SENDERO HOTEL

Who better to anticipate what a traveler would want from Costa Rica than a traveler to Costa Rica? Hotelier-to-be Stefanie Tannenbaum was stranded in Nosara on a 2020 surf vacation, and made the absolute most of it: not only permanently relocating but eventually opening Sendero, a lovely little boutique hotel set a mere hundred or so paces from the beach at Playa Guiones, one of Costa Rica’s most famous surf spots.

Sendero’s 25 rooms are more refined than you might expect, even the Jungle Rooms facing the nature preserve — all feature gallery-white walls, oversized warehouse-style windows, and a judicious measure of local craft and artwork. They’ve all got some kind of private outdoor space, either a balcony or a proper open-air living room, as well as outdoor showers in addition to their swanky modern bathrooms.

The hotel’s health focus is everywhere evident: not just an outdoor pool but a fitness studio with yoga, barre, and Pilates programming, as well as a surf school to get visitors out on the waves as prepared as possible. And Sendero Kitchen, the open-air restaurant, combines local ingredients and flavors with health-conscious cooking in a casual yet stylish environment.