When you visit Costa Rica, don’t miss Hacienda Orosi, a hot springs attraction about an hour’s drive away from San Jose. It’s the perfect day trip and a serene getaway. Mauricio, who runs the PR firm that manages Hacienda Orosi, picks Peter and me up from our San Jose hotel our first morning in Costa Rica, and after a brief tour of the city, we head southeast into the mountains, where we spend the day soaking in invigorating thermal springs of varying temperatures.

Hacienda Orosi’s pools offer a continuous flow of thermal mineral water, which originates from a fracture in the tectonic plate. The waters are made up of minerals and ions, which according to the World Health Organization, enrich skin tissues, stimulate the senses, and reduce stress when immersed in them. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, aluminum, sulfate, and zinc are some of the minerals found in water.

The water feels soft and silky on our skin, and Peter and I try the different pools, just relaxing and enjoying the warm water. It’s a beautiful, blue-sky day. Birds sing, butterflies flit about, and flowers of all colors and descriptions bloom. Around us mountains loom, and below a fertile valley stretches to the horizon.

After a while, the staff brings us mud balls and invites us to rub mud all over ourselves. What fun. We join a group of Costa Ricans on a deck near a waterfall and cover each other with mud from head to toe. It’s local mud with therapeutic properties, so they say, but we just love playing likes kids with the mud, which turns a pale green color when it dries. After rinsing off, my skin does feel softer, so maybe I’ll play in the mud more often!

We lunch at the Hacienda Orosi Restaurant, which has fabulous food. I try a creamy Peruvian shrimp chowder, which is rich, flavorful, and decadent. Peter has a Peruvian fried rice dish called chaufa that features fresh al dente veggies and comes with French fries! A light rain starts to fall, a nearly everyday experience in this tropical country, we discover, but we enjoy the rat-a-tat on the roof and the fresh negative ions in the air.

Hacienda Orosi is an ideal escape during your stay in San Jose. You’ll feel refreshed and renewed after a soak in the thermal pools. Don’t miss enjoying a meal in the restaurant, where the cuisine is local, fresh, and beautifully presented. Happy travels!

For more information, visit www.haciendaorosi.com