Winter Escape: Costa Rica’s Mountain Refuge for Deep Restoration

Winter demands more from us than we sometimes realize—rest that reaches deeper than sleep, space that allows for genuine stillness. Hacienda AltaGracia, nestled in Costa Rica’s Talamanca Mountains outside San Jose, understands this instinctively. The fifty-casita resort spans one hundred eighty acres of untamed tropical forest, coffee farm, and organic gardens, all perched in the cloud line with sweeping views of the San Isidro Valley.

Getting there becomes part of the ritual. Choose between a complimentary charter flight directly to the resort’s private airstrip—a forty-minute journey over rainforest canopy—or a four-hour drive through mountain passes that reveal Costa Rica’s dramatic topography. I lived in San Jose for a year, and even then understood that the country’s real beauty lived in these highlands, where mist clings to ridgelines and everything grows with startling intensity.

The resort’s commitment to place extends beyond aesthetics. Seven thousand coffee trees were planted across the property, creating a working farm that ties the hacienda to Costa Rica’s defining agricultural tradition. Cuisine honors local farmers and makers, each dish telling a story of the Talamanca region. The Estée Lauder Skin Longevity Institute—the first of its kind in the Americas—offers treatments that combine cutting-edge technology with the restorative power of the surrounding environment.

Days here unfold at whatever pace restores you. Hike through primary rainforest, join movement classes overlooking the valley, or simply sink into stillness. The resort’s philosophy centers on the freedom to move fast or slow, recognizing that true wellbeing requires both.

The journey back to San Jose offers its own rewards. Barrio Escalante, the city’s gastronomy district, pulses with microbreweries and inventive restaurants along Calle 33. Jazz Café hosts live performances in an atmosphere that feels both sophisticated and welcoming, while Antik Restaurant transforms from daytime eatery to one of the city’s most vibrant clubs. Immerse yourself in this urban energy renewed—armed with a rested mind and restored body—a reminder of why we seek respite in the first place: not to escape life but to return to it with clarity and appetite.