Xandari Resort, Alajuela, Alajuela

Terrace Vista from one of the rooms.

Both one of the most expensive and one of the very best for nature photos! For a while it was my #1 best for butterflies and very good for birds. I now have others that are as good or better but it is still probably the best for flowers! And it has the best rooms of any hotel I’ve been in anywhere in Costa Rica! Absolutely! Plus an excellent restaurant. And note that it is greatly discounted during the rainy season like at half price or less some dates.

Would I Consider Returning?

Absolutely Yes! As the Trip Galleries below show, I’ve already been there 8 times! 🙂

LIKES

  • One of my very best overall nature photography locations with a large variety of all kinds of nature, from farm, forest, gardens and butterflies & birds.
  • By far the best hotel rooms of any hotel/lodge in Costa Rica! I’m talking about the quality of the room, comfort, amenities, its beauty, vistas and art. I’m not talking about the one advantage of being in the treetops at Maquenque Tree Houses, though they are not near as plush and comfortable as Xandari but an adventure.
  • One of the best restaurants of all the hotels I’ve visited.
  • The best gardens or most flowers of any other lodge/hotel with Arenal Observatory and Savegre Hotel San Gerardo de Dota maybe equal and the surprisingly smaller Guayabo Lodge also having excellent gardens.
  • Superb hotel staff giving excellent individual service.
  • First Class Spa, which is not my thing, but I have enjoyed their private jacuzzi huts for a relaxing soak. And they offer all the usual spa services.
  • Three Swimming Pools which is also not my thing but for those who care, it is important and every room is close to one.
  • Guava Skipper, Phocides polybius
  • Purple-washed Eyed-Metalmark, Mesosemia lamachus
  • Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais
  • Orange-stiped White, Perrhybris pamela
  • Patilla Clearwing, Ithomia patilla
  • Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes

DISLIKES

  • Only the price of a nightly room during high season of over $400 a night, going to around $200 a night during rainy season.

NATURE

  • See my Trip Galleries for the great variety of nature photos from flowers and wildlife to forests and waterfalls with more trails that you will probably be able to complete.
  • One of my top 3 places for butterflies and good for birds most of the time.
  • One of the best gardens in the country!
  • Cosmos
  • Bamboo Orchid — Orquidea Bambú
  • Dragon Tree
  • Parakeet Flower — Pico de loro
  • Yellow Fan — Patujú Amarillo
  • Bougainvillea — Veranera
  • Unidentified
  • West Indian Lantana
  • Peace Lily — Calita
  • African Lily
  • Golden Shrimp Flower
  • Lobster Claw Heliconia — Patujú o platanillo
  • Bird of Paradise
  • African Lily
  • Amaryllis
  • Passion Flower
  • Parakeet Flower
  • Tiger Flower
  • African Iris — Iris africana

ACTIVITIES

  • The early morning, pre-breakfast, guided birding hike will get you to where the birds are because the guide is familiar with the land.
  • Tours of everything from the hotel’s farm to the Poas Volcano and a choice of multiple Coffee Farms, plus a chocolate tour, adventure tours for the young and anything else you wish to do that is available in the NW Central Valley.
  • But for me the best thing is walking the trails of Xandari at different times of the day for new nature to photograph.
  • And watch for Sunsets from your room terrace or the restaurant most times of the year, depending on weather of course.
  • The Spa is full-service with anything you want.
Beautiful Art is found throughout both the buildings and the gardens.

ROOMS

ÅS
  • Very large! Even the smallest one will probably be bigger than any other hotel room will get anywhere else in Costa Rica!
  • All have unique private terraces with beautiful vistas.
  • Free snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic) in every rooms’ refrigerator and kitchenette.
  • The best shower of any hotel/lodge I’ve visited. Plus many rooms also have a tub with a garden view.
  • Every room is an art gallery along with being a creative architectural masterpiece!
  • Your private garden off your bathroom.
  • For most rooms you enter first through a garden gate then your front door. And they call their rooms “villas'”
Blue-gray Tanager in one of the many gardens.

FOOD

  • A complete menu with just about any kind of food you want prepared by excellent chefs.
  • And they gave me an excellent birthday celebration and cake when there for that occasion.
  • Plus room service if you prefer with plenty of space in your room for dining.
  • Doting waiters and waitresses! 🙂 At least for me! 🙂

GETTING THERE

  • Tacacori is a small, rural village just north of central Alajuela, Alajuela. From Atenas it is a drive of about 45 minutes to an hour if in rush hour traffic. Yet when you are there, you feel like you are in a forest retreat. It is a large property surrounded by farms and few residents.
  • I use Walter’s Tours and Taxi Service to get me there and back.
  • For a money-saving adventure you can take the bus from Atenas to Alajuela and a taxi from the bus to the hotel.
  • Driving your own car, just use the GPS of your choice directing you to Xandari Resort.
  • To give you an idea of how close it is to the city of Alajuela, from the restaurant you can see the Cathedral & Central Park of Alajuela along with the nearby SJO Airport runways with planes landing.

TRIP GALLERIES

Sunset from one of my rooms. They have this photo hanging at the check-in desk! 🙂

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¡Pura Vida!