10 Mar 2020
At the end of the day, we are rating this 4-stars because we had a fabulous, awesome time at the Tobocan Hot Springs - the highlight of the day. Gorgeous scenery. The springs are wonderful and relaxing. The spa is extremely affordable, especially relative to prices back home in the USA. We had plenty of time to enjoy the springs for a good 3 hours. Dinner was authentic, delicious. The drinks were memorable, served in fruit. Wonderful!
The timing at the Volcano observation "deck" was lack luster. It was short. Like 15 minutes short, at most, perhaps. Now, I'll admit with reading so many different options, I thought we'd experience more "AT" the volcano - there is an Arenal National Park. We didn't get near the national park; I had no idea it was an observation area. Maybe that's on me, ok. However, this seemed rushed. Maybe it was because we had an Hour for lunch - too much time. Maybe it's because we stopped to see "World Largest Ox Cart" in Sarchi (unplanned?, or at least not expected on the itinerary).
The tour guide was nice. Could easily understand him. We stopped at a souvenir shop "off the beaten path," as the expression goes and found a couple good deals. Know that after shopping in/around San Jose Costa Rica, found the exact items we wanted to take home for a much more economical deal.