We were at the Waldorf Astoria on the peninsula, perfectly comfortable, and thought perhaps a trip to Miravalles sounded interesting. It was more than interesting. The drive through the Guanacaste interior already feels like going somewhere most tourists never go. Three waterfalls, each different, each beautiful. The volcanic mud in the crater is genuinely surreal — you are standing inside a volcanic feature of the earth, covered in therapeutic mineral mud, with steam rising around you. An extraordinary day.

I come to spas all over the world for volcanic mud treatments and rarely get to do it in an actual volcanic crater. Miravalles is the real thing — not a simulated experience, not a resort approximation. The mud is sourced directly from the ground, the hot springs are natural, the waterfalls are completely wild. Our guide was excellent. The lunch afterward was the kind of home cooking that you can't find anywhere near the beach. This was the best day of our two weeks in Costa Rica.

Our teenagers were skeptical about a waterfall and hot springs day. By the time they were covered in volcanic mud in a live crater, laughing and photographing each other, any skepticism had completely disappeared. The forest trail to the third waterfall was beautiful and our guide pointed out birds and plants the whole way. The whole day felt like something we earned by being curious enough to go beyond the resort. Worth every minute of the drive.