I had a humongous Prolijo style reply prepared but when I went to post I had timed out and it got lost. DAMN THIS SYSTEM SOMETIMES.
I'll just give you the readers digest version for now and if I feel energetic (and lucky) later I might try to rewrite the pearly words of wisdom that I had prepared earlier.
The short and most obvious answer is for you to do a search for the Villablanca Hotel in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest. This luxury hotel may be priced a bit outside of your range with rates starting at $170/nt plus tax at this time of year. Meals, that you'll probably take at the hotel due to its remoteness, are similarly high-priced. You see it is actually located about 20kms north of San Ramon, so you'll probably also need a car to get there and back and forth to San Ramon proper, if that is the place you really wanted to explore. OTOH, it is also located amidst probably the most popular attraction in the San Ramon area, the Los Angeles Cloud Forest, an 800 hectare private reserve that has been described as a less crowded (and more easily reached) alternative to the even more popular Monteverde. Unlike Monteverde, you're not allowed to explore the trails without a guide and the hikes have been described as also being a bit pricey for what you get.
For more in-depth and less widely known info on the San Ramon area, I think your best resource is http://www.sanramon-costarica.com. This site is actually operated by a local Gringo owned realty company (Paradise Mgmt http://www.costaricapm.com) and so it paints a very pretty view of San Ramon but it still seems pretty fair and unbiased (as it says on every page "We do not receive any financial compensation from any businesses listed in this guide"(unlike other highly touted similar regional websites like www.arenal.net)). I strongly recommend you check out this site if you're interested in the San Ramon area.
They list about 10-12 hotels on their accomodations page (including Villablanca). A few deserve special mention. If, because of transport limitations, you want to be in town itself, your best bet will probably be La Posada (http://www.posadahotel.net @ $50/nt plus tax). Just 4kms north of town, in the same direction as Villablanca, is the Angel Valley Farm B&B (http://www.angelvalleyfarmbandb.com @ $60/nt plus tax). This place got a bad review on TripAdvisor from someone who moved to La Posada the next night and liked it better, but the other reviews were very favorable. Heading back ~4kms towards SJ is the Casa Marta (http://www.hotelcasamarta.com @ $60/nt?). These last 2 places may be a bit too far to just get out and walk around town, but are close enough that a local cab should not run you too much.
If you don't mind being much further from town, but don't want to pay Villablanca rates, there is one more place you might want to consider (not mentioned on the San Ramon website). El Cafetal (http://www.cafetal.com @ $85/nt plus tax) is actually located in the little "town" of Santa Eulalia of Atenas, which is ~3-4 miles off of the PAH from the Grecia. This puts it a little farther from San Ramon than even the Villablanca but may be a better location for you for several reasons. Even though it is a little farther, the PAH is a much faster road and it is probably closer to San Ramon in terms of minutes. Although it is farther from the cloud forests, it is much better located if you choose to use El Cafetal as a base for visiting other interesting towns and attractions in the area such as Grecia, Saarchi, Naranjo or Turu Ba-Ri (http://www.turubari.com), Los Chorros Waterfalls in Tarcares, Zoo Ave and the Butterfly Farm (all just 30 minutes or less from El Caf). They even offer tours to the Los Angeles Cloud Forest if you don't want to drive there yourself. Plus they're located in an interesting spot itself being on a working coffee farm which you can also tour while you're there.
What about things to do in the San Ramon area? The Angel Valley website lists a number of interesting things you can do within an easy walk or short cabride of central San Ramon and they won't cost you an arm and a leg:
- Butterfly Garden - actually 7kms west of San Ramon, has hundreds of Morphos and amazing orchids and other flowers and costs only $4 for you and your special friend
Cuban Cigar Rolling/Rum & Coffee shop - roll your own cigar and learn about the rich history of cigar making
San Ramon Museum—the city of “Poets,†describes the rich history of San Ramon, and absolutely free to visit
San Ramon Farmers Market - if you're there Friday Noon to 7PM or Saturday 7AM to Noon
The San Ramon Parish Church - a majestic structure and important landmark of the Province of Alajuela. Sunday afternoon the Church is filled to capacity. After Church lets out, families amble out the doors to the Parque Central, while the 18 to 20-somethings head to the clubs to party before Monday morning and the beginning of the work week.
Lunch at a local Tilapia farm - where you can catch your own fish and watched it being prepared. I'm not sure but they might be referring to Rancho Carrucha and the Trout Ponds Near La Paz which has trout you can catch from a stocked pond and "have it prepared while you wait in the rustic cabin and enjoy music and amusements." The setting there is supposed to very beautiful but it is actually located about 30 minutes north of San Ramon just east of the Villablanca
Las Muses - a waterpark with 2 pools, water slide and bar/restaurant with a 100 meter waterfall in view leading to a natural pool. Bajo Caliente is another swimming spot about 5 minutes outside of San Ramon
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San Ramon Social Club - Club Centro de Cultura Social
Founded in 1926, the club is both a large building with multiple bars and an integral part of San Ramon history. For drinking, dancing and taking in a tradition of San Ramon, explore the club on a busy weekend night. Wander up to the 2nd floor, if you can, where you’ll find a lot of cool photos of San Ramon through the years.
Weekend nights there are 2 Latin dance clubs and I’ve been with crowds of a few hundred people in each room. One club attracts 30-40 somethings and the other a younger scene. There’s also Karaoke midweek. When the Costa Rica National Soccer team is playing, the club draws big crowds to drink and cheer wildly as the game is broadcast on many screens.
Then there is also this one:Founded in 1926, the club is both a large building with multiple bars and an integral part of San Ramon history. For drinking, dancing and taking in a tradition of San Ramon, explore the club on a busy weekend night. Wander up to the 2nd floor, if you can, where you’ll find a lot of cool photos of San Ramon through the years.
Weekend nights there are 2 Latin dance clubs and I’ve been with crowds of a few hundred people in each room. One club attracts 30-40 somethings and the other a younger scene. There’s also Karaoke midweek. When the Costa Rica National Soccer team is playing, the club draws big crowds to drink and cheer wildly as the game is broadcast on many screens.
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Secretos and System Sound Bar
These 2 bars are next door to each other just west of the central park. Things get interesting in both bars after 9PM. On a busy weekend night, the street outside looks like a scene from “Fame†with beautiful local teens and twenty-somethings in serious numbers. The music is loud in both spots.
And finally they list this one that recently re-opened under new management:These 2 bars are next door to each other just west of the central park. Things get interesting in both bars after 9PM. On a busy weekend night, the street outside looks like a scene from “Fame†with beautiful local teens and twenty-somethings in serious numbers. The music is loud in both spots.
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Excalibur
This has historically been the after hours club, open from midnight until morning.
This has historically been the after hours club, open from midnight until morning.
I guess this repost was not as condensed as I thought it would be, but you should have seen what I had before.
