We stayed at the wonderful La Terraza B&B both the beginning and end of our Costa Rica vacation and stayed at a time share resort in between our two visits to La Terrazza. We wish we had just stayed at La Terrazza the entire time though!
La Terrazza is located about 25 minutes from the San Jose airport in a non-tourist town called Grecia. It is not in San Jose proper and that's probably a good thing as there is really nothing exciting in San Jose itself. Getting to La Terrazza would probably be quite challenging if you were to rent a car at the airport and try to find it yourself. We cannot state this strongly enough "The road system in Costa Rica is quite poor!" The roads are small, have lots of potholes and are cluttered with pedestrian and animal obstructions as well as washouts and rockslides. The fact that they dont use street signs, street numbers and street names in most locations makes navigating extremely tough. People usually refer to locations by their proximity to some local landmark. For these reasons we strongly recommend you use La Terrazza's guest pickup service to bring you to and from the airport. We were met by their driver (Carlos) right at the terminal and this made everything very easy. If you still desire to have a rental car you can have the owners (Charles & Jeanetta) arrange for dropoff and pickup at La Terrazza which will make your life much easier. We initially planned to do this but after seeing roads we happily cancelled our car rental reservation. The owners will happily arrange any transportation you need using either their driver or by calling other transport services to get you any place you need to go.
Grecia, the town where the B&B is located, has no real tourist sites or facilities but is centrally located so that most things in the country are within a couple hours of it. For this reason we think that it makes an ideal base for being able to explore different parts of Costa Rica. Compared to Grecia, our time-share was at the beach in Playa Tambor and we found that location to be much too remote to do some of the site seeing we had planned on. We also found the Costa Rican beaches to be not particularly pretty, safe, or clean and we see no reason to stay on the beach for any visit there. The real beauty of Costa Rica is in the towns, mountains, and jungles which makes a location like Grecia more attractive.
La Terrazza itself is a beautiful serene garden. The entire grounds have been landscaped and are as gorgeous as anything you could imagine. The entire property is walled and fenced to provide maximum privacy There is a main house where meals are served and there is pool table you can use. Behind the main house is another buildiing containing the 3 guest rooms. All the guest rooms are beautifully decorated and far surpass the appeal of even high quailty hotel rooms. The rooms all overlook a beatuful garden, a flowing river, and beatiful foot bridge that leads to additional gardens and an orchard, also part of the property. Behind the guest rooms there is a cabana containing a beatiful and private jacuzzi that guests can use any time. The cabana is very nice because its provides a beatiful view of the gardens as well as privacy.
We were amazed by the cleanliness of the entire place. Everything is spotless even by the most stringent US standards. We could not say this about the time-share we used and other hotels we observed around Costa Rica. The 2 housekeepers (Christina and Cincha) constantly buzz around like bee's keeping everything in pristine condition. Carlos manages the grounds and maintenance in addition to his driving duties.
Unlike most B&B's, La Terrazza serves a full breakfast rather than a continental style breakfast. They will cook whatever you like, be it american style breakfast or something more Costa Rican. They also serve dinner and or lunch, if you ask, for a small additional fee. We found the dinner to be one of the best meals we had in Costa Rica because it tasted home cooked. We highly recommend eating dinner here as there are very few dining options in Grecia itself.
What sets this B&B apart from other places is their total commitment to service. The owners want you to have things just the way you want them. They recognize that different people have different preferences and they accomodate them all with personalized service. For us, examples of this included:
- no strict check-in/check-out times
- serving meals at any time we wanted
- providing laundry service at extremely reasonable rates
- providing us transportation to the destinations we needed when we decided not to use a rental car
- going above and beyond for us when we were sick
The owners themselves set the tone for the great service here but we have to say their 3 employee's are the people who make alot of that great service happen and we cant say enough good things about them.
The owners are an American couple with quite a bit of world travel experience. They are quite interesting to talk to and happily share their experiences, opinions, and recommendations with you whenever you wish. They constantly emphasize their desire to make you feel at home and we felt they absolutely accomplished that.
To close, we cannot imagine going to back to Costa Rica and staying anywhere else but here. We can say without hesitation that we know you will love this place and we would recommend it to anyone looking for quiet and beautiful base camp while in Costa Rica.

Mike & Sonia

We just got back from our first trip to Costa Rica and had the pleasure to stay at the La Terraza B & B in Grecia. First, let me say that our room had the most beautiful view of a mountain hilltop surrounded by beautifully landscaped and very lush tropical gardens. The owners, Charles and Jeanetta Owens along with their staff, made our stay one of the best experiences we had ever had while away from home. The rooms are very clean and quite comfortably equipped with a mini fridge, microwave and coffee maker. The interior design of each room is rich in detail and style which truly provides a cozy comfortable peaceful feeling. The cost is quite reasonable per night considering it comes with a made to order breakfast feast sure to satisfy any appetite. If you are looking for a quiet, relaxing get- away, this place is EXCELLENT! Take a short taxi cab ride and you are able to shop and walk downtown Grecia. We will definitely go back to stay again with Charles, Jeannetta and the excellent staff of La Terraza B & B. This is a 5 STAR + Bed & Breakfast in our opinion and one of the many hi lights of our recent Costa Rica travels. Carol & Darrell (Satellite Beach, Florida)

Just returned from a 5-day stay at the La Terraza B&B Guesthouse in Grecia. This a jewel of a place tucked in the mountains of Alajuela province. Grecia is a charming town filled with warm Costa Rican people.
Our hosts Charles and Jeanetta Owens are the nicest couple you could ever meet on a trip if you are travelling alone as I did.
The rooms are bright and airy, beautiful and warmly decorated. All the rooms are neatly laid out with large windows all over and a cool breeze that comes from a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden. There is a stream that flows alongside the property with gentle sounds that sends one to sleep at night. You are awaken in the morning with sounds of birds chirping in the trees and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The entire location can be summed up in one word "enchanting".
Breakfast is a welcome sight at La Terraza. The staff Christine and Seenia put together scrumptous meals of diverse fruits, Tea and coffee with bacon, eggs, biscuits and a dose of the favorite costa rican breakfast. They are eager to make your stay a pleasant and memorable one.
Ms. Jeannetta took to organizing my trip to the Poas volcano and La Paz water falls. A trusted and personal driver (Mr. Carlos) personally guided me on this tour. I was welcomed to take personal trips to the local markets and even an opportunity to spend time at the local gym . The Owens embrace each guest as though they were family and provide any and all information about your stay in Costa Rica. They are eager to share their experiences and ensure that each guest is comfortable and safe during their visit.
I look forward to my next visit next year.

To Carlos, Christine, Seenia, mucho gracias. Hasta luego,
Ms Mildred (Marissa)

We recently came back from Costa Rica and a 9 days vacation there. Our first stop was La Terraza B&B in Grecia. Grecia is located about 45 minutes by car from the airport. We stayed in one of the apartment houses that Jeanetta Owens (one of the owners) had nearby the main house. It was lovely. Each morning, we came to the main house for breakfast which was a scrumptious cooked-to-order American Breakfast fare (eggs, bacon (my daughter thought they were the best in CR), pancakes, toast, etc.). The staff is very friendly and kind; they go out of their way to help us during our stay there. Although we stayed at one of the apartment houses, in the main building, there are several rooms which are quite lovely. The garden in the main house is exquisite, with a jacuzzi available as well. There is a little brook running in the back with a bridge crossing. In addition to the rooms, there is a suite available as well.

The entire property is SPOTLESS! which is not absolutely the case with other, even more expensive, places that we stayed during our sojourn in CR. She is the #1 rated place in the area, and there is a reason for that!

All in all, we highly, HIGHLY, recommend La Terraza. This was our first Costa Rican trip and we had a great time. Jeanetta essentially told me to come on down and she'll help with the trip planning. She provided a lot of useful tips to guide us to places that we wanted to see.

To that end, I wanted to pass along some tips for new vacationers to CR.
1. If you want to rent a car, Jeanetta can help you with that. as well. She will arrange for pickup at the airport (SJO) and driven to Grecia. Afterwards, you can have the car delivered to La Terraza and you can drive off from there. Getting a care outside of the airport will save you a 12% tax on top of your rental fee. You really don't need a car on your first day in CR. You are winding down and a taxi into Grecia for dinner (Jeanetta can call that for you also) costs about $6 USD each way.
2. When in Grecia, we recommend eating at Rancho Nelson which is in the downtown Grecia area. The food is "tipico Costa Rican" and cheap. The more expensive Casa de Miguel is not worth the money. Steaks in CR is underwhelming, but the "tipico" dishes of Rice and seafood is generally great.
3. If you are not a native Costa Rican and a geopgraphy whiz, insist on a GPS. We drove from SJO to Grecia to Volcan Poas to Volcan Arenal to the Manuel Antonio area and back to Downtown San Jose with the GPS guiding the whole way. Did not get lost and I could not imagine being able to make the trip without it. Again, insist on a GPS, it's a lifesaver and well worth the $8-10 USD cost per day. Another tip, don't be so worried if the GPS says you are slightly off course but heading in the right direction. The maps are correct 98% of the time, but occasionally would read out that we are off the road when we did not alter our route at all. Initially, I thought I was lost, but after 100-200 meters, while continuing on the same road, we would be back on course. I chalk it up to the fact that the road course occasionally change and the map not continually updated. This is rare but a bit disconcerting the first time it happened to us.
4. A 4x4 vehicle is a must in my opinion. Some roads in CR are unpaved, even in main tourist areas. I had a Suzuki Jimny 4x4, it's terribly underpowered and small, but adequate for even uphill climbs, provided we turn off the A/C. I rented from Dollar Rentacar at SJO airport and paid $515 bucks including insurance for a 8 day rental. I probably may have saved some money if Jeanetta booked it for me. So check around for prices. Most companies dealing with tourists are on the Net and respond promptly to emails.

All in all, we had a great time in Costa Rica and will return again. This is what happens to a country that does not spend the majority of its GDP on guns and wars.

thanks Jeanetta! All our best,

Tri, Mimi and Kellie