The most interesting thing about El Lugar may be what didn’t happen there.
Trees were not cleared to make way for sweeping views. Hillsides were not flattened to accommodate buildings. The Rainforest was not treated as scenery to be arranged around a hotel.
Instead, El Lugar was designed around what was already there.
That is part of the charm of this new luxury retreat in Sarapiquí. Set across 1,200 acres close to Costa Rica’s Braulio Carrillo National Park, the property sits within a region of remarkable biodiversity, where tropical forest, rivers, wildlife and generations of agricultural history converge.
Long before El Lugar welcomed guests, the land had been cared for through more than 80 years of agricultural stewardship. That history has influenced what has followed: a luxury retreat where preservation is part of the architecture rather than an idea added afterwards.
Buildings have been positioned around existing trees and the natural contours of the land. Helical pylons were used in construction to reduce disruption to the earth beneath the buildings and allow natural water movement to continue. The result does not feel overtly ecological. It simply feels peaceful.
The casitas are bright and open, surrounded by windows that draw the Rainforest into the room. Rich hardwood beams sit alongside patterned tiles, antiques and handcrafted details, while private plunge pools create a quiet place to watch the changing light through the trees.
There is an old-world warmth to the interiors, but little sense that nature has been edited out in the pursuit of comfort. Birds call from outside the windows. Rain moves through the canopy. The air shifts. The forest remains constantly present.
More than 130 bird species have been recorded across the property, making El Lugar particularly compelling for travelers who come to Costa Rica with binoculars close at hand. Toucans, monkeys, sloths and other native wildlife form part of an ecosystem that continues well beyond the boundaries of the guest areas.
This part of Costa Rica lies within an important biological corridor, which makes the preservation of connected habitat particularly significant. Reforestation is also helping restore areas of the property, including the planting of thousands of trees as the forest continues to regenerate.
That philosophy extends beyond conservation.
Much of El Lugar has been shaped by Costa Rican hands. Craftspeople and local workers have contributed to everything from construction to the detailed finishes found throughout the property, giving the retreat a sense of place that cannot be replicated by importing a finished hotel aesthetic from somewhere else.
Even the doors tell part of the story.
Luxury at El Lugar is less about separating guests from their surroundings and more about giving them the space to experience the land, slow their pace and drop fully into the present moment.
Days can unfold slowly, with walks through the property, birdwatching, time beside the water or simply watching the Rainforest from a casita. For guests wanting to explore further, horseback riding offers another perspective on the land.
At El Encanto, El Lugar’s equestrian center, Costa Rican horses carry riders through open fields and forest, across water and into parts of the property that feel far removed from conventional resort life. The experience is less about ticking off an activity and more about seeing the land at a different pace.
Food follows a similarly local philosophy. Ingredients grown on the property are used where possible, while what cannot be produced there is sourced from surrounding communities, keeping the connection between kitchen, land and region close.
Building somewhere beautiful can easily diminish the very thing people came to experience. El Lugar asks a different question: what happens when the starting point is not how much can be built, but how much can remain
That thinking can be felt across the property. In the trees growing beside buildings rather than making way for them. In the craftsmanship. In the absence of sprawling development. In the wildlife that continues to move through the land.
It is also perhaps why the experience feels increasingly relevant.
Modern travel has become exceptionally good at filling time. There are itineraries, restaurants to book, photographs to capture and experiences to complete before moving on to the next one.
El Lugar asks something quieter of its guests.
To notice.
To listen to birds before checking a phone. To watch afternoon rain move across the forest. To follow a trail without needing it to lead to an attraction. To remember that doing less can sometimes allow a place to reveal more.
In 2026, El Lugar received a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award, placing it among the top 10 percent of listings worldwide on the platform, based on guest reviews and ratings collected over the preceding year.
For a property built around preserving rather than overpowering its surroundings, there is something fitting about the recognition coming from the people who actually stayed there.
El Lugar may offer beautiful rooms, private pools, horses and thousands of acres of Rainforest, but its more enduring luxury is harder to photograph.
It is space.
Space for the forest to remain a forest, for wildlife to move through it, and for travelers to become quiet enough to notice where they are.
About
El Lugar Costa Rica is a luxury Rainforest retreat and private nature reserve set across 1,200 acres in Sarapiquí, around two hours from San José. Shaped by more than 80 years of agricultural stewardship, the property brings together handcrafted casitas, conservation and reforestation with experiences including horseback riding, birdwatching, nature trails and swimming in a natural Rainforest watering hole. Designed around the existing land rather than over it, El Lugar offers guests the space to experience Costa Rica at a slower, more natural pace.
Discover El Lugar- https://ellugar.com/
