top of this article for links to each review) and look for the scale to quickly identify how we rate the hot springs.
The scales look like this:
and this:
To learn which rating we gave the Los Lagos Hot Springs, please see the rating provided at the top of this article.
Los Lagos Hot Springs photo gallery
We took the below photos during our most recent visit to the Los Lagos Hot Springs. Click on any photo below to view a larger version.
Los Lagos Hot Springs location
The Los Lagos Hot Springs are found at Hotel Los Lagos. The official address of Hotel Los Lagos is 6 km oeste del Parque Central (6 km west of the Central Park), La Fortuna, 21007, Costa Rica.
It takes approximately 10 minutes to drive to the Los Lagos Hot Springs from downtown La Fortuna. If arriving from the south/east (via downtown La Fortuna), the Los Lagos Hot Springs will be on your left. Look for the large entrance signed for Hotel Los Lagos.
Los Lagos Hot Springs map
Los Lagos Hot Springs hours
Though the Los Lagos Hot Springs hours are subject to change at anytime, the most recent operating hours we’ve recorded are 9:00am to 10:00pm Monday through Sunday.
Los Lagos Hot Springs price range
Though entrance fees to the Los Lagos Hot Springs are subject to change at anytime, the most recent prices we’ve recorded are $16 per adult and $8 per child age 6-9 (children ages 0-5 are free) for a hot springs pass without a meal included. It’s possible to add lunch or dinner to your hot springs pass for an extra cost.
Are the Los Lagos Hot Springs expensive?
On the spectrum of hot spring attractions you can visit in La Fortuna, the Los Lagos Hot Springs are a middle-of-the-road option (i.e., they sit between economy options and high-end options) in terms of overall quality. For this reason, the costs associated with the attraction’s hot springs passes are average for the area.
Los Lagos Hot Springs reservations
Advance reservations are not required for Los Lagos Hot Springs passes. Hot springs passes can be purchased directly from Hotel Los Lagos upon arrival at the hotel.
Los Lagos Hot Springs size and design
Though Hotel Los Lagos boasts a giant property that includes a hotel spread out over a few buildings, several wildlife exhibits, a restaurant, two lakes, parking lots, a souvenir store, and a forested area that acts as the backdrop to the hotel’s on-site canopy tour (zip-lining experience), the area consumed by the Los Lagos Hot Springs is relatively small. You can walk around all of the property’s hot springs and pools in a matter of a few minutes, and since most pools are connected by flat, concrete paths (some are stamped to look like stone), travel between each is quick and easy.
Closest to the on-site restaurant is a cold-water pool and the property’s most attractive hot springs pool, which resembles a lagoon. Both are adorned with waterslides. Behind these soaking spots hide several other smaller, odd-shaped pools and Jacuzzis that provide a bit more privacy, provided you’re able to visit on a day when the Los Lagos Hot Springs aren’t filled with bathers.
Los Lagos Hot Springs popularity
Where there’s good value, there’s usually a good showing of people. The Los Lagos Hot Springs are no exception. Though the popularity of most La Fortuna hot springs properties fluctuates throughout the year (mid-December to April and mid-June to mid-August are typically the busiest periods), the Los Lagos Hot Springs tend to stay busy year-round. Hotel Los Lagos delivers a steady stream of bathers in the form of hotel guests, while budget-minded travelers (who opt to stay at less expensive accommodations elsewhere in town) flock to the Los Lagos Hot Springs to take advantage of its decent springs and low rates.
Los Lagos Hot Springs pools and rivers
The cold-water pools and hot springs at Los Lagos are made up of 10 pools that range in temperature between 26 and 38 degrees Celsius.
Each pool at the Los Lagos Hot Springs looks different from the next. They’re framed with concrete designed and handcrafted to resemble natural-looking, grey/brown rocks. Colorful gardens full of ornamental plants, ferns, tall grasses, heliconias, and flowers decorate some of the pool areas and line paths that connect the hot springs. These gardens help the Los Lagos Hot Springs feel more elegant than they are. Turquoise, mosaic tile floors in several pools add to the property’s tropical feel.
Though a small stream runs through Hotel Los Lagos’ property, it’s purely decorative and not suitable for swimming.
Are the Los Lagos Hot Springs natural?
The Los Lagos Hot Springs are natural in the sense that the property’s mineral-rich thermal water comes from the area and is heated in part by the Arenal Volcano. The thermal-water is contained on-site in man-made pools.
Additional on-site features and amenities offered by the Los Lagos Hot Springs
Extra features and amenities you’ll find on-site at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- A view of the Arenal Volcano
- A butterfly garden (entrance included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A frog pond (entrance included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A turtle pond (entrance included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A crocodile pond (entrance included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- An ant farm (entrance included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A spa (spa services not included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A canopy tour (zip-lining experience; zipline tour not included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A hotel (overnight stays not included in the cost of the hot springs pass)
- A restaurant and bars (food/drinks not included in the cost of the hot springs pass, except in cases when a hot springs pass including a meal is purchased)
Pool-area features and amenities you’ll find at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
- Small waterfalls
- Waterslides
- Jacuzzis
- Poolside tables and chairs
- Wet bar with in-pool stools
- In-pool chairs
- In-pool steps and railings
- Informative signs that indicate the temperature, bather capacity, grade, minimum depth, and maximum depth of each pool
Los Lagos Hot Springs atmosphere
The low-cost Los Lagos Hot Springs draws all kinds of travelers including independent backpackers, couples, and travel groups (e.g., family groups, friend groups, school groups, and sports teams). As a result, the hot springs, which are not overly spacious, are often bustling. Though social travelers enjoy the property’s lively vibe, if you’re looking for romance or solitude, you may not find it at the Los Lagos Hot Springs unless you plan to visit during the least busy times of year (May to mid-June and mid-August to mid-December).
Dining at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
Hotel Los Lagos offers an on-site restaurant and on-site bars. Day pass holders who visit the Los Lagos Hot Springs are welcome to purchase food and drinks at the hotel’s on-site establishments. Lunch and dinner (if purchased with the hot springs pass) are served at Hotel Los Lagos’ on-site restaurant, the Las Palmas Restaurant (open 12:00pm-3:00pm daily for lunch and 6:00pm-9:30pm daily for dinner).
Staying overnight at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
The Los Lagos Hot Springs are the resident hot springs of Hotel Los Lagos, a 98-room, superior-quality hotel situated in Costa Rica’s Arenal region. Unlike a few other La Fortuna hotels that offer private hot springs on-site, Hotel Los Lagos welcomes non-hotel guests (a.k.a., members of the public) to access their hot springs via the use of a day pass.
Towels and lockers at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
The Los Lagos Hot Springs offer both a towel rental service and a locker rental service. The costs of these optional rental services are not included in the cost of the hot springs pass. Guests of Hotel Los Lagos may rent towels for free using the towel cards provided upon check-in.
Parking at the Los Lagos Hot Springs
Secure parking on the property of Hotel Los Lagos (beyond the guarded front entrance gate) is accessible and offered free of charge to Los Lagos Hot Springs day pass visitors in addition to Hotel Los Lagos guests.
Los Lagos Hot Springs 4×4 requirement
A 4×4 vehicle is not required to reach the Los Lagos Hot Springs.
Alternative names for the Los Lagos Hot Springs
The Hotel Los Lagos Hot Springs
The hot springs at Hotel Los Lagos
QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you been to the Los Lagos Hot Springs? How would you review the hot springs experience?
Pura vida!
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