Baldi vs. Tabacon

The only place I know of that rivals Tabacon for "Garden of Eden" status is Plitvice, Croatia.  That said, you can only look and photograph Plitvice, not bathe in the warm waters...  So I think that officially makes Tabacon the best place ever :)

The full day pass is from 10am-10pm, and you can opt to buy food ($25 each for the lunch or dinner buffet) or you can bring your own.  We packed both lunch and dinner, and although we looked longingly at the Indian menu at the restaurant, we were glad to minimize our expense for the day. We were even brave enough to sit at one of their snack bar tables to pull out our own food, and to our surprise, the waiter offered us a menu but was completely fine with the fact that we brought food in.  It is absolutely legal and worked out great!

There are only a handful of days in T's entire life when she has not cried. Not a tear.  Or even a single peep.

This day was one of them!

She had undivided attention from both parents all day.

She had an all day bath-- loves that warm water!

She had independence in her little floater (God bless Nahtalie for letting us borrow that!)

She had a good nap with the sound of the river to soothe her

She had good food and lots of it!

This is T's perfect day.

 That little curl on top kills me!

 Okay, getting down to business:

Baldi vs. Tabacon

Without food, Baldi costs $25 (assuming you get the best price-- search around town)

Tabacon costs $60.  There are no coupons or price differences for Tabacon.  You pay full rate at the door.

So basically Tabacon is over double the price.

We had a wonderful time at Baldi.  Many hot pools, fun water slides, the "natural" sauna, lounge chairs... Baldi is a great way to spend the day.  Especially if you're on a budget.

But if you spring for Tabacon I can promise you won't regret it!  It has a much more natural feeling, creating a completely different vibe than Baldi.  If you're coming to La Fortuna on an anniversary trip or looking for a calm, romantic experience, this is your place.  The locker and towels are included in the price (not so at Baldi) and the staff really looks to help you and enhance your experience.  Didn't really get that at Baldi.  All the very best English speakers in La Fortuna get jobs at Tabacon, and attendants walk around in high heels and button downs.  

Hoards more people came at 6pm, the start of the night pass.  The morning hours are best (like, we never shared a pool with anybody), it gets busier in the afternoon, and I would even say it was crowded at night (at least the day we went). Scott had been here before with some friends in college, and they just did the night pass.  He was determined to come back during the day to actually see the resort and get to enjoy several more hours here.

Tabacon is built along a natural river.  It is perfectly manicured and just a completely serene experience.  The higher you go up the river, the hotter the pools!

I am kicking myself about the tripod situation.  I brought my SLR and my tripod, very committed to great photographs... but I forgot the little piece that attaches the camera to the tripod!  So silly!  I lugged it around all for nothing, and ended up using bridge posts to steady the camera.  Hopefully I won't make that mistake again!

Tabacon is a day I will never forget.