Finding Calm in the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica

Holidays mean many different things to different people.  And, often the type of holiday you take can depend on how you are feeling at the time.  When myself and my husband visited Costa Rica earlier in the Autumn we were looking for adventure but also some down time and a place to unwind and feel peaceful.  The Cloud Forest of Monte Verde is certainly where we found the calm and peace we had been craving after a busy few months at work for both of us.

Getting There

Getting to the Cloud Forest isn’t easy and the roads are certainly not for the faint hearted.  We travelled on a day when the rain was either hard or torrential. The tiny road which led up to our hotel situated in the mountain tops of the Monteverde Reserve was a challenge for both driver and passenger!  The road was not only narrow but steep, rugged and full of pot holes.  The cloud was so low and thick that often we could only see a few meters in front of us and never really knew when the next bend, ascent or descent was coming.  Every so often we popped out of the cloud and passed thorough tiny colourful settlements.  Small roads lined with the colourful homes we had come to associate with Costa Rica.

Hotel Belmar

Our destination was the rather stunning Hotel Belmar, a beautiful Austrian style chalet tucked into the tree tops with views (we were told!) across the cloud forest.  It was exactly what we were looking for in terms of a mini retreat.  Hotel Belmar is luxurious, the staff are welcoming and friendly and the attention to detail is exemplary.

Hotel Belmar is completely dedicated to the preservation of the natural world in which it sits and everything is locally sourced and produced from the food in the delicious restaurant to the toiletries in the bathroom and everything in between,  The scent of the luxurious banana hair conditioner has stayed with me long after leaving Hotel Belmar.  The ethos is wellness and everything is designed to promote that.

Our room, like all the rooms was entirely constructed from wood.  Towels were thick and fluffy, the shower was hot and powerful and the bed was large and comfortable! Lots of thoughtful little touches such as costa rican chocolate on the pillows added to our very happy stay there.  We had a room with a balcony facing the cloud forest.  Sadly the cloud was so low, and it rained so much during out time there, we were unable to take advantage of it.  Next time though…

 

The food was without doubt the best we had in Costa Rica.  Most of it is produced in the organic restaurant garden or on the Belmar family farm. We enjoyed it so much. So much in fact that we barely took any photographs so you will have to just take my word for its deliciousness!  With a mantra of ‘from farm to fork’ and a chef who clearly has an innovative approach to flavour combinations, as well a eye for the aesthetics of food, everything we ate and drank was wonderful.

The Cloud Forest

We set out early on the day we visited the Monte Verde National Park, not because we had far to go but we were hoping to make the most of the weather before the rain reliably came in again. From the moment we began our walk through the forest, we were readily drawn in to this green, mystical, magical world.  The lush forest was shrouded in a fine mist which only served to accentuate this.  We went without a guide and spent 3 hours wandering along the trails, coming across only a handful of other visitors.  We looked down onto, and through the huge canopies of ancient trees. We gazed at thick tree trunks so gnarled they had taken on a prehistoric nature.  Jungle book like vines drape across the canopy and through the trees and the blooms of vibrant flowers punctuate the green carpet.

There is a stillness and quiet to the cloud forest.  The forest is alive and busy but without freneticism.  There is of course noise from birds and insects and the breeze through the trees, and often the splash of rain on the huge umbrella like leaves of palms and other trees.  This all adds to the calmness.  Green is known to be calming and there are a hundred shades of green the deeper you go into the forest.  We left feeling refreshed and revitalised simply from being part of it.

 

The Coffee

Neither of us are coffee snobs or coffee aficionados but we do love and drink lots of coffee, and oh my, how we loved the Costa Rican coffee.  It was lots of fun visiting a local coffee plantation and seeing how the coffee is grown, hand picked and transformed from bean to the drink we enjoy so much. It was also interesting to learn about the actual and surprising caffeine content of one of our favourite beverages.

The plantation we visited was dripping in exotic fruits, with banana plants and avocado trees planted carefully amongst the coffee plants. Cacao is also grown and we had the chance to make (and eat) our own chocloate too!

All coffee grown in Costa Rica is Arabica, of the highest quality. Needless to say we came home with bags of coffee beans and have been enjoying Costa Rican Coffee since our return.

If you are considering a trip to Costa Rica, the journey up to the Cloud Forest in Monte Verde is absolutely one I would recommend.  Its tranquil and calming and sure to soothe even the most troubled western soul.

You may also enjoy reading my previous post ‘Finding Colour in Costa Rica‘.