Eden Atenas — Hotel in Mercedes

I had a wonderful time at Eden Atenas! It is THE place to go either after you land, or like in my case before leaving. After over 3 weeks of non-stop action, it was the perfect place to relax and decompress before flying back to Babylon, as the road to the airport or your rental car dropoff in San José is easy and short.

It's worth staying at least 2 nights whether you just got here or are leaving, it's like a decompression sas between Costa Rica and your home country.

The highlight is the garden, where the owners have reintroduced many local plants, which not only look beautiful but attract many beautiful birds and butterflies. A real oasis.

The pool and amenities are good too, as are the rooms, but what brings this place to the next level is the attention, and easy going nature of the hosts. Ernesto made sure everything was taken care of and is really professional in his role.

Sara was taking care of the breakfast, don't expect your cookie cutter Gallo Pinto here, she goes above and beyond to make the breakfast a real culinary experience. The best I had in Costa Rica.

I also highly recommend you take up Sara on her offer for a massage. She is truly passionate about her craft, and will guide you not only to a relaxed body, but also a relaxed soul. Again, going above and beyond the call of duty, not a typical "get it done in 30min or less with minimum effort" massage that are just there to get your tourist money, really a passionate woman that loves her craft.

All in all, I can't recommend enough to stop by Eden Atenas on your way in or out of Costa...

The garden is a masterpiece, and Enid is a virutoso of hospitality. We had not booked this in advance, but our hosts (Enid and Millie) were prompt in responding to our inquiry and helpful in every way. Check-in was easy. The grounds are a tropical wonderland, beautifully scuplted and maintained, showcasing gorgeous foliage and abundant flowers in bloom. Our rooms were impeccably clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. The wrap-around balcony overlooks the garden canopy, with rocking chairs and hammocks for comfortable evenings outside. Our hosts helped us find dinner (pizza delivery) since we arrived late, and they provided a hearty and delicious breakfast in the "ranchito," adjacent to a beautiful and sparkling clean cobalt-blue pool suorrounded by lounge chairs and more garden splendor. The climate in Atenas is very pleasant...cooler than at the beaches...and when I commented to Enid on the pura vida vibe of the place she said, "La energia venga de las plantas." Yes, it does. As a host and gardener, Enid is an artist and we were all entirely charmed by this unexpected jewel as our last-stop before saying goodbye...

We had a wonderful 3 day stay at this very beautiful spot. Our hostess was wonderful, and was the cook, and receptionist. It was apparently a slow time of the season, and the only other person to help her called in sick. But she did it all. She made us an amply breakfast, each day consist of fresh fruits. The coffee was great. Due to a power failure she had to make it the Costa Rican style, which we happen to enjoy more than be the electric coffee pot.||The room was beautiful, very comfortable bed, clean linens, spacious and hot water for showers, etc. We had a "forest -like" view with an almost wrap around upper terrace. The pool was great to swim in, and the outdoor patio called the Ranch-actually had wood burning place. It seemed hot outside, even at night to warrant burning wood, no matter how romantic it might be. But that is just us.||It truely was a retreat-like experience. Another time, it might be...