Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1067657
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TABACÓN GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT 111 massage therapist instructs me to turn over, and my memories of the rest of the trip come flooding back to me, out of order. ere was the coffee tasting, where the delicious dark roast sent my fingers jittering. ere was the gorgeous horseback ride beside Arenal, with the clouds making it look as though the dor- mant volcano was filling up the sky with fluffy white ash. ere was the once-in-a-lifetime seven-course dinner, prepared and served to us in a private bungalow at Tabacón, where my taste buds lit up in delight at what the chef was able to do with seemingly simple ingredi- ents. And then there were the trips—three of them? four?—back to the hot springs, where it was so easy to lose track of time as I breathed in the steam and let the minerals from the water soak into my skin. After the therapist finishes work on my temples, I'm back atop a platform at a nearby zip line course. is activity has caught on at home, as well, but there's no substitute for speeding through a rainforest canopy. I'm afraid of heights, but zip lining feels more like flying than falling, and the only part that scares me is the Tarzan swing, where you jump and fall until the rope catches you, and then you sail out into the jungle. e swing is optional, but everyone else in my group is doing it, so I timidly climb the stairs and allow the guide to clip me in. When the metal gate swings open in front of me, I let out an unholy, terrified groan. "It sounds like he's in pain," I hear someone on the ground say. e line is tight, pulling me forward. I lean back against it, but then I feel a push from the guide, and my feet start to slip. e scream rises up in my throat. I let myself go, and add my voice to the chorus of the rainforest. tabacon.com TabacÓn is located outside La Fortuna on more than 900 acres of tropical reserve.