Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, in the middle of the rainforest.

Tabacon Resort is located approximately 150 kilometers from the San José the capital.

Getting to Tabacon

If you’re coming to the Resort from San José, we recommend that you take the shortest and most scenic route, passing through the small town of San Ramón de Alajuela, approximately 150 kilometers from the capital.

The trip from San Jose to Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort takes approximately 3 to 3 Ω hours. We recommend driving during the morning or early afternoon, before dark, as you could run into thick fog in the late afternoon and after sundown, especially during the green season
(May-December).

Driving instructions from San Jose:

  1. Take the Inter-American Highway North (it will pass the Juan Santamaría Airport) until you reach San Ramón (approximately 56 km from the Airport). The entrance is on the right-hand side of the highway and you will see a road sign for Tabacón Resort and another for Arenal Volcano.
  2. Turn toward San Ramón and continue straight on the main road until it hits the main avenue cutting through the city. Turn left and continue two blocks to the San Ramón Hospital. There you’ll see another Tabacón Resort sign telling you to turn right, following the road to La Fortuna town. Along the way, you’ll come across two more signs for Tabacón Resort and others for Arenal Volcano.
  3. Follow the signs to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano. You will pass through a number of small towns, such as Los Angeles, Balsa and then Bajo de los Rodríguez, where you’ll come to a toll-booth (payment optional) in a fork in the road. At this toll booth you’ll see a small sign for Tabacón and turn to the right. Continue through to the town of Santa Clara, crossing over a small metal bridge to reach it, and then turn to the left when you reach a small square. Then, you will drive through a few more towns such as El Tanque (19 km before get to the property) until you get to La Fortuna town. This section is approximately 44 km.
  4. Once in La Fortuna, follow the signs to Tabacón Resort, about 11 km from the town center.

If you need assistance, please call the hotel’s front desk directly at 2460-2020.

We wish you a safe journey, and hope you enjoy your stay at Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort.

Directions to Tabacón from Liberia or the Guanacaste province beaches.

If you are driving to Tabacón from the Liberia International airport or from any of the the main beach resorts in the Guanacaste Region, from Papagayo to Tamarindo, we recommend driving west to Liberia, continuing on to Cañas and Tilarán, and driving the scenic road bordering the Arenal Lake. The drive from the beaches should take between 3 Ω to 4 Ω hours, depending on the point of departure.

  1. From your beach destination, follow the main road to the city of Liberia. If you are coming from any of the following beaches: Langosta, Tamarindo, Grande, Flamingo, Conchal, Potrero or Sugar Beach, the drive will bring you back to the town of Belen—a town that lies on the road that connects Santa Cruz with Liberia. Turn north towards Liberia, driving through the city of Filadelfia. Driving time to the Interamerican Highway is approximately 60 to 75 minutes.
  2. If you are driving back from Papagayo, follow the road back to the Liberia International Airport, turn north towards the city of Liberia. The drive should take 35 to 45 minutes.
  3. If you are driving from the following beaches: Ocotal, Hermosa, Coco, Panamá, follow the road that ends near the city of Filadelfia on the road that connects Liberia with Santa Cruz. Turn north, driving past the Liberia International Airport, reaching the Interamerican Highway at the outskirts of the city of Liberia.
  4. Once you’ve reached the main crossing from the road into the city of Liberia that intersects the Interamerican Highway, turn right onto the Interamerican Highway, on the road to Cañas, Puntarenas and San José.
  5. Drive past the entrance to the town of Bagaces, reaching the city of Cañas. Turn north into town, departing from the Interamerican Highway. Follow signs to Tilarán.
  6. Drive for about 20 to 30 minutes to the outskirts of the town of Tilaran. Turn away from the main entrance to the town, following signs to the Arenal Lake and Volcano.
  7. Within 15 minutes you will reach a fork on the road. Stay on the left, following signs to Fortuna, and Arenal Volcano.
  8. Stay on the scenic road that takes you around Lake Arenal. Drive for about 90 minutes, passing the town of Nuevo Arenal and the dam that forms the lake. At this point, you will depart from the Lake and continue east towards the volcano and the town of La Fortuna.
  9. Stay on this road for approximately 10 minutes, until you see Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort.