Hotel Alta Las Palomas

Let’s face it: if you’re in San José, you’re probably on your way somewhere else. The crowded Costa Rican capital is more a gateway to the jungle and the beach than it is a destination on its own. That reputation is slowly changing, though, thanks in part to the up-and-coming gourmet scene, lively street art, and the opening of a handful of boutique hotels. Hotel Alta Las Palomas is one of these.

This isn’t a hotel in the middle of the city, which accounts for much of its charm. Hotel Alta is located in the mountains, roughly a thirty-minute drive west of downtown, atop Alto de las Palomas. Sipping cocktails under a massive tree in the garden, or breakfasting with views over the surrounding Valle del Sol, you’ll almost forget where you are. Let those flickering lights in the distance serve as a reminder — not to mention the hotel’s stylish interior. The look mixes Spanish colonial with industrial chic, an unlikely juxtaposition that works surprising well here. But you’d be hard-pressed to find so many metallic surfaces and poured concrete in an actual mountain retreat: this is still, in many ways, a city hotel.

Guest rooms, on the other hand, channel the glamour of 1920s San José, better known as the golden age of Costa Rican coffee culture. Think leather chairs, elegant fabrics, framed black and white photography. There’s nothing over-the-top, but the beds, with curving Art Nouveau-inspired headboards and Indian cotton linens, are memorable. Even the most standard rooms feature private balconies that are more like small terraces, with plenty of space for a table and chairs where you can unwind and soak up the views.

Downstairs, there’s a library, and an outdoor swimming pool, and La Luz restaurant and bar — a destination in its own right. This is the place for modern Costa Rican cuisine made with produce locally grown by organic farmers.