Finca Rosa Blanca: An Organic Coffee Farm and Inn Above San José

Finca Rosa Blanca is a 14-suite boutique inn on an organic, shade-grown coffee farm in Santa Bárbara de Heredia, in the hills between San José and the Poás and Barva volcanoes. It holds Elite status, the top tier of Costa Rica’s sustainable tourism certification, and makes an unusually rewarding first or last night in the country: the airport is about 20 minutes away, yet you wake among coffee rows, native trees and birdsong.

At a glance

From motocross field to coffee forest

The inn’s story, told on its history page, starts with the Jampol family buying an abandoned, treeless coffee farm that was being used as a motocross track. What began as a family home and small coffee plot has grown to take in about 30 acres of coffee, and over the last 25 years the family says it has planted more than 5,000 native trees, working with local school children and Costa Rica’s environment ministry (MINAE). The trees shade the coffee, fix nitrogen in the soil and give birds and other wildlife a corridor across a landscape that’s otherwise farms and towns.

The family still runs the inn, which now has more than three decades of hospitality behind it.

The coffee

Coffee is the heart of a stay. According to the inn’s coffee page, Finca Rosa Blanca and the neighboring Café Rosa Blanca farm grow high-altitude Arabica (mostly Caturra and Obatá, with some Catuaí, Catimor and Gesha) on the slopes of Poás and Barva. Every step from seedling to roasting and packing happens on site. The farms are certified organic by Kiwa BCS and list Rainforest Alliance and ICAFE sustainability credentials; no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides are used, and compost comes from worm beds fed with the hotel’s kitchen scraps. Fields follow the land’s natural contours to limit erosion, and living fences of native shrubs mark their edges.

The coffee tour starts with a guided farm walk through shaded rows and forest and ends with a cupping lesson, the professional technique of tasting and scoring coffee, before you drink your favorite preparation at the restaurant. The inn says its coffee took five first-place awards at the 2023 World Coffee Challenge, including best coffee in Central America.

Birds on the farm

Shade-grown coffee is good bird habitat, and the inn reports more than 137 species on the property, including parrots, toucans, aracaris, motmots and oropendolas. Early mornings on the farm paths are the best time to look. Our birds of Costa Rica guide is a useful companion.

Suites and villas

Each of the 14 suites is different, with handcrafted furniture, murals, original art and local hardwoods. The accommodations pages list:

• Ten Junior Suites, from Las Aves and La Piedra for two to La Ventana for four, each with a private deck or patio, robes and organic, locally made toiletries.
• Four Suites, El Guarumo, El Cielo, El Ranchito and Rosa Blanca, larger and sleeping three to five.
• Two Villas created by joining pairs of Junior Suites: El Boyero (El Higuerón and El Pino) and La Laguna (El Roble and La Guaria), for families or small groups of up to five.

All have king beds with cotton linens, ceiling fans, a French press with the farm’s own coffee and a minibar; many have bathtubs or jacuzzis. Stays include an à la carte breakfast, afternoon coffee with cookies, Wi-Fi and the inn’s sustainability tour, which should be booked ahead. The FAQ page notes there’s no minimum stay outside some special offers.

El Tigre Vestido

The restaurant, El Tigre Vestido, serves Latin fusion and modern Costa Rican cooking. Each day the kitchen team picks from the inn’s greenhouse, orchard and organic gardens, so the menu shifts a little with whatever is ready. Breakfast is included with every reservation, and lunch and dinner are open to guests by choice. A Coffee Connoisseur’s Tasting Menu of five or more courses pairs dishes with the farm’s coffee.

Sustainability in practice

Finca Rosa Blanca sits at the top of Costa Rica’s certification system: the official directory lists Hotel Finca Rosa Blanca at the Elite level. The inn also reports a five-out-of-five rating from the Ecological Blue Flag program for climate action and describes itself as one of Costa Rica’s first carbon-neutral hotels.

The measures behind those labels include solar-powered electricity and solar hot water, a chemical-free ionized swimming pool, a recycling program, avoidance of toxic chemicals, and a policy of hiring 100% local staff. Our guide to CST certification explains how the Elite tier is earned.

Things to do nearby

Beyond the farm, the inn’s concierge books day trips across the Central Valley: volcano visits, white-water rafting, zip-lining, hiking, birding and a cultural tour of the highland towns and markets. Poás Volcano and the Barva sector of Braulio Carrillo National Park are the nearest big protected areas. The inn sits 800 meters north of the Café Britt distribution center in Santa Bárbara.

Who it suits

Finca Rosa Blanca is ideal for couples, coffee enthusiasts and travelers who want their San José nights to feel like part of the trip rather than a layover. It’s also a quiet base for day trips into the Central Valley.

It’s less suited to anyone looking for rainforest wildlife or long hikes from the door; the setting is an agricultural landscape, beautiful but busy with farms and villages. For more volcano-side options, look at Poás Volcano Lodge or Xandari Resort & Spa, or browse our Central Valley eco-lodges page. The inn’s website is fincarosablanca.com.