We went to Caldas Novas when we were visiting my boyfriend’s family. Caldas Novas was about 3 hours drive from Goiania and is full of water parks built around the natural thermal baths of the area. It is the largest hydrothermal resort in the world. Many hotels had their own private water park. We stayed at Lagoa Quente. It was still being built when we went and now they have playgrounds for children and more pools on site.
Caldas novas is known for its thermal waters. There are many water parks, some connected to hotels. The only way to get around is by car. So make sure you choose your hotel near the waterparks (if you do not want to drive). The best water park we went to was by our hotel, Lagoa Quente. To buy food and drinks in the park, you had to purchase a card which you put money on and then could take that card with you at the park. There were also lockers to leave your bags when you entered the park. As part of our stay at our hotel, we had breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. We shared a two bedroom apartment together. There was no lounge, simply a hot plate and a fridge in the larger bedroom. We also had a balcony overlooking the pools.
There was a snack bar at the hotel and we could order delicious caipiriñas and sit in bar inside the pool. Yes, there were stools inside the pool which was a novelty. The waters were warm, like in the park and it was a relaxing way to spend the evening after being in the water park all day. The bar served hamburgers, chicken, french fries, usual fast food. Service was quick and friendly. The bar was open until at least 11pm and we could stay in all the pools until midnight.
We went to Caldas Novas in October which was, perfect weather. It did get hot during the day, but it was not as warm as if you were to go November until March. As these were thermal baths, it would have been too hot to visit during their summer months. We stayed here for 3 nights and 4 days which was enough time to go to every pool in the water park. However, those who love water, can visit other water parks so I would recommend staying a week. I hope to go back another time. There is a lot of entertainment for all the family. There was live music in the pools, activities for kids and they also celebrate events there such as children’s day.
