Travel Recap: Hacienda AltaGracia
Last week Andiamo team member Jennifer traveled to the beautiful Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica. She had the most incredible time, and wanted to recap her entire experience to give you all an inside look! Here’s what she had to say…
We stayed in the Casa Con Piscina. It was so spacious with a private terrace and pool. The room is equipped with 1.5 baths, large closet with vanity a large living room and a bedroom with 4 poster king bed. For honeymooners, we cannot recommend their Casona con piscina enough! It was absolutely stunning. They also offer two bedroom accommodations for families or small groups traveling together.
The activities we participated in were the Tree Net Climb experience (climb to the high canopy) and Trapiche Nery experience (explore a costa rican farm).
Trapiche means sugar cane farm and Nery is the name of the patriarch on the farm. Don Nery and his wife Doña Yamileth take you around their farm to explore ingredients, animals, traditions, and more! We were able to use fresh sugar cane, extract the juice, reduce the juice into a sugar syrup and create “sugar cubes” and make fresh sugar candies all during the experience. We also made lunch with their family and had the most mouthwatering home cooked meal.
The Tree Net Climb was not for the faint of heart but was so well worth it! You set off with a guide through the on property trails out to a tree where they have constructed a “tree net” about 40 meters up in the canopy. Your guide helps you secure your harness and then it’s up to you to hoist yourself up to the tree net. The “climb” is tough but once you get up to the net, you are able to sit back, relax and enjoy the views of the Talamanca Mountains and overlook the resort.
They have their main restaurant on property, Grano which serves breakfast and dinner. For lunch they recommend dining by one of the pools or in room dining to have a more casual experience. One night a week they offer their CienFuegos dinner (100 fires) which takes place near the stables and they cook the entire meal over a large open fire. The dinner is served family style and features a horse show and mariachi band.
The Well spa is one of the main highlights of the hotel. It is the first international Well Spa and gives off an immediate sense of life and revitalization upon walking in. All guests are able to visit the spa and indulge in the Casa De Agua experience which includes a local clay “mask” that you can apply all over your body to help exfoliate and brighten you skin.
Insider tips:
If you love the idea of the tree net but are not up for hanging 40 meters in the area, there is another large tree net on property that is only a few meters off the ground that you can walk into and enjoy without booking a guided experience.
The property is home to native Costa Rican Mariola stingless bees! The honey they produce is delightfully light in flavor and color and is harvested from the hives on property. Chef Leizl and Arno were happy to give us a taste!
Ordering the fresh fruits in the morning will never disappoint. A different selection of fruits is offered each morning, my personal favorite was the banana passionfruit!