A four star hotel with full services is located in the low lands of the Central Pacific, 6 kilometers from the city of Quepos and 12 kilometers from “Manuel Antonio” National Park. It is about 3 hours away by car and only 20 minutes away by airplane from Costa Rica’s capital city, San José.

FEATURES AND SERVICE

• Swimming pool
• Whirl pool
• Restaurant
• Bar
• Air transportations
• Private air terminal in Quepos
• Private rain forest with more than 5 kilometers of trails
• Canopy tour
• Local tours

Tours

After reproducing themselves, they migrate to tropical and subtropical regions to escape from the winter weather, as well as from the lack of food. This usually happens in September and October and they return approximately in April and May.

There is also a small group of birds that migrates to South America. These birds reproduce themselves here in Costa Rica and later they return south. The rest of the birds are considered as permanent residents; however, some of them move within our country, and this group is known as altitudinal migratory birds; among this group we could primarily include birds that eat fruits and suck nectar. They fly above the mountains to take advantage of the blooming and fructification periods that occur at different times and hights during the year. For instance, quetzales, aves campana, tangaras and some saltarines.

Regarding the reproduction in Costa Rica, the time is scheduled around March and April, though some species nest during different times of the year.

The birds found near the farm surrounding the property are distributed in different habitats; those that live in primary and secondary forest and different stratum; others live in weeds or charrales, grass fields, streams, rivers and culture areas.

Butterflies Garden

As a result of the diversity of shape, color and beauty of the butterflies existing in this property and in neighboring places, they become, undoubtedly, an added attraction to tourists staying at the Hotel.

Some species are easy to observe in their own natural habitats, and also to admire its delicate flight and complex behavior in a gallery forest or at neighboring places; this is a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Other species, though common, are difficult to see, due to their strange colors and their aloof behavior. However, if a capable guide is in charge and favorable special habitats are chosen, it will be possible to contemplate marvelous species.

Some of the species easier to observe in our Butterfly Garden are: blue morpho, owl butterfly, little mirrors, paquina, little handkerchief, malaquita, little stars and yellow papilio.

Bird fauna

Even though Costa Rica measures only 51.000 kilometers. , 840 bird species have been registered here, representing approximately 9.65% of the existing bird species in the world.

Of the 840 bird species in Costa Rica/ approximately 200 of them are latitudinal migratory. Most of them are reproduced in North America and a few of them, especially sea birds, in places so far away as New Guinea, the Artic Coasts and Siberia

As a result of its climatic diversification, Costa Rica has 12 life zones. These exist on account of the million years of evolution and they include several microhabitats. formed by numerous organisms that have had, through millions of years, serious mutations. These have originated the great biological diversity that our country has.

In accordance to Holdridge's life zones, Hotel Rancho Casa Grande is located at the life area known as the very humid Tropical Forest. This forest is higher and more dense than the humid Tropical Forest. This forest, as far as the flora is concerned, is the most complex of the world and the richest life zone in diversity of species.

In 1972, the National Manuel Antonio Park was created to purposely protect the last defense of tropical humid forest near the Central Pacific Coast. This step taken toward preserving the forest, highly contributed to the development of tourism, which plays an important role in the national economy.

The Hotel is situated on a land which was intensely cultivated in the past. This damaged the natural resources, as well as the neighboring land; nevertheless, the neglect of the cultures and the conservation of a small portion of the forest, as well as the preservation of the gallery forest that surrounds the river banks near the property, fostered a recuperation of the original vegetation and of the fauna that inhabited the place.

The location and the Hotel’s resources enable it to have a worthwhile potential tourism, and also becomes an example of recuperation of areas damaged by past cultures.

CANOPY TOUR Fly through our jungle canopy both for trill and adventure of visiting a great variety of animals in their natural habitat. In our primary forest – untouched virgin land – you can see Congo Monkeys, Coatis, sloth’s, anteaters and more. In our Secondary forest – land returned to nature- there are Titi Monkeys, Iguanas, and large variety of beautiful tropical birds. Our expert guides will take you to both and help you to identify the animals. When you arrive at Titi Canopy Tour you will be fitted with a lightweight, high tech harness that will keep you feeling comfortable and safe as you soar way above the forest floor, and you will be safe. Each of our 16 platforms is build to hold more than one ton. Our harnesses, cables and attachments are tested to hold more than three tons. Titi Canopy is an adventure of a life time. Thousands have already enjoyed it. You can, too. And it is right near your hotel. GREAT LOCATION 5 minutes from Quepos GREAT PRICE : $55 (rate charged at the resort) GREAT CANOPY TOUR 16 platforms 12 cables one cable 380 meters long and other 350 meters WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY “The best tour I have taken in my life” Janet Madsen. Ontario, Canada. “An amazing adventure…. So close to my hotel.” Bob Geary. Guest, Hotel Mariposa.

QUEPOS HISTORY

The town gets its name from the Quepo Indian tribe, a subgroup of the Borucas, who inhabited the area at the time of the conquest. As a result of diseases brought by the Europeans, warfare with other Indian groups, and slavery, there were no pure blooded Quepo left by the end of the 19th century. Quepos first came to prominence as a banana exporting port. Due to disease, African palm oil replaced bananas as the local major crop and, because the finished product is much less bulky than bananas, Quepos declined as a major shipping port. Even as late as the 1950’s regular communication with the rest of the country was not easy. Roads were almost non-existent. There was a small railroad between Quepos and Parrita; at low tide the Alpa Airline landed a small plane on the beach in front of Main Street. Tourists (almost all Costa Rican nationals) came principally in Jan., Feb., and Mar. By the mid 1960’s “a road came in from San Jose with Quepos being the end of the line (7 hours on a Bluebird bus). ...By 1980 a colony of gringos, mostly refugees of one sort or the other, had built homes and begun businesses at Manuel Antonio. Additionally in 1980, a Sansa Airlines DC-3 began service to the area. The tourist industry at this time consisted of a gringo bar - El Barba Roja, a few luxury villas at La Mariposa, some rustic cabinas, a beachfront bar called the Mar y Sombra and that was it!”

BUT THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW. The tourist industry, and subsequently the area, has grown exponentially in the intervening years. Today Quepos/Manuel Antonio is an eclectic and quite delightful mix of expatriated adventurers from around the world, as well as an intrepid group of locals who have hung around for the “pura vida”. (This brief history includes exerpts from the writings of William Deverell (one of the early Manuel Antonio expats), and contributions from Enrique and Isabel (former owners of Isabel’s Restaurant).

THE QUEPOS INDIANS by Don Melton

During the rainy season of 1519 the legendary Hernan Ponce de Leon, known for his discovery of Florida while seeking the fountain of Youth, became the first Spaniard to lay eyes on the twelve miles of Manuel Antonio’s rugged coastline comprised of surf swept beaches, protected coves, virgin hardwood enshrouded headlands, islands, bays and mangrove estuaries. Aboard the square rigged vessel Santa Maria de Buena Esperanza (both ships built by Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific) don Hernan was deterred by the fierce attitude of the nearly 1000 Indians and so did not attempt to disembark. Ponce de Leon never noticed that on Mogote Island at the end of Manuel Antonio at the mouth of the Naranjo river lived the tribal medicine man. Nor did he realize that their main village was up that river, or that the Quepos dove some 60 feet to gather the valuable pinkish-cast pearls, or climbed out on the dangerous wave swept headlands to harvest from rare mollusks a beautiful purple dye. Nor did don Hernan learn about eight unique kinds of machinery built by the Quepos in order to capture green sea turtles. The intertidally operated devices are still visible today.

During the dry season of 1563 the popular conquistador Juan Vazques de Coronado, younger brother of the legendary Francisco Vazques de Coronado that explored the southwest of North America in quest of the chimerical Seven Cites of Cibola, traveled overland to Quepos on a mission of peace. Accompanied by 70 soldiers, a contingent of Indians and the premostrant of priest Martin de Bonilla, Coronado encountered the lord of the Quepos, Corrohore, near the village on the bank of the Naranjo river. Corrohore quickly explained that his sister Dulcehe and others had been captured by the Coto Indians and would soon be sacrificed. Corrohore pleaded for help of which Coronado agreed to render. A fierce battle was fought and the prisoners were freed.

The priest Martin de Bonilla observed the customs and habits of the Quepos Indians. The elderly men became fine weavers of elegant cloth, women tended the crops, men hunted, fished, built sweat baths and other structures, sacred rites and rituals were performed by shaman, seasonal trade networks were established by planning and preparation and living arrangements shifted between the coast and foothills depending on the time of year. Martin de Bonilla persuaded Coronado to solicit the Catholic King Philip II for permission to begin missionizing the Indians of Costa Rica beginning with Quepos.

Fray Lorenzo de Bienvenida was resolved by the Franciscans to accompany Juan Vasquez de Coronado to Spain for the purpose of convincing the Monarch that now was the time of missionize Costa Rica in early 1566 with money and gifts to construct the first mission. The newly appointed governor Juan Vasquez de Coronado drowned before taking office.

The Quepos Mission, San Bernadino, is believed to be the oldest mission in Costa Rica (1570) built nearly 200 years before the oldest Spanish mission of California (1769). The San Bernardino closed down more than 250 years ago in 1731. Since the rediscovery of the mission site in 1974 more than half of the surviving ruins have been destroyed. What remains will unlikely last long due to looting, farming and new settlement

 

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