La Anita Rainforest Ranch — Hotel in Aguas Claras

Go there for the chocolate, the birds, the people, and the serene atmosphere!

If you are looking for a genuine Costa Rican experience, I highly recommend Finca La Anita (La Anita Forest Ranch). The ranch is located in the cloud forest of Alajuela Province and serves as an active cacao plantation where the fruit is grown, harvested, and processed on site. The chocolate made here is absolutely delicious! It is sold under the Upala brand name. Do not miss trying it and taking the fascinating chocolate tour during your visit.

When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by our hosts and ranch owners Ana and Paolo. Paolo is an inexhaustible source of information on chocolate, Costa Rican current affairs and history, and topics of all sorts, serious or not like 70s Canadian rock groups! His kind attention to our smallest needs and whims made our visit all the more pleasant and memorable.

The accommodations at Finca La Anita are well-kept, clean, and spacious. There is no internet or air conditioning in the individual cabins; we were here to relax and were happy with them. Good wifi reception is available in a commons. The food is excellent and served at fixed hours like in many other Costa Rican nature lodges with no à la carte option. Our stay averaged 80$/person/day for room and full board (including the chocolate tour and a traditional cooking class held in Colonia La Libertad nearby).

Other than the chocolate tour and the cooking class, nearby communities offer horseback riding, thermal hotsprings and spas. Rincón de la Vieja National Park is a 1:30 hour drive away. Your hosts Ana and Paolo will match you with a local guide if a tour of the region is your wish.

Last but not least, the birding on the ranch is spectacular! A three kilometre gravel road that leads to a science lab on the property offers great opportunities to observe tanagers and raptors. A few trails enter the cloud forest where one can observe displaying manakins and find tinamous. At night, owls and nightjars are common. Here, an experienced birder can observe 100+ species in a couple of days. Finca La Anita is a birding hidden gem!

We shall...

You'll be forgiven if upon arrival at La Anita Ranch you feel like you stumbled onto the movie set of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" - only much, much nicer. The lush tropical vegetation stands against a background of hazy mountains and volcanoes. The bungalows on stilts are tastefully done and comfortable. Due to the ranch's isolated location, do opt for a meal plan. The food features classic Costa Rican cuisine. The staff are all lovely people, eager to help and make your stay as pleasant as possible. And the hosts/owners, Pablo and Ana treat you like family. I particularly enjoyed long conversations with Pablo over world and Costa Rican events and culture. His high education and being well informed make for lively debate. You can take short jungle hikes on the grounds or just lounge in the common area. One can choose one of three activities that are included: 1) horseback riding at a nearby ranch; 2) a massage; 3) Caribbean cooking lessons. Pablo also offers a highly informative presentation on cacao and chocolate. He and his wife run a chocolate-making operation on site. My wife and daughter found the horse riding fun; I opted for the massage by their on-site professionally trained masseuse. ||La Anita is not a "luxury" resort. One drives many miles on bad roads to access it. The few shops and restaurants in the very rural area are tiny, distant and few and far between. The lodgings have no a/c. The only wi-fi is in the common area, a few minutes walk from the bungalows. Cell phone service is accessed only via the wi-fi. You must park your car well away from the bungalows and lug your luggage on foot.||Visit La Anita to get away from it all and spend a lot of time cut off from the digital world, sit in the rocker on your porch engaging in conversation with your travel mates, or just stare at the rich nature lost in...

You'll be forgiven if upon arrival at La Anita Ranch you feel like you stumbled onto the movie set of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" - only much, much nicer. The lush tropical vegetation stands against a background of hazy mountains and volcanoes. The bungalows on stilts are tastefully done and comfortable. Due to the ranch's isolated location, do opt for a meal plan. The food features classic Costa Rican cuisine. The staff are all lovely people, eager to help and make your stay as pleasant as possible. And the hosts/owners, Pablo and Ana treat you like family. I particularly enjoyed long conversations with Pablo over world and Costa Rican events and culture. His high education and being well informed make for lively debate. You can take short jungle hikes on the grounds or just lounge in the common area. One can choose one of three activities that are included: 1) horseback riding at a nearby ranch; 2) a massage; 3) Caribbean cooking lessons. Pablo also offers a highly informative presentation on cacao and chocolate. He and his wife run a chocolate-making operation on site. My wife and daughter found the horse riding fun; I opted for the massage by their on-site professionally trained masseuse.

La Anita is not a "luxury" resort. One drives many miles on bad roads to access it. The few shops and restaurants in the very rural area are tiny, distant and few and far between. The lodgings have no a/c. The only wi-fi is in the common area, a few minutes walk from the bungalows. Cell phone service is accessed only via the wi-fi. You must park your car well away from the bungalows and lug your luggage on foot.

Visit La Anita to get away from it all and spend a lot of time cut off from the digital world, sit in the rocker on your porch engaging in conversation with your travel mates, or just stare at the rich nature lost in...