Hacienda AltaGracia

Alberto J. Esquivel originally intended to build a modest country retreat in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountains, where his children could ride Andalusian horses through vast “fincas” and winding tropical forest trails.

That original passion has grown into Hacienda AltaGracia, an unparalleled sanctuary offering unobstructed views of rolling hills or dense treetop canopy.

Escape to the mountains in a treehouse set above the distant valleys. Our casitas feature light interiors with handcrafted accessories and extended wood terraces with plunge pools and hanging daybeds.

With every need at hand, a great bar, curated mini bar, a great shower package and plunge pool, there is never a reason to leave this slice of heaven.

Culinary at Hacienda AltaGracia is local, artisanal and multidimensional. Start the morning in the Mercado for coffee from local farms, lounge by the pool for lunch, enjoy dinner at Ambar where ingredients are sourced from our on-property La Huerta or light up Friday with fireside cooking at El Grill.

Unforgettable events are made in this mountain paradise. Weddings and social events are set above the dramatic Valle de El General or surrounded by Talamanca views, while corporate events take on a wellness twist with our curated retreats.

Weddings
Our specialists are romantics at heart who delight in collaborating with each couple to create a wedding that reflects their vision and the details that matter most.

Along with this highly personalized approach, Hacienda AltaGracia entices with dramatic views of the Valle de General and surrounding Talamanca mountains.

Exchanging vows around a shimmering pool overlooking the valley below as the sun dips below the horizon is just one way the story goes. At Hacienda AltaGracia, your wedding will be as unique as you are.

VENUES
From welcome drinks to farewell brunch, our alchemy gives each wedding event special meaning in its own distinctive setting. You might treat your bridal party, for instance, to lunch in one of our thatched-roof Ranchos, overlooking dense rainforest canopy.

Thousands of square feet of outdoor and indoor space exude natural elegance and relaxed sophistication, allowing you to host events without repetition. One constant? Those expansive views.

EVENTS
During annual family trips, grandparents have watched the littlest ones learn to horseback ride and cousins have become true friends as secrets are shared over poolside treats (chicharron-stuffed empanadas and pineapple and coconut pie).

These are the kinds of traditions that bring families closer together at Hacienda AltaGracia. We help make memories, beginning with our open-hearted welcome and our exceptional location, nestled amidst the dense tropical rainforests of the Talamanca mountains..

Spread out over 865 acres of unspoiled surroundings, our venues and accommodations give you space to connect with each other—whether you’re planning a family reunion, milestone anniversary, or other celebrations.

Enjoy a romantic dinner under a palapa roof
What can be more romantic than a private dinner for two? Our answer: A candlelit meal under a thatched palapa roof surrounded by forest—without any other guests in sight.

Have our chefs delight you with a customized tasting menu with wine pairings, and enjoy it accompanied by a fresh mountain breeze and the sounds of a nearby waterfall.

Explore the three-tiered Namu Waterfalls
You’ll be hard-pressed to find this hidden gem in any guidebook. Come explore one of the most breathtaking sites of natural beauty in the region—accessible only by a private trail that we have exclusive access to—and there’s a good chance you’ll get to enjoy it all to yourself. Duration 5 hours, including travel time of 50 minutes each way.

Hike through a private rainforest and be rewarded with panoramic views of the tiered falls. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy a traditional Costa Rican “casado” lunch of chicken, rice, black beans, tortilla, and plantains.

Take a fitness class with a view
Get your heart pumping, increase circulation and enhance your range of motion, all while overlooking our lush gardens.

Our low-impact “Mobility & Strength Fusion” class combines fluid movements and weighted strength exercises, adaptable to all fitness levels. All group classes are complimentary. Private classes can also be arranged.

Start your day with a vinyasa flow yoga class
Walk through serene garden paths to our thatched-roof yoga sanctuary to start your day right with the restorative power of yoga.

Our morning “Rise & Shine” vinyasa-style flow classes are geared to awaken the body and calm the mind. All group classes are complimentary. Private classes can also be arranged.

Unwind with an open-air meditation session
Walk through serene garden paths to our thatched-roof Meditation Rancho. Take a deep breath, and relax to the fresh mountain breeze and rustle of treetops.

Daily mid-day meditation sessions geared to reduce stress and increase calmness are complimentary to guests. Already pretty relaxed? Then join in on our other daily complimentary activities, from a scrub-making class and tropical fruit tasting to hiking and mountain biking excursions.

Shop the San Isidro farmer’s market
With over 200 vendors selling just-harvested fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, handicrafts and more, the weekly San Isidro farmer’s market is the largest feria in the region. Duration 3 hours, including travel time of 45 minutes each way

Tour the bustling covered market with one of our bilingual guides who can take you through the ins and outs of how to choose the freshest mangosteen to the ripest uchuva.

Go on a private wildlife tour
Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, with 20 natural parks, 8 biological reserves and numerous protected areas that have long captivated wildlife and nature lovers.

Our experts can help you appreciate the bounty of what’s just beyond our doorsteps. Whether it’s exotic birds or endangered wildcats from jaguars to cougars you want to spot, let our guides arrange a custom tour just for you.

Explore a Costa Rican family farm
Visiting Don Nery and Yamileth’s family farm was the highlight of one recent guest’s stay. “The best part was learning how to juice sugarcanes with a hand-moving grinder, and using the juice to make honey and candy,” he says. Duration 4 hours, including a 30-minute horseback ride each way

Our neighbors, Don Nery and his wife Yamileth, welcome guests to their family farm to learn first-hand how they live off their land. Extract juice from sugarcane, milk a cow, make cheese, and check the chicken coop for fresh eggs. Afterwards, gather round to enjoy traditional Costa Rican drinks and traditional specialties with your hosts.

Adopt a tree in the rainforest
Deforestation contributes to about 10 percent of global greenhouse emissions. Through our local adopt-a-tree program with FUDEBIOL-Centro Biologico las Quebradas, you can do your small part to help. Duration 4 hours, including travel time of 50 minutes each way

Take a hike to locate a tree in the rainforest, formally adopt it with a marker, and receive a certificate of adoption with GPS coordinates so you can come back to visit and see how your tree has grown.

Explore a remote Boruca tribal village
Borucas first created their elaborately carved wooden masks, known as “diablito” masks, or little devil masks, over 500 years ago with the intent of scaring away Spanish conquistadors.

The colorful masks served their purpose, and they’ve been a point of tribal pride ever since. Spend a day with one of the last indigenous tribes in Costa Rica and uncover more of their rich cultural heritage. Duration 7 hours, including travel time of 1.5 hours each way

Travel with our guide to the Boruca Tribe’s remote village atop Fila Costeña, and you’ll be proudly welcomed by a village elder.

Watch as an intricate wooden mask—the tribe’s pride—is carved, listen in on their stories passed down through the generations, dance to the beat of their hand-made drums, and eat their food along a river they hold sacred, taking in waterfall views.

Rejuvenate with a forest massage
Indulge in our plein-air Forest Stretching Ritual, a holistic treatment that combines Thai massage and functional stretching. Or try one of our other indulgent spa treatments to destress, detox and achieve full body harmony.

Choose between an indoor treatment room with the windows left discreetly open to the elements, or our authentic open-air palapa surrounded by forest, where you can hear the sounds of the nearby river as your tensions melt away.

Learn to cook a traditional Costa Rican meal
There’s no better way to immerse yourself in a culture than by cooking and eating with a local family. Discover household techniques and customs in preparing a typical meal, then gather round the table to enjoy the wonderful dishes you’ve prepared with your hosts. Buen provecho! Duration 3 hours, including travel time of 10 minutes each way

Our neighbors, Don Nery and his wife Yamileth, welcome you into their home kitchen for an authentic cooking lesson. Learn how to make tortillas and other specialties on a wood-burning stove.

Learn how to make cheese on a sustainable home farm
Don Wilberth’s father started a milk farm over 40 years ago on land that he purchased for $120. Wilberth inherited the business, but a chance visit by a Swiss traveler—and the art of Swiss cheese making he instilled—changed everything. Duration 5 hours, including travel time of 1 hour each way

Taste Don Wilberth’s incredible Swiss-style cheeses—and learn how to make your own. Wilberth welcomes guests in every step of the process, starting with milking the cows in the fields. The cheese you make will need to mature for at least three months, so we can arrange to send it to your home when it’s ready.

Spot colorful toucans and white-faced capuchin monkeys
The Los Cusingos Wildlife Refuge, home of the renowned ornithologist Dr. Alexander Skutch, is so off-the-beaten path, there’s a good chance you’ll have its 192 acres practically to yourself. “When we went, there was no one but staff,” said one recent visitor. Duration 3 hours, including travel time of 30 minutes each way

You’ll find plenty of cusingos, or fiery-billed aracaris, the brightly-plumed members of the toucan family for which the refuge is named. But there’s so much more: Look for tanagers and laughing falcons soaring above and white-faced capuchin monkeys in the trees.

Tour a sustainable coffee plantation
The village of Cedral was named after the great cedar trees that once towered over the area. Now, it’s known for its 36-member coffee co-operative and its high-quality beans. 90-minute tour, plus travel time of 20 minutes by car

Come for an exclusive tour of this small coffee plantation. Meet the landowners who’ve bounded together to plant, harvest and sell their beans in a sustainable manner, and we promise you’ll never look at your next espresso in the same way again.

Harvest your own farm-to-fork produce
Farm-to-fork takes on deeper meaning here. “La Huerta,” our 20-acre sustainably-managed farm, is still managed by Eladio Soto, the same local who tendered the hacienda during AltaGracia’s days as a coffee plantation. But instead of beans, he now focuses his energy on cultivating the best local fruits and vegetables for our plates.

Wear your most comfortable clothes, dig in and get dirty. Accompany our chefs to pick the freshest ingredients for the day’s specials, from chayote to maracuya, Then enjoy your harvest at Ambar, our signature restaurant overlooking the valley.

Horseback Ride with a Caballista
Come meet our thoroughbred horses, tour our world-class stables and go on an unforgettable equine adventure. Duration 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the trail

Trail rides start at Central America’s finest stables, the immaculate Los Establos, where you’ll choose from over 40 thoroughbreds including Peruvians and Andalusians.

Feed and care for your horse, select a handcrafted sa ddle made by a local artisan, and be introduced to your tour guide and “caballista”. Unpaved trails weave through private “fincas” and offer splendid views of the Brunqueña and Talamanca Mountains.

Hike through private rainforest trails
Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and our private interlinked trails let you experience that bounty right beyond our doorsteps. Duration 1 to 3 hours, depending on the trail

Our trails weave through a vast tract of reserved forest with soaring canopy trees, trickling streams, and the scenic banks of the Rio Calientillo, right on our 850-acre property. Our expert guide will point out the native flora and fauna to help you get the most out of your hike.

Mountain bike through secluded trails
There’s a reason one of Costa Rica’s most challenging bike races passes through our property —we have seemingly endless private trails that make our 850-acre estate a biker’s haven. Duration 1 to 2.5 hours, depending on the trail

Our biking excursions are suited to every ability and skill level, so there’s something for everyone, whether you’re new to the sport and looking for an easy cruise, or an off-road enthusiast seeking your next thrill. Our private guides set you up with the proper gear and equipment, and accompany you every step of the way.

PRIVATE PLANES TO RESORT’S LANDING STRIP
After arriving at the international airport, travel to Hacienda AltaGracia, an Auberge Resort in one of our private planes. Options include the 8 passenger Quest Kodiak and 3 seater Cessna providing direct transportation to the resort’s private airstrip, just minutes from the lobby where guests are greeted with a traditional Costa Rican drink.

DIRECT FLIGHT
Skip the drive and reserve a seat on our private charter flight for just $175 per person each way. Leave from Juan Santamaria Airport (next to San Jose Int’l Airport) and fly directly to Hacienda AltaGracia.

SANSA FLIGHT
The resort can be accessed via a 35-minute Sansa flight from San Jose International Airport to San Isidro Airfield with short ground transfers to the resort.

Twice a day, four days a week flights are available – Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Shuttle service is available from San Isidro Airfield to the resort for $25 per person each way.

Website: www.aubergeresorts.com

Rooms: 50

Price: from 300 EUR per night