Hotel El Jardin Montezuma Costa Rica Special Report

Hotel El Jardin a Lover’s Paradise on the Nicoya Peninsula

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Reservation Form Hotel El Jardin

Tico Times Newspaper: “Exploring Costa Rica”
By Andrew Tonry

Sometimes it’s a good lo live like a backpacker or a beach bum – it builds character and can be humbling. But something it’s best to sack all that and just curl up in the lap of luxury. Hotel El Jardin is just the place to do it.

Nestled in the foreigner-ized, bustling tourist town of Montezuma, the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, the hotel is an escape from the escapists. Within its walls, the grounds transport guests to a lush, private oasis, a great base from which to explore the nearby white-sand beaches, waterfalls and diverse wildlife.

Walking up the cobblestone entry, visitors are enveloped by the cascading gardens of wild, vivid and colorful flora. Whoever this garden’s caretakers may be, they certainly have their hand full.

Two villas perch toward the top of the gardens, tucked in among the leafy collage of foliage. Travelers here might well feel like the veritable royalty of Montezuma, for the Jardin’s grounds are the apex of the crossroads atop the small city’s main drag. The villas each feature two bedrooms, a terrace and a full kitchen.

The hotel is a lover’s paradise, perfect for honeymoons or just a weekend away. Everywhere you look, and probably a few places you don’t you’ll find another private nook. Couples can be found doubled up I hammocks, sharing deck chairs and smooching on balconies and porches.

Hotel El Jardin is perhaps Montezuma’s best place to see and be seen. Passerby can’t help but notice the beautiful tropical flowers and the sleek, mysterious cabinas hidden behind them.

A rate of $95 secures a queen bed, air conditioning and a private bath. The queen bed and hot shower are big-ticket items. Assuming you’ve spent the day getting your hands dirty or your muscles sore, you’ll need them. And after a day of trekking up rivers, swimming in dirty pools, or jumping off waterfalls, you’ll fell like you’ve earned it.

And oh goodness, the air conditioning. When days at the beach send you home with burns on your thighs, toes and the tip of your nose, that little humming machine in the corner will welcome you to sleep soundly. You might even need to cover up.

As if you could possible need more water, the hotel’s been outfitted with a shallow pool and Jacuzzi. The pools become a surreal oasis full of clever lighting, healthy palms, cacti and other flowers.

The rooms are tidy and have enough storage space, but you might feel the need to hit the street markets to buy some trinkets just to have something on the shelves. The room I was given featured a floor-to-ceiling stained-glass piece depicting local wildlife, but few other adornments.

Guests won’t find TVs in the Jardin’s rooms, but in place of such natural beauty, the glare would be an unwelcome distraction.

Hotel El Jardin is the class of Montezuma.