Nature-themed hotel brings green oasis to urban José Costa Rica

Each neighborhood in San Jose, Costa Rica has its own personality and character. The culturally-rich neighborhood of Barrio Amon in the capital city’s downtown center is urban, eclectic and funky. There are lots of art galleries, restaurants, cafés, bars, museums and cultural attractions.

The Caribbean bus station is close. So is the Costa Rica Center of Science and Culture with the Costa Rica Children’s Museum and National Gallery.

In this busy, urban setting, there is a San Jose hotel that chose to be an oasis of green amid the concrete. Inspired by butterfly gardens and the rainforest, Cocoon Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica fits right in with the eclectic feel of Barrio Amon.

Cocoon Hotel is celebrating its second anniversary during this month of September, with 35% discounts on all room rates. Low season discounts also are being offered now through December 2014.

You can celebrate with Cocoon Hotel at an anniversary dinner on Friday, Sept. 26, in the fourth floor restaurant of the hotel. Dinner of typical Costa Rican dishes will be accompanied by special drinks prepared by the Cocoon Hotel chef. The intimate event also will feature popular music. The dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

As a three-star San Jose, Costa Rica hotel, Cocoon provides good value for comfortable lodging in a well-located spot. The hotel’s 43 single, double and triple occupancy rooms offer flat-screen TV with cable channels, daily room service, safety deposit box, free Wi-Fi and local calls, soundproof windows, and a private bathroom with free toiletries. Rooms may have a fan or air-conditioning; be sure to ask for your preference when making reservations.

They have secure guarded parking and offer other amenities such as a business center, tour desk, currency exchange, hotel bar, and a deli restaurant serving lunch and snacks. Buffet breakfast is included in all room stays. An airport shuttle service is available for an extra fee.

There are always things to do in San José Costa Rica. Don’t miss the XX International Guitar Festival happens in San Jose from Sept. 24 to 28, with performances by fabulous national and international artists at the National Theatre and other downtown San Jose theatres.

Article by Shannon Farley

Fall in Love with Your City in San José Costa Rica

The very popular “Fall in Love with Your City!” program (“Enamorate de tu cuidad!”) of the Costa Rica Ministry of Culture and Youth will celebrate Mother’s Day weekend on Saturday, Aug. 16, with yoga, music and dance.

Spend Saturday morning in the fresh air relaxing in a yoga class (for ages 16 and up) from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in Spain Park (Parque España), in the center of San Jose near the Aurola Holiday Inn Hotel. The afternoon gets swinging with an open-air dance concert by the Orchestra Lubín Barahona and his Gentlemen and Ladies of Rhythm, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Morazán Park (Parque Morazán) in front of the Aurola Holida Inn in downtown San Jose.

“Fall in Love with Your City!” program, now running three years, was started by the Costa Rica Ministry of Culture and Youth to give people fun cultural activities to do in San Jose while enjoying the downtown parks. Activities are open to everyone and are held every Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. all year long. Programs are held in the downtown San Jose parks of Spain Park (Parque España), Garden of Peace Park (Parque Jardín de Paz), Morazán Park (Parque Morazán), and Curridabat Park (Parque de Curridabat).

San José was just named “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination,” at the 2014 World Travel Awards held in Quito, Ecuador, on Aug. 9 and 10.

Article by Shannon Farley

Fall in love with San Jose Costa Rica

Often dismissed by Costa Rica vacationers as a place to avoid, or to endure only for a layover night, the vibrant capital city of San José, Costa Rica in actuality has a lot to offer visitors.

It is a city of contrasts blending the old world and modern times; expressing its history and culture in art, architecture, interesting museums, theaters, galleries and shops. There are always things to do in San José, Costa Rica: theater performances, concerts, art walk tours, cultural films, gallery exhibits, museum events and cultural fairs. 

There is even a “Fall in Love with Your City” year-round celebration of art, culture and urban parks in San Jose during 2014. Events take place on Saturdays in various parks in downtown San José. You can always find a calendar of current events in the Tico Times every Friday.

One of the best ways to explore the San José Costa Rica attractions is to stay in the city and walk – most museums, galleries and cultural institutions are all within walking distance of each other.

Located in the heart of downtown San José, Cocoon Hotel is a little oasis in the city. The San José Costa Rica hotel is conveniently situated in the stylish Barrio Amon neighborhood near cultural sights and major bus stations.

 Close by is the Costa Rica Center of Science and Culture and the Costa Rica Children’s Museum, which is housed in an old prison that looks now like a fairytale castle. A few blocks away is the Caribbean bus station, which will whisk you away to the beautiful palm tree-lined white sand beaches of Puerto Viejo. Just a few blocks north is the pedestrian walking street of Central Avenue, the Melico Salazar Theatre, Grand Hotel and National Theatre. The Costa Rica National Museum, Jade Museum and Gold Museum are also in close proximity.

Barrio Amon neighborhood was established in 1892 by wealthy residents who built elegant homes. Today, these beautiful old buildings are private residences, hotels, restaurants, offices and art galleries, and comprise one of the most photogenic regions of the city.

Themed like a butterfly garden, Cocoon Hotel features natural décor in green and white with bamboo walls, wooden floors and butterfly photographs. They offer 43 tastefully decorated single, double and triple occupancy rooms, with either air conditioning or ceiling fan. All rooms have private bathrooms with hot water, safety deposit box, flat screen TV with Cable, free Wi-Fi and local calls, and soundproof windows to shut out traffic noise. There is a business center, tour desk, currency exchange, hotel bar, and a deli serving lunch and snacks. Buffet breakfast is included in all room stays. An airport shuttle service is available for an extra fee.

The three-star Cocoon Hotel is one of the best accommodations in San Jose Costa Rica. It serves well as a business hotel and to let you explore the cultural attractions of Costa Rica. Low season discounts are being offered now through December 2014.

Article by Shannon Farley

Sarchi artisan town is popular San Jose, Costa Rica day tour

One of the most popular day tours from San Jose, Costa Rica, is the charming artisan town of Sarchi.

Called the "cradle of Costa Rican handicrafts," both international tourists and locals alike visit Sarchi for its more than 200 stores and small family-operated woodworking and leather workshops. It is a perfect Central Valley day tour to combine with the Poás Volcano, a coffee tour, or the Juan Castro Blanco National Park. Sarchi is also an excellent stop on the way to Volcano Arenal.

Located on the slopes of Costa Rica's Central Mountain Range at the eastern edge of the Central Valley, the quaint country town of Sarchi is 27 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, and 46 kilometers from the nation's capital city of San Jose. The route to get to Sarchi passes through picturesque countryside and some of the largest coffee and sugarcane plantations in Costa Rica.

As Costa Rica's most well-known crafts center, Sarchi is famous for its colorfully painted oxcarts and oxen yokes – national symbols of Costa Rican folklore and traditions. The tradition of painting and decorating oxcarts started in the early 20^th century. Back in the day, wooden carts pulled by a pair of oxen were the main mode of transportation in the mountainous country, especially to transport coffee beans to markets. Originally each region of Costa Rica had its own particular oxcart design, which identified a driver's origin by the painted patterns on his cart's wheels. Today, oxcarts still play a principal role in parades and religious celebrations.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization honored Costa Rica's vibrantly painted oxcarts in 2005 for their contribution to the heritage of humanity. You can see the "World's Largest Oxcart" – built in 2006 to get the town's name into The Guinness Book of World Records – in the Central Park in front of the main church.

Travelers come to Sarchi to purchase elegantly crafted wood furniture and souvenirs made from tropical hardwoods, leather, textiles, natural papers, and ceramics.

Popular things to purchase:

• Miniature painted oxcarts, beautifully decorated oxcart wheels; or, you can buy an entire small-scale oxcart to put in your garden or home.
• Wood and hand-tooled leather rocking chairs. They fold up into a box so you can take it on an airplane; however, most stores will ship your chair via Fedex or other delivery service to your home. Make sure to check out extra accessories such as padded arm rests, head pillows, leather detachable cup holders or magazine pouches, and footstools.
• Tropical wood boxes, kitchen cutting boards, wood jewelry, or a variety of Costa Rica's animals made into wooden figurines.
• Hand-painted ceramic plates and pots in the traditional Chorotega indigenous tradition from the Nicoya region of Guanacaste.
• Ornately carved wooden chests perfect for holding all of your treasures.

Sights to see in Sarchi:

• Catholic Church – the pink and blue "wedding cake" church features a vaulted hardwood ceiling and carvings by local artisans (on a hill overlooking the north side of town by the central park).
• Artisan Market ("Mercado de Artesanías") – a large warehouse-like store selling crafts of all kinds, operated by an artists' cooperative (on the edge of north Sarchi next to the gas station).
• World's Largest Oxcart – huge and brightly painted, the oxcart rests on a platform in the central park in front of the church in north Sarchi.
• Artisan Plaza ("Plaza de la Artesanía") – a large outdoor mall of souvenir shops in south Sarchi.
• The 111-year-old Joaquín Chaverri Oxcart Factory (built in 1902), where you can find all kinds of souvenirs and painted oxcarts; see artists painting oxcarts in real life in their workshop.

Planning to travel to Costa Rica? Travel agency Team CRT creates unforgettable Costa Rica vacation itineraries and packages. Visit the lovely town of Sarchi on one of their day tours. Team CRT arranges nature tours, beach vacations, adventure tours, family vacations, relaxation vacations, honeymoons and golf vacations.

By Shannon Farley