Forest Hills Suits — Hotel in Jacó

You know how when you return from a vacation and you feel desperate for the good vibes to stay with you as you sit in your office and daydream about it? That's how I feel right now as I write this review.

I just returned from a stay at the Forest Hills Suites and must say I left my heart back there. It is the most tranquil and beautiful place I’ve ever stayed in. The ceilings and closets are all constructed of a gorgeous dark wood (which our friend, who is an expert on types of wood, said were really good quality… I wish I’d asked what kind of wood it was!), while the arched windows throughout the house give it an airy and open feeling. The tiled floors throughout the mansion and on the patio in the lush backyard were immaculate, and the maid did an excellent job of making the beds and cleaning up each day.

My favorites parts about staying at FHS were waking up early, sitting on the balcony of our master suite, listening to the tropical birds float around me, admiring the gorgeous flowers all over the back yard, and watching the sun slowly rise above the lush hill facing the house while I ate fresh papaya. I also loved sharing dinner and tropical drinks with friends on the patio by the refreshing pool.

I brought a couple bottles of deet bug spray…. But of course I didn’t use a single drop on this vacation! The bugs didn’t come near us at all when we were at the house, which is amazing because its surroundings are so lush.

The master suite has an incredible brick vaulted and domed brick ceiling—it was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and my husband and I loved to gaze at it (and the dozens of local paintings in the room) as we drifted off to sleep each night. It also has an attached private bathroom with a huge bathtub and overhead shower with perfect water pressure--a rarity in Costa Rica.

Erika, the house manager, did an incredible job with organizing day tours and excursions for us—and she was very fast to respond to any emails we sent her with our millions of pre-trip questions! She is so animated and kind, and she convinced us to take an excursion to Manual Antonio National park—a trip we weren’t planning to make, but that turned out to be our favorite day in Costa Rica. She also organized the following for us, all of which I very highly highly recommend:

1. Villa Caletas for the gorgeous sunset. The grounds of the hotel are amazing and you watch the sunset into the Pacific—just incredible. The interior of the hotel didn’t impress me, and we were all glad we’d booked at FHS instead of spending a lot more money to stay there.
2. Isla Tortuga—an awesome day-long trip to a secluded island, complete with endless drinks and water bottles and lunch served to us by the attentive boat staff.
3. Dinner at the Lemon Zest restaurant—I had excellent ahi tuna there.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Costa Rica and am now considering cancelling our trip to Hawaii next year just so we can return to this amazing home in such a lush and peaceful country. I've traveled to 23 countries and must say Costa Rica now...

We were lucky enough to get into this amazing place last minute after a large party cancellation, at a ridiculously great price - so we booked three rooms and had the place to ourselves through the whole stay. We arrived later than expected so check in was a bit of a challenge, but they were kind enough to wait for us to arrive and help us when we got lost.... be aware of the very early check in curfew and only use Waze to get up here. The place was a bit spooky at night with noone other than the guard, but it was amazing to have the whole place to ourselves. It is a magnificent beautiful home which looks old, but is not- only built in a strang mishmash of styles, including both Spanish and moorish elements, by an architect who was responsible for planning/building much of Jaco. He wanted to have a nice home for the years he was in this area, building the town, and this place was his home. The grounds are so beautiful, with many different plants, colorful birds and every morning all the monkeys come hang out in the wonderful huge trees. The staff is kind, Erika is really a one-of-a-kind manager, taking care of the booking and all aspects of the place. ||||You have full access to a large fridge to store your food, and you and also food to be delivered from a number of local restaurants and pizza places.||||In this place you are in the forested hills, in a garden. You are not by the water, but it is interesting that the man building much of this town opted for this spot for his home. Jaco is really an awful trashy beach town anyway, compared to all the rest of the coastal options in beautiful Costa Rica. This place is a haven and hands down the absolute best choice for any stay...

We drove from the airport to this location on a Sunday afternoon ( beware the main road between Jaco and San Jose is one-way only on Sundays, so that beachgoers can return to the city using 2 lanes). Forest Hills Suites is a fantastic, relaxing resort. Although it is set back in a neighborhood of typical Costa Rican homes, it's unlike anything in the area. It is safe and secure, and constantly under watch by a security guard. Breakfast is simple, but satisfying. The hosts, Erika and Sheyla, are warm and engaging. It's a perfect location for getting used to the laid back Costa Rican lifestyle. We only stayed one night, and yet the place has enough charm to sustain a longer term. We had a car, but we met another couple who didn't have their own transportation and walked to local restaurants. There's a large refrigerator in the kitchen which you can use. We bought some beer and kept it cold. We would definitely return here if our travels take us to...