Finca Rosa Blanca

This traditional and elaborate mansion in the city’s downtown district is surprisingly cosy, but naturally classy and luxurious. Grano de Oro is a grand and tropical Victorian casona, very familial in feel with its heavily embellished interiors strewn with antiques, faded family photos, original art pieces, dark woods, deep carpets and stone tiles. Lit by the warm glow of wall lanterns, its forty rooms are well equipped with TVs and internet. Choose a standard room for comfort and a more modern style. Both the views and decor improve with the category rank. The Vista de Oro suite is wonderfully decorated in period ceramic floor tiles, wood panelling, with rich rugs and throws. The Garden Suite is similarly adorned but also has its own private garden and patio. On the ground floor is the restaurant with half its tables set in the hotel’s charming atrium circling a Spanish-tiled fountain surrounded by stained glass windows and the shuttered corridor balconies spilling over with vivid green plant life. The chef is French, the menu extensive, and its tables are often frequented by locals as well as guests. At night the rooftop terrace is a great place to relax, have a drink or try out the Jacuzzi. Set in the heart of San Jose in the Barrio don Bosco neighbourhood, this is a delightful hotel; a great place for exploring the city or stopping over on your way further into Costa Rica or flying out.

It could be Pacaure's remote setting in 740 acres of primary rainforest or its luxury cabins emerging from the thick milieu of foliage that makes this a great place to stay: but the combination is what transforms it into a truly unique one.

This relaxing and wholesome eco-lodge imitates rural Costa Rican style and “pura vida”. The 16 luxury, free-standing and stilted casitas peer over the 500-acre private reserve cloud forest canopy on the edge of the Juan Castro Blanco National Park. They are built with the immediate nature very much in mind, based on cottages lived in by local people and using light and dark woods, bamboo and glass, yet they remain elegantly modern, minimal, spacious and comfortable. There are no TVs to detract from the natural world around you but all rooms are equipped with gas fireplaces, private terraces and jacuzzis making your casita feel especially cosy and romantic at night. The hotel strives to exist in harmony with its bio-diverse and delicate fauna setting. Organic gardens, a greenhouse and small farm help to sustain the hotel and its ethical concepts; guests see and taste the delicious and fresh benefits of this at El Silencio’s Las Ventanas and Hierbabuena Restaurants. Take part in spa treatments, eco-adventures, expeditions to the Poas volcano or even do your bit and plant a tree; these are just some of ways to while away the tropical hours at the hotel. Only two hours north of San Jose, with its relaxing and private atmosphere you’ll feel a whole world away at El Silencio.  

This boutique hotel encompasses all things luxurious, with views overlooking the grand Arenal Volcano, beautiful villas and a state-of-the-art spa and yoga pavilion. Privacy is as well taken care of as luxury, sitting outside the Costa Rican town of La Fortuna, Nayara Springs provides the perfect amount of seclusion at around three hours from the capital, San Jose. Each of the 35 villas is nestled among the floral gardens of the tropical rainforest and boasts its own personal pool, a spacious private garden with outdoor shower, a sumptuous four-poster bed, alongside both indoor and outdoor seating areas. A rich array of natural wildlife awaits, and guests can enjoy it from their private terrace, or by taking a tour through the Arenal Volcano National Park. Guests can then unwind by indulging in a treatment at the spa, heading to the yoga pavilion or swimming pool, or enjoying a drink at the stylish piano bar. Cuisine at Nayara Springs is served at the lovely poolside restaurant, Amor-Loco, where fresh fish, Latin American inspired sushi and organic home-grown vegetables all grace the menu.