Nayara Springs

Nayara Springs is the adults-only sister of Nayara Gardens on the lower slopes of Arenal, inside the volcano's national park and about ten minutes from La Fortuna. The premise is simple: thirty-five detached villas, each with a plunge pool fed by the mineral hot springs that surface here, and nobody under eighteen on the property. The volcano appears above the gardens whenever the cloud allows, most often early in the morning.

The villas are large at around 139 square metres, with a four-poster bed, an outdoor shower in a walled garden and the pool on a private terrace. There is only one villa category, so the choice comes down to position. Amor Loco is the fine dining room, with a chef's tasting menu and live music in the evening; Mis Amores cooks Northern Italian, with wood-fired pizzas, pasta finished at the table and the volcano in view; Besame Mucho completes the trio. Cocktails belong to Cielito Lindo, the swim-up bar, or to Nostalgia, and Mi Cafecito pours the coffee.

The spa works in open-air pavilions with volcanic mud and chocolate treatments, a steam room and a sauna. The estate is a member of Relais & Châteaux, yet its best moments are not on any programme: sloths in the trees of the resort's own preserve and along its trails, toucans at breakfast, and an evening in your own spring-fed pool while the outline of the cone fades into the dark.