Hip. Helpful. Happy.

Pension Santa Elena, in Monteverde, is THE place for the budget traveler backpacker. This Monteverde hotel staff is famous world-wide for their accommodating, effective advice. From booking activities to arranging even the most complex transportation…. from “what should I wear…boots or sandals?” to “is this really all it says it is?”….the staff at The Pension has got you covered.

The common room is always humming with an assortment of laid-back, smiling travelers. Bohemic artwork and murals cover the walls. One chalk-scrawled wall acts as a canvas for poems, old school movie quotes, or traveler inspired songs. The rooms are very clean and simple. Wi-Fi and computers are available.

If you get a hankering for a burrito, The Pension’s Taco Taco stand has the cheapest & tastiest food in Santa Elena. Eat your quesadilla and lounge in the sun-drenched hammock.

Don’t forget to introduce yourself to Ran & Shannon, the brother-sister tag team that own & operate The Pension.

Good food, good folks, good trip. Have fun! at the coolest Monteverde Hotel.

Check them out at: Best Monteverde Hotel for Budget Travelers and Backpackers

The freshest cup of coffee in Costa Rica….roasted by YOU!

Out of all the coffee tours in Costa Rica…Finca Flor Mar is best experience bar-none. This family owned and operated farm invites tourists into their home for a homecooked meal & on-the-spot roasted coffee….the catch is that YOU roast the coffee & get an authentic, hands-on Tico cooking lesson!

Take a guided excursion around the farm with the owner, Ken Lander, as he shares with you the farm’s organic and sustainable processes, step-by-step. Finca Flor Mar’s non-traditional, innovative techniques have brought organic, environmentally friendly, community conscious, sustainable practices into the small town of San Rafael. The switch to non-chemical, biodegradable, water-conserving, non-polluting practices is helping to preserve the beautiful country of Costa Rica for generations to come.

Finca Flor Mar is located on the outskirts of Monteverde. Ken picks up groups (in his very cool 1970 Jeep…you will feel like you are in a movie!) at the Pension Santa Elena and brings you out to the farm. You will tour the Costa Rica coffee plantation, learn about organic coffee growing, harvesting, and drying. Then join the Landers in their home to roast coffee and learn the secret ingredients in Gallo Pinto (the signature Tico rice & beans). Ken’s friendly daughter and son-in-law come over for their daily 4 o’clock cup of freshly roasted joe & talk with the day’s visitors.

 Finca Flor Mar is also said to have the best coffee in Costa Rica. All the finest Monteverde restaurant serve their organic Costa Rican coffee exclusively.

This is a truly unique experience and a peek into real-life Costa Rica today. Go visit and bring home to your friends the best coffee of Costa Rica that you roasted on the coolest farm in the country.

Costa Rica Zip Line

Costa Rica Zip Lines are probably the most exciting way to enjoy the rain forest. A Costa Rica Zip Line is not going to provide you the meditative experience of patiently viewing the rain forest, but it will definitely get your heart pumping in a way that only a Costa Rica Zip Line can.

Imagine the sensation, of flying through the rain forest with the wind blowing across your face as you race towards your next destination. If you want to know what a monkey or a bird feels like, then a Costa Rica Zip Line is for you.

There are inherent dangers involved in going on a Costa Rica Zip Line. Costa Rica Zip Lines can be dangerous, and travelers have been injured, and in a couple of cases killed. Costa Rica Zip Lines are not recommended if it seems rainy or stormy, since lightning has been known to strike. The more reputable Costa Rica Zip Line providers are aware of these dangers, and have taken precautions to prevent injury to their customers.

Make sure to only go to reputable Costa Rica Zip Line providers as the ones advertised through this site.

Our favorite one in all of Costa Rica is Selvatura. You can visite them directly at:

Monteverde Costa Rica Canopy Tours | Monteverde Zip Line | Costa Rica Zip Lining Tours

Where is Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is located in Central America, between the countries of Nicaragua, in the North, and Panama in the south. Often confused to be an island, Costa Rica is actually part of the Central American Continent bordered by the Caribbean Sea on the East, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

Costa Rica is well known for its beautiful beaches and mountains, as well as the variety of ecosystems that abound in this small country. This includes desserts, cloud forests, rain forests, jungles, and volcanoes. For more information on Costa Rica, please make sure to visit the rest of this site, and plan to join us in one of he most amazing travel destinations in the world.

For more information About Costa Rica check out:

The unit for Costa Rica Currency is the colon. The Costa Rica Currency rate of exchange can be found by calling (506) 2243-4143. This is the number to the Central Bank of Costa Rica. You will be answered by a machine and will have the option to listen to the information in either English or Spanish.