About this hotel
General information
Hacienda AltaGracia is Auberge Collection’s mountain retreat in southern Costa Rica, set in the foothills of the Talamanca range. Its fifty casitas are scattered across an estate of some 180 acres where a working coffee farm shares the land with stables, vegetable gardens and untamed rainforest, all perched above the cloud line with long views over the San Isidro Valley. Interiors lean on natural fibres, wood and warm neutral tones, and wide windows and terraces draw the landscape indoors.
Stays are all-inclusive: meals and non-alcoholic drinks, a daily programme of adventure and wellbeing, access to the Casa de Agua spa and shared charter flights from San José are all covered. Each guest is paired with a Compa, a personal experience designer who shapes the days around horseback rides, mountain hikes, treatments and long dinners. Some 7,000 coffee trees grow on the estate, so the house coffee is both a craft and a daily ritual.
Location
Santa Teresa de Cajón in the canton of Pérez Zeledón, southern Costa Rica: a mountainside above the San Isidro Valley at the foot of the Talamanca range. The Pacific beaches lie roughly 90 minutes away by road over the ridge. From San José International Airport a shared charter flies twice daily in daylight hours, taking about 35 minutes to the estate’s own airstrip; the flight is included in the stay and a resort representative meets guests at the airport. In poor weather flights may land at Pérez Zeledón airport instead, around 35 minutes from the resort by car. By road from San José the journey takes four to five hours, and a private plane from Liberia International Airport takes about an hour.
Spa
Casa de Agua is a wellbeing centre of more than 20,000 sq ft guided by The Joy of Wellbeing by Auberge. A ritual with Costa Rican clays, sauna, steam room, thermal pools, a heated jet pool, infrared cabins, a cold plunge and a relaxation room are part of the stay, and there is a dedicated couples’ suite. It also houses the Estée Lauder Skin Longevity Institute, with facials built on the Re-Nutriv line. The signature River Bath pairs riverside meditation and a coffee scrub with a warm herbal soak in a mountain river, while Esencia de Agua is an aquatic therapy in which the body floats freely in warm water. Complimentary group classes in yoga, Pilates, meditation and breathwork run daily, and there is a fitness centre.
Sports & leisure
A daily programme of activities is included; the Compa arranges further experiences on request:
- horseback rides from Los Establos with the hacienda’s vaqueros, across mountainsides to waterfalls and lookouts over the San Isidro Valley
- walking trails through the estate’s secondary forest, hikes in the Talamanca mountains and a two-day ascent of Cerro Chirripó (expert level, from 14 years)
- ultralight flights and helicopter excursions over the mountains
- a valley zipline with seven cables and ten platforms (from 5 years), ficus tree climbing and night walks in the forest
- electric mountain biking and ATV rides around Cajón and the valley
- birding hikes through primary forest on the edge of Chirripó National Park
- days on the Pacific: surf lessons in Uvita, trails in Marino Ballena National Park, a secluded beach; rafting on the Pacuare River with a helicopter transfer
- coffee tastings with the barista at Mercado, a visit to the Los Jilgueros coffee cooperative, a cacao farm and a traditional family farm with a sugar-cane press
- cooking workshops on tamales, tortillas, cacao and avocado
For children
The Junior Adventurers’ Club welcomes children aged 5–12 for morning, afternoon or full-day sessions, with daily activities that introduce Costa Rican traditions and the estate’s nature, plus kids’ workout classes. Jugando is a hand-woven rope course and play area with supervised play in the mornings and afternoons. For teenagers aged 14–17, The AltaGracia Discovery Series For Teens runs seasonally, covering rope and tree-climbing skills and guided night walks on the forest trails. Babysitting can be arranged through the Compa.
Restaurants & bars
All meals and non-alcoholic drinks are included; the cooking draws on Costa Rican produce, the estate’s own garden and techniques such as fermenting and drying.
- Grano — the main restaurant: breakfast and dinner rooted in Latin American culinary traditions, with an ever-changing evening menu
- Mercado — the resort’s hub: specialty coffee, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, pastries and snacks all day
- Picoteo — sharing dishes beside the family pool, with the occasional dinner
- Las Brisas — lunch at the adults-only pool; a thatched palapa bar pours beer, wine and fruit-led aperitif cocktails
- El Cultivo — an open-air kitchen in the chef’s organic garden: family-style dinners, the Edible Garden Dinner and workshops
- Cienfuegos — live-fire dinners of meat and seafood cooked over coconut-husk embers, served with pickles and fermented sides
- Tita, Tita — a three-course Thursday dinner of family recipes in the El Cultivo garden
- Casita Barbecue — a private chef grills on the casita’s own terrace
Swimming
The resort sits in the mountains, so there is no beach; instead there are three pools. Las Brisas is an adults-only infinity pool that seems to float above the Talamanca mountains and the San Isidro Valley, with private cabanas and loungers. Picoteo is the family pool with a covered patio. Casa de Agua adds a heated jet pool, and some casitas have their own heated plunge pools. Full-day trips reach the ocean at Uvita and secluded Pacific beaches.
Pets
Dogs are welcome with no pet fee, and a dog bed and bowls are provided. Pit bulls are not permitted, and the charter flight has a weight limit of 20 kg (44 lb) for animals. Service animals are accepted.
Rooms
All 50 accommodations are free-standing one- and two-bedroom casita suites spread across the estate, with broad terraces facing the hills, forest and coffee plantations; some have heated plunge pools. Costa Rican artwork and locally crafted pieces complete the interiors.
Every casita has air conditioning and ceiling fans, blackout blinds, a bathroom with double vanities, a Bluetooth speaker, complimentary non-alcoholic drinks and house-made snacks, and fresh local coffee each morning.
Casona con Piscina
The most spacious one-bedroom casita: a vaulted bedroom with a canopied king bed and valley-facing windows, a living room with dining area, an entrance hall with bar and butler’s pantry, a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub. The panoramic terrace has an oversized swing bed, dining table, loungers and a private heated plunge pool.
Casa con Piscina
A free-standing casa with a separate bedroom (canopied king bed), a living room with wet bar, a dressing area and a bathroom with double vanity. The private terrace looks over the foothills and has a swing bed, dining table and a private heated plunge pool.
Casa
A free-standing casa without a pool: a bedroom with a canopied king bed and picture windows, a living room with wet bar, a dressing area and a bathroom with double vanity, plus a private terrace over the green hills.
Casita Double Queen
A suite-style room with two queen beds, a lounge and a wood-panelled ceiling, with its own entrance and drive. The private terrace faces the forest or the coffee plantation.
Casita King
A suite-style room with a king bed, a lounge and a wood-panelled ceiling, with its own entrance and drive. The private terrace faces the forest or the coffee plantation.
Casita Grande
Two adjoining suites under one roof — one with a king bed, the other with two queens — each with its own entrance, lounge, bathroom and terrace over the forest or coffee plantation. Suited to families with older children or friends travelling together.
Casa Grande con Piscina
Two bedrooms (one king, one with two queens), each with its own bathroom, flank a vaulted living room with kitchenette and electric fireplace. A broad stone terrace with a swing bed and private pool looks over the San Isidro Valley or the coffee plantation, a short walk from Mercado, Grano and the pools.
Casa Grande
Two bedrooms (one king, one with two queens), each with its own bathroom, flank a vaulted living room with kitchenette and electric fireplace. A broad terrace with a swing bed looks over the San Isidro Valley or the coffee plantation, a short walk from Mercado, Grano and the pools.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.