Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [303]
BaBaLoo Inn (2777-3461; www.babalooinn.com; d standard/king US$90/185; ) This US-run establishment offers standard rooms with private balcony overlooking a lush, tropical garden. However, we’re partial to the larger king rooms featuring dramatic ocean views, a comfortable sitting area, oversized beds and shower, a small kitchenette and enough space for a family of four. All rooms come with small extras, like a fully stocked minibar and DVD player, which means that there is plenty to do on a rainy day.
TOP END
Hotel Costa Verde (2777-0584; www.costaverde.com; efficiency/studios from US$115/149, Boeing 727 fuselage home US$500; ) This collection of rooms, studios and – believe it or not – a fully converted Boeing 727 fuselage occupies a lush, tropical setting that is frequented by regular troops of primate visitors. Efficiency units are attractively tiled, and face the encroaching forest, while slightly more expensive studios have full ocean views. But the real kicker here is the airplane–tree house hybrid, which gives new life to a previously decommissioned Boeing. The fuselage has been completely retrofitted with wooden paneling, and now houses two bedrooms, a fully functional master bathroom, and a chandelier-lit balcony that branches off the wing. It’s one of the most surreal accommodations we’ve ever seen, especially when toucans flit by the cockpit! In case you’re wondering where the idea came from, the owners of Hotel Costa Verde were also the masterminds behind El Avión (Click here).
Hotel Casitas Eclipse (2777-0408/1738; www.casitaseclipse.org; standard r/ste/casitas from US$140/190/330; ) The soothing curves of this architecturally arresting, pure-white complex hint at the beauty within. The hotel consists of nine attractive, split-level houses spread around three swimming pools. The bottom floor of each house is an enormous junior suite, while the upper floor is a standard room with private terrace. These have a separate entrance but a staircase (with lockable door) combines the two and, voilà, you have a sumptuous casita (apartment) sleeping five.
Hotel Sí Como No (2777-0777; www.sicomono.com; r US$210-265, ste US$305-340, child under 6yr free; ) This flawlessly designed hotel is an example of how to build a resort while maintaining environmental sensibility. Buildings are insulated for comfort and use energy-efficient air-con units; water is recycled into the landscape, and solar-heating panels are used to heat the water. No surprise here that the Sí Como No is one of only four hotels in the country to have been awarded five out of five leaves by the government-run Certified Sustainable Tourism campaign. Ecofriendliness aside, the hotel is also gorgeous and packed full of family-friendly amenities. The rooms themselves are accented by rich woods and bold splashes of tropical colors, and feature enormous picture windows and sweeping balconies – you’ll never feel closed in from the surrounding rainforest and distant ocean. The hotel has two pools (one with a slide for kids, one for adults only, both with swim-up bars), two solar-heated Jacuzzis, a health spa, THX movie theater and two excellent restaurants.
Hotel La Mariposa (2777-0355; www.lamariposa.com; r US$215-450, ste US$450; ) This internationally acclaimed hotel was the area’s first luxury accommodations option, so unsurprisingly it snatched up the best view of the coastline. Fifty-plus pristine rooms of various sizes are elegantly decorated with hand-carved furniture – big spenders should check out the penthouse suite, which has a Jacuzzi on the terrace facing the sea. This hotel was listed in the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die, principally for the immaculate gardens and world-class views that hug every