Blue River Resort & Hot Springs

This was our first time to Costa Rica and my first time solo parent traveling with my kids (young teens). This resort is a relaxing retreat. It almost feels like being at camp. The rooms are cabins and are spacious and comfortable. The meals are at set times and while I know some reviewers wish for a more broad menu we really enjoyed the simplicity of it all. The included breakfast was great. The grounds are absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed all of the pools and swimming in the warm pools while it rains was lovely. We got massages at the spa and did the Cathedral Falls hike and zip lining. We liked it all. The service was great from check in to the excursions to meals and maid service. They communicated well with me as I emailed them prior to our trip to set up transportation from the airport and also to our next destination.

What a hidden gem! We loved our stay here at Blue River. Although, it is off the beaten path it is worth the peace and tranquility. You will submerge your self around the true rainforest. We did the Dino park and twin falls. We travelled with a 3 year old and she loved this hike! Totally worth it. Everyone that worked at the resort was always so pleasant and our room was spotless clean! If we return to Costa Rica we would stay here again.

Staff was truly amazing - they went out of their way to made sure we had a great experience. Kevin and Kaylor in particular made us feel like family. Kids loved the water slide, Dino experience and horseback riding to the waterfall. Truly a magical place.

We really enjoyed our stay here! It's convenient to Liberia airport (though be prepared, there is a 15 mile long dirt/gravel road to get to the hotel and I would recommend an SUV, and if you are doing this drive yourself I would not drive it at night, it's a bit harrowing but also part of the adventure!) The rooms are super clean and spacious, the pools and hot springs are wonderful and seemed regularly cleaned and maintained. Our kid loved the water slide. We found the restaurant to be overpriced and wished there was a bit more variety in the menu from night to night as you are sort of stuck with that for the duration of your stay, but most of what we got was very good and the servers are wonderful. We did a zipline tour which is fantastic and on property. The whole vibe is very Pura Vida, laid back, and it feels more like a camp than a traditional resort. That was part of the appeal, but at one point during our stay there was no running water for an entire day due to an outage in the town, and no one at the hotel communicated with us about it which was very odd. We asked the front desk if we could get some bottled water so we could have something to drink and they said water was for purchase in the restaurant. It just seemed like a bad policy to not offer guests some free bottled water when there is a day long outage? But overall, would recommend this hotel! We were there for 3 nights which was maybe one night too long, but we really did enjoy it overall.

Customer service was excellent--the staff went above and beyond to make sure our needs were met. Rooms were a little rustic but nice and spacious. Lots of room! Menu has lots of options-some meals better than others. Beautiful property! Lots of flowers. We saw lots of animals. We saw toucans at meal times! The zip line was awesome! Bernard and Ronald were our guides--they are awesome! Anytime we had questions or needed something, the staff answered quickly! Great family vacation!

This was our first trip to Costa Rica and the Blue River Resort and Hot Springs was the perfect place to start. It's not your typical resort, but it is a great place to be if you want to have an air-conditioned cabin set amidst beautiful tropical plants. There is a restaurant on-site, so if you want to lounge in the hot springs or walk through the site's jungle trails, you won't have to rush away from what you are enjoying to go to a restaurant elsewhere. The breakfast was free and abundant with a buffet and a menu to order from. We never had lunch because breakfast held us until dinner time. Again, there was a full menu, a lovely bar, and attentive wait staff. We saw a variety of birds, lizards, tree frogs and even a large male basilisk lizard sunning itself in a tree after a rainstorm. There are waterfalls nearby and if you want to go on guided tours, the front office staff will arrange them. We chose to hike, bask in the hot spring pools, enjoy the hummingbirds and the butterfly gardens right on site. If you're looking for a luxury resort, this is not it. But if you want to spend time outdoors and return to a simple, but air-conditioned cabin, whenever you feel like it, this is a perfect place. All of the staff spoke some level of English. Most of them were fluent and very patient with our attempts at Spanish.

Great 4 days here in the jungle. This not your typical "resort". More like cabins spread out on great grounds with hot spring pools and mub, butterfly area and great little walking areas/botanical garden. yoga area too. there was a sloth that a guide showed us on the grounds which was great. The staff were all very friendly and restaurant had good food. The cabins were huge with good air conditioning. We did several hikes to all the abundant waterfalls and horseback trip as well. Our guides including Ronald, Bernal and Giovanni were all great and engaging and very helpful. Since we had a car we drove to two local restaurants that were great for lunch. One was la cocina de mayrita which had a little farm and made great empanadas. The girls let my wife and kids help them which was fun. Another place nearby was Comida Casera tipical. Also really good with a two toed sloth right next to us in a tree. the owner showed us where to look. both places easy to find, just ask the front desk. We met the owner of the resort and her family who were so nice, welcoming and humble. Would love to come back anytime!! Easy drive with waze from Liberia airport.

Location is in the heart of the jungle, and difficult to get to. Must drive in the day and use a 4x4 car. Expect plenty of rain, mosquitos, and tranquility. Resort is clean, but rundown and outdated. Ants of every size are in the room, and you cant leave food out or more will come. Bring an umbrella, rain boots, and your own snacks and intertainment.

Fantastic adventure. Staff was so welcoming and helpful. Room/cabin was really nice and the resort is awesome. Mud bath, volcanic hot springs, and butterfly garden were all great. Fantastic yoga studio with an incredible staff instructor! Waterfall and zip line tours were really fun with great guides, especially Ronald. Can’t wait to go back!!