"Why book? The best things about Costa Rica are even more appealing in a COVID-conscious world: You can spend nearly all of your vacation outdoors; the rugged terrain—with volcanoes , beaches, rainforests, and steep mountain slopes—is practically an ASMR video come to life; and there’s plenty of fun, active things to do. Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection, has captured the essence of what makes Costa Rica so special and cranked it up a notch by partnering with NYC’s holistic wellness center, The Well. Set the scene To truly get a sense of the vibe here, it’s best to start with the moment you touch down—and we literally mean touch down by prop plane to the property’s private airstrip (starting at $1,100 for two guests). Opt for this 30-minute flight from Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José over the three- to five-hour drive through the Talamanca mountains or along the Pacific coast. That way you’ll get the full effect of Hacienda AltaGracia taking shape in the foothills of the Talamancas in Pérez Zeledón. From the airstrip, it’s into one of their custom-restored Land Cruisers with your compa (short for compadre ), who serves as your personal liaison for the duration of your stay. It’s a five-minute drive to the heart of the property, Mercado, where you can grab a fresh juice or coffee from Hacienda AltaGracia’s own plantation and get your bearings before setting off to your casita. Grano, the main restaurant, is just a few steps from Mercado. Across from Grano is El Cultivo, the organic garden. There are two pools around the bend—one for adults that’s next to Las Brisas restaurant and bar, and another for children, which is near Picoteo, a more casual small plates restaurant. The third pool is in the spa’s Casa de Agua (more on that below). Down the hill is the horse stable (home to 42 Peruvian, Spanish, and Costa Rican horses) and Picadero, the riding ring. Stand in this spot for a few minutes and you’ll likely spot someone in a robe zipping by on a golf cart en route to the spa or pass someone else in hiking boots with binoculars around their neck ordering a pineapple-turmeric-ginger juice. Butterflies and hummingbirds flutter about and two turkey vultures—with their six-foot wingspans—soar overhead. You’ll feel as if you’ve passed through a portal into another world. Only here, everyone’s biggest priority is you. The backstory Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection, opened in November 2021. It was formerly Hacienda AltaGracia, a luxury family retreat and coffee farm that had strong connections to the people, culture, and landscape of Pérez Zeledón. The property is adjacent to one of the world’s so-called “Blue Zones,” where locals tend to live much longer than the average. Wellbeing, not so much wellness, is of utmost importance and it can be dialed up or down as much as you’d like. You could go horseback riding to a neighboring farm to learn how to make tortillas or you could leave at dusk and embark on a six-hour sunrise hike. You could hike the property’s three miles of trails to spot yellow-headed Caracaras or pile into a helicopter and get dropped near the Pacuare River for a day of white water rafting. The choices are yours. The rooms There are 50 one- and two-bedroom casitas, many with a pretty good sized (and heated) private plunge pool and terraces with a hanging daybed from which you can look out for miles, out past the secondary forest to the sugar cane fields in the distance. We stayed in Casita 21, a one-bedroom, that felt roomy even with our five year old. The entire western-facing wall of the house is glass—the valley and forest splayed out before us, in every shade of green imaginable. Our casita had safari-vibes with a mix of leather, linen, and warm neutral tones. While my husband snapped a photo of the floor lamp next to the leather wingback chair (“I’ve been looking for one like this for years,” he exclaimed. “It’s the perfect height!”), I was Googling where to buy the Luna Zorro rust-colored linen robes hanging in the bathroom. Even though the casitas were cozy and gorgeous, we spent nearly all of our time outdoors. When we returned from a hike or a treatment at the spa, we went straight to the terrace. If we ordered room service, we gathered around the table out there. If we took a nap, it was on the daybed. When we popped open a bottle of wine, we sipped it with our feet dangling in the pool, our heads tilted back to take in all the stars. Then each night we melted into bed hours earlier than usual, exhausted from the day in the best possible way. Food and drink In addition to the two poolside restaurants (Picoteo and Las Brisas) and Mercado, which has some packable goodies like jars of local honey and small ceramic bowls, there’s the barbecue-and-rodeo-inspired Cienfuegos down by Los Establos, the resort’s stables, and Picadero riding ring. It’s only open on Thursdays and features a land and sea menu cooked over a traditional coconut husk fire to the backdrop of a live equestrian show. Most nights you’ll want to have dinner at Grano, helmed by the South African husband-and-wife chef team of Arno Janse van Rensburg and Liezl Odendaal. All the proteins and fresh produce are locally sourced and the organic garden is steps from the kitchen. The menu changes daily, but expect dishes like grilled beef with green aji sauce, baked sweet plantains, onion crisps, and an herb salad. Or roasted small crown pumpkin with chickpeas, spiced pineapple salsa, and a chayote coriander mint salad. Everything feels healthy but doesn’t taste too healthy, if you know what I mean. Even the cookies. They use cacao instead of sugar so they’re actually kind of good for you. The cocktails are fantastic too—and that’s the great thing about Hacienda AltaGracia: The definition of “well being” is up for interpretation. If your idea of “well being” means a Tequila blanco, Aperol, pineapple juice, and Prosecco cocktail before dinner, then so be it. There’s alcohol. There’s beef. But there’s also forest bathing and craniosacral facials to balance it out. In other words, a little something for everyone living through a pandemic. The spa So this is a big part of why you’re here. It’s not entirely why you’re here, but it’s a big reason to go. I actually said “wow” out loud to no one in particular when I walked into Casa de Agua for the first time. It’s hard not to: The all-glass, greenhouse-inspired oasis is filled with a massive pool and giant slabs of shiny white marble which are actually warm stone beds. Slather on some clay, lay down, and bake until hardened. Overhead are massive flower boxes hanging by thick chains and overflowing with Spanish moss, bird’s nest and asparagus ferns, and bougainvillea. The spa is another great example of how you can ramp up your experience with an immersive river bath in the Calientillo River, or with Maderoterapia (wood therapy), a holistic massage technique practiced in Central America. Prior to your trip, you’ll have a virtual conversation with a health coach to talk about how you’re sleeping, how your body feels, what you want to experience on the trip, and what you want to “carry home” with you. I wasn’t entirely sure then, but after my “Integration” session with Noemi where I was dry brushed, kneaded, oiled up, and rubbed down, I would have done anything to bottle that euphoric high I felt when I sat up on the massage table. Bleary eyed, my toes found my slippers and I could’ve sworn I was lighter, leaner, and taller than when I’d entered the room 90 minutes earlier. The service It really kicks in prior to your trip. A few days before you arrive, your compa will WhatsApp you to make sure they have your flight info, food preferences, and allergies noted. One night at dinner, my husband ordered slow-cooked lamb and our server was quick to remind him of the walnuts in it, just in case he was thinking of sharing with our son who has a nut allergy. All to say, by the time you arrive, there’s a familiarity. You really feel like they’ve thought about how you want to experience Hacienda AltaGracia by recommending certain treatments and excursions based on your WhatsApp chat or virtual session with The Well’s health coach. Your compa will do it all: book spa treatments, summon a golf cart to whisk you to dinner when your legs are too tired from an earlier hike, arrange an in-casita COVID test prior to departure, or miraculously track down your child’s beloved stuffy if it happens to go missing (true story). For families Before we booked our trip, my husband kept asking, “Are you sure it’s good for kids?” It wasn’t really until we got there that I realized how good it really was. We were active from sun up to sun down. We took daily hikes—some easy for a five-year-old and some that pushed him just a bit out of his comfort zone. Our kind and wonderfully knowledgeable guide Johan pointed out all the birds we saw along the way, like the caracara and the swallow-tailed kite. My son spent two days brushing, shampooing, and riding horses. We wore headlamps and ventured out with Johan for a night hike, peering into holes and turning over slippery rocks looking for critters. In those early evening hours, post-activities but pre-dinner, our son splashed around in our casita’s private plunge pool while we caught up on some reading. Should you need a night at “home,” there’s a kid’s menu for in-casita dining—the spaghetti comes with a tomato sauce so fresh I’m pretty sure we passed those tomatoes, still on the vine in El Cultivo, on our walk to our casita. At Grano, the servers were quick to pull out a box of colored pencils and some pictures to fill in just as they set our cocktails on the table. Accessibility Two casitas are ADA compliant and there are ADA compliant public restrooms throughout the property. There’s also ramp access to the pools and restaurants, and golf carts are available for all guests, at any time. Anything left to mention? Yes, the spa is incredible, and you’ll be snapping home inspo pics of just about everything in the room for future design projects. But weeks after we returned home, my son was still talking about all the cool stuff he learned on hikes and in the stables with Johan. One of the horses was pregnant while we were there and my son couldn’t believe we’d miss the birth. Sure enough, a week or so later Johan texted a photo and video of the foal, which my son watched no fewer than 15 times. On one of our hikes with Johan, my son picked up a sea heart, a Thin Mint-sized bean in the shape of a heart from the Entada gigas or Monkey Ladder vine. He brushed it off and presented it to Johan, who accepted it with two hands and told him he’d cherish it forever. And I actually think he might." - Lauren DeCarlo
