NEW ONLINE LOOK FOR LA ROSA!

Main Page of Hotel La Rosa's New Home!

     This Sunday, Feb 5th, barring any technological complications, Hotel La Rosa is expecting to release an ALL NEW WEBSITE.  This site will represent months of hard work and a quantum leap forward in both online security and in guest "surfing" experience and ease of use. 
     The launch of this site is only the beginning.  Future improvements to the site will include language capability in Spanish and French and optimization for mobility users.  Encrypted online booking is included as a main feature of the new site.  Looking farther into the future, this site will link to our Reservation book directly, thus allowing for an even more streamlined booking process.   We will also be adding video clips designed to enhance the viewing of our San Jose SJO Airport Hotel.  
     We have focused on developing a site to better show the constantly improving services at our Costa Rica Airport Hotel.  We also want potential guests to experience the "La Rosa Difference", our attention to detail and our desire to provide guests with as much (or as little) travel assistance as they may need in order to enjoy their stay.   
      The new website will focus on three key points we have found most important to guests.  Comfort, Location and Value.  We also recognize that the time potential guests have is valuable and therefore, our site is designed for people who may wish to quickly surf the site and then immediately book on line.  This will now be possible.  Alternately, guests wanting detailed information about La Rosa or Costa Rica in general can browse our 25+ pages of information at their leisure and, if they wish, contact us directly before making a booking. 

Part of the Amenities Page

Room Descriptions!

       The colours used in the website reflect the actual hotel interior and exterior colours and virtually all the photos used have been taken within the last three months.  All photos including background photos (except in certain cases where a photo is taken specifically to describe a tourist attraction) are actual pictures of some part of the hotel.  It is extremely important to us that the website accurately reflects the Hotel and as a result your expected experience. 
     Hotel La Rosa has beautiful gardens, and enjoys one of the best climates in the World.  After much searching and designing, we now believe we have a website that provides large beautiful pictures capable of showing our extensive gardens and cabinas the way they should be. 
     We hope that guests who use the website will find it an enjoyable experience - one where you feel like you are "almost there on holidays already!"  In that way, once you arrive in Costa Rica, you will instantly feel at home at La Rosa as you recognize familiar things and begin to enjoy our services and attention to detail firsthand!
     Take a look at the screen shots of our yet to be released main page of the new website...  comments are most welcome!!

Hotel La Rosa's Climb for Charity

Yay, we did it!  For two days in December,  three climbers and a local guide hiked over 40 km to achieve the summit of Cerro Chirripo, the tallest point in Costa Rica and return.  This climb was done to support the Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nicoya Peninsula, an organization working to draw attention to illegal poaching in the many National Parks of Costa Rica. 
Alongside the Owner of Hotel La Rosa de America, two Canadians and a Costa Rican Guide climbed for charity.  Raising a total of $225.00 USD for Rainsong the climb was a success.  We are hoping to repeat this success again in February as our donation goal is $500.00.  Our secondary goal is to educate interested people in the importance of wildlife preservation in the Old Growth Rainforest such as that found in the Chirripo area. 

We arrived about three hours late in to San Gerardo de Rivas, after a rather torturous climb over the Cerro de Muerte where there was a large landslide that caused significant detour into the steep hills to the south (where our Toyota fell into an enormous hole...).  We met our guide on the night of the 4th Dec and went over trip plans.  After a supper at the Hotel Uran in San Gerardo, we retired for the night.  Morning came at 0430 hours and we rose for an early breakfast.  We entered the trail head at about 0530 hrs and began our climb through ankle deep mud!  Fortunately this lasted only until the Kilometre One Signpost.  After that the trail became drier and easier to hike. 
After about two hours of steady climbing, we reached the actual National Park Gates at Kilometre Four.  Though this area was pretty, it was about to get much more spectacular as we entered the area of original growth forest.  Huge ceiba tees, dense moss, "Old Man's Beard" and hanging vines were everywhere.  To add to the mystery, a mist clung to the canopy giving a very surreal feeling to the landscape.  We continued until reaching Llano Bonito (Beautiful Plain) just past Kilometre Seven where we stopped for a quick lunch at the shelter located there.  In four hours we had already climbed three thousand feet above our starting point. 

The middle third of the climb saw the rainforest give way to cloud forest, which in turn gave way to a bamboo forest before dying out altogether as forest gave way to alpine meadows, flowers and bushes.  During this middle third, the tired remark from one hiker became the quote of the trip... "agg..  it hurts to chew" !!!  This comment was expressed during a particularly challenging area of switchbacks and steady climbing.  Around the Kilometre Eleven area we entered the portion of the climb called "The Burns", an area devastated by forest fire some twenty years ago.  Due to the high elevation (around 9,500 feet) the flora is much slower to recover then it would be if located in the lowland rainforest.  We continued for some time through the Burns, followed by the rather not motivating sign entitled "Monte Sin Fe"  or Mountain Without Faith.  Past this point, the original inhabitants of the area would not go due to religious beliefs.  Prior to reaching the Base Crestones area where we planned to rest for the night, we had to first hike over the final hill before the camp.  Aptly named "Repentant" we made it to the top and saw our Base Camp located just past Kilometre Fifteen nestled in a valley under the striking peaks of Los Crestones.  To this point Cerro Chirripo was nowhere to be found.  We had hiked for approximately 8 hours.  Clouds began to roll in and though we had excellent weather for the climb, sunset was not be in the cards for us.

After spending the night at Base Crestones, and enjoying a hot supper, "bird bath" and a sleep in a bunk bed, we set off at 0400 hours for the peak five kilometres distant.  After a two hour climb in the darkness with only the millions of stars for light, we achieved the summit of Cerro Chirripo.  Almost until the last moment did Chirripo remain out of sight.  Just before sunrise, we crested a saddle between two peaks thinking we were almost there.  Only then, in the distance looking like a black cloud did Chirripo reveal itself - complete with frigid forty knot winds and frost on the rocks.  We achieved the summit about ten minutes before sunrise and as a result, had time to enjoy both the view and our accomplishment!  Returning to Base Crestones, we first passed through the moraines of ancient glaciers enroute to the Valley of Rabbits (Valle de los Conejos).  After a short breakfast, we then continued down the mountain arriving at our Hotel before supper.

All in all, it was a successful trip.  Though we had planned for five climbers plus a guide, two were unable to make it at the last minute.  Still, the climb was a great experience, and made better though the satisfaction of raising money for a worthy cause.  For anyone interested in taking part in our second planned climb in the third week of February, please contact Hotel La Rosa de America at info@larosadeamerica.com  or visit us on Facebook!

Happy Trails and Merry Christmas!

Our Alajuela Airport Hotel now has Two New Familiy Suites!

Here at Hotel La Rosa de America, we have received numerous requests for cost effective accommodations suitable for larger families. Recognizing the fact that not all families consist of two adults and two children (and maybe a pet...) we have recently completed two large family suites designed for larger families. Each suite can take a maximum of six and seven guests respectively.

This way, larger families can now relax in their very own suite - all at a price significantly less than the cost of two or even three separate rooms!

Beds in each room consist of a mixture of double bed, single bed and bunk bed and can be changed as required, depending on guest needs.

Each suite also has the same services as the other rooms at the hotel with the exception (currently) of safety boxes. Each suite has a private entrance, private porch, private bathrooms, beautiful garden views, hot water, cable TV, a sitting area and Suite One has a walk in closet whereas Suite Two has access to a large private deck.

These rooms are also designed with our groups in mind. Over the past three years, our Costa Rica Airport Hotel has seen significant increases in specialized group bookings. We are now hosting a large number of groups from Canada and the USA, as well as England, France, Cayman Islands, Panama and Costa Rica.

We very much enjoy and encourage these groups to stay with us at our La Garita Airport Hotel. Most of these groups are designed around principles of learning, donation, environmental awareness, or language study. In many cases these groups give back more to Costa Rica then they take. This is in keeping with the over-arching ideals of Hotel La Rosa de America and our personal hotel business ethic.

There have been a number of other changes that have been recently implemented at La Rosa. In part, due to the increased volume of guests, we have restructured our breakfast to be more like a buffet. This has allowed us to provide even more food options to our guests. Groups especially find our breakfast buffet to be faster and simpler now now that is no longer served. No worries though! Even if our breakfast is no longer served, we always have staff available to talk to our guests and answer any questions they may have about their trip planning or whatever they wish to talk about!

Another big change at the hotel is that it is now staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have permanent English and Spanish-speaking night Concierge staff at the hotel so there are no problems with late arriving or very early departing guests. Though Reception closes still at 10 pm, we understand that most of our travellers will at some point be arriving or departing via the San Jose International Airport (Juan Santamaria Airport) and that this means they may need taxi's or other assistance during the night. Our night staff are trained to handle all normal guest needs and if a situation arises where they need more assistance, they are trained in what to do!

So, along with a variety of other ongoing changes, including the installation of a new, more environmentally friendly laundry facility and hot water production system, we at Hotel La Rosa de America are gearing up for a new, and hopefully exciting high season. We are very thankful for the loyalty and support of our past guests, many of whom have returned year after year to our hotel. You, our guests, are the reason we have been able to succeed during the last 18 months of difficult times. We are now hoping for an even better future and a great year of prosperity here in Costa Rica! Pura Vida!!

One year of Hotel Ownership!

Well, it has been exactly a year since starting out on this adventure! Overall the year has been good with the hotel undergoing significant construction and maintenance improvements as well as the hiring of new employees, marketing efforts and a new website. www.larosadeamerica.com
These changes are now paying off as our last year was the busiest on record for the hotel.

Certainly making the cultural changes from living in a high paced Canadian lifestyle to the slower, "tomorrow" lifestyle of Costa Rica has been interesting but I am learning to relax! Definitely, the climate is fabulous in the La Garita area. Not too hot or cold. The wet season can drag on a bit but I now know that come late March, we'll be crying for more rain so really I can't complain!

The current activity at the hotel is centering around the complete face lift of the Reception area. New paint colours, artwork, upgraded wiring, wireless internet, new computers and a new nook for the sale of small locally crafted objects. We just finished the installation of a big "bodega" or storage area, and a complete redo of the main garden area with the emphasis of letting in more light to help develop a stronger lawn and encourage flowering plants.

Lots of work for the "quiet" season! Come mid December, things will be busy again.