Nayara Springs · Costa Rica
Natural wood, vaulted ceilings, and elegant canopy beds define the secluded adults-only atmosphere at Nayara Springs.
Nayara Springs is what I would choose in Arenal when the trip is supposed to feel romantic, quiet and completely removed from real life.
Hidden in the rainforest near Arenal Volcano, this adults-only Relais & Châteaux resort has just 35 freestanding villas, each with an enormous terrace and its own private plunge pool fed by natural mineral hot springs. Guests cross a footbridge through the rainforest to reach the property, and from there, the whole experience becomes wonderfully secluded.
It is the most intimate of Nayara’s three connected Arenal resorts, and the one I would recommend first for a honeymoon, anniversary or couples trip where privacy and wellness matter more than having the most dramatic volcano view.
That last distinction is important.
Nayara Springs, Nayara Tented Camp and Nayara Gardens share one enormous rainforest estate, but they are not interchangeable. Springs is adults only. Tented Camp is higher on the hillside with the strongest Arenal Volcano views and works beautifully for both couples and families. Gardens is family-friendly, lush and generally the most approachable of the three.
I would choose based on the trip, not simply the nightly rate.
At a glance
- Where
- Arenal, Costa Rica, hidden in the rainforest and reached on foot across a footbridge
- Best for
- Honeymoons, anniversaries and couples who want privacy, wellness and a very inactive afternoon
- Adults only
- Yes, guests age 18 and older
- The hotel
- 35 freestanding villas, Relais & Châteaux
- The villa
- Springs Villa approx. 139 sq m, or 1,496 sq ft, with a king bed, indoor-outdoor living space and a private terrace. One category rather than a ladder of upgrades
- Hot springs
- Every villa has its own plunge pool filled with naturally heated mineral water from the Arenal geothermal system
- Dining
- Amor Loco, an adults-only seven-course tasting menu, and Mis Amores for Northern Italian, plus the restaurants across the connected Nayara estate
- Recognition
- Three Michelin Keys, and the only Three-Key hotel in Costa Rica
- Ideal stay
- Three nights, or four for more spa and hot spring time, usually paired with the Pacific coast
- Compare with
- Nayara Tented Camp for families and volcano views, or the full Springs vs. Tented Camp vs. Gardens comparison
Book this one when the trip is supposed to feel romantic and quiet. If waking up to the volcano matters more than the privacy, Tented Camp is the better splurge.
Thirty-five villas, one category, and a private thermal pool with every single one.
There is no upgrade to agonize over here, which makes the real question where Springs sits in the rest of your Costa Rica itinerary. Send me your dates and I will work backward from there.
Why stay at Nayara Springs?
The private hot spring pool is not an upgrade here.
Every villa has one.
Nayara Springs’ 35 villas are freestanding and tucked into dense tropical gardens, with private terraces, indoor and outdoor showers and plunge pools filled with naturally heated mineral water from the Arenal geothermal system.
That changes the rhythm of the stay.
You can hike in the morning, have lunch, disappear into your villa in the afternoon and soak in warm water while toucans and hummingbirds make considerably more noise than you would expect from creatures that small.
There are communal hot springs elsewhere around Arenal, including within the larger Nayara estate, but there is something particularly nice about not having to leave your room.
Especially on a honeymoon.
The Springs Villa
Spanning nearly 1,500 square feet, each Springs Villa offers a seamless layout with plenty of room to unwind.
Room-category paralysis is wonderfully limited here.
Nayara Springs essentially revolves around one very good villa concept rather than a ladder of increasingly confusing categories.
Relais & Châteaux currently lists the Springs Villa at approximately 139 square meters, or 1,496 square feet, with a king bed, extensive indoor-outdoor living space and private terrace.
The villas feel enormous for two people.
You have the bedroom and seating area, a large bathroom, outdoor shower, rainforest around you and the private thermal plunge pool outside.
This is one reason I sometimes prefer Springs to a theoretically “higher” category elsewhere.
You are not spending the first half of the trip wondering whether you should have upgraded.
Is Nayara Springs really adults only?
Yes.
Nayara Springs is exclusively for guests age 18 and older.
This is one of the biggest differences between the three Nayara hotels in Arenal.
If you are traveling with children, I would look at my guides to Nayara Tented Camp or Nayara Gardens instead.
For couples, however, the adults-only environment is part of the reason Springs feels so peaceful.
There are no kids cannonballing into the pool at breakfast.
I say that as someone who loves children.
Just occasionally not beside my honeymooners.
What Nayara Springs feels like
Rainforest luxury can go wrong in two directions.
It can feel overly rustic, or so polished that you might as well be anywhere.
Nayara Springs sits nicely in the middle.
The villas are substantial and comfortable, but the vegetation is allowed to feel wild. Paths wind through dense rainforest. You hear birds, frogs and running water. Sloths, toucans and other wildlife live throughout the larger Nayara estate rather than being imported as some sort of scheduled resort entertainment.
It feels luxurious because you have privacy, space and excellent service.
Not because someone has removed every leaf from the path.
The hot springs
Arenal’s thermal water exists because rainwater filters through volcanic rock, is heated deep below ground and eventually rises back toward the surface.
At Nayara Springs, that naturally heated mineral water comes directly to your private plunge pool.
There is also a larger hot springs area within the interconnected Nayara property.
This means you can have the communal rainforest hot-spring experience when you want it and retreat to your own villa when you do not.
For me, that is much more appealing than building an entire afternoon around visiting a separate commercial hot springs complex.
The spa and wellness
Tucked high into the rainforest canopy, the open-air pavilion provides a serene setting for daily yoga and wellness treatments.
Springs is the wellness-focused member of the Nayara trio.
The open-air spa sits within the rainforest canopy, and the broader wellness program includes yoga, sound bathing and treatments inspired by the natural surroundings.
You are also in Arenal, so wellness does not necessarily mean spending the entire trip horizontal.
You can hike lava fields in the morning, cross hanging bridges, go rafting or horseback riding, return for a massage and be in your thermal pool before dinner. Relais & Châteaux lists activities around the resort ranging from hiking and nature walks to rafting, kayaking, ziplining and horseback riding.
That combination is one of the reasons Arenal works so well at the beginning of a Costa Rica honeymoon.
There is enough to do that you feel like you traveled somewhere.
There is enough luxury that it still feels like a honeymoon.
If wellness is the reason for the trip rather than a bonus, it is worth seeing how Arenal compares with the best wellness resorts in Costa Rica.
Dining at Nayara Springs
One of the benefits of staying here is that you are not actually limited to the restaurants immediately surrounding Springs.
Nayara Springs, Tented Camp and Gardens operate as one interconnected estate, and guests can dine across the three resorts. Nayara currently lists six restaurants across the Arenal property.
At Springs, the most distinctive restaurant is Amor Loco.
It is an adults-only, reservation-required seven-course tasting experience led by executive chef Gianluca Re Fraschini, combining Costa Rican ingredients with French and Japanese techniques.
Mis Amores is the more relaxed Northern Italian option, with wood-fired pizza, pasta and outdoor tables looking toward Arenal.
And if you feel like changing scenery, you can head to Ayla at Tented Camp for Mediterranean cooking over an open fire or down to the restaurants at Gardens.
This shared dining is one of the smartest things about the Nayara setup.
You get the intimacy of a 35-villa hotel without eating at the same restaurant every night.
The wildlife
Do not come to Arenal and spend the entire trip trying to spot the volcano.
Look down occasionally.
Nayara’s rainforest estate is home to sloths, toucans, frogs, monkeys and a remarkable amount of birdlife. The resort runs naturalist-led wildlife walks, including sloth and bird-watching experiences within the property itself.
I would absolutely do one of these early in the stay.
Once someone has shown you how to find a sloth hiding in a tree, you suddenly realize they have apparently been everywhere while you have been walking around completely oblivious.
What to do in Arenal
Nayara is the kind of hotel where I would deliberately leave room in the schedule.
But there are a few Arenal experiences worth planning around.
Hanging bridges are one of the classics because they get you up into the rainforest canopy.
There are also guided walks across the old Arenal lava fields, La Fortuna Waterfall, rafting, wildlife excursions and other adventure activities that can be arranged through Nayara.
For most couples, I would not schedule two major excursions every day.
One real activity, followed by lunch, spa or hot springs, is a much nicer vacation.
Costa Rica has a tendency to inspire itinerary enthusiasm.
Your private plunge pool will eventually cure it.
Nayara Springs vs. Nayara Tented Camp
This is the comparison I would expect many couples to be making.
And I do not think Tented Camp automatically wins.
Nayara Tented Camp sits higher on the hillside and delivers the more dramatic visual experience. Its tented accommodations look out across the rainforest toward Arenal Volcano, and each has its own thermal plunge pool. Condé Nast Traveler specifically notes the stronger volcano views from Tented Camp compared with Springs and Gardens.
Springs is more intimate.
It has only 35 villas, is adults only, is a Relais & Châteaux property and leans much more strongly into privacy, romance and wellness.
For a honeymoon where budget is not the primary concern, I would ask:
Do you want to wake up to the most dramatic Arenal Volcano view?
Choose Tented Camp.
Do you want the quieter, sexier, more adults-only retreat?
I may choose Springs.
Neither answer is wrong.
That is why I would not book based on whichever one happens to have the higher rate.
I have put all three Nayara resorts side by side, with who each one is actually for, in my full Springs vs. Tented Camp vs. Gardens comparison.
Nayara Springs vs. Nayara Gardens
This is a much easier distinction.
Nayara Gardens welcomes families and couples, while Springs is exclusively adults only.
Gardens is the original Nayara experience and has freestanding casitas and villas immersed in the rainforest. Its newer pool casita categories also give guests private plunge pools.
For families, Gardens is one of my favorite choices in Arenal.
For a honeymoon or anniversary, particularly if the rate difference is manageable, I would generally lean Springs.
The atmosphere is simply more conducive to doing absolutely nothing together.
Which is occasionally the point of the trip.
Is Nayara Springs worth it?
For the right traveler, yes.
This is not the hotel I would recommend if you only need somewhere lovely to sleep between dawn-to-dusk excursions.
You would be paying for things you barely use.
The value of Nayara Springs is the villa itself, the private hot spring pool, the adults-only setting, the spa, the service and the ability to retreat into the rainforest between adventures.
If your plan includes enjoying the hotel, that premium begins to make much more sense.
Michelin currently awards Nayara Springs Three Keys, its highest hotel distinction, and lists it as the only Three-Key hotel in Costa Rica.
That does not mean everyone should stay here.
It does tell you the hotel is playing in a fairly serious league.
Who I would book Nayara Springs for
Honeymooners.
Couples combining Arenal with a beach stay.
Travelers who love nature but do not particularly enjoy roughing it.
People who want a very active morning and a very inactive afternoon.
And anyone who has ever said, “We want Costa Rica, but we still want it to feel luxurious.”
This is exactly that.
Who should stay somewhere else?
Families should look at Nayara Gardens or Nayara Tented Camp.
I would also look at Tented Camp for a couple whose number-one priority is waking up to a direct, cinematic view of Arenal Volcano.
And if you plan to spend every waking hour on excursions, I might put some of the Springs budget toward the beach portion of the trip instead.
The best hotel is not always the most expensive hotel.
It is the hotel whose expensive parts you are actually going to enjoy.
How long should you stay at Nayara Springs?
For most trips, I like three nights in Arenal.
Four can be wonderful if you want more spa time, several adventure days or simply a slower trip.
Two nights feels rushed once you account for arriving, checking in and eventually having to leave.
Arenal is not somewhere I want clients treating like a sightseeing checkpoint.
If you are coming all this way for a thermal plunge pool in the rainforest, you should probably have time to get into it more than once.
Where to go after Nayara Springs
I generally like Arenal paired with the coast.
That gives you two completely different versions of Costa Rica in one trip: rainforest, volcanoes and adventure first, followed by beach and very little obligation afterward.
Depending on the time of year and type of traveler, that might mean Papagayo, Santa Teresa, Nosara, the Osa Peninsula or elsewhere along the Pacific.
I would build the combination around weather, transfer time and what you actually want to do rather than simply stitching together whichever Costa Rica hotels happen to be most famous.
Planning a stay at Nayara Springs?
Send me your dates, who is traveling and what else you are considering in Costa Rica. I can compare Springs, Tented Camp and Gardens side by side, and tell you honestly when Tented Camp is worth paying more for and when it is not.
I book Nayara through preferred partner programs, so where they apply you get added benefits at the same rate you would pay direct.
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Nayara Springs FAQs
Is Nayara Springs adults only?
Yes. Nayara Springs is exclusively for guests age 18 and older. Families should consider neighboring Nayara Gardens or Nayara Tented Camp instead.
Does every Nayara Springs villa have a private hot spring pool?
Yes. Each of the 35 villas has a private plunge pool filled with naturally heated mineral thermal water.
How many villas does Nayara Springs have?
Nayara Springs has 35 freestanding villas. Relais & Châteaux currently lists the Springs Villa at approximately 139 square meters, or 1,496 square feet.
Is Nayara Springs better than Nayara Tented Camp?
Not necessarily. Tented Camp offers more dramatic Arenal Volcano views and a more theatrical accommodation experience. Springs is adults only, smaller and particularly strong for couples prioritizing privacy, romance and wellness.
Read my complete guide to Nayara Tented Camp.
What is the difference between Nayara Springs and Nayara Gardens?
Springs is an adults-only resort with 35 private villas and thermal plunge pools. Gardens welcomes families and couples and has a wider range of family-friendly accommodations. The resorts are part of the same connected Nayara Arenal estate.
Read my full Nayara comparison: Springs vs. Tented Camp vs. Gardens.
Can Nayara Springs guests use the other Nayara resorts?
The three Nayara Arenal properties are connected, and guests can access dining and experiences across the larger estate. Some venues, including Amor Loco, have their own age or reservation requirements.
Is Nayara Springs good for a honeymoon?
Very. The adults-only environment, private thermal pools, substantial villas, rainforest spa and combination of adventure and privacy make Nayara Springs one of the Arenal hotels I would consider first for a Costa Rica honeymoon.
Does Nayara Springs have a Michelin Key?
Yes. Nayara Springs currently holds Three Michelin Keys, Michelin’s highest hotel distinction. Michelin’s current worldwide Three-Key list names Nayara Springs as Costa Rica’s Three-Key property.
How many nights should I stay at Nayara Springs?
I generally recommend three nights in Arenal, or four for travelers who want a slower pace and more time for spa, hot springs and multiple excursions.
What to read next
Nayara Resorts Review: Springs vs. Tented Camp vs. Gardens, if you are still choosing between the three
Top 5 Most Romantic Hotels for Couples, for honeymoons and anniversaries
The 10 Best Wellness Resorts in Costa Rica, for the spa and hot springs side
Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve vs. Four Seasons Costa Rica, for the beach half of the trip
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