Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation & Inn

An elegant country house with just 13 luxurious and unique rooms, set in beautiful wooded hills above San José

To enter your room at Finca Rosa Blanca is to walk into a work of art. Curving white art nouveau columns, elegant arches and beautiful hand painted murals make bedrooms into interior gardens. Bathrooms are places of pleasure, with Jacuzzis in organic forms, lined with mosaic tiles. Step onto your private balcony and land falls steeply away to verdant valleys and hillsides striped with coffee plantations. Yet, just 45 minutes’ drive away is San José. Friendly bilingual staff will arrange horse riding to volcanoes, hikes in national parks and trips to botanical gardens and butterfly farms with the resident naturalist guide. This organic coffee farm is a perfect place for your first few nights in the country - and many guests can’t resist returning for their last, too. It’s a very seductive place.

Behind all the luxury are an inspiring Californian couple who have become, unintentionally, pioneers of sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. Rosa Blanca was the country’s first environmentally-friendly hotel, and remains a model of how to protect the natural world without sacrificing style or comfort.

Highs

• An elegant and unique place to stay: each room is a work of art, with sumptuous beds, gorgeous linens and private verandas
• Close enough to offer an alternative to staying in San José - and much more relaxing
• Stylish dining room serving delicious Costa Rican fusion cuisine and fine wines
• Beautiful setting in gorgeous tropical gardens, with stunning views from your balcony
• Sustainable tourism par excellence: as well as having impeccable green credentials, the owners are deeply involved in the local community and contribute profits to schools

Lows

• If you like sleek, anonymous hotels, this isn’t for you
• While close enough to San José for flights and most purposes, Rosa Blanca is still a 45-minute drive away. However, it’s a relief to escape the city
• No nightlife in the immediate area, so it won't suit if you’re looking for lively bars to meet other travellers
• Not the cheapest place to stay, but worth it!
• No twin beds available, but one suite has a double and a twin, and the villas have 2 adjoining suites with kingsize beds