Termales del Bosque

Termales del Bosque holds a place of fondness in our hearts. As a thermal waters place, it's wonderful for a variety of reasons: it's in the forest, it's more natural, it's shady (no sunscreen required), there is a variety of temperature pools plus a cold creek, and there is food and drinks at reasonable costs. It was more of a local spot, not too touristy. And ten years ago, a sloth came down from the trees and we got video of Bella standing right beside it. Position as favorite cemented.

But that was ten years ago.

As we headed to Termales del Bosque, we were concerned that maybe it had gotten run down over the past 10 years. That would be disappointing. But on the opposite side of the spectrum, maybe it was super touristy now, and super expensive, like many things in Costa Rica have gotten.

That's why it was so heartening to arrive at Bosque and discover that it is only 6000 colones per person ($10). I could almost swear that's cheaper than it was ten years ago, but I could be wrong. (I'll have to check my blog.)

As we hiked down to the waters, we were also happy to see that it seems exactly like we remembered it.

Alex, Sofia, and Cristina purchased massage packages (massage, mud mask, and reflexology). So other than those appointments to keep track of, we had the whole day to sit in the relaxing waters, switching from pool to pool or from pool to creek.

At one point, a bunch of monkeys appeared int eh trees above, eating fruit. There were several babies. So cute. It was one of those moments that you reflect on how cool the present moment is: relaxing in hot volcanic mineral waters, staring up into the green trees, watching monkey families hang by their tails to eat fruit. Perfect.

We opened up a tab at the bar, and the kids could get drinks and food as they pleased. We just settled up at the end of the night. We spent about eight hours there. Ramon, Lizzie, and Kat left earlier than us. They wanted to get dry and fix some dinner. But the rest of us stayed longer, even when it started to rain. There was one bolt of lightning that was super close, but other than that, the rain didn't bother us. If you're already wet in a pool of hot water, what's a little cool water from above?

When we finally left, Elena crawled into the back-back and we stopped at MaxiPali to get some more rice and chicken to add to dinner. The thunderstorm was fierce, and a big bolt of lightning made the power go out in the grocery store just as we approached the check-out. But it came back on quickly.

At the house, we rigged a clothes line in the pavilion so that our towels and bathing suits could dry a little before our next day of hot springs.