good for you

Inspired by Gaud’'s architectonics and the Santa Fe style, this towering hotel is Perched above the beautiful Central Valley of Costa Rica and surrounded by Higuer—n trees and exotic flora, Finca Rosa Blanca is a boutique eco-hotel with only seven rooms and two villas on seven acres of reforested gardens, with each room offering spectacular views of volcanoes, cloud forests, tropical orchards and coffee plantations.

At 4000 feet above sea level on a temperate plateau of extraordinary beauty, the hotel offers comfortable accommodation in a selection of quirkily decorated rooms, all with excellent views. All sorts of irregular-shaped windows enhance the sun-filled house; a 40-foot high cathedral lounge sets the tone for the whitewashed stucco structure, its striking atrium dominated by a soaring, floral-motif beehive fireplace, masses of tropical plants, lustrous wood accents and vivid jungle murals painted by talented local artists.

The hotel's spring-fed infinity pool is a perfect place to relax, the garden features more than 300 tropical fruit trees, and the lodge's horses are there for you to explore the area, including Finca Rosa Blanca's own organic coffee plantation.

good for costa rica

Finca Rosa Blanca has the highest rating in Costa Rica for sustainable tourism (5 green leaves). It cultivates its own organic herbs, fruit and vegetables, as well as growing organic coffee on its 20 acre plantation. Owners Teri and Glen Jampool are conservation experts and have worked with the local community to establish a recycling scheme for all non-organic waste, while all green waste is carefully composted. The hotel's pool is fed by a spring and the water is ionized rater than chlorinated, and rainwater is gathered then heated using solar energy.

Rooms

Food

Each morning guests awake to delicious and healthy breakfast (included in the room rates), featuring freshly brewed organic coffee grown in the Finca's own plantation and succulent mango, papaya, pineapple and bananas from the Inn's own organic orchards. Choices include typical Costa Rican breakfast based on beans and rice, with fried plantains, scrambled eggs and corn tortillas. There are also eggs any style, home made granola, local French toast served with coconut cream syrup and homemade blackberry sauce, and of course a continental breakfast of toast, freshly baked muffins and home made preserves.

The Inn's modern cuisine is prepared with care and creativity from ingredients supplied by its fruit orchards and organic greenhouse vegetable and herb garden. Chef Pedro Alas welcomes guests into his kitchen for an on-the-spot cooking class as he draws on Costa Rican and international culinary traditions, using local fresh seafood and organic meats and poultry to create a menu that changes daily.

The elegant four-course dinners, offered to lodge guests exclusively, are set in the dining room, with its inspiring views of the Central Valley below.

sample menu

Costa Rican Black Bean Soup served with a fresh tomato salsa and cr me fraiche

Garden Fresh Greens with Warm Macadamia Encrusted Goat Cheese and Avocado in a tarragon vinaigrette

Choice of: Pacific Jumbo Shrimp Stuffed with a Sea Bass Mousse or Roast Loin of Pork Stuffed with Macerated Prunes in a Port Wine Sauce

Served With:

Fried Yucca with Roasted Garlic Puree

Mango Chutney

Fresh Asparagus

Crepes Stuffed with Homemade Coconut Ice Cream, Topped with Orange Rum SautŽed Bananas

or

Fresh Fruit Plate

Coffee or Tea

The four-course dinner is US$35 per person plus taxes.

Features & Facilities

• Babysitting
• Swimming Pool
• Full restaurant
• Tours
• Stables

The staff at this lodge are amazingly helpful and can organize services like babysitting and arrange tours in the local area.

Within the extensive hotel grounds, there are plenty of ways to commune with nature, from bird watching to walking among the hundreds of fruit trees, or simply lying in your hammock and soaking up the incredibly tranquil atmosphere.

The wonderful hillside infinity pool provides a luxurious way too cool off in the tropical heat, and is surrounded by lush gardens, secluded decks and shaded verandas where you can sunbathe and enjoy the magnificent views.

See Local Info for more information on activities in the area.

Local Info & Activities

horseback riding:

The lodge has its own horses to rent on the premises and an expert guide who is available for trips of any length. Worthwhile rides include a 2-3 hour trip into the coffee farms and up onto the slopes of the Barva Volcano. Riders can stop for lunch or refreshment in a rustic restaurant before returning home through the pine forests of San Jose de la Montana where the views of the Central Valley are spectacular. These tours are a wonderful way to experience the local neighborhoods and the friendly people of the area while learning about coffee production in Costa Rica.

barva volcano and parque braulio carrillo:

Barva Volcano (2,906-meters/9,534 ft.), on the western edge of Braulio Carrillo National Park, offers excellent hiking through cloud forest to the Crater Lake where quetzals - a magnificent bird native to Mexico and Central America - have been sighted. The park supports one of the last zones of wild vegetation and animals in the high areas of the Central Volcanic Zone. A 6-mile hike, some of it up hill, includes a guide and rain gear as well as transportation between the park and Finca Rosa Blanca. Entrance Fee: $7.00 Half to Full Day Tour, mornings best from May-December. Bring a poncho or light jacket, hiking or tennis shoes, binoculars and camera.

coffee tour:

The "Adventura de CafŽ Tour" includes an educational tour of the coffee farm and roasting plant, complete with live-theatre skit telling the history of coffee and the tasting room where the experts will take you through the finer points of coffee appreciation. The tour fee is $30.00, and includes lunch. Tours depart daily at 9 am, 11 am and during the summer time, at 3 p.m.

the butterfly farm:

Costa Rica has more species of butterflies than any other country in the world and the Butterfly Farm is the second largest exporter of living pupae in the world. An educational tour begins with a video documentary introducing the world of butterflies, followed by a guided tour through the gardens and laboratory where you will learn about each stage of the butterfly life cycle.

Entrance Fee: $15.00 adults, $7.50 children. Tours depart daily at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

insider tips

Costa Rica is a tropical country. While there are plenty of mosquitoes and bugs around, there is no malaria risk and no need to take medication. It's a good idea to bring repellant, though. To fully enjoy the activities available at Finca Rosa Blanca, bring good walking shoes and sun protection. People from most European countries, as well as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, do not require visas to travel in Costa Rica. Check with your local embassy.

Sustainability

Everything is grown organically at Finca Rosa Blanca, using only natural non-toxic pesticides.

The hotel uses biodegradable cleaning agents to avoid contamination of ground waters, it recycles all organic waste and manures with a vermiculture center and has an ongoing educational program for the local school children who learn how to conserve their natural environment through sustainable farming and wildlife protection.

Finca Rosa Blanca was designed and built using low-impact materials (concrete instead of wood when possible and fallen wood when needed) and the process was supervised by an expert in sustainable architecture.

Energy efficient fluorescent lighting and nontoxic paints are used throughout the building, and non-organic waste is carefully recycled. Rainwater is gathered and heated using solar panels.

The lodge uses cross breezes to create a cooling affect, along with the strategic placement of ceiling fans, eliminating the need for air conditioning. In addition, intelligent and sensitive landscaping has placed trees to shade the hotter zones and create a symbiotic relationship with the structure to integrate with the environment.

All of Finca Rosa Blanca's employees are given classes in sustainability and environmental protection. The lodge as a strong verbal and written policy educating its guests and visitors on how to respect the environment surrounding the hotel. There is literature in every room and in the general meeting and public areas of the hotel explaining the ways in which to cause the least amount of damage to the environment, including the protection of fauna from hunters, trophy seekers or damaging human interaction. All dogs are kept in a fenced- in area, and the employees are vigilant with regard to the saving of animals in peril and to protect nesting areas. In addition to information about how to respect the wildlife, There are also guidelines regarding noise pollution and contamination from smoke (the lodge is a smoke free environment).

Careful landscaping and replanting of the area around the lodge, has seen the number of birds spotted at Finca Rosa Blanca grow from 56 species some 20 years ago to over 130 species today.

Thousands of native and tropical plants have been cultivated on the 8 acres of the lush volcanic terrain. Many species of rare and colorful birds and butterflies are attracted to these extraordinary gardens. The 300 year old Higueron trees and the other numerous and statuesque hardwoods tower above the lush landscape.

Restaurant food is grown organically on site, with fresh fish bought daily from the coast and organic meat from local suppliers.

Five percent of the gross profit for the bar and restaurant sales at Finca Rosa Blanca go directly to projects for the local school in Barrio Jesus and to the Children's Food Bank and two new recycling centers. This has allowed the hotel to help the community in critical and key areas of community development - the education and health of its youth. Through this program the lodge has built two classrooms for the educationally challenged, a new director's office, a new library and books, a new roof for the whole school, a computer room with 12 computers and a network server, and established a recycling program at the school. The lodge is creating an organic food program at the school which will see the children's meal service go organic, while the school's new organic garden will see the children growing and harvesting their own food. The lodge has also built a butterfly garden with the schoolchildren and sponsors environmental awareness teaching in the classrooms.

Finca Rosa Blanca provides workshops in handicrafts such as rag rug making, candle making and artificial flower arrangements as well as embroidery and knitting for the single mothers to learn and produce in their homes. The hotel buys all of its throw rugs from the mothers and senior citizens at the local senior center who are producing them through the crafts workshops and also provides the materials to make the rugs. These same rugs are for sale in the hotel but guests are also encouraged to visit the Children's Food Bank and senior center to learn about the organizations and to interact with the families being served while buying their rugs there.

Finca Rosa Blanca paid for the road through the neighborhood and the bridge that crosses the river. In the hotel, there is a bulletin board for the guests and employees describing current and future events in the community so they may participate in them and if needed, contribute to the work needed, either through donations or through hands-on involvement.

The hotel has helped to implement a recycling center in Barrio Jesus and a community-wide recycling program with the cooperation of the municipality, the local Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture and the local schools, scouts and senior citizen center. Other communities in the area are following suit with small recycling centers and school programs.

Finca Rosa Blanca assists the Parque Braulio Carrillo management by writing and printing its brochures, assisting with trail maintenance and offering general technical support.

awards

Finca Rosa Blanca is the winner of many awards, including first prize in The British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award in 2003. The hotel was the first runner-up for the 2004 CondŽ Nast Traveler Ecotourism Award for the "Lodging and Resort" category and won the Dr. Luis Paulino JimenŽz Hotel Prize in 2005 from the Costa Rican National Tourism Board.

Getting There

The inn is located just a half-hour north of San Jose, near Santa Barbara de Heredia, Central Costa Rica. The Inn is only 15 minutes from the San JosŽ International Airport. With its own luxuriously appointed van, the Inn will arrange transportation to and from the airport, or any other destination within the Central Valley.

For those wishing to arrive independently, full directions will be provided on booking.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

mascara, el campo and blanco y negro

$185 single occupancy

$200 double occupancy

la ventana, el cafetal and el guarumo

$225 single occupancy

$250 double occupancy

the rosa blanca suite

$280 single occupancy

$300 double occupancy

The two villas, El Establo and El Granero

$235 for single occupancy

$270 for double occupancy

• At least one extra person can be accommodated in most rooms and both villas at a cost of $30 per night.
• Children under 3 are free, and children under twelve are half price.
• All rates attract a 16.4% government tax.
• Breakfast is included and a gourmet four-course dinner is available for $35 per person plus taxes.

booking & cancellation policy

• A booking is confirmed on the payment of a 15% deposit.
• Full payment must be received 30 days in advance of the arrival date. If a reservation is made 30 days or less prior to arrival date then full payment must be made at time of reservation.
• Cancellations made at any time up until 15 days before the arrival date will result in the loss of this deposit.
• There is no refund in the case of late cancellations (within 14 days of the reservation date).

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.