Luxury Travel to The Coffee Valley made for you

Located about an hour north of San Jose in a private eco-park and reserve, the intimate and romantic Peace Lodge enjoys a wonderfully interactive setting with nature. La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a private wildlife and nature sanctuary complete with waterfalls, cloud forests, trails, an aviary, butterfly gardens, Jungle Cat Centre and is just 20 minutes from the Poas volcano. The decoration and interiors of the Lodge itself is often likened to Rivendell in Lord of Rings with its grotto-like bathrooms, cosily cavernous rooms, stone fireplaces and bed canopies (some made out of twisted wood). There is a Jacuzzi-tub, private balcony and aromatherapy products with every room and the service is good especially when it comes to the detail, which makes your stay feel very personal. Take a table at Vista Poas, the lodge’s intimate fine dining restaurant, and enjoy traditional locally-inspired Costa Rican flavours. The menu features grilled meats, homemade pasta, savoury seafood, and tender free-range chicken dishes. There is also a selection of wines that pair well with the gourmet meals. Breakfast is served at Tortillas Restaurant which boasts beautiful views over the cloud forest. Tuck into the expansive Costa Rican buffet at Colibries Restaurant, or sip on locally-grown coffee and enjoy fresh pastries at La Terraza near the waterfalls. There are good facilities not to mention direct access to the park, meaning wildlife lovers or families will enjoy getting up close to hummingbirds, butterflies, monkeys and even jaguars. All guests are welcome to enjoy the park before it opens and after it closes.

Finca Rosa Blanca is the sort of place that’s difficult to leave once you’ve settled in. Mornings are spent sipping fresh Costa Rican coffee, grown right here on the plantation, overlooking the lush forest that surrounds the lodge, while by night you can gaze out to see the twinkling lights of San Jose in the distance, listening to the sounds of the Costa Rican wilderness around you.

Its innovative design and fun tropical decoration is what makes Xandari quite a one-off hotel in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. Set in 40 acres of plantation gardens and only twenty minutes from San Jose international airport, this is an ideal hilltop hideaway if you’re just beginning or ending your trip. Surrounded by lush vegetation, the terraces offer spectacular views of the majestic Central Valley. With an architect and artist for owners, Xandari has definitely felt the force of their creativity and the hotel is adorned with extraordinary sculptures, tropical colours that imitate the fiercely vivid flora, tapestries, mosaics, paintings and stained glass. Its 24 spacious terraced villas offer stylish seclusion, vibrant comfort, beautiful valley views, and come with kitchenettes and a small garden. The atmosphere is relaxed and the staff immensely friendly. Xandari’s grounds have four kilometres of trails filled with native birds to watch, and there’s also an orchid house, greenhouse, orchards, and organic gardens supplying the hotel’s restaurant. The farm-to-table menu includes a variety of healthy choices from Costa Rician specialities to Mediterranean and Californian dishes. Massages, facials and mud wraps are just some of the treatments on hand at the hotel’s well-appointed Spa village. Guests are invited to plant native trees during their stay at Xandari. Trees, bushes and flowers which especially attract, feed and provide shelter to the various types of birds and butterflies are chosen to be added to the gardens.