What's New

Costa Rica is no longer a buzzing, new hotspot. The tourism industry has definitely matured. Still, change and growth remain fairly constant. Here are some highlights related to new hotels and restaurants, and assorted other developments you'll find.

Planning Your Trip

Work on the second phase of the expansion and remodeling of Costa Rica's Juan Santamaría International Airport is ongoing, but much delayed, and not expected to be finished until at least mid-2008.

As of April 2007, the official exchange rate was 518 colones to the U.S. dollar.

Check listings throughout the book, as more and more hotels and restaurants are adding Wi-Fi.

Budget carrier Spirit Air (tel. 800/772-7117; www.spiritair.com) has begun three weekly direct flights between Ft. Lauderdale and San José. Frontier Air (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com) is scheduled to begin nonstop service between Denver and San Jose in November 2007.

Nature Air (tel. 800/235-9272 in the U.S. and Canada, or 299-6000; www.natureair.com) now offers daily direct flights to Limón.

San Jose

Hotel Grano de Oro (tel. 255-3322; www.hotelgranodeoro.com) has finished a major addition. Only four new rooms have been added, but their public areas and restaurant have been greatly expanded and updated.

Over on the west side of the city, the Corteza Amarilla Art Lodge & Spa (tel. 800/961-0419 in the U.S. and Canada, or 203-7503; www.cortezaamarillalodge.com), is a delightful new boutique hotel, restaurant, and spa.

Close to the airport, the El Rodeo Country Inn (tel. 293-3909; www.elrodeohotel.com) has completed a total remodel and expansion under new management.

Up in the coffee planted hills of Heredia, Finca Rosa Blanca (tel. 269-9392; www.fincarosablanca.com) is expected to finish its own expansion and remodeling by January 2008. The project will include several new rooms, a new spa, and a new, much larger restaurant.

Back to downtown San José, the Museo de Jade Marco Fidel Tristán (Jade Museum; tel. 287-6034) is now finally, and officially relocated and reopened on the first floor of the INS Building, having moved from its perch on the 11th floor of this same building.

The popular disco club La Plaza has changed its name to Copacabana (tel. 233-5516).

Guanacaste & The Nicoya Peninsula

The plains and savannas of Guanacaste have an interesting new attraction in Africa Mia (My Africa; tel. 357-5555; www.africamia.net), with safari-style open-jeep tours at its private reserve, which is populated with a wide range of non-native (mostly African) species.

On the flanks of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano, Hacienda Guachipelin has added a new spa. Simbiosis Spa (tel. 666-8075; www.simbiosis-spa.com) offers a range of treatments to go along with local volcanic mud packs and soaks in their natural hot springs.

In Playa Hermosa, Villa del Sueño Hotel (tel. 800/378-8599 in the U.S., or 672-0026; www.villadelsueno.com) has added a lovely outdoor amphitheater that offers twice-monthly dinner-theater events featuring top acts from San José.

Playa del Coco is booming, and one of the best new developments here is the restaurant, bar, and beach club Café de Playa (tel. 670-1621).

The isolated little luxury resort Hotel Punta Islita (tel. 231-6122; www.hotelpuntaislita.com) has added a 9-hole executive golf course.

The Northern Zone

Hacienda Pozo Azul (tel. 761-1360; www.pozoazul.com) is a new one-stop shop for a variety of adventure tours in the Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí area. These folks have an extensive zip-line canopy tour operation, and also offer white water rafting and kayaking, horseback riding, guided hikes, and mountain bike tours. They even run a tent camp and rustic lodge in the rainforest here.

A couple of new adventure tours are available around La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano. Arenal Bungee (tel. 479-7440) offers a 40m (130-ft.) fall from a steel tower constructed on the outskirts of downtown La Fortuna. Desafío Expeditions (tel. 479-9464; www.desafiocostarica.com) runs a new canyoning tour in the rainforest just outside of town.

There are also a couple of restaurant developments in and around La Fortuna. Lava Lounge (tel. 479-7365) is an excellent new open-air place in downtown La Fortuna serving mostly light, healthy, and tasty international fare. The longstanding steakhouse El Novillo (tel. 849-1508) has had to move from its home near the Tabacón Hot Springs, to a new site on the other side of La Fortuna.

Speaking of Tabacón, they've changed their name to Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort (tel. 877/277-8291 in the U.S. and Canada, or 460-2020 at the resort; www.tabacon.com). Coinciding with the name change are the addition of some new rooms and an overall upgrade in terms of service and facilities, at both the hotel and the hot springs.

Costa Rican artist Juan Carlos Ruiz runs Casa Delagua (tel. 692-2101; www.casadelaguacr.com), a studio, gallery, and coffee shop on the main road around Lake Arenal, about halfway between Nuevo Arenal and Tilarán.

In Monteverde -- more precisely in Santa Elena -- the Orchid Garden (tel. 645-5308) has a new home, just across from the Pension El Tucano.

Also in Monteverde, The Bat Jungle (tel. 645-6566) is a new attraction that provides an in-depth look into the world, life and habits of these flying mammals.

Central Pacific Coast

The luxurious Villa Caletas (tel. 637-0505; www.hotelvillacaletas.com) has added the Zephyr Palace, seven all-suite units, each with its own pool, located on a hillside below the main hotel and villas.

Xandari By The Pacific (tel. 866/363-3212 in the U.S. and Canada, or 778-7070; www.xandari.com) is a new beachfront luxury hotel in Playa Esterillos, run by the folks at the successful Xandari Resortin Alajuela. Hotel Playa Bejuco (tel./fax 778-8181; www.mardeluz.com) is a new beachfront hotel in Playa Bejuco, run by the folks at the popular Mar de Luz hotel in Jacó.

Two excellent upscale resort hotels have opened in Manuel Antonio: Arenas del Mar (tel./fax 777-2777; www.arenasdelmar.com) and Gaia Hotel & Reserve (tel. 800/226-2515 in the U.S., or 777-9797; www.gaiahr.com).

The dining scene in Manuel Antonio has some welcome additions, including Agua Azul (tel. 777-5082), with hearty upscale bar food and a spectacular panoramic view, and La Hacienda (tel. 777-3473), with a lush setting and creative cuisine. Tsunami Sushi (tel. 777-2159), of Jacó, has also opened up a restaurant in downtown Quepos.

Down in Dominical, Coconut Spice (tel. 787-0073), the popular Thai and Indian restaurant, has a new home in the riverside Pueblo del Río shopping complex.

A little farther south, Cuna del Angel (tel./fax 787-8012; www.cunadelangel.com) is a new luxurious boutique hotel just off the coastal highway. However, one of my favorite restaurants and small hotels in the Uvita region, El Balcón de Uvita, has shut down.

The Southern Zone

Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge (tel./fax 735-5206; www.bosquedelcabo.com) has nearly doubled the size of its swimming pool and added outdoor bathtubs to about half of its cabins.

After decades of success running one of the premiere fishing lodges in Costa Rica, Roy has sold his namesake lodge, and instead of being called Roy's Zancudo Lodge, the new owners have renamed the hotel The Zancudo Lodge (tel. 776-0008; www.thezancudolodge.com). Most everything else has remained the same.

The Caribeean Coast

In Cahuita, Casa Creole (tel. 755-0104) has new owners. However, the ambience and cuisine remain similar, with more of a French and fusion focus being shown in the menu.

In Puerto Viejo, the owner and chef behind the superb La Pecora Nera has opened a nearby restaurant and bar Gatta Ci Cova (tel. 750-0490), serving simpler, yet still stellar, fare.