The Best New Hotels in Costa Rica Have Organic Gardens, Beachfront Pools, and National Park Views

"I arrived at Lapa Rios at dusk and found a wild, pulsating rainforest experience spread across 1,000 acres with 17 ocean-view bungalows that feel like an eco-resort and a rainforest summer camp—each day offered birding, waterfall walks, secluded beaches, and expert guides like Danilo Alvarez Seguro who pointed out leaf-cutter ants, calamine trees, and poison-dart frogs; founded in 1993 by Karen and John Lewis to conserve land through tourism, the lodge cultivated local relationships, built a school, and now trains staff to teach environmental education while guests enjoy open-air dinners and bar mojitos served with a palpable sense of stewardship." - Gina DeCaprio Vercesi Gina DeCaprio Vercesi Gina DeCaprio Vercesi is a New York-based writer with a passion for adventure, history, and conservation. Her words and images have appeared in publications including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, AARP The Magazine, Delta Sky, Hemispheres, and The Boston Globe. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines