Most of your premium clients have already done the Maldives. They’ve ticked off St Lucia, Dubai, the Seychelles. The brief quietly shifts from “relaxing beach” to “I want to come home feeling different.”
That’s the client Hacienda AltaGracia was built for.
It sits 3,500 feet up in Costa Rica’s Talamanca Mountains, just outside Pérez Zeledón. 180 acres. 50 casitas. A private airstrip. And one of the biggest wellness spas in Central America, run in partnership with THE WELL.
This isn’t a beach resort pretending to do wellness. It’s a mountain sanctuary that genuinely delivers it, and for UK agents looking to grow their luxe portfolio beyond the obvious destinations, it’s a property worth knowing inside out.
Here’s what you need to know.
TL;DR
- Property: Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Location: Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica (near Pérez Zeledón)
- Relaunched: November 2021 as a wellness-led hacienda
- Ideal clients: Premium and luxury travellers who’ve “done” the beach, wellness-curious HNW couples, active families with teens, solo resetters
- Top positioning: Mountain hacienda meets contemporary wellness ranch… warm, Latin, never clinical
- Unique edge: Private airstrip with shared charter flights from San José included in the rate, plus THE WELL partnership and Central America’s largest spa
- Inclusions: All meals, non-alcoholic drinks, daily wellness and adventure programming, shared charter flight transfers
The Setting: Where Mountains Do the Work
If your client is picturing palm trees and lido sunbeds, reset the expectation early. AltaGracia is a high-altitude finca. Think wide lawns, kitchen gardens, stables, coffee plants and misty mornings over the San Isidro Valley. Cooler than the coast. Greener than almost anywhere else.
It was converted from a private estate, and it still feels that way. More like a cultivated village than a hotel block.
The 50 casitas are freestanding, one to multi-bedroom, many with private plunge pools and deep terraces. Interiors lean warm and natural, not showy. The view does the work.
For your client conversations: Frame this as the opposite of a beach resort. Clients who struggle with humid heat, who don’t want to fight for a sunbed, who want space and quiet… this is their property.
THE WELL Spa: Why It’s Not Just Another Resort Spa
Wellness is where AltaGracia does its most serious work. The on-site spa runs to 20,000 square feet and is described as the largest in Central America. Indoor pool, heated relaxation areas, mud and clay bathing pods, thermal experiences, the full menu.
The partnership with THE WELL means the programme isn’t just treatments. It’s bodywork, energy work, nutrition, movement, nature-based rituals. River baths. Herbal remedies. Daily classes are included in the rate.
What tends to resonate with British-market clients is the feel. Your SHA, Lanserhof and Six Senses wellness-curious clients can be put off by anything that looks too medical. AltaGracia gives them the same depth with warmth, landscape and a Latin sensibility instead of a white coat.
The Booking Angle: Guests can access many spa facilities even without a paid treatment. That’s useful for clients who want daily wellness time without watching a running tab.
The Activity Roster: More Firsts Than Most Resorts Offer
This is where AltaGracia separates itself for experience-collectors.
On property:
- Guided hikes, trail runs and mountain biking on private trails
- Los Establos equestrian centre, with Experiencia Equina designed for beginners, children and nervous riders
- Kitchen gardens, coffee farm access, estate walks
Arranged through the resort:
- Ultralight flights over rivers and ridges (yes, really, your client flies over the Talamanca range in an open-cockpit plane)
- Fly-to-coast day trips for beach time, so clients get both mountain and Pacific in one stay
- Off-site ziplines and soft adventure
For many UK clients, the ultralight and the equine programme are genuine firsts. That’s the kind of detail that tends to win a booking over a second Maldives.
What’s Actually Included
The all-inclusive piece is worth understanding because it changes how you price the stay against competitors.
Included in the nightly rate:
- Three meals daily, locally sourced, vegetable-forward menus
- Non-alcoholic beverages
- Daily wellness and adventure programming
- Use of resort amenities
- Shared charter flights from San José (SJO) to the on-site airstrip for up to two guests per suite, often extendable to four for a supplement
Charged extra:
- Specialist treatments and private excursions
- Alcohol
- Ultralight flights and fly-to-coast days
For Your Client Conversations: When clients flinch at the nightly rate, add up what they’d spend elsewhere on internal flights, three-meals-plus-drinks, daily classes and transfers. The number usually lands differently after that.
Why This Is Landing Well Right Now
Costa Rica can feel logistically fiddly, especially for first-timers wary of long transfers or self-drive. The included charter from SJO quietly removes that. It also makes a multi-stop itinerary (mountains plus Pacific coast) far easier to package and price.
And the resort actively supports advance booking. Their “Plan Your Escape” offer gives savings for stays booked 60+ days ahead, plus value-adds like a fourth night complimentary and resort credits on selected packages. That’s a proper lever for early commitment, which protects overall ticket value.
AltaGracia also lets you talk credibly about a side of Costa Rica that most UK brochures skip entirely. Everyone leans on the coasts, Arenal and cloud forest lodges. Very few agents can speak to a high-altitude wellness hacienda. That alone positions you as more than a standard Costa Rica seller.
How to Qualify the Right Client
Three quick questions to work into your consultation:
- “Do you recharge better by the sea or in the mountains?” If they say mountains or “somewhere quiet in nature”… AltaGracia goes top of the shortlist.
- “Do you want structured wellness programmes, or come-and-go access?” AltaGracia does both, but structured bookers get the most out of the rate.
- “How do your kids feel about horses and hiking?” The Experiencia Equina and estate-style layout is a strong fit for teens and tweens who like to roam.
Clients who should not be sent here: the beach-above-all crowd, anyone expecting a party vibe, and humid-heat lovers who want tropical coast energy. Set the expectation clearly and you protect the booking.
Here’s To What’s Next
AltaGracia is a proper answer to the question your repeat luxury clients are starting to ask… “what’s next after the beach?”
Mountain air. A serious spa. Horses, ultralights and a charter flight included in the rate. It’s a fresh angle for your Costa Rica portfolio, and the kind of property the luxe conversation keeps circling back to.
