Sueño Río Celeste, Bijagua de Upala

Sueño Río Celeste (formerly Sueño Celeste Bed and Breakfast) is a small boutique B&B on three and a half acres of gardens in Bijagua, the mountain village that serves as the quiet back door to Tenorio Volcano National Park and the Río Celeste. It suits birders, couples and small families who want a cool, fan-only bungalow, a home-baked breakfast, and a 20-minute drive to one of the most photographed rivers in Costa Rica.

At a glance

Where it is

The B&B sits along Route 6 just outside Bijagua, in the canton of Upala in Alajuela province. Its about page places it between the Tenorio and Miravalles volcanoes, about a 20-minute drive from the Río Celeste sector of Tenorio Volcano National Park and roughly 90 minutes from the beaches of northern Guanacaste.

That position on the continental divide is the point. Bijagua is high enough for cool nights, and the B&B relies on that climate instead of air conditioning. It is also a village with its own shops, sodas and small tour operators, so you aren’t stranded if you arrive without a full plan.

The park next door

Tenorio Volcano National Park, managed by SINAC, protects the forested slopes of the volcano and the Río Celeste, the river whose milky turquoise color comes from a mineral reaction where two clear streams meet. The main trail leads to the waterfall, a lookout, the bubbling hot springs known as the borbollones and the confluence point the locals call Los Teñideros. Most guests make the park their first morning, and the hosts can arrange guides and transport.

Other outings in the area, as described on the lodge’s earlier listing and by local operators, include tubing on the river outside the park, horseback rides through farmland on the volcano’s flanks, night walks, and day trips to the wetlands of Caño Negro.

New owners, same idea

According to the lodge’s about page, Bryant and Marci Hicks moved from Texas in August 2022 and took over the property after first staying as guests. They say they remodeled and redesigned the whole place with local artisans while continuing the vision of the original owners, the Biessel family, a Belgian couple who opened the B&B in 2008.

The staff named on the site are largely from Bijagua: a head gardener, a maintenance lead, and the two women who cook breakfast and keep the bungalows. That matters in a village where tourism jobs are a big part of the local economy.

Bungalows

The bungalows page lists four kinds of lodging, all open to the garden and cooled by screened windows and fans rather than air conditioning:

• Pura Vida Jungle House: the largest and most private unit, with two rooms, two bathrooms, a queen and three single beds for up to five, a covered teak deck where breakfast is served, and its own covered parking.
• Superior bungalows (the Toucan, the Colibrí and the Sloth): two queen beds each, for up to four adults, with garden and volcano views and a front patio.
• Deluxe bungalow (the Danta): a king bed, a natural stone bathroom and a private patio facing the volcano, aimed at couples.
• The Morpho and the Rana: two units in one duplex with big hammock porches facing the pool. The Morpho has a queen bed; the Rana adds two singles. Families can email to book both together.

Breakfast, pool and spa

Breakfast is the one meal served, made with local ingredients. The amenities page singles out the homemade bread, from seedy sourdough to soft baguettes, alongside marmalades and guacamole. Lunch and dinner are not offered, so plan on Bijagua’s small restaurants in the evening.

Around the gardens you will find a cool, jetted dipping pool, a large in-ground hot tub, a yoga and meditation deck open from sunrise to sunset, a small spa offering massages and treatments, and a teak reception veranda with a fire for morning coffee and a glass of wine at dusk. A maintained trail through the garden forest can be walked by day or with a flashlight after dark.

Birds and wildlife

The B&B’s birding page says nearly 500 bird species have been recorded around Bijagua, and that a few hundred visit its gardens. Species it highlights include keel-billed and yellow-throated toucans, Lesson’s motmot, red-legged honeycreeper, long-tailed manakin, red-lored parrot and yellow-throated euphonia. The hosts can set up guided birding, and whole-property birding retreats are available for groups.

Monkeys and sloths also use the gardens, according to the lodge. As always in the wild, sightings vary by day and season.

Sustainability

The owners’ eco-friendly page is detailed for a property this size. According to the B&B:

• Rainwater catchment supplies the pool and hot tub, and on-demand heaters keep shower water at body temperature to save energy.
• Gray water from the laundry and kitchen runs through a French drain system, and breakfast scraps are composted for the gardens.
• Drinking water is spring water from Miravalles served in reusable glass bottles, and real dishware replaces disposables; the owners estimate they have cut 99% of single-use waste.
• Pests are kept away with cinnamon, vinegar, citrus and citronella rather than harsh chemicals, and laundry products are biodegradable.
• Hundreds of trees have been planted at Finca de Fe, a sister property, and the B&B works with the local electric company on wildlife crossings over nearby roads.
• Retired cotton linens and repairable appliances go to local homes for the elderly and families in need.

None of this has been checked by an outside body. Sueño Río Celeste does not appear in the official CST directory, so treat these as the owners’ own statements. Our guide to how to choose a sustainable hotel in Costa Rica explains what questions to ask.

Who it suits

This is a good fit for couples and small families who want a personal, quiet base for Río Celeste, and for birders who like to start the day with binoculars on a veranda. It also works for small groups, since the whole property can be booked for retreats.

Travelers who need air conditioning, an on-site dinner restaurant or a big resort pool will be happier elsewhere. In the same valley, compare Tenorio Lodge, set on 17 acres with volcano-view bungalows, or Casitas Tenorio, a family farm stay nearby. For the wider area, see our Arenal and Río Celeste ecotourism guide and the full list of Northern Plains eco-lodges. Costa Rica Journeys also keeps a profile of the B&B.