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Warm weather with Costa Rica travel"COSTA RICA TRAVEL"
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01-16-1994 warm weather VACATIONS Discovering Luxury in Costa Rica Country inns, charming hotels adds romance to one's adventure trips The swallows' soft chattering woke me just before dawn into that familiar hazy confusion of travelers' mornings - not quite sure where you are but comfortably certain you are happy to be there. A few more seconds confirmed my optimism. Costa Rica travel, honeymoon, Rosa Blanca Suite. A very, very good place to start the day. My bride and I were in a fantasy tower bedroom high on the corner turret of the Finca Rosa Blanca, a charming Gaudi-inspired country inn 20 minutes outside of Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. All white stucco, carved tropical woods and curving windows, the Rosa Blanca sails along a lush green hillcrest above world-renowned coffee farms near the provincial town of Heredia. At 4,300 feet (1,300 meters) altitude, it overlooks the Meseta Central (Central Valley), home to most of Costa Rica's 3 million people and arguably one of the most peaceful and beautiful landscapes in the world. I was introducing my wife to this country on my first trip on Costa Rica travel since having lived there for several years in the mid-'70s. It hasn't changed all that much. Still democratic, safe, nonviolent and socially responsible, Costa Rica travel remains a spectacularly beautiful country with enough adventure and exotica to engage all but the most jaded traveler. And more travelers (more than 600,000 last year) are discovering Costa Rica travel every year, making it now one of the world's leading eco-tourism destinations, with nature lodges situated close to the rare and protected ecosystems of the cloud forests, rain forests, and coastal estuaries in and around its famous national parks. Tourism has become the nation's No. 2 foreign exchange earner - after bananas and before coffee. And with that growth has come a greater array of visitor services and accommodations, including a new class of small deluxe country inns and city hotels in and around the capital of San Jose on your Costa Rica travel. Five are reviewed here, and like the Rosa Blanca, all combine fine service with delightful architecture and furnishings. Ideal as bases for exploring the capital and Meseta Central, these inns provide elegant, comfortable stops before and after the ecological and adventure trips central to most Costa Rica travel vacations. All have bi-lingual staffs, first-class lodging, and most have close ties in the eco-tourism zones, which means they can help in arranging itineraries and tours. In off-peak seasons you might consider booking your first and last couple of nights on Costa Rica travel with one of these hotels and work with them to plan and arrange the rest of your trip when you arrive. In the tower suite of the Finca Rosa Blanca, my wife and I enjoyed the best room in the whole country. Lights sparkled across the dark valley floor as the dawn sky slowly brightened. Leaving the warm comfort of the curtained bed, I gently opened the glass doors to the balcony. Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
In moments the sun broke over the rim of Volcano Irazsu 20 miles to the east, spilling golden light over a spectacular panorama covering hundreds of square miles. The soft morning air on this mountainside was cool and so clear that details miles away stood out sharply in the morning glow. The scene evoked memories of childhood fantasy, of a dream house with just such a tower retreat. This real one came with a circular staircase, 17 steps of flowing sculpture carved from a single massive cristobal tree-trunk. It led down to the rest of the expansive suite, which included a large sitting room with two extra beds, bar area, private terrace, dressing room and an outrageous free-form rain forest bathroom filled with plants, painted with jungle scenes, and graced with an oversized tub filled by a waterfall running through rocks and plants. Every room in the suite had sweeping views of the Meseta Central. At Finca Rosa Blanca, opened in winter of 1989, visitors are treated more like houseguests than customers, partaking of wine and cocktails in the three-story atrium before being seated to a nightly five-course dinner, prepared by chef Ray Bradley, who has worked at Bouley and Le Cirque in Manhattan. Fresh fruits and juices from trees on the property are served with the full American breakfasts. The Hotel Chalet Tirol is higher up the mountainside than the Finca Rosa Blanca and 10 minutes beyond the provincial capital of Heredia. The scenery changes from coffee farms and views of the central valley to Holstein cows grazing pastures along misty country roads lined with pine trees. The occasional steep A-frame roof among the trees evokes a European alpine landscape. The Hotel Chalet Tirol is surrounded by tall pines and is snug up against its own private mountain cloud forest reserve. Clustered like a miniature alpine village are 10 two-story cottages built eight years ago plus 14 modern suites in a new building. The focal point is the lodge-style main building, warmed by several fireplaces against the cool mountain mornings and evenings. The restaurant serves some of the best French food on a Costa Rica travel vacation. Only 15 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from San Jose, Hotel Chalet Tirol is a mini-resort, offering its guests tennis, horseback riding, trout fishing, and nature hikes in its private reserve. Across the central valley from Heredia, above the quiet hillside town of San Antonio de Escazu, sits the Tara Resort Hotel, a giant white-columned incarnation of that ante-bellum "Gone With The Wind" icon. Like the Rosa Blanca, the Tara commands a magnificent view, this one directly above the capital of San Jose. Built 15 years ago as the private residence of a wealthy German family with a Margaret Mitchell fetish, it was converted into a luxury inn in 1990. The current owners are from North Carolina and have filled the 10 suites and two rooms with North American antiques and fine Costa Rica travel furniture. The Atlanta Restaurant in the graceful formal dining room is one of the finest in the country, while the general atmosphere invites relaxing on the wide tiled verandas or the green lawns surrounding the sparkling swimming pool. Moving from the surrounding countryside into the capital city proper are two small, elegant hotels set in mixed residential neighborhoods just minutes from San Jose's center. The Hotel Grano de Oro (or Golden Bean, referring to the crop that built Costa Rica's economy) is a warm, comfortable, friendly and extremely well-run small, city hotel. Situated in a quiet neighborhood off the Paseo Colon, it is only a 20-minute walk or five-minute cab ride from downtown sights and points of interest. Several theaters and good restaurants are in the immediate vicinity. The bilingual staff excels in helping guests arranging tours, rental cars, making and confirming reservations, recommending restaurants, and providing good advice and directions. The original building is a charming, turn-of-the-century city mansion, two stories of trim Victorian painted wood. The public areas are light, airy, well-decorated with the best in local artists, and include a sunny dining area and lush interior courtyard garden where the small kitchen serves excellent breakfasts and light meals. Particularly good are the homemade cakes, pies and cheesecakes. Can't find what you need? Try a Google Web Search in the box below!
Come in late some evening and the staff is happy to cut you a big piece and serve it with a cup of fresh Costa Rica travel coffee. A small store off the lobby offers a good selection of newspapers, maps and guide books, as well as fairly priced local clothing, crafts and souvenirs. Most elegant of the five inns is the sparkling Hotel L'Ambiance, an 85-year-old city mansion in quiet Barrio Amon, a few minutes walk from downtown. With its impeccable exterior of bright yellow stucco and white trim, the hotel opened in 1989 after a year of restoration. The one-story building has cool interior corridors and a large, sun-filled inner courtyard. There are only six comfortable rooms and one large suite, all furnished with a mix of fine local furniture and antiques from owner Bill Parker's former inn on Martha's Vineyard. The excellent (and reasonably priced) restaurant off the patio is considered one of the best in the capital, a popular luncheon spot for local movers and shakers from nearby government and business offices.... Compare tickets for Costa Rica travel here /cheap airfares home |