Finca Rosa Blanca

The boutique eco-hotel, Finca Rosa Blanca has been newly renovated and now has 13 suites (two of which are master suites) on seven acres of reforested gardens, with 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.

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. The owners 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. All fairly impressive stuff..

"Tucked into the hills above Costa Rica's Central Valley, the 13-suite Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn is a swirling, Gaudi-esque fantasy just 15 minutes from the San Jose airport. The cozy bed-and-breakfast - perfect for that first or last day in the country — boasts spacious rooms, 10 acres of grounds and scrumptious, four-course dinners."

USA Today, December 2007