Blue River Resort & Hot Springs

Hotels
Independent
8.6 (113 reviews)
600 m West of la Puente and Rio Azul, Dos Rios, Upala, Colonia Dos Rios, Alajuela , Guayabo , CR

Pets allowed

Facilities

Free breakfast
Full-service spa
Fitness facilities
Area shuttle (surcharge)
Comprehensive recycling policy
Guest education on local ecosystems and culture
Sustainability/community reinvestment (10% revenue or more)
Terrace
Garden
Luggage storage
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Delicious food
Beautiful property
Hot springs
Cons:
Noise in the room
Limited food choices
Restriction on bringing food

Categories

Cleanliness
9.36
The property was clean and beautiful.
Service
8.53
Staff was okay.
Location
9.17
Very remote with beautiful surroundings for nature lovers.
Room Quality
7.82
Room had a lot of noise from wind and trees slightly lowered the experience.
Amenities
8.35
Hot springs and walking grounds are appealing.
Value for Money
8.81
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Food and Beverage
7.86
Food was okay with limited options at the restaurant.
Overall Experience
8.93
Overall a good experience but with some limitations.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-18 00:06

Property Description

Experience the ultimate escape at Blue River Resort & Hot Springs, where tropical tranquility meets luxurious comfort.

Indulge in Relaxation: Treat yourself to the full-service spa, offering a wide range of massages, body treatments, and facials for a rejuvenating experience.

Fun for Everyone: With 5 stunning outdoor swimming pools, hot springs, and an exhilarating waterslide, guests of all ages can create unforgettable memories in our sun-soaked paradise.

Delicious Dining: Savor local and international flavors at our poolside Tiki Bar and Restaurant, or enjoy the convenience of room service, capped off with a complimentary continental breakfast to start your day right.

Immerse yourself in the serenity and excitement that Blue River Resort & Hot Springs has to offer. Book your stay now for an unforgettable getaway!

Important information:

  • Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
  • Children 9 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
  • Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.
  • Contactless check-in and contactless check-out are available.
  • This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly).

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: LIR

Property Policies

  • Pets

    Only dogs and cats are allowed

  • Check-in & Check-out

    Contactless check-out is available

  • Pets

    Pet max weight (per pet) in kg is 35

  • Accessibility

    No elevators

  • Pets

    Pets allowed

See all policies

Location

Guest Reviews

8.6
Based on 113 reviews
Cleanliness: 9.36
Service: 8.53
Location: 9.17
Room Quality: 7.82
Amenities: 8.35
Value for Money: 8.81
Food and Beverage: 7.86
Overall Experience: 8.93
L
Lacey family
10
Pros:

The food was delicious and every place we went was clean and beautiful

2025-09-28 via Nuitee
J
Julie
4
Pros:

Property was beautiful but you cannot bring any food into your room or onto the property, something to be aware of prior to booking.

2025-09-19 via Nuitee
L
LUCIA
10
Pros:

Loved the hot springs and grounds to walk around.
Very remote and limited food choices at only restaurant.

2025-09-07 via Nuitee
J
jessica friends
8
Pros:

.

2025-08-25 via Nuitee
J
James partner
8
Pros:

I heard it was great for bird watching, animals and had a view of the volcano. I must no have got lucky. I didn't see any of that. The food was okay. The room had a lot of noise because the wind blowing large seeds of the trees above it. Woke up about 4 times to what sounded like large rocks hitting the metal roof. Staff was okay.

2025-08-10 via Nuitee
J
Jonathan partner
8
Pros:

Was there in the off season. Breakfast was suppose to be 7am to 9pm but they stopped bringing out food at 8am and put everything away at 8:30. For meals had to ask staff for the menu, walk over to get their attention to order, and then remind them to bring out the food. This happened for every meal.
Grounds were nice but not everything was maintained.

The food was excellent though.

2025-07-07 via Nuitee
G
GIAN FRANCO family
6
Pros:

In general was fine. It is not a place for family with young kids. More for older people. The breakfast included is really bad, and the order food is over price. You can go out of the resort and fine amazing traditional food. Take in consideration the way to arrived to the resort it is not in a good condition

2025-05-29 via Nuitee
T
Tailakesha friends
10
Pros:

This resort was beautiful and I felt so at peace staying there. The grounds were immaculate and soaking in the hot springs was the highlight part of my evening. Highly recommend!

2025-05-21 via Nuitee
M
Michelle
10
Rustic charm in the rainforest
Pros:

Rustic and wonderful!! Various soaking options, beautiful grounds & flowers & butterflies and flora and fauna. We even saw a sloth and howler monkeys. Massages therapist has magic hands! We would def stay here again. Be prepared to travel far on bumpy road. Food was great off the ball inclusive menu. People soooo friendly!

2025-05-03 via Nuitee
L
Lori-Ann partner
8
Pros:

Very nice resort but very remote with limited options for food and activities when it rains. The staff was great and the natural setting wonderful.

2025-04-21 via Nuitee
C
Carlos family
4
Pros:

Check the room hot water and the issue with all the bathroom get wet when open the shower.
And the issue of the hot water on the shower continue for the second day, you will consider to move us to another room, because you have 5 available rooms.

2025-04-16 via Nuitee
G
Gerardo partner
10
Pros:

Blue River Resort & Hot Springs is a gem of a location.

The roads in and out are a nightmare to drive in but the location itself is an idyllic oasis.

We decided to stay here as part of our "Pure Vida exploration trip" because we knew we wanted to go see the Cathedral Waterfall (El Santuario). Blue River is ideally located for that purpose and was the main reason we initially booked it.

It was never part of the plan to stay there but we are so glad we did.

We never intended to make use of all their amenities but after hearing about them upon arrival we booked an additional day so we could get the full experience since our first day we arrived at night.

We enjoyed the natural saunas (enjoying the company of some bats), lathered ourselves in the volcanic mud and then relaxed in the multiple hot springs and fresh water pools they have on site.

Saw some cool birds at the bird lake, visited the miniature horses and donkeys and the peacocks they have.

The staff were great and food was good (would recommend the Casado for lunch everytime).

But by far the best part was the tour we booked with Geovany to see the El Santuario. He went above and beyond and took us on an awesome tour of that amazing waterfall. He made sure we had a safe trip and saw to it that we enjoyed ourselves.

He had a wealth of knowledge about the environment/animals in the area and even managed to find us an elusive sloth my wife badly wanted to see.

Would highly recommend taking the tour with Geovany.

2025-04-16 via Nuitee
A
Adrian partner
8
Pros:

Property was amazing

2025-04-15 via Nuitee
S
Sara family
10
Pros:

Beautiful grounds, lovely, hot springs, nice hotel. The road is the only difficult thing about the property.

2025-03-30 via Nuitee
R
Rajasree family
8
Pros:

We used a shuttle setup through the resort from the Liberia airport. The drivers were friendly and helpful. A portion of the 2 hr drive to the resort is rocky and bumpy.
The gardens, spa, and pools are lovely. One freshwater pool was open and another was closed (but looked like it would be fun to swim in).
The restaurant is great and has a wonderful breakfast that is included, but there is only one restaurant. Meal prices are similar to US prices. You can walk or drive to other restaurants.
The yoga pavilion is lovely and an instructor was there one of the days we were there. There was a charge for the session.
The zipline was closed due to storm damage, which was disappointing. Tubing was not available as the river was too low during the dry season.
We did 2 hikes that were great. The Grand and Twin Waterfall and the Cathedral waterfall hike. These can be hot and rigorous, so be prepared.
The staff were all attentive and friendly.

2025-03-20 via Nuitee
C
Craig family
10
Pros:

Beautiful property! All staff are incredibly helpful and kind!

2025-03-18 via Nuitee
K
Krystyna family
10
Pros:

Beautiful location. The gardens and pools were lovely and secluded. The staff went above and beyond. The first day our children asked for syrup with their pancakes and it wasn’t available, so the next day, sure enough-syrup for our pancakes! It’s the little things that stand out!

It’s secluded, but that’s part of the charm ☺️

2025-03-17 via Nuitee
D
Daniel partner
10
Pros:

We absolutely loved our 9 night stay at Blue River Resort and Hot Springs! The staff were all lovely and we had 3 amazing hiking tours with Kaylor to Sublime, Cathedral and a personalized night hike so that we could see red eyed tree frogs (we saw loads!). At the beginning of our stay I told Kaylor that I really wanted to see a sloth, so he made it his homework to find me one. He spent 30 mins looking in the botanical garden and he found me my sloth, and on my birthday to boot! We went to the farm where he grew up, met his father who had their horse saddled and ready for us when we retired from the Sublime hike. Sublime was incredible - the bluest pools of water and beautiful falls you will ever see. Kevin, Kaylor’s brother was also very sweet and works as a server at the restaurant. The food was quite good, but the food at Maryita’s and the other restaurant in Gavilan was DELICIOUS!!! If you want authentic Costa Rican food you should eat in town. We loved this place, the village and the beautiful people of the area. It was well worth the crazy rough road you have to drive in on.

2025-03-16 via Nuitee
M
megan
2
Pros:

Stay Away – Nightmare- Facility, Location, and Terrible Customer Service!

I booked a stay at Blue River Resort in Costa Rica but had to leave early due to unforeseen circumstances. Expedia was incredibly helpful and even contacted the hotel on my behalf to request any sort of refund—but the hotel flat-out refused. No flexibility, no understanding, just greedy management hiding behind their “policy.”

To make matters worse, this place is completely off the beaten path, and the drive there was a disaster—all gravel roads, massive potholes, and constant dodging of cattle and stray dogs. If you don’t have a 4x4, be prepared for a rough, stressful journey. Had I known how bad the road conditions were, I would have never booked in the first place.

And for the price? What a joke. There was very little air conditioning, making the room extremely uncomfortable. They claim to offer WiFi, but it barely worked—if at all. You might get a weak signal for a few minutes before it drops completely. So if you need to stay connected, forget it.

To top it off, The front desk staff acted as if they cared and would be able to work something out. Instead of working with me on a reasonable solution, they sent me their policy and wouldn't budge. I wasn’t even asking for a full refund—just some understanding—but they clearly don’t value their guests. There are plenty of better places in Costa Rica with great customer service. Do yourself a favor and book somewhere else!

2025-02-28 via Nuitee
J
Jackson family_with_children
10
Pros:

Wonderful place with great amenities and kind stewards. Will travel here again.

2025-02-20 via Nuitee