Nothing makes a good vacation better quite like a volcano does. That explains my love affair with Hawaii, Santorini, Lanzarote, St. Lucia, Pompeii...even Yellowstone. Bonus points if the volcano is active. And triple bonus points if it spews glowing red lava down its western slope nightly, like the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. Needless to say, the majority of hotels set up shop on the eastern slope in La Fortuna. My personal favorite is the Volcano Lodge, where you can watch the seismic show from the freeform pool or hot tub. And it's only $84/night in "green season," which runs May through December. That means it's going to rain. A lot. Like eight inches a month -- so if you're made of sugar, you may want to spring the $110/night for high season instead.Also, one final round of bonus points to Costa Rica for putting swim-up bars in their hot springs -- a noble idea if I've ever heard one. A visit to Baldi Hot Springs is only $25 -- besides the ten spring-fed pools, it has a restaurant and spa. Ahhh.
