KateSnow

Just thought I’d give a final update on the selection process: we ended up ordering a Hot Spring Prism. It was pretty similar to the Cantabria, but the Prism was quieter, the seating was a bit more open and felt roomier (Cantabria squeezes and extra seat in theirs), and we liked the dealership a bit more than the other place. DH insisted on the stereo system, so you might see me back here in a year or so to complain about it if things go awry. We went with a regular cover with a lifter (not a Smartop which supposedly lasts the life of the tub but is only guaranteed for 3 years…). Thanks again for sharing your experience!

Both tests went well, so now we’re waiting for inspiration to strike and deciding which is “the one.” Though the Cantabria claims to hold more volume than the Prism, the Prism felt bigger (it is two inches wider vs Cantabria, but it felt more spacious in general for some unknown reason, perhaps the layout). Cantabria felt more suited to taller people like us, but we liked the feel of space in the Prism and most of the people we know with hot tubs have Hot Springs brand spas that they like, so it feels familiar. Thanks to castletonia for sharing your notes on covers. Probably will stick to the regular cover as the Smartop is excessively expensive for a product only covered by a 3 year warranty (over $1k per year basically). Anyone see those nice composite steps that run the length of the tub? Well, a set that wraps around two sides and a corner is about $10k from A&B. Is this what is meant by “creeping elegance”? We’d already planned to add the stereo ($1,495 on either model).

Thank you all for the advice. We have two wet tests scheduled for tomorrow: a Caldera Cantabria and a Hot Springs Prism (we checked out the Envoy but it was too small for us). These two are pretty similar (makes sense since they’re from the same parent company) but have a few differences: - Prism has more lights and more color options for the shell - Cantabria has one more seat, larger water volume, and a neck pillow jet Also in a very situation-specific factor: if we end up placing the hot tub where we’re thinking of, the Cantabria lounger would be facing a better view than the Prism’s lounge seat. We have also been learning more about covers. Briefly considered Covana but we’d need a huge one with the flat roof and I’m worried about it breaking down in the MN winters (and for $15-16k I don’t want to be worrying about it). Considering a Smartop cover in the Vanish XL style (about $2,600), but not sure it’s worth the upgrade. I like that it’s easy to move and won’t get waterlogged.

Thank you for your detailed feedback, ratchett! I’ve repeatedly used two Hotsprings with those motomassager jets (a friend has a Vanguard and a family member has a Grandee), they are quite nice. I will take a look at the Envoy for sure, thanks! Although if we end up going with Hotsprings Highlife we’d probably just do the Grandee for the larger size at the sake of the lounger. We have a lot of hot tub enthusiast friends and family, so it will be used by a larger group of people a couple times each month. We want a large spa because we find hot tubs to be crowded at their capacity, sitting hip to hip with legs intertwined in the middle. Our friend’s Highlife Vanguard feels full with 4 adults though it seats 6 (though I admit that may have something to do with my husband and I being quite tall, as are several of our friends). I had noticed the flatness of the Bullfrog seats, that’s a good point. Also it’s probably not great to have a sodium bromide system for the hot tub but a sodium chloride for the pool when people inevitably go back and forth during the warmer months. We went to a Sundance dealer but were put off by how little they seemed to know about their product (which is a dealer specific issue of course, but impacts my confidence in getting service in my area from this dealer). Thanks again for your comments. I’ll take a closer look at Hotsprings Highlife line for sure.

In Minnesota

I'm shopping for a large hot tub. It’s our first time owning one. I've narrowed my search to Bullfrog (A9L, M8) and Caldera (Cantabria). I want to have at least one lounge seat, which eliminated Hotspring since their largest model, Grandee, doesn't have a lounger. I'm concerned about the Bullfrog clip breakage issue, so that has me leaning toward the Caldera (Cantabria model), though I like how customizable the Bullfrog spas are. We will be doing saltwater, and I know the Caldera is sodium chloride based and the Bullfrog is sodium bromide based, but I don't have a strong preference. They each seem to have their own subscription maintenance components (disposable filter cartridges with the Bullfrog, the salt cartridges with the Caldera). The hot tub will mostly be used by me and my husband, but we also intend to have friends over (we have a pool too), hence going for a large model. Winters here are cold and snowy, but we want to use the hot tub year round. Does anyone have any personal experience that would have them recommend one over the other, or is there another brand I should consider more closely? We looked into quite a few (we are spoiled for choice in our area) but may have overlooked something. Thanks for reading!