Blue River Resort & Hot Springs

Recent Reviews: 1605

• User:Curious15551518737

  Trip type: Family

  Wonderful jungle resort perfect if you need to relax and find zen!

  04 Apr 2026

  We really enjoyed this incredibly relaxing, unique jungle resort. The staff is exceptional, the food wonderful. The grounds are so beautiful. They have very sweet donkeys on the resort, a cute duck pond, butterfly sanctuary, hummingbird garden and a wonderful view of the volcano. We saw a baby sloth, toucans, heard howler monkeys early in the morning. The hummingbird garden is spectacular. The hot springs are super relaxing along with the mud bath and natural sauna. Our rooms were exceptionally clean. I think my favorite was the deep tissue massage and reflexology I had. I get one everywhere I travel to. This was by far the best one I have had in a long time! My neck and back were almost instantly improved. Very few cons: Unfortunately, we did not have hot water for two days in either of our rooms, not sure why. One of our rooms had a massive septic issue ( smell) that we alerted the staff to upon check out. Also, some of the paths are left to natural beauty. The rounds are well kept but very rustic to give you a true jungle experience.You will need a 4 wheel drive ( not just an SUV) if you come via Liberia airport. The road is dirt, rocks and massive pot holes for a solid hour. Well worth the drive. The town at the base of the resort has a lot of necessities like water and snacks ( get before you head up there). I think if these issues would ruin your trip, this might not be the place for you. We loved it and would definitely return.Two days is a perfect amount of time to stay in this wonderful resort. It is unique in many ways and absolutely a great way to experience the jungle of Costa Rica. Mauricio Gutierrez, General Manager at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, responded to this review Dear customer, good morning and greetings!Thank you so much for choosing us for your jungle getaway! We are thrilled to hear you found your "zen" here and enjoyed our wildlife—from the baby sloth to our resident donkeys. I will be sure to share your compliments with our spa team; they will be delighted to know that your massage was the best you’ve had in a long time!We truly appreciate your honesty regarding the hot water and the scent in one of the rooms. Please accept our apologies; our maintenance team has since addressed these issues to ensure they were isolated incidents. As you noted, the "rustic" nature of the jungle is part of the magic, but we always strive to ensure that magic includes total comfort.Thank you for the helpful tip to future travelers regarding the 4x4 vehicle—the "road less traveled" certainly makes the arrival at our volcano views even sweeter! We look forward to welcoming you back for another two days of relaxation soon.Warmly,

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• User:Debbie B

  Trip type: Family

  A Jungle Paradise That Rejuvenates the Soul

  28 Mar 2026

  We spent four wonderful days immersed in a lush jungle setting, surrounded by the sounds of birds and monkeys. The flora and fauna are stunning—vibrant, exotic, and beautifully maintained. Winding pathways lead you through the resort, making it feel like a constant discovery.The rooms are spacious, well kept, and exactly as pictured. The staff are incredibly warm and accommodating, and the facilities are immaculate. The food, while not exceptional, is healthy and offers a good variety.We especially enjoyed the yoga classes—Paul was a skilled and encouraging instructor who adapted well to different levels. While the “retreat” aspect could have been more fully integrated, the overall experience was relaxing, rejuvenating, and memorable. Mauricio Gutierrez, General Manager at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, responded to this review Dear customer, greetings from all of us at Blue River Resort!Thank you so much for the beautiful review! We are thrilled that the 'Jungle Paradise' provided the soul-soothing escape you were looking for. There is nothing quite like the morning chorus of birds and monkeys to remind us of how special this setting is.We will be sure to share your kind words with Paul—he’ll be delighted to know his yoga sessions hit the mark for you! We also appreciate your candid feedback regarding the food and the integration of our retreat programming. We’re always looking for ways to elevate the guest experience, and your insights are incredibly helpful as we grow. We hope to welcome you back to our winding pathways soon!All the best!

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• User:scotthQ8YC

  Trip type: Couples

  Paradise in the jungle!

  16 Mar 2026

  This was our second time at the resort and I’m so glad we came back!! This is my favorite spot in Guanacaste. The staff is so friendly and helpful. Thank you to Javier, Oscar, Giovanni and Bernard for all of your help! The resort is perfect for a tropical getaway. The cabins have everything for a comfortable stay. The beds are perfect, the AC works very well and there’s a fridge for storing drinks. The hot springs are refreshing with multiple temperatures to suit your mood! We did the cathedral falls hike, which is highly recommended. We hiked through a farm, ate local fruits and saw amazing wildlife. The falls themselves are gorgeous. Feels like you’re in the movie The Goonies! We also did zip lining which was so fun and safe! The restaurant is lovely with great variety. Great drinks and even vegetarian options! I highly recommend the fried fish sandwich! FYI-the road up to the resort is bumpy. Highly recommend 4 wheel drive! It’s not bad, just be careful! Thanks again to the staff! We will be back soon! Mauricio Gutierrez, General Manager at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, responded to this review Dear scotthQ8YC, greettings from all of us at Blue River Resort.It was an absolute pleasure to welcome you back to your second stay with us! There is no greater compliment for our team than a returning guest, and we are honored to remain your favorite retreat in Guanacaste.I have personally shared your wonderful praise with Javier, Oscar, Giovanni, and Bernard.We are thrilled that you fully immersed yourself in the "paradise" of our grounds. It is fantastic to hear that the Cathedral Falls hike captured your imagination—comparing the scenery to The Goonies is a marvelous description that perfectly encapsulates the sense of discovery we hope all our guests experience! We are also glad the zip-lining and our culinary offerings, particularly that fried fish sandwich, hit the mark for you.Regarding your helpful "FYI" on the journey to our gates: we appreciate your comments. As you noted, the rugged path is part of the journey into the heart of the jungle. While we agree that a 4WD vehicle provides the most comfortable arrival, we believe the seclusion and natural beauty found at the end of the road are well worth the drive.Thank you for choosing us once again for your tropical getaway. We eagerly await your third visit to our sanctuary!With warmest regards,

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• User:D9761PLmarks

  Trip type: Family

  Really enjoyed our stay at Blue River

  13 Mar 2026

  About two weeks ago, my wife and I stayed at Blue River Resort for 3 nights. We really enjoyed our stay, particularly for the awesome room and the great resort grounds. The main room/bedroom was huge, with beautiful hardwood construction. The bathroom and shower were also huge, and there was plenty of closet space. We both like birding, and saw plenty of cool birds - including two species of Toucans - while walking the grounds. We did a morning guided hike to Grand Waterfall: our guide was fantastic and pointed out interesting plants, insect, birds and other things that we would have totally missed. The folks at the front desk were also really friendly and helpful. The restaurant was OK, but we found some great little family-run local places in the nearby town. Overall, we had a great time. Mauricio Gutierrez, General Manager at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, responded to this review Dear guest, greetings from Blue River Resort & Hot Springs!Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a detailed account of your recent 3-night stay with us. We are thrilled to hear that you and your wife had a wonderful time exploring the resort!It’s fantastic that you were able to spot two species of Toucans right here on the grounds. We take great pride in maintaining our gardens as a sanctuary for local wildlife, and it’s always a treat when our guests—especially birding enthusiasts—get to see them up close. I will be sure to pass your kind words along to our waterfall guide; they love hearing that their passion for the local flora and fauna helped make a hike memorable.We’re also glad you enjoyed the craftsmanship of our hardwood suites. We aim to provide a sense of space and "jungle luxury" that feels authentic to the region.Regarding the restaurant, we appreciate your honest feedback. While we strive to provide a convenient dining experience on-site, we actually love that you ventured into the nearby town to support our local family-run businesses! Exploring the local culture is a huge part of the Blue River experience.We hope to welcome you both back for more birding and relaxation in the near future!Warm regards,

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• User:rebeccas51

  Trip type: Family

  Beautiful! Would return. Great service, gorgeous property, amazing volcanic baths

  12 Mar 2026

  A few tips: bring water shoes or underwater hiking boots, bug spray, Benadryl, rain coat or umbrella. Rent a car.This is my first trip to Costa Rica and was somewhat last minute. This place is super cool. You really are in the middle of the rainforest, which is beautiful, and I love the volcanic hot tubs. First tip: rent a car. I didn’t want to waste time in rental car lines, wasn’t sure about parking, etc, so we chose the hotel arranged taxi. They offered two options, taxi ($130), or van ($170), and since there were only three of us, we went taxi route. I know there have been lots of comments about the road, but I have to clarify that it’s not really a dirt road, it’s a rock road with massive craters throughout. The driver was good, but in a Toyota Yaris (which was the taxi), we basically had to stop every 50 feet to crawl around a hole in the road. Most people seemed to rent small SUVs, roads were safe (some hairpin turns and hills, but no cliffs/dangerous parts), and very little traffic. The taxi to our next destination (Nandel beach) is $200, so I think between all of these two trips and the return trip to the airport, it would have been less expensive and offered us more freedom to have rented a car.Next tip: water shoes. All of these excursions that are local require you to walk underwater. When the excursion says “cross a river,” they mean underwater, so you need shoes than can be worn underwater and then walked on afterward. Also, the tubing (which was not available due to low water anyway, but I did a lot of research before we found this out), is actually white water tubing where you need helmets, knee and elbow pads (provided), but will also be bouncing up against rocks that you’ll have to push off with your feet, so you need water shoes. Umbrella or rain coat: beautiful, peaceful, heavy rain at times, so you’ll want this if you want to be able to go to the restaurant/leave your room during rain.Bug spray/benadryl: there are some mosquitos. Not tons. We brought bug spray but forgot Benadryl. They don’t sell it here and we wished we had it.Other tips: passion fruit margarita is amazing. We got massages, which were fantastic! We did one of the easier hikes and only had to walk through water once at ankle depth, so just do it in tennis shoes. Loved the mud, which you rub on and then let dry in a natural sauna. Loved volcanic hot tubs, tropical garden, the donkey and peacocks. No monkeys or sloths (our tour guide said he hadn’t seen any in about a month during our early march trip), but saw two toucans and lots of hummingbirds. Saw bullet ants and an eyelash viper on our hike to waterfalls. Mauricio Gutierrez, General Manager at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, responded to this review Dear rebeccas51, good afternoon and greetings from all of us at Blue River Resort!Thank you so much for choosing us for your first trip to Costa Rica and for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful, "pro-tip" filled review! We are thrilled that you enjoyed the natural beauty of our property, from the volcanic hot tubs and natural mud saunas to our resident peacocks and donkeys. It sounds like you truly embraced the spirit of the rainforest—eyelash viper and all!We also want to sincerely thank you for your honesty regarding the journey here. You hit the nail on the head: while the "rock road" is an adventure in itself, a sturdy SUV definitely makes the crawl through those craters much smoother! Your breakdown of the taxi vs. rental car costs is incredibly helpful for future travelers planning their budget and freedom of movement.You are 100% right—water shoes and rain gear are the "uniform" of the rainforest. We're glad you managed the hikes in your sneakers, but the water shoe tip is gold for anyone planning to hit the rivers or tubing!I will be sure to tell our bartenders that their passion fruit margaritas earned them a gold star!It was a pleasure having your group of three with us. We hope that next time you visit, the monkeys and sloths decide to come out of hiding to greet you!Pura Vida

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