Your Own Private Casitas
#1 on Tripadvisor since 2011 and still in 2024 rated top 10 B&B's/Small hotels in Costa Rica
Our bookings are 100% cancelable. FROMMER'S GUIDE: "private casitas are spread around a spacious compound and lush gardens." Arriving or departing Costa Rica, there are no better options - hey it's us or the Holiday Inn Express :-)) according to our absurdly great Tripadvisor reviews. And "drum roll", all our staff are all reasonably sane (longest employed 28 years, oldest 80 years :-)).
"Nhi is an amazing chef specializing in Asian cuisine". From our Tripadvisor reviews.
"Private casitas (little houses) are spread around a spacious compound and lush gardens." Frommers' Guide
"Better than my Castle and 50 mega Wi-Fi! Gee willikers!" Franz Kafka (1883-1924).
"We even outrank the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Majal with better beds, better food, bad jokes and a botanical garden." Berni's idiot quote at the breakfast table
How can we help you have an awesome trip?
Your hosts, Nhi and Berni exploring something that needed exploring
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER: "Lush gardens"
Individual 1 and 2 bedroom private casitas situated in a lush botanical garden, some with a view to the active Poas Volcano. Beautiful breakfasts come with your booking and scrumptious dinners on an open air terrace can sometimes be had with advance reservations if you are nice to our delightfully crusty chef (aka Chef Nhi also holding the post of wife of the author) known for her expertise in Vietnamese and Chinese fusion).
See all pricesFrom a guest review ". . . the best dinners we could have imagined . . . creativity and aesthetic presentation" Sharon, California on TripAdvisor.
Breakfast included? Of course! Fresh, delicious and rated "best breakfast in Costa Rica" by me and a heap of guests on Tripadvisor - we listen to you. You will have a private dining experience on the Orchid covered terrace of the Pura Vida - exclusively for our guests. You should know we are NOT A SERIOUS RESTAURANT. Chef Nhi cooks for guests "sometimes" but when she does not we have a couple of really fabulous restaurants (and friends) we will refer you to. We do need to know any special dietary needs such as "vegetarian", "no nuts" (except the management), "nothing grown anaerobically" . . . we've seen it all :-). The chef would like you to know that we cannot do a bunch of allergies or she gets pretty crusty (though I should note her dessert crusts are particularly scrumptious).
We wonder if it may be time to explore your options for retirement or the future . . . it's Costa Rica or Canada eh? . . . start your exploration with one of our private drivers or a rentacar and our advice on cool and least explored places we enjoy.
We can organize day trips to Poas or Irazu and Turrialba volcanoes or an amazing organic coffee tour at a private farm - ask us for a driver/guide ahead of your trip. If you are independently minded we will sit with you and help you plan your routes and things to do and have your rental car delivered to your breakfast table. Need help planning your trip? We have ideas from slightly mad to completely bonkers :-)
More activitiesReservations restricted to those with a sense of humor or accompanied by one. One free airport taxi service for international arrivals. Late model car rentals/4WD delivered to your breakfast table or anywhere you like in partnership with Alamo . . .
Convenient location close to SJO airport, highway 27, Alajuela, downtown San Jose, and pretty much any useful place with access to SJO International airport. Stay close to SJO without the planes flying overhead and perhaps a fabulous home made bread pudding with your fruit, granola, yoghurt and fresh juice breakfast too in an open air breakfast area full of orchids. Gee willikers what kind of hotel choice is this? Did I mention comfy mattresses, a botanical garden and a home cooked gourmet dinner if you remembered to book ahead (and are kind to our crusty chef)?
On your first night, your hotel should be easy to find. Pura Vida Hotel is about 4 Kilometers from the International airport. Take our free taxi service on arrival (with international flights) and have your car rental delivered the next morning at the breakfast table - ask us how.
Directions in Spanish (for Spanish speaking taxistas)Say the following in the best Spanish accent you can muster "1500 metros al norte de la fabrica Punto Rojo en Alajuela, al cruce de la carretera de Tuetal Norte y Tuetal Sur en el Hotel Pura Vida." If you hate speaking in tongues, hand the taxi driver this page and point to the LOCATOR pin link.
Address for Interplanetary travelersBeam your astral navigator to Alajuela, (about 25 KM from San Jose, close to the SJO International Airport) - set your GPS to 10 01 50" N and 84 13' 33" W - you can land your ship near the old Avocado tree, just south of the star fruit tree. Two notes: please do not alarm the guests with a noisy landing and remember Costa Rica is a peaceful country so leave your star weapons and galactic gargleblasters on board.
Normal AddressPura Vida Hotel
Tuetal Sur de Alajuela
20102 Costa Rica
Old fashioned landline phone: +506-2430-2630 or
whatsapp/cell +506-8701-3411 or
emergency cell (i.e. can't breathe, car underwater etc)+506-8878-3899