Hotelier and Artist Elena Rohrmoser’s Guide to Costa Rica

No matter if you’re headed for the coasts or the jungle, says Rohrmoser, chances are you will pass through the capital city of San José, a major transportation hub. But don’t let the sprawl of the city intimidate you. This temperate urban oasis is home to the dazzling National Theater of Costa Rica (Teatro Nacional), established in 1897; the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design; and the National Museum of Costa Rica, which is home to one of the city’s many butterfly gardens. Meanwhile, bar hoppers and clubbers can peruse San Jose’s vibrant nightlife scene in the city’s northeast corner. “Most of the local bands play music at a bar called StarView,” says Rohrmoser, “and El Sotano is where you’d go to see live jazz.”

Volcanoes, waterfalls, and hot springs are popular natural attractions in Costa Rica’s inland regions. Day trips to Arenal Volcano National Park and Tenorio Volcano National Park are easily accessed via guided tours from San Jose. However, renting a car is strongly recommended for those venturing beyond the city. “You’re more independent that way,” says Rohrmoser. “And it’s [easier] for people to stop in the hot springs.”

Costa Rica also counts a number of sanctuaries for endangered wildlife. In the lush coastal province of Limon you’ll find the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica as well as a Jaguar Rescue Center and the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. Rohrmoser also recommends Tortuguero National Park—a major nesting ground for leatherback and green sea turtles. “You can take a boat through the channels past the mangroves, and there you can see the turtles laying their eggs on the beach,” she says.

If you’re seeking a Tulum-adjacent experience—as in cold-pressed juice and chic yoga resorts—look no further than Santa Teresa and Nosara, both nestled along the Pacific coast. “There you see the same people you would see in New York, or at Art Basel [in Miami Beach],” says Rohrmoser. But if you prefer the road less traveled, she recommends Montezuma. “It’s a beautiful beach town next to Santa Teresa that’s got old-school hippie vibes,” she says. “There’s a great artist café on the beach called the Playa de los Artistas.”

On the eastern coast, Rohrmoser recommends Playa Chiquita—a staple from her childhood—and the official beach of Aguas Claras. “The beautiful thing about the Caribbean side is that you can travel on bicycle everywhere,” says Rohrmoser. “It’s like Amsterdam, but you have to be careful because you’re biking on the side of a small highway. But you’re also cycling along the ocean, so it's really beautiful. And every five minutes there's a little restaurant or café you can stop by. This is something that you cannot do anywhere else in Costa Rica.”

If you’re starved in San José, Rohrmoser suggests starting with Barrio Escalante, a walkable neighborhood with a renowned gastronomy scene. “You’ll see all the trendy young chefs there,” she says. For brunch she recommends a light sandwich at Franco, and for dinner, the Latin-meets-Mediterranean fare of Isolina.

“For genuine Costa Rican food, you look for a ‘soda,’ which is like a bistro,” she says. “If you want a unique experience, Soda Tapia is an old-school drive-in diner in front of the Costa Rican Museum of Art (Museo de Arte Costarricense). There, we’d order something called casado (meaning ‘married’ in English)—a typical Costa Rican dish with rice and beans plus a protein like chicken, beef, or fish, with a salad and patacones (plantain chips). But for all the street food you could want, there’s also the Central Market (Mercado Central) downtown.”

For those traveling the Caribbean coast, Rohrmoser raves about Selvin’s, a hub for Afro-Caribbean cuisine. Founded in 1980 by head chef and lifelong resident, Selvin Brown, the restaurant specializes in slow-cooked, Costa Rican and West Indian fusion food. Here they serve a local specialty known as rondón, a coconut milk–based stew packed with cassava, taro, yams, and plantains. Proteins include fish, lobster, and/or crab. (The Spanish word rondón stems from the Jamaican patois phrase “run down,” which refers to the gradual breaking-up of the meat and fish when cooked in the stew.) Another local gem is Take It Easy, an unfussy Jamaican joint that serves exemplary jerk chicken and curry goat.

Rohrmoser also suggests making room for Costa Rica’s unique chocolate. The Bribri Indigenous people conduct chocolate tours in Limón and Puerto Viejo, where you can learn exactly how it’s produced.

For those sticking around San José, Rohrmoser suggests a few local, Tico-owned establishments to support. Tucked away in the quaint historical district of Aranjuez is the communal Casa Botánica de Aranjuez, and its more discreet boutique neighbor, Hotel Aranjuez. “Casa 41 is a cute concept place I also recommend,” adds Rohrmoser. “It used to be [the hotelier’s] home, and they turned it into a little bed and breakfast.”

Two hours north of Arenal Volcano is a ranch and nature retreat called the Hacienda Montezuma. “It’s a family-owned ranch, and there you can go horseback riding,” says Rohrmoser. “They grow all their own vegetables, and everything is sustainable. From there you can also hike to the Tenorio volcano, which is closer.”

South of San Jose and off Highway 2 lies the cloud forest, Savegre San Gerardo de Dota; there you can bask in the peaceful ambience of Trogon Lodge, a family-owned hotel nestled in the mountains. Meanwhile on the Caribbean coast, turtle watchers are recommended to stay at the El Trogon offshoot, Mawamba Lodge, which offers night walks and other sightseeing tours. “When it comes to Costa Rica, it’s the best for wandering around and stopping at the most random places,” says Rohrmoser.