The stories of old Guanacastecan haciendas always have special charm. Sitting on a huge rock under a shade tree, you could close your eyes in the stillness of the countryside and imagine life there 80 years before, without any noise besides the animals in the pasture and the flowing river nearby. A clean environment, enviable quiet, a peaceful life.
Pacifica Fernandez Guardia, born in San Jose in 1864, was the daughter of President Prospero Fernandez Oreamuno and wife of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro. In 1888, her husband gave her a hacienda in Guanacaste in which she found refuge and rest. She
organized the construction of a large house in which to spend long seasons and the new property was named “La Pacifica” in honor of its owner.
The hacienda includes more than 2,000 hectares and is located in one of the few private reserves in Guanacaste’s dry tropical forest, which is unique in the world. There, between the Corobici and Tenorio rivers, north on the Interamerican highway between the cities of Cañas and Bagaces and just five kilometers from Cañas, is Hotel Hacienda La Pacifica, a place whose architecture and ambiance preserve the historic place’s legacy and the hacienda’s history. Hotel, restaurant, event center, productive hacienda: La Pacifica has it all.
Its restaurant, large and open to allow for the enjoyment of the beautiful surroundings, offers exquisite dishes that incorporate ingredients produced at the hacienda. The cuts of meat with mushroom sauce or American-style, seafood soup, tilapia and organic rice from the farm to the plate – everything is fresh and delicious. For dessert, flan, a mix of mini desserts or the apple pie with ice cream will ensure you at least have one.
For many people, the hacienda is an obligatory stopping point on their trips to Guanacaste en route to the beach, as it can also be a special place for a family lunch or a celebration with an old acquaintance. It has an open environment in a comfortable room, with a colonial style; it is surrounded by a pond filled with exotic fish that are produced on the hacienda and decorated with artifacts from the doña Pacifica’s old mansion. There is also a closed space available, with air conditioning.
The hotel has several options for lodging, all in the middle lush, green gardens and placed around an olympic size swimming pool that beckons visitors to swim. Studies, villas, suites and standard rooms are available all year. Buildings have high, raftered ceilings as well as brick passageways and walls, offering quality that few hotels have. It is an ideal place for a retreat, restful vacation, adventure or as a strategic location for visiting Guanacaste.
The hotel also offers the option of putting together your vacation plans before arriving at La Pacifica, with tours to the Llanos de Cortes waterfalls, national parks including Barra Honda, Palo Verde, Miravalles, Tenorio or Rincon de la Vieja, the Farallon national monument or kayaking or fishing trips in Daisa lake. It is impossible to get bored at the Hacienda La Pacifica Hotel. Guanacaste has many marvelous spots to visit and hotel staff know them all.
While you’re staying at La Pacifica, you can also tour the hacienda by bicycle or horse and see the tilapia, organic rice or livestock production, as they offer an educational agroindustrial tour with Guanacaste’s unique countryside and diverse colors.
Guanacaste-Style Parties
Resplendent gold fills the room as the sun sets on the prairies of Cañas. The tables are set with white and gold cloths, just like the seats. The dishware and crystal shine as the sun goes down; the aroma of flowers announces that the party is about to begin. Everything is ready so that the 50 guests to this night’s private event will have a great time in the smallest room at the hotel. The other room, which can comfortably host 250 people, is empty, though it is easy to imagine a fantastic wedding there, surrounded by high palms and flowering orange trees.
The hotel staff is ready to receive the guests. Among many other extra services that the hotel offers while planning an event are the design, furniture, sound system and catering. They know well that organizing an event requires a lot of time and effort, which is why they prepare and train constantly. The Guanacaste-style parties they organize are memorable – marimba, dancing puppets, masquerades, games and poems drive away any boredom and arouse everyone from their seats to enjoy.
Security is as good as the privacy; space is abundant so parking is not a problem.
Guests are arriving to the dance, the party is about to start, it is time to have fun. Everyone knows that the party will be happy and the memories splendid.
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