The jewel of Central America, Costa Rica - with its natural beauty and wide-variety of activities, offers the perfect setting for a joyful vacation for the entire family.
The diversity of this country is reflected in its flora and fauna, its different climate zones, as well as its culture and people. Each corner of this magnificent country offers its own distinct little treasure. The best way to be enriched by the treasures of Costa Rica is of course to explore it!
And what better way to explore this exciting country than to set out from the most special, comfortable and high-quality, while at the same time small and personal hotels? Small Distinctive Hotels has already set out to do all the work for you, selecting eight unique luxurious boutique hotels spread over the most beautiful areas of the entire country. These hotels are all located in areas with extravagant natural surroundings and plenty of exciting activities while at the same time ensuring the quality, comfort and service that will complete this unforgettable experience.
Whether your children are young or grown, Costa Rica offers numerous activities for everyone, all set in natural surroundings. The Small Distinctive Hotels members offer both the best tours and activities in their respective regions. We have highlighted our recommended activity for each hotel below:
Grano de Oro
Braulio Carrilo National Park is located in the Eastern part of the Central Valley, and is therefore easily accessible from San Jose. In fact, the highway that passes through the National Park can nearly be considered part of the attraction with its spectacular views. The Braulio Carrillo National Park offers beautiful hiking trails, which are a fascinating natural attraction with the Barva volcano. Another exciting activity is the rainforest aerial tram, which will take you over the tops of the rainforest canopies.
Other recommendations: Poás Volcano National Park and City Tour.
Hotel Capitan Suizo
Marino las Baulas de Guanacaste National Park is named after the leatherback turtles which use this beach as a nesting site. Apart from sea turtles, this park hosts a variety of different animals such as exotic birds, capuchin monkeys, crocodiles and raccoons.
Other recommendations: Rincón de la Vieja National Park and Estuary Tour at Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge.
Villa Caletas
Carara National Park owes its name to the indigenous term “river of crocodiles”. Crocodiles are indeed among the great variety of wildlife to be found in this park. The lovely sloths, bright-colored frogs, toucans, monkeys and opossums will surely delight you and your children. Moreover, the rare and threatened scarlet macaw is this national park`s symbol, and with a little bit of luck this beautiful bird will brighten up your day!
Other Recommendations: Crocodile Tour, Kayak and Snorkeling Tour and Surfing.
Florblanca Resort
Cabo Blanco National Park was actually the first step in the development of Costa Rica’s extensive national park system, which has led to its rise as a popular ecotourism destination. Its unique combination of climate and geographical location make it an attractive home for many species such as deer, howler- and capuchin monkeys, porcupines, raccoons… and with a little bit of luck some coyotes or jaguarundis to add some excitement to your trip!
Other recommendations: Malpaís Zipline Canopy Tour, Snorkeling,
Yoga and Surfing.
Casa Turire
Bird watching tours are a must when staying at Casa Turire. Tropical birds abound in this beautiful green estate. The hotel offers a birding checklist so you will be able to identify the birds you spot. Joyous hummingbirds, brilliant parrots, magical motmots are only a few of the commonly-spotted species.
Other recommendations: Rafting Pejibaye River, Turrialba Volcano and Grano de Oro Coffee Tour.
The Peace Lodge
Poas Volcano National Park is host to the Poás volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the country, and offers amazing scenic vistas. The main crater is about 2 km in diameter and over 1000 meters deep, with a beautiful blue-green crater lake next to it. Well-marked trails provide for an excellent half hour hike around this extraordinary scenic attraction, a picture perfect lake surrounded by lush forest. Although small animals are relatively scarce, the beautiful natural surroundings and exotic birds definitely make up for it.
Other recommendations: La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Reserve and Doka Coffee Plantation.
Arenas del Mar
Manuel Antonio National Park is located in between two different types of forests, the tropical wet and dry forests, accounting for the park’s unusual beauty of biodiversity.
The park contains a fascinating mix of lush rainforest, beaches and exotic wildlife. Be prepared for close encounters with fluffy sloths, bright scarlet macaws, adorable squirrel monkeys and other exciting wildlife! The welcoming walking trails are in very good shape and will lead you through the highlights of this park.
Other recommendations: Damas Island Mangrove by Kayak, Early Bird Watching Tour, and White Water Rafting.
Hotel Cuna del Angel
Whale- and Dolphin Watching. Twice a year when visiting Marino Ballena National Park near Dominical Beach, you have the opportunity to spot whales, among which are the famous humpbacks and even dolphins! With a little bit of luck, these amazing creatures can be observed right from the shoreline while at the beach. To increase your chances of getting a closer look of the impressive whales or joyful dolphins, we absolutely recommend a whale- and dolphin watching tour.
Other Recommendations: Caño Island Biological Reserve, Hacienda Barú, Wildlife Refuge and Sport fishing.
Consequently all members have been working with CST, and have recently begun to receive rewards for their arduous work. Three members of the group have received the results of their certification efforts, resulting in the following current situation; the levels are referred to as leaves, which represent the 5 levels (5 being the highest) of the system:
The success of the hotels' sustainability programs however is not expressed in quantities of leaves received but in positive actions implemented in terms of a harmonious relation with nature, content employees and surrounding communities as well as satisfied and fulfilled customers. We believe that by giving back to nature as well as communities, we can truly make a difference not only in our surroundings, but also in the attitude of our visitors who will ideally fly back home with a greater sense of responsibility and appreciation of nature, culture and communities.
