12 days/ 11 nights with Lapa Rios, Hotel Punta Islita, Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn, and Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge - plus international flight and air transfers by Nature Air and ground tranfers by Horizontes.
Begin your luxury Costa Rican stay at Finca Rosa Blanca. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Central Valley, the Inn boasts breathtaking views of volcanoes, cloud forests, and coffee plantations and offers luxurious rooms resting in acres of fruit trees and tropical flora. Fly to the Osa Peninsula with Nature Air and enjoy a stay at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, set in a private reserve. You can explore the reserve, kayak the coast, and snorkel around the peninsula. Then enjoy all the Costa Rican wilderness has to offer while you stay in luxury at the Lapa Rios ecolodge. Discover their incredible private rainforest reserve, on one of several guided tours. And finally, round out this amazing package at the Hotel Punta Islita. Relax in the intimate cove and namesake islet at the far end of the beach and soak in all life has to offer. This package is the ultimate experience of Costa Rican charm and natural beauty.
Includes: lodging, meals, transfers, tours, domestic.
Certification:
Lapa Rios and Finca Rosa Blanca: 5 Green Leaves (top level), Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST)
Punta Islita: Blue Flag Ecological Certification
Awards:
Playa Nicuesa:
- One of Frommers “Best Ecolodges and Wilderness Resorts” 2006
Lapa Rios:
- US State Department Award for Corporate Excellence, 2005
- Green List, Conde Nast, 2005
- Tourism for Tomorrow Award, British Airways, 1995
Finca Rosa Blanca:
- Tourism for Tomorrow Award, British Airways, 2003
- Runner up in Conde Nast Traveler Ecotoursim Award, 2004
Punta Islita:
- Finalist in Tourism for Tomorrow, Investor in People Award 2006
- Conde Nast Traveler’s World’s Best Luxury Hotels with a social conscience, 2006
- Small Luxury Hotel’s Caring Luxury Award, 2005
- World Tourism Organization, responsible tourism 2005
Starting bid: $1750
Lapa Rios
The Lapa Rios Package includes lodging in a private bungalow overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the remote Osa Peninsula; all served, multi-course gourmet meals; 3 Lapa Rios Reserve hikes and round trip transfers to the Pto. Jimenez airstrip. All taxes and meal gratuities are included.
About the Organization
Set in a private nature reserve spread over 1,000 acres of Central America’s last remaining lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, Lapa Rios Ecolodge overlooks the pristine point where the Golfo Dulce meets the wild Pacific Ocean, making it the destination that matches every one’s idea of paradise.
Lapa Rios is an ideal vacation experience for people that like nature and are open to learning about conservation, culture and biodiversity.
Honeymoon couples looking for a more active and unique kind of experience as well as families with older children that are looking to spend some real quality time together also enjoy the experience. Think of yourself as a traveler and not a tourist when coming to Lapa Rios.
Green Practices
Lapa Rios works closely with its nearby community to provide basic and environmental education. Over 95% of the staff are from the remote Osa Peninsula and receive training at the lodge. The lodge supports numerous local vendors, tour companies and drivers, and promotes community awareness to environmental conservation, best practices and products. Guests and community groups learn the value of conservation during rain forest hikes along with training for responsible practices for better land stewardship. The 1000-acre private Lapa Rios Reserve protects tropical bio-diversity and acts as a buffer to the nearby Corcovado National Park. The ecolodge’s personalized service, accommodations and activities receive high guest praise.
Learn more about Lapa Rios
Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge
2 nights for 2 people. Includes boat transport between town of arrival/departure (Golfito or Jimenez) and Playa Nicuesa; 3 fabulous meals each day; juices and snacks; unlimited self guided hikes on preserve trails; use of kayaks, snorkel gear, windsurfers/fishing equipment. Guided tours and adventures available for additional fee.
About the Organization
Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge embraces conservation and harmony with the natural environment, and offers a perfect blend of comfort with environmental preservation. This wilderness lodge is sensitively designed with the environment and constructed from naturally fallen trees, recycled materials and harnesses the natural energy from the sun to provide electricity.
Green Practices
Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge aims to provide guests with excellent services and unique experiences, while operating in the most environmentally friendly manner possible.
Construction:
- The entire construction of the Lodge was performed by local labor using recycled materials and naturally fallen wood (or otherwise permitted by the government to be pulled out)
- The Cabin and Lodge’s design is in context with the natural environment, and the structure maximizes natural ventilation of air from the mountains
Operations:
- Use of solar energy for electricity
- Use of energy-efficient light bulbs, refrigerators and freezers
- Use of organic-biodegradable cleaning products
- Fuel efficient four-stroke engines on boats
- Recycling/Composting
Learn more about Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge
Hotel Punta Islita
The package includes 3 Nights accommodation on a deluxe room for two persons, as well as A la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also includes an air transfer from Juan Santamaria airport to Islita airstrip, round trip - with SANSA for 2 persons, as well as land transportation from Islita airstrip to the hotel round trip.
About the Organization
Hotel Punta Islita opened its doors in 1994 evolving from a traditional Costa Rican cattle & timber hacienda to a world-class boutique destination that has remained true to the rich customs and traditions of the Guanacaste Province.
The most unique aspect of Hotel Punta Islita’s Social Responsibility Model is its organic nature. Since the Hotel’s inception, its commercial viability was conceived as intrinsic to the economic and social success of local people. The most innovative feature is the visionary emphasis placed on the cultivation of creativity through community art programs. Self-expression has been the most effective self-validating catalyst to foster a heightened sense of possibility and hope.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
- Over 85% of our Staff is local
- Consolidation of over 40 successful community-owned micro enterprises
- English as a Second Language courses
- Scholarships
- Employee Credit Union
- Professional training
- Environmental Management Plan
- Community infrastructure including water and sewage, electricity generation and distribution
- Sea Turtle nesting and hatching protection
- Private Natural Reserve
- Day Care Center
- Contemporary Open-Air Art Museum
Green Practices
- Buy local policies.
- Encouraging water conservation and waste minimization.
- Recycling
- Local hiring and training
- Ground-based platforms for the Canopy Zip Line Tour
- Reintroduction of native plant species to reduce and control erosion
- Guest community education initiatives
- Composting
Learn more about Hotel Punta Islita.
Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn
“Imagine if Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright had combined their talents and visions. The result would be an architectural stunner as eclectic and electrifying as Finca Rosa Blanca. This is one of Costa Rica’s -nay, the world’s!- preeminent boutique hotels, opened in 1989. Inspired by Gaudi’s architectonics and the Santa Fe style, the hotel is conceived as if from a fairy tale.”
Three nights, three dinners and three full breakfasts for two people from May 1 through October 31, 2006 or May 1 through October 31, 2007, based on availability. Two transfers (to and from) the airports in the San José area are also included. A two-hour guided horseback tour through the surrounding coffee plantations and a transfer from and to the international airport is also included in the package. This offer does NOT include beverages, gratuities, or other charges and services that might be arranged by the hotel. The value of this package is $1300.00.
If a cancellation is necessary, the reservation MUST be cancelled at the latest, 30 days prior to the reservation or the donation will be forfeited.
About the Organization
Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn is situated above the beautiful Central Valley of Costa Rica. Surrounded by towering “Higuerón” trees and exotic flora, the Inn offers spectacular views of volcanoes, cloud forests and coffee plantations. Here at 4000 feet above sea level on a temperate plateau of extraordinary beauty, is grown some of the world’s best coffee in the lush volcanic soil. Nestled in 10 acres amid hundreds of fruit trees and dramatic tropical flora is the enchanted Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn, a jewel crowning a picturesque knoll.
Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn is committed to encouraging, promoting and supporting sustainable practices and environmental consciousness while offering the highest quality of service, luxurious accommodations and organic gourmet cuisine. The Inn concentrates on an ambitious plan of recycling and regeneration, social consciousness and education.
Recent Awards
Learn more about Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn.
About Nature Air
Costa Rica’s Premier Airline with 74 Daily Flights to 17 Exciting Destinations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. In 2005, NatureAir became the world’s first and only zero emissions airline, offsetting it’s carbon emissions of 2004 by supporting reforestation projects in southern Costa Rica.
Learn more about Nature Air.
In this special Green Hotel package you’ll have the opportunity to visit Costa Rica’s butterfly gardens, Cano Island, and Corcovado National Park in the Osa Peninsula. Spend 2 nights at the newly upgraded Villablanca Cloud Forest Hotel including a Cloud Forest guided nature tour, a complementary 1/2 hour massage, and a bottle of our house wine. Finally spend 3 nights at Aguila de Osa Inn in Drake Bay to round off the best of Costa Rica’s natural attractions. Internal flight provided by Nature Air.
Green Hotels of Costa Rica is a group of hotels dedicated to the sustainable development of tourism in Costa Rica. Their brand of sustainable hospitality supports the concept that well cared for employees equates to well cared for customers.
