There is a strange irony to the holidays. We spend weeks preparing for a few precious days with the people we love, only to arrive at them exhausted.
The calendar fills up. The grocery list gets longer. Someone has to host. Someone has to cook. There are presents to buy, places to be, and a steady stream of small things demanding attention.
Meanwhile, the part we were looking forward to most, simply having time together, can get lost somewhere in the middle of it all.
What if, this year, you changed the plan?
Pack a suitcase. Bring your favorite people. Leave the holiday logistics behind and spend those days somewhere warm, beautiful, and wonderfully removed from the usual routine.
At Los Altos de Eros, the holidays can feel less like something to manage and more like what they were supposed to be all along: time together.
Time is Still the Greatest Luxury
When was the last time you had a full day with the people you love and nowhere else you needed to be?
Not dinner squeezed between obligations. Not a weekend where everyone has separate plans. Not a holiday gathering where someone spends most of the afternoon in the kitchen.
Actual, uninterrupted time.
Travel has a way of creating it.
At Los Altos de Eros, mornings might begin slowly over Costa Rican coffee and breakfast. There is no need to move on to the next thing immediately. Stay at the table. Talk. Take another cup to the pool. Decide what you feel like doing that day, or decide you are perfectly happy doing very little.
That freedom can feel surprisingly luxurious during a season normally governed by schedules.
And because Los Altos de Eros is an intimate, adults-only boutique hotel tucked into the hills of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the experience naturally lends itself to smaller gatherings. Come as a couple, travel with close friends, plan a getaway with your adult children or siblings, or reserve the entire property and make the place your own for the holidays.
Put Something New on the Holiday Wishlist
There is nothing wrong with traditions. But there is also something exciting about having absolutely no idea what this year’s holiday stories will be yet.
Costa Rica gives you plenty of material.
Trade the usual December holiday rush for a surf lesson. Go horseback riding, ziplining, or exploring for the day. Take a yoga class together. Spend the afternoon at the spa. Head toward the coast and see where the day takes you.
Or make the shared experience something much simpler.
Watch a Costa Rican sunset together. Try a cooking class. Spot wildlife from the car. Spend an afternoon around the infinity pool with nowhere else to be.
These are the moments that give a trip its personality.
There will probably be an inside joke that starts somewhere along the way. Someone will inevitably be better at surfing than expected. Someone else will be considerably worse. A favorite meal will be discussed long after everyone goes home.
And suddenly, you have a new collection of holiday stories that belong entirely to your group.
All of the Feast, None of the Fuss
Holiday meals are wonderful.
Preparing them for a house full of people? Slightly less magical.
There is menu planning, grocery shopping, chopping, cooking, timing, serving, clearing, and the mysterious phenomenon in which a clean kitchen somehow produces another sink full of dishes ten minutes later.
At Los Altos de Eros, you can keep the part everyone loves and happily leave the rest behind.
Breakfast is included each morning, with options ranging from fresh fruit and Costa Rican coffee to gallo pinto, eggs, French toast, local cheese, and more. Lunch and dinner are also available, including three-course evening meals prepared by the kitchen team. For guests who would rather make meals one less thing to think about, an all-inclusive option can be added to the stay.
Dietary needs can also be accommodated, so there is no need for one person in the group to spend the week managing everyone’s preferences.
You simply arrive at the table.
And perhaps that is one of the most underrated luxuries of traveling over the holidays: everyone gets to be a guest.
Together With Room to Roam
One person wants an adventure. Another has been dreaming about a massage for approximately six months.
Perfect.
A good holiday together does not require everyone to follow the same itinerary. In fact, a little independence often makes the time you do spend together even better.
Los Altos de Eros makes it easy to find both.
The spa offers private treatment rooms, massages, facials, soaking treatments, an infrared sauna, and hydrotherapy, while guests looking for something more active can explore experiences such as surfing, yoga, horseback riding, ziplining, ATV tours, or a volcano day trip.
Some of you can head out for the morning while others stay behind with a book and the pool.
Then meet again later, stories ready, for sunset and dinner.
No negotiating an itinerary that makes six different people equally happy. No pressure to make every minute count.
Just enough space to enjoy a luxury holiday trip to Costa Rica your own way.
Log Off. Look Around.
There is another kind of holiday noise that does not disappear when the errands are finished.
Emails. Notifications. Group chats. Social media. News alerts. The temptation to check one quick thing that somehow becomes twenty minutes.
We are so accustomed to being reachable that uninterrupted attention has become a rarity.
A holiday trip somewhere new gives you a good excuse to change that.
You may still take plenty of photos. You may still check your phone. This does not need to become a digital detox with rules and screen-time guilt.
But when the alternative is a jungle view, an afternoon massage, a long meal, or a conversation with someone you do not get to see nearly enough, your phone has some fairly stiff competition.
Put Less on the Holiday List This Year
We often celebrate the holidays by adding more.
More plans. More gifts. More food. More events. More things to fit into a handful of weeks.
But some years, the greatest luxury might be subtracting a few things instead.
No hosting. No cleaning the guest room. No elaborate meal plan. No coordinating three different gatherings in two days.
Just a few days in a serene tropical setting with the people who matter to you.
Los Altos de Eros has only six rooms, and the entire property can also be reserved for a private stay, turning an already intimate hotel into your group’s own Costa Rican holiday hideaway.
Spend the morning together. Go your separate ways for the afternoon. Meet by the pool before dinner. Try something you have never done before. Eat exceptionally well without washing a single dish.
And when the holidays are over, bring home something better than leftovers to be reheated.
Bring home the stories.
The ridiculous surf attempt. The dinner everyone is still talking about. The sunset photo that does not quite capture how good it looked in person. The conversations that happened because, for once, nobody needed to rush off somewhere else.
Maybe that is what a holiday is supposed to feel like.
Our focus has been on keeping our team, guests, and community safe.
As we closely monitor and adhere to changes in government policy, Los Altos de Eros Hotel & Spa has enhanced our health & safety precautions to comply with the recommendations and guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministerio de Salud Costa Rica.
We look forward to warmly welcoming our guests and the only thing that exceeds our preparation is our excitement. When you’re ready, we’ll be here like we have been for more than 15 years. By making a reservation, all guests affirm they meet the conditions set forth outlined below before entering the hotel or facilities:
You and your guests are healthy without any COVID-19 symptoms (temperature should be below 37.9 °C, we will take temperatures at the door)
You have abided by the social distancing/quarantine rules by the government and followed all safety protocols.
You have not come into contact with anyone that contracted the virus.
Once in the property please avoid shaking hands, wash your hands at your arrival and as often as possible, sneeze and cough appropriately by covering your mouth and using your forearm.
For spa services, a shower before treatments is recommended.
Cancellation Policy – COVID
While Costa Rica is still in a state of Travel Advisory with the COVID-19 Pandemic, we will adopt the following policy for hotel reservations.
No penalty for hotel cancellations at least 2 weeks before the reservation. You can use your deposit for a credit towards a future stay or request a refund.
Travel Requirements
Costa Rica borders are open to all international travelers. Healthcare & Travel insurance coverage must be purchased before entry into Costa Rica. We will gladly help you purchase this after you book a reservation.
Many countries require negative PCR Covid test results to get back into their home country. We will assist in every step of organizing the test on site at the hotel. Guaranteed results of 48-72 hours will be sent via email.
Thank you for your continued loyalty, patience and understanding. We wish you and your loved ones health and wellness. Our thoughts are with the communities, individuals and everyone impacted by COVID-19.
