Santarena Hotel at Las Catalinas

There seems to be a theme to travel days in Costa Rica. They are never for the faint-hearted, but are always a thousand per cent worth it. We had started our day hundreds of miles away, having been woken by howler monkeys in the rainforest over on the Caribbean side of the country. The first part of our epic journey to Santarena involved white-water rafting the Pacuare River, then boarding a small propeller plane out of San José as the sun set. Finally, we embarked on a dark and slightly bumpy jaunt by car to our destination.

Arriving 12 hours after we set off, Mr Smith and I were very much ready for a glass of something chilled. As if the concierge and reception staff could sense this, we were told to leave our bags in the taxi, find our room later, and just take a seat in the bar. Here, we were greeted with a modern mix of colour and a lively atmosphere to match the cocktails. After a quick drink, we settled into dinner on the twinkly terrace, enjoying a seafood risotto accompanied by salty sea air and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. We were happy.

When you arrive somewhere new in the dark, there is always that sense of excitement to wake up and explore the next day. We sprang out of bed the next morning and took ourselves on a tour of the area. We kicked off with one of the many hiking trails in the hills behind the hotel. Armed with maps to follow, off we went with enthusiasm to the top of McHenry Peak. We didn’t see another person on our walk — the view at the top was spectacular and well worth the sweat. 

On our return to town, we were eager to discover what Las Catalinas — a car-free, walkable resort only founded in 2006 — was like. Would it be like the rest of the country that we had got to know and love? Would it still have the Costa Rican charm? Well, yes, it absolutely has charm, but it feels like a sort of movie set by the sea. The architecture is quaint, but you might wonder whether you have woken up somewhere in Europe (Spain maybe, or the Italian Riviera), such is the fun, but rather confusing vibe.

With a green juice in hand (from one of the breakfast bars by the beach, where everyone seemed to know each other), we meandered along the seafront, past the coolest outdoor gym, made entirely of trees and seemingly exclusive to elite athletes, and back to our hotel for breakfast. We helped ourselves from the buffet — a modest selection of eggs and pastries — and ate it before the pesky birds tried to share it… ah, back to the nature-filled Costa Rica we adore.

The style of the building — which we could now see in all its glory in the warm morning light — was beautifully in keeping with the rest of Las Catalinas: breezy whitewashed walls and floors, colourful touches and lots of archways. There is a modern simplicity to Santarena.

We were relaxing into the day and decided to spend the morning by the rooftop infinity pool, which is a real highlight of the hotel. So much so that I would recommend getting there early in true British style to bag a bed — for a hotel of 45 bedrooms, there are only four sunloungers and they are a hot ticket. It’s a serene spot and if you’re lucky to get a child-free day, the pool is the perfect oasis to soak in that unbelievably good Costa Rican vitamin D.

Deciding to share the sunlounger love, we handed them over to some other guests and headed to the beach to enjoy a crunchy caesar salad, a spot of backgammon and some excellent people-watching. Of course, we could have taken a paddleboard out or gone for a dip, but we were quite content.

As the afternoon slipped into early evening, we took our seats on a tree branch on the beach with the locals, G&T in hand, just in time for the kind of sunset that you'd have to write home about (and here I am). The sky turned every shade of coral and gold, melting into lilacs and dusky blues as the sun sank behind the horizon. The hum of this small, interesting pocket of Costa Rica faded to the sound of waves and the occasional clink of a glass. 

The next morning, we packed our bags and said a reluctant goodbye to our coastal oasis to swap the ocean breeze for the humid air of the rainforest once more, as we continued our Costa Rican escapades. Our little chapter at Santarena had given us the perfect break to dry off our hiking boots and indulge in a few comforts, before diving back into the wild, wonderful terrain of this endlessly surprising country. The contrast between jungle and coast made the whole trip feel even richer — and we were so glad we’d carved out that slice of seaside charm in the middle of all the action. Pura vida.