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.