Can you send me a short description of your property? 
Tranquillity Hill is a two-suite and 5-bedroom house built in a traditional Costa Rican style surrounded by lush tropical gardens and coffee fields.  Tranquillity Hill is nestled in the foothills of the central valley in the district of Zaragoza on the outskirts of the town of Palmares, about 1 hour north of downtown San Jose.  Our facility includes: several lounge areas, an outdoor jacuzzi, roofed patio and private parking.  Tranquillity Hill is a secured, one acre retreat for those who wish to rest their mind and body while being pampered.  Our gardens, palm trees, plants and flowers provide a peaceful and quiet environment to nurture the soul.   

What's the weather like in Palmares? 
Average temperature in the Palmares area varies between a maximum of 26C to 29C and a minimum of 16C to 20C.  Palmares offers a similar temperature year-round.  Our Home page shows current weather and temperature.  The rainiest month is usually October. Between June and September, our Green Season, you will awaken to sunny skies and the afternoon may bring showers that usually don’t last very long.  The Green Season offers Nature at its best.
   
What are the activities available? 
Click here to see a short list of activities you can do using Tranquillity Hill as a "base camp".   We arrange excursions with tour operators or customize your visits with private taxis or nature guides.   Whether you have your own transportation or not, we help you choose the best values!  

Is Tranquillity Hill close to town? 
Tranquillity Hill is located on the fringe of Palmares, about 2 kilometers from downtown.  Palmares has easy access to the highways that lead to all of Costa Rica's most popular attractions.  You can get to San José within 60 minutes by bus or taxi, depending on traffic.  Around here you will find banks, grocery and drug stores, a hospital and many restaurants serving international cuisine. A 30-minute taxi ride will take you to the biggest, most modern shopping mall in Costa Rica.  You can enjoy golfing at an international championship 18-hole golf course located within a 40-minute taxi ride.
 
How do I get from the airport to Tranquillity Hill? 
Ask your travel agent about direct flights to Juan Santamaria International Airport. Various US and Canadian cities have charter flight service, usually available from December to March.

Palmares is located 49km north of the Airport.  You can drive from the airport, click to see maps of Costa Rica and directions to Tranquillity Hill, or request taxi pickup ($50 fare).  A majority of our guests choose the last option.  One of our  taxi drivers greets them at the airport.  They carry a sign with the guest's name.  It makes their arrival smooth and easy, something that is truly appreciated after a long flight.

About Costa Rica

Please click here for a lot of great information on Costa Rica and a beautiful selection of pictures: www.1-costaricalink.com

San José, the bustling capital, is smack in the center of Costa Rica, within the Cordillera Central, a mountain range dotted with volcanoes. To the northwest of San José are Lake Arenal and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. South of San José is the Pacific coast, where you'll find Manuel Antonio National Park and other unspoiled stretches of rain forest. Two peninsulas jut into the Pacific: The larger is Nicoya, one of the country's most popular destinations. The smaller Osa Peninsula is more difficult to reach and has a much wilder feel. The Caribbean coast is hotter,
rainier, and much less traveled.

Need to Know
Follow a few simple rules:

• Language: Spanish
• Capital City: San José
• Population: 4.3 million
• Area: 19,725 square miles
• Telephone Calling Code(s): 506
• Electricity: 120V, 60 Hz
• Currency: As of Nov 4, 2011: $1USD = ~ 510 Costa Rica Colones
• Entry Requirements: Costa Rica does not require visas for citizens of the United States or Canada. A valid passport is sufficient for a three-month stay.

Good to Know

Cuisine
Costa Rica isn't an especially luxe destination, catering more to ecotourists than jet-setters. As a result, the cuisine is less haute than humble, local, honest, and cheap. Specialties of Costa Rica's many sodas (small restaurants) are casado (rice, beans, stewed beef, fried plantain, salad, and cabbage), olla de carne (soup of beef, plantain, corn, yucca, nampi, and chayote), and sopa negra (black beans with a poached egg). You'll be satiated, but not indulged.

Good Buys
Costa Rica produces many crafts that are worth taking home, from beautiful leatherwork to ceramics. Costa Rica also produces some of the world's finest coffee, much of which is grown on small farms. If you can tear yourself away from the verdant jungles and fantastic surf, look around for local artists who create exacting neo-Amerindian jewelry from gold, silver, and precious stones. In the past few years, dozens of shops have popped up, offering what is billed as artesanía indígena. It is indigenous art, but not always from Costa Rica—you're as likely to find weavings from Guatemala, Panamanian embroidery, and stone carvings all the way from Mexico. However, the elaborately carved exotic woods, made into everything from bracelets to bowls, are usually the real deal. The best native crafts are found in Sarchi, a mountain village only 20 minutes away. Look for comfortable wood-and-leather chairs, most of them easily foldable for your flight home. The town is known throughout the country for its colorful ox carts, often seen in local parades; it's possible to buy miniature versions that are just as elaborately painted.

Money
All hotels add 10 percent service tax plus 3 percent tourist tax to the bill by law, while most restaurants add a 10 percent service charge. It is not necessary to tip taxi drivers.

National Holidays

• January: 1, New Year's Day
• March: 19, St. Joseph's Day
• April: 11, National Heroes Day
• May: 1, Labor Day
• June: 29, St. Peter and St. Paul Day
• July: 25, Annexation of Guanacaste
• August: 2, Our Lady of the Angels; 15, Mother's Day
• September: 15, Independence Day
• November: 2, All Souls' Day
• December: 1, Abolition of the Armed Forces Day; 8, Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary; 25, Christmas Day
• Spring: Thursday before Easter, Maundy Thursday; Friday before Easter, Good Friday; Saturday before Easter, Holy Saturday; Easter
• Summer: Ninth Thursday after Easter, Corpus Christi.