Arrive as strangers, leave as friends
Beautiful Breakfasts and Scrumptious Dinners
An open air terrace above the beautiful botanical garden of the Pura Vida. Our special dinners are by advanced reservation only. Dinner is only available occasionally or if you sweet talk the chef. There are no restaurants within walking distance of the hotel however we can call a taxi or teleport you to local restaurants not far from the hotel if you prefer.
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.
New friends at dinner
Later our ideas emerged into a public restaurant inspired by Grandmas kitchen in Saigon and which reached #1 on Tripadvisor. Today we are a private dining experience in the Orchid covered terrace garden of the Pura Vida - exclusively for our nicest guests.
"Do not miss the gourmet dinner prepared by his lovely wife. It will be one of the best, if not the best,meals you will have in Costa Rica. It is a three course fixed priced feast. The meal is prepared with fresh ingredients obtained at the market that day. An intimate dinner at the hotel after a long day of travel makes the stay even more rewarding." Luigi in California on TripAdvisor
Our Day
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.
Looks like a full house of breakfast fruits
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. Most afternoons you will find the owners scavenging the neighborhood for the best and freshest of ingredients. The hotel is fortunate enough to be within 500 meters (as the crow flies) of the best supermarket in Costa Rica and 2 or 3 km from the best farmers market too - open Fridays and Saturdays. Dinner prep starts around 4pm. Dinner, when available, starts around 7pm.
When we don't serve food, take out or call in to Jalapenos, great margaritas too
"Fresh aint much of a secret" but super fresh ingredients from our local Alajuela markets and some creative cooking gets you our delicious breakfasts and dinners at the Pura Vida.
"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.
Perfecto
"Nhi is an exceptionally gifted, creative chef, so we recommend making advance arrangements to have dinner at the hotel", Lisa in Maryland on TripAdvisor.com
Dinners are not always available as we are not a serious restaurant
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!
YES, that is why we call it the Orchid Restaurant!
"At Pura Vida you get a free breakfast, which was amazing. It starts with coffee with real cream, then a fresh fruit boat containing a variety of tropical fruits, everything from pineapple, mangos, melon, tiny bananas, passion fruit, and other fruits which although I had no idea what they were, tasted great. Way more fruit than we could contemplate eating! Next up was a small but delicious bowl of yogurt and granola. And finally, a slice of homemade bread pudding with rum sauce. Yum! Nhi is a gourmet cook who sometimes cooks supper for the guests. We weren’t lucky enough to try her dinners, but we’ve heard stories from friends who have, and they say she’s a genius. Maybe next time?", Snorkelgirl from Boston on TripAdvisor.com
