NOW SERVING YOU . . .

Welcome to the Orchid Restaurant - an open air terrace above the beautiful botanical garden of the Pura Vida     Our special dinners are by advanced reservation only. There are no restaurants within walking distance of the hotel however we can call a taxi and teleport you to local restaurants not far from the hotel if you prefer.

The Orchid Restaurant - The Pura Vida dinner service is an ongoing evolution that started in a tiny restaurant overlooking the Pacific on the remote southern end of the Nicoya peninsular. Our host that night was Barbara of the Finca Los Caballos, near Montezuma. She gave us the idea for a simple but delicious prix fixe dinner that has evolved into our gourmet experience. Do join us for dinners we love to eat :-) Thank you TripAdvisor for the dinner reviews!

• Pura Vida Hotel rated "excellent" by 148 travelers

FRESH AINT MUCH OF A SECRET But that and some creative cooking gets you a delicious dinner at the Pura Vida. For some foodie pictures click on Senor Culantro for our "Food Album". . . . . "The breakfasts, served on a spacious outdoor patio, are delicious and definitely worthwhile to book ahead for one of Nhi's 3-course dinners." Bev in Seattle, from TripAdvisor.com. For a sampling of what is possible click here for a dinner party - can we suggest something for your family group? And another link here from a dinner guest Sally & Hal opine on dinner. from their Costa Rican blog.

MORNINGS & BREAKFAST Near the equator, dawn arrives nearly all year round at 5:15am, the chickens of the neighborhood, the birds of the central valley and the people of Costa Rica are all getting up. Ticos after all are early to bed and early to rise. The casa opens at 7am (fresh Costa Rican coffee is available in all the rooms at any time). The Orchid Restaurant is up and running at about 7:15am every day with breakfast starting at 7:30am and going till 9:30am. You may want to breakfast early to see if Poas Volcano is good to visit today - best to leave by 8am at the latest for best views. Do you have an early exit? We will pack a breakfast to go - let us know the previous night what time you'd like it. We will meet at the agreed time IN THE RESTAURANT and get you on your way for that 6:30am return flight - "no problemo!". A breakfast is included in all room rates. ". . . an enjoyable breakfast with interesting international travelers . . ." Colette, Morristown, NJ.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS . . . a healthy breakfast of local fruits from the farmers market, homemade bread pudding or perhaps a chocolate banana bread will get you started on your tropical adventure. Some excellent granola with the best local Monteverde strawberry yoghurt? All served our fresh fruit smoothies and "the best coffee" of your trip. "Breakfast each morning was out of this world. Be sure you are hungry because it is a big wonderful breakfast with lots of fresh fruit and they make the best coffee in Costa Rica.", Dan, N. Carolina on Tripadvisor.com About Our Breakfast of Champions The title of this section is also a 1973 novel by Kurt Vonnegut. Set in the fictional town of Midland City, it is the story of "two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast." One of these men, Dwayne Hoover, is a normal-looking but deeply deranged Pontiac dealer and Burger Chef franchise owner who becomes obsessed with the writings of the other man, Kilgore Trout, taking them for literal truth. Summarized nicely by Wicki.

OUR 3 COURSE GOURMET DINNERS Small hotels like ours do not have large staffs or big kitchens but, with some planning (advanced reservations), daily buying, fresh local ingredients and menu preparation we can put together some of the best meals you may have in Costa Rica . Due to the small size of the hotel, dinner is a set menu varying nightly served at a single seating at 7:30pm. Dinner planning . . . starts with a count of how many guests we have that day and an assessment of who we will be shopping for today and what ingredients will work together across some broad menu ideas. On Fridays, for example we are likely to be at the Farmers Market and our favorite fish monger is likely to have excellent Red Snapper or Corvina or the infamous Bearded Brotulo. We will then shop for a complimentary first course, perhaps a Malinche Roll or and Asian Salad and ponder a desert that will work with the theme for the night which include French Country, South East Asian Authentic, California Fusion. A note from your waiter: Some years ago, I announced that we had sold our first 2 dinners. 6 weeks later we served those 2 dinners and the guests were pretty happy. If only they knew the events that led up to that moment! This dinner took literally weeks to prepare and started with the observation that we can not live with this *%$#@&! (70 year old) kitchen. This simple observation quickly kicked into action with the demolition and rebuilding of the old kitchen. Extending the kitchen area, finding a commercial oven and really complicated decisions like who should do the cooking?. Thousands of dinners later, Chef Nhi will be bringing you the freshest ingredients likely as not prepared in a way you may not expect and tasting better than you imagined. Heck, I come here just for the food!" Your Waiter Just remember to BOOK AHEAD as we only serve what we can buy fresh. This is a set menu so do let us know of any dietary issues such as no nuts, vegan, prefer fish etc. Here's a few examples from previous menus. Our first courses might include: Roast squash soup Vichyssoise Farmers Market spinach salad Asian salad Malinche Roll Baked Tomato Bruscetta Our main course might include: Apple Mustard Chicken Roast Corvina/mushroom ragout Sizzling Trout/Butter caper Moroccan Chicken (photo) Pucks Pork Chop/5 spice (photo) Grilled Pork Tenderloin/Sage butter and many more as we experiment with new ideas and evolve more recipes. If Chef Nhi is not in that night, sorry, we will not compromise with a substitute . . . so dinner is not available every night. Our desert course might include: Frozen mango cream/fresh mango Tropical Fruit Crepes Fresh Fruit Eclair/Chocolate Nibs Creme Brulee Chocolate Pot de Creme Flourless Chocolate torte and more And of course a selection of wines including: Mapu Sauvignon Blanc from Chile Fontana Frascati from Italy Trivento Chardomnnay Reserva from Argentina Trivento Malbec Rose from Argentina Carmen Merlot from Chile Trivento Malbec-Cabernet Reserva from Argentina and many more

ONE DINNER IN THE ORCHID RESTAURANT started with Grilled Veggie Napoleon followed by Chicken & Beef Satay followed by home made Watermelon Rosemary Ice. "Best dinner of the trip!", Trish, Ted, Ray, Ken & Dara.

LATE MEALS AND FOOD OPTIONS It takes a long time to get anywhere in Costa Rica so leave plenty of time for your travels - this photo was taken just south of Tamarindo trying to reach our favorite beach Avellanas. If you know you'll be late (particularly when flying in to Juan Santamaria International airport (SJO) on your arrival night, be sure to order your late meal ahead. There are numerous options for lunch or dinner in the area (all are a short taxi ride). 3 we like: Normans Jalapenos (Mexican near the Post Office but no beer so BYOB), Princessa Marina (Fish and also very close with a $3 taxi ride, broad menu) and La Casa (about 10km & excellent Parrillada) in La Garrita. Ask for directions r we'll call a taxi. FRIDAY IS THE MARKET TOUR On Friday afternoon we are usually off to the Plaza Ferias/Farmers Market starting around 2:30pm (but invariably late). Ask us if we have space that day. We'd like to intoduce you to "Don Oscar" (photo) also known as the melon man and all the friends and acquaintences of the Friday market. That night we cook what you help us select. Book ahead for the farmers market tour.

PAST DINNERS Wherein Katy seems to have found something particularly tasty - Terriyaki Chicken was our appetizer - desert was a Banana Rica with ice cream - fried and flamed in Cafe Rica a delicious local coffee liquor. Our last night was in Pura Vida . . .the perfect end. Thank you for your hospitality and great dinner. Eduard and Anneke, The Netherlands
Asian Night Where Chef Nhi may start with an asian salad to introduce some authentic Vietnamese "street food" as the main course "Awesome!", Matt, New York.

Lemon Tilapia Randomly crumbled fresh breaded Tilapia with Rissoto and some very nice green beans found at the Mercado Central in Alajuela ". . . wonderful bookends you provided to our visit to Costa Rica, from the familiar face of Jose Luis at the airport to the fabulous, relaxing dinner overlooking the gardens the night before departure.", Billie & Gene, Santa Fe.
Wine Poached Pears may find their way onto your desert table. "My trip to Costa Rica was like a dream. It started with a warm welcome to the Pura Vida Hotel. I didn't expect to stay in a beautiful casita, larger than a suite, set in spectacular gardens. Nor in all my years of travel have I had the help and personal service I received . . . " Lynne, Park City Utah

We did not serve Mango Sorbet on a freshly baked Tuile at our New Year's Eve bash as it was not Mango season. Join us for the best Mangoes every spring from February to May here 4KM from the airport - mangoes do not get any better than this. Traci explains some exotic fruit experience to the gathering at our New Year's Eve dinner event.Traci & Oliver, Los Angeles and Bonnie & Archie, Danville, California

LA COCINA DE NHI This is the laboratory for Pura Vida - wherein exotic creations are constructed and fresh foods from Alajuela Market find their way to the table at dinner time. These are Firecracker Rolls being prepared for the New Years Eve dinner. The combination of nice accomodations, great food and wonderful hosts put you at number one. Bonnie & Archie, Danville, California
It helps that the Alajuela Farmers Market is not far Some of the best fruits, vegetables and plants are grown right here in the Central Valley with fertile soil from the previous eruptions of Poas and Irazu Volcanoes and the best climate in the country. This fellow, a local sller of Pejibaye (the conquistadors veggy) is always at the local farmers market on Fridays and Saturdays - if you are in town don't miss the market. . . . the cuisine was absolutely fabulous! Carita Iliana, Cocles, Puerto Viejo de Limon, Costa Rica
Working together for a great experience We work with other interesting hotels such as the Turtle Beach Lodge (who do a pickup at the hotel early in the morning for their 1, 2, or 3 day trips to meet the turtles and other fauna and flora of the Caribbean coast). When you need friendly faces and great hosts in Arenal, you won't do better than the nice people at Leaves and Lizards and when you're on your way to a Corcovado adventure, the Shelter from the Storm hosts the best jokes anywhere in Costa Rica (and the best views). The bad thing about the hotel: We checked in just for the last night before flying to Germany - we had just one night. The next time we will definitely spend more days in this wonderful place... Lars and Beate, Germany
Perfecto You have choices, choices and choices. When you stay at a hotel in Costa Rica we hope you'll think of the small B&B's, Lodges and Inns - places where you will learn something about the local environment run by people who live in and invest in this beautiful country. We hope we may welcome you back for your next trip!