Day Walks in Costa Rica

Fleur de Lys

downtown San Jose

Located in the cultural district of San José, near the National Museum, this restored Victorian house offers 30 individually quirkily decorated rooms in mis-matching style, each is named after a species of flower native to Costa Rica. All rooms have bath or shower, fan, hair dryer, cable TV, coffee maker, telephone. Some have a balcony. There are lots of plant filled nooks and crannies and a central atrium with water fountain. The hotel has a restaurant specialising in Costa Rican cuisine, and cosy bar. Creaky wooden construction. Lots of character.

N.B a commuter tram passes behind the hotel from dawn to early evening Monday to Friday - as a consequence some rooms can suffer from noise on these days as the tram passes.

Paraiso Quetzal Lodge

Nr San Gerardo de Dota

Paraiso de Quetzal is a good choice for birders and people interested in natural history wishing to see the Resplendent Quetzal.

The lodge is set in extensive grounds at an altitude of 2,650m. Accommodation at this family run lodge is in independent pine-wood cabins dotted around the hillside. Each of the 14 cabins have a private bathroom with hot water, coffee maker and forest views. Standard rooms have queen-sized beds and bunkbeds. Superior cabins have king-sized beds, jacuzzi bathtub, plasma T.V. Heaters and additional blankets are available as it gets cold at night.

Facilities include a cosy restaurant serving homecooked food using local produce, lounge area with fireplace, gift shop. There are a variety of on-site trails of differing lengths, a 6m observation platform, hummingbird deck.

Note: Make sure you have a torch to walk the trails to your cabin at night.

Toucanet Lodge

Copey de Dota

Toucanet Lodge is located at 1,950m in the heart of Los Santos reserve in the scenic Copey de Dota valley in Costa Rica's southern highlands.

Copey de Dota is a small rural town with approximately 500 inhabitants. This is an area of tumbling trout filled streams and fertile verdant countryside producing some of Costa Rica's best coffee and a wide range of fruits including peaches, apples and avocados.

The lodge has 6 standard bungalows with private bathrooms, large picture windows with mountain views, private terrace and wifi. The 2 junior suites are more private, spacious rooms with a hydro-massage bathtub and fireplace.

The lodge's "Bulat" restaurant, serves fine-dining "mountain cuisine with influences from the old continent"

Activities possible from the lodge include resplendent quetzal spotting and highlands birding tours, Talamanca trekking hike and coffee tours.

A great base from which to enjoy birding, hiking and a slice of rural mountain life.

Hacienda Baru

Dominical

Hacienda Baru is a 300ha National Wildlife Refuge with a broad range of habitats for nature viewing: pristine beach, wetland, secondary forest and up on the highland coastal ridge primary rainforest. There are two types of accommodation all with private bathrooms. There is a swimming pool and open-air restaurant serving typical Costa Rican cuisine.  There is also a canopy observation platform, zip line and tree climbing and escorted birding hikes, night walk and mangrove walk all available locally.

La Ensenada Lodge

Gulf of Nicoya

La Ensenada is a family run 1000 acre farm set beside the Gulf of Nicoya near Palo Verde, sharing a similar wetland habitat. Accommodation is in simple, functional, clean wooden cabins, each with a private bathroom and veranda. There is a swimming pool and lawns down to the Gulf which create a beautiful, tranquil location in which to relax. Guests can join in with the daily activities of the working farm, which raises cattle and horses as well as producing salt and fruit. They offer horse back riding, mangrove tours and trails through the jungle. There are great bird watching opportunities here (Dec - Apr) particularly when the migrant species are passing through. On your way over to dinner you will need a torch - watch out for the huge toads!

Ylang Ylang Beach Resort

Montezuma

Ylang Ylang Beach Resort is something special for those in search of an alternative beachfront retreat.  A ten-minute walk from the village of Montezuma along the sands, there is no direct road access to the resort.  

Each of it's 8 small private "igloo" like bungalows are simply furnished with their own terrace and glass-free windows plus a private bathroom and carefully screened outdoor shower. There are 6 more conventional rooms with views of the beach and fully enclosed private bathrooms available in the main accommodation block. There are also 8 more basic tented 'cabinas' with external private bathrooms and a "Tree Top Canopy" tented suite set with a king-sized bed surrounded by forest in a more secluded part of the property. All rooms/bungalows/tented cabinas have A/C, safe, minifridge. The hotel's two "Garden Bungalows" are located in a more secluded part of the resort a few steps away from the swimming pool and 50yrds from they beach. They have a queen size bed, AC, ceiling fan, screens, safety deposit box, mini-fridge, coffee maker, indoor hot water shower and sliding glass doors that open to a large terrace and lush surroundings. These domes are the best for viewing wildlife as they are situated directly in the biological corridor amidst a plethora of fruit trees. Guests stay on a half board basis with romantic candle lit dinners served in the thatched dining area beside the sea. It is worth noting that dinner includes one main course from the dinner, vegan or raw food menu and one natural juice per person. No red meat is served at the hotel.

Additional facilities include a swimming pool and sun deck, forest spa offering a range of treatments and massages, daily shared yoga classes at the hotel's yoga open-air yoga studio (at a current cost of $14pp), small gift shop.

Arenal Observatory Lodge

Arenal

The reward for a little bone-shaking along a stony track which winds up through pine forest to reach this hotel is its proximity to Arenal volcano and its beautiful views down upon Arenal Lake. Originally a Smithsonian Institute research station its location was chosen by scientists who needed a close but safe vantage point from which to study the volcano. Although you are close enough to hear the near constant rumbles inside the volcano you are separated from it by a deep gorge. The gardens are planted with native species to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.  A seismograph records the volcano's activity from the lodge.