Over the years, we’ve stayed at a lot of really nice resorts and hotels. None of these places left the impression Nayara Springs Hotel Spa and Gardens did! We absolutely loved our stay at Nayara Springs Hotel Spa and Gardens. So much so that we reference it weekly. So much so that we are writing this entire blog post about it AND the post is NOT sponsored in any way! So much so that after our three nights at Nayara Springs we moved to another hotel and it couldn’t compare, so we cancelled the reservation and came right back to Nayara Springs. That’s love right there.

We will try to explain our love to you, but like most affairs of the heart, sometimes it just needs to be experienced and can’t quite be put into words. If your travels ever take you to La Fortuna, Costa Rica, we highly recommend you spend at least a night at Nayara Springs Hotel Spa and Gardens.

Why We Loved Nayara Springs Hotel Spa and Gardens

1. Just think it and it will appear at Nayara Springs 

The staff at Nayara Springs felt like genies to us. Every single little thing we could possibly want was taken care of. When we arrived, Bassam was freaking out a little bit because a soccer game was on that he was dying to watch. The concierge could tell he wasn’t able to pay attention to the checking in process, so they brought him an iPad to watch the game and even held it up for him so he could focus on checking in! Other examples of this genie like behavior? The second you sit down on a lounge chair at the pool, fruit infused water magically appears by your side. Hot while in the pool? Trays of mini ice cream cones are passed around. It’s just magical.

2. Our Villa at Nayara Springs Hotel Spa and Gardens

We stayed in the adult section of Nayara Springs Hotels Spa and Gardens and all the rooms there are villas. All we wanted to do after walking into our villa was jump up and down and squeal with delight (yes, even Bassam!). The room was just amazing! There was a giant bed with draping, a giant shower with two shower heads, an amazing outdoor shower, and a patio with a hammcock, lounge chaise, and GET THIS- a plunge pool with natural springs fed water! AMAZING. Normally we are so excited to get home after a trip and enjoy our own bed and shower. When we got back from Nayara, we felt HOMESICK.

3. The perks

We are suckers for fun little add ons and Nayara does it well. The mini bar in the room is FREE and stocked with all kinds of Costa Rican goodies and beer. We became obsessed with lime flavored plantain chips. (Yes we know it sounds weird, but don’t knock it till you try it!) Another perk? FREE LAUNDRY SERVICES! You put your dirty clothes into a laundry bag, place it by the door, and it comes back the next day clean and neatly folded. Amazing. We took advantage of this particular perk daily.

4. The cleanliness 

Every single inch of the resort is sparkling clean. So much so that we noticed a maid cleaning the rails! Never seen that before! It’s also so clean that mosquitoes just don’t exist there. We didn’t get one bite even though we got eaten up everywhere else we went.

5. The breakfast

This really should go under the perks or under food, but it was so amazing we had to give it its own section. Breakfast is included with your stay and unlike many places that include breakfast, they don’t skimp! You can get room service, eat at the buffet, or the a la carte restaurant. Whichever option you pick, you can get pretty much WHATEVER you want. We had so much fun every night writing our wish list on the breakfast card and then having it all appear the next morning! YUM YUM!

6. The food

The food is so SO good! We often can’t stand eating at resorts and prefer to venture out to experience local food and flavor. Except for excursion days, we never ventured out to eat because the food at Nayara was THAT good. From the pool snacks to the fancy dinners, everything was delicious. One especially memorable dinner was a 5 course food and wine pairing. Each course was absolutely incredible and paired with a perfect wine. The sommelier gave us a description of the wine and why it went with the food for each course. So delicious, so fun, and so informative!

7. The amenities

A beautiful spa in the jungle, a beautiful yoga studio in the jungle, 2 amazing pools, and much more. The grounds of the entire resort are just impeccable. The nature is extremely well preserved like all of Costa Rica. You’ll see lots of jungle animals at the resort, like monkeys and sloths. At night the trees are all lit with magical lights that look like little stars. So beautiful.

8. Thinking “outside the box”

The staff members were attending a training and we heard the presenter say, “don’t just give your guests what they NEED, think outside the box and give them what they don’t know they want.” The crew definitely took this advice to heart. After one of the staff members learned it was our anniversary, he said he would have a surprise for us. When we got back to our room after dinner that night, we had this mini cake and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. So sweet!

As you can see, we really enjoyed our stay at Nayara and will definitely be back for another special occasion!

What’s your favorite resort you’ve stayed at?