A converted Tropical Victorian mansion, the Grano de Oro Boutique hotel offers the warmth and comfort of staying in a private home with all the amenities of a Luxury hotel. Situated on a shady street just off Paseo Colón, San José’s main thoroughfare, Hotel Grano de Oro is a sanctuary in the heart of the city.
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St. Valentine’s day fell on a Friday this year, which gave us a great excuse for a long weekend- getaway to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Just a 3-hour flight from Miami meant that my partner and I could leave Friday morning, have an amazing weekend in Costa Rica, and be back in the office on Tuesday morning.
In fact, a long weekend trip to Costa Rica is entirely doable from most places in the States, as there are direct flights from Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York among others.
Landing at Juan Santamaria International, there was a car waiting to take us to the nearby Hotel Grano de Oro.
There, we quickly checked in, made dinner reservations at the hotel’s famous French restaurant for that same evening, dropped our bags in our luxurious room, and set out to explore the city
Since we just had the afternoon and wanted to get in some spa time before dinner, we decided to just head for La Sabana Park a few blocks away. There, we strolled along the large man-made lake, fed the ducks, watched the children fly kites and take pony rides around the park trails, and enjoyed an afternoon picnic of wine, cheese, bread, and fruit graciously prepared by the hotel restaurant at our request.
Back at the hotel, we got our spa on; two blissful hours under the expert hands of the hotel’s massage therapists and at last, we felt truly relaxed.
Then, floating along on tranquility and aromatherapy, we readied ourselves for our 8:00 pm dinner reservation on the terrace of Restaurant Grano de Oro, where a sumptuous dinner of Chateaubriand for my partner, and stuffed portobello mushrooms for me, awaited.
Sipping on a sublime French Bordeaux (Did I mention that Grano De Oro has an exceptional wine list?), and enjoying dish after wonderful dish, we had a delightful evening listening to the soft tinkle of the patio fountain and music playing softly in the background as we chatted and discussed our plans for the following day.
Since we had theater tickets for an evening at the Teatro Nacional, we opted for a nearby rainforest and chocolate adventure for our Saturday adventure.
A shuttle bus picked us up from our hotel in the morning and, upon arrival, we hiked through the rainforest, discovering far more in nature than we’d anticipated. Then we had a chocolate tour of a local cacao plantation. On our way, we got to stop at La Virgen del Socorro, a private reserve, where we had lunch at the local restaurant owned by a man called Don Jose.
That evening, we were off to Teatro Nacional in downtown San Jose. There, we enjoyed the soulful, and sometimes reggae-esque sounds of Debi Nova, a Costa Rican singer and musician who has been involved in several grammy-winning productions and has been nominated for a Latin Grammy award, among others.
Wow, what a thrill! The shuttle picked us up early in the morning and took us, along with our rafting mates, first to brunch and then to the put-in point where we had a quick safety lesson and got our life vests and helmets.
Running Class III and IV rapids into the heart of the rainforest, and down the Pacuare River, our clothes were soaked and our hearts were pumping; it was the most fun we’ve had in quite some time!
At the end of the day, exhausted but happy, we enjoyed room service and relaxed, knowing we’d just have the morning to enjoy a leisurely champagne brunch at Restaurant Grano de Oro and then prepare for our early afternoon flight home.
The perfect long weekend, romantic getaway; San Jose, Costa Rica. Reach out today to book yours.
