The hot springs at Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort, Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Part of the luxe, gay-friendly Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort that lies in the shadows of Costa Rica's gregariously active Arenal Volcano, the lava-heated hot springs at Tabacon's spa are a soothing and relaxing place to spend an afternoon, hopping from pool to pool. You can finish all this with a hot-stone treatment or mud wrap in the spa, or by having lunch in the spa's open-air restaurant overlooking the pool and, beyond that, the lush rain forest. You can partake of the spa and hot springs as an overnight guest at the swish resort (it's on Hwy. 142 between the town of La Fortuna and Lake Arenal, tel. 877-277-8291 in the U.S. or Canada, or 506-2519-1940 directly), or you can purchase a day pass to swim and relax in the springs. Tabacon's clientele is largely straight couples from North America and Europe, but the resort is very welcoming toward gay and lesbian visitors. And even if you don't stay on property, it's really a must to visit the springs if you're traveling to this popular part of the country, which is on the border of the Guanacaste and Alajuela provinces.