Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I pay for my room and additional charges? Can I exchange my money at the hotel? What are the taxes charged for the rooms? What are the taxes charged for F&B? What is the airport departure tax from Costa Rica? Where is the closest gas station? Is passport/ID/License required? Does the hotel have beach view or beach access? Is there telephone access in the rooms? Is there a dress code for dinner? Is it safe to swim at the beach? How long does it take to learn to surf? When is the best time to surf: morning or afternoon? What are the waves like at your location? What if it is raining on the day of my class? Do you have any tips or advice before I take a lesson? Do our tours hurt the environment? Are there things to do for children? Do I have to sign up for activities before I arrive? What is the difference between the green season and the dry season? Are there medical services available in Nosara? Do I need shots to travel here? What is the temperature/weather like? How is Costa Rica different from other Central American countries? Do you recommend any other hotels? Where should I stay overnight in San José? Planning your Honeymoon or a Romantic Escape? Looking for wellness in your vacation? Tico population is approximately 2500 people. The influx of Americans and Europeans is approximately 500 people. How can I pay for my room and additional charges? The Harmony will happily receive your payments by credit card, cash (US dollars or Colones), US Traveler Checks, and via online as well. The Harmony accepts all major credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Amex and Diners). Not all of the restaurants and businesses in the area accept credit cards, but many accept US dollars. Plan to bring small US bills because few places accept $50 or $100 bills. All of our rooms have safe deposit boxes for your convenience. Can I exchange my money at the hotel? Yes, you can. Also, there is an ATM machine located 200 mts. from the Hotel (only Visa is accepted). What are the taxes charged for the rooms? Currently it is 13% percent which covers sales tax and ICT (tourism ministry tax). What are the taxes charged for F&B? There are the 10% service charge and the 13% sales tax. An additional tip on top of the 10% for servers is welcome but not required. What is the airport departure tax from Costa Rica? Departure tax is $26, can be paid in US Dollars, colones or with Visa credit cards. Where is the closest gas station? The closest gas station is in Samara, which is about 45 minutes away. Unfortunately we don't do "big" groups. We only cater to individual travelers or to smaller groups (15 people maximum). The reason for this is that we want to make sure that all of our guests to be able to enjoy our facilities and our public spaces are limited and built for smaller groups. We would be glad to host a smaller group for you. We also do not have a conference center. We are including our general information below in case you are interested in making a reservation in the future. Is passport/ID/License required? A passport, which needs to be valid for at least 6 months from the time of entry, is required for entering Costa Rica from another country. Ideally leave the original passport in the room's safe deposit box and carry around your license or a copy of the passport. It’s best to carry a copy of your passport with you, but leave the original in your safe deposit box in the hotel room Does the hotel have beach view or beach access? The Harmony Hotel is located on the beach. However, there is a Maritime Zone Law in Costa Rica which doesn’t allow construction on the first 200 meters (656 feet or 218 yards). Thus, the beach is within a two minute walk of the hotel. None of our rooms have a beach view. Yes! The Harmony Hotel has full restaurant service. The Bar and Restaurant are open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. If you want to grab a quick cup of coffee before heading out to surf, you should know we have complimentary coffee at the restaurant from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Full a la carte breakfast is served from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lunch is served from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is served from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Learn more about it here. Yes, all with A/C and ceiling fans. No. We aim to provide a break free from television and the everyday routine. Is there telephone access in the rooms? Yes, there is a direct dial phone for local and international calls in each room. Yes, leave your clothes with us in the early morning and you will have them back in the late afternoon. Yes, showers in the bathrooms have hot water. All rooms and the restaurant are no smoking. Smoking is allowed in the open-air areas and at the bar. Yes, we have WiFi access at the hotel, two laptops for guests but no computer terminal. Is there a dress code for dinner? Very informal, but as formal as you like. As long as you wear a clean shirt and shorts, you are ok. Dress Code: Completely informal. Our waiters wear shorts, white socks and tennis shoes. You can too, even for dinner. No ties, coats or formal attire is necessary or even desirable. We only require that a shirt be worn in the restaurant during meal times. We are fortunate to have superb weather, but there is some seasonal variation that might affect your choice of informal clothing. Yes, the food and water at the Harmony and most spots in Nosara are safe. We pride ourselves in offering guests some of the best drinking water in the world through a purification system. Surf Is it safe to swim at the beach? It is a surfer beach with strong waves and occasionally rip tides. There is no lifeguard. People swim at their own discretion. Safer swimming beaches are within short driving distance from the hotel. The surf schools teach a wide variety of people of all ages. A typical lesson might include young children whose parents want them to learn in a safe and closely supervised way, teenage boys or girls who want to become surfers as quickly as possible or young to middle aged tourists on vacation who want a fun activity. They have successfully taught people from 7-60 years old to stand on the surf board! How long does it take to learn to surf? Everything possible is done so you will stand up on your first lesson! However, surfing is a journey and, like most of life's challenges, to surf well you need time, practice and guidance. It depends on your strength, flexibility, co-ordination and of course your dedication! We get nearly every able bodied persons to their feet in their first lesson. We recommend at least a package of three in close succession to get the very basic technique and safety concepts. A package of five will give you better understanding of how to read the ocean. Of course, all surfing packages should be followed up if you are not getting to the beach frequently. Private surf lessons are ideal for people wanting to take it to the next step catching great waves and executing cool maneuvers. Group and private surf lessons are held every day. When is the best time to surf: morning or afternoon? If you are a beginner surfer, it is easier to learn to surf closer to high tide. It changes daily. High and low tide arrives approximately one hour later than the day before it - it's all to do with the Earth's rotation around the Sun, and the Moon's rotation around the Earth. To check this month’s tide chart click here. Surf schools supply everyone with surf boards and accessory equipment. Just bring your What are the waves like at your location? The beach at our location is ideal for learning and getting good waves for both long boards and short boards. Within an hour drive either to the north or south there are breaks that will stimulate any surfer. Fortunately here on Playa Guiones, this doesn't happen too much. As a beginner all you need are small waves as it's safer and easier to learn. If anything, we probably cancel more often due to large surf! What if it is raining on the day of my class? We surf whether it is raining or beautiful and sunny. If it is raining, surfing is the best thing you can do as you are already wet. The only time a lesson is cancelled is in the VERY rare event that there are absolutely no waves or heavy lightening. Do you have any tips or advice before I take a lesson? The only prerequisite really is to know how to swim confidently. Definitely! However, if you have never surfed before, we recommend using our equipment. The boards are soft for safety and easier to ride. Tours, Activities & Wildlife Wildlife is very unpredictable; you never know which forest dwellers we will encounter! Do our tours hurt the environment? Harmony’s objective is to provide tourists a unique activity and ecological experience while at the same time helping to aid in the preservation of the world's endangered rainforest through direct financial support to conservation, education, and reforestation efforts. The canopy course is constructed so that there is very little impact on the sensitive ecological balance that exists in the rainforest. The platforms, pulleys and cables are made of non-corrosive steel. Are there things to do for children? There are lots of tours and activities for children, although they are more ideal for children 7 and above. Do I have to sign up for activities before I arrive? All tours are best arranged after you arrive. This will allow you to make yourself comfortable, get familiar with our property and the surrounding areas, talk with our concierge and at the same time learn what other guests’ experiences have been. The schedules for all the tours depend on the availability of the various guides and companies providing them. We do not know more than a day or two in advance which tours will be available on a particular day or at a particular hour by the local community guides. Since we have nestled ourselves into the surroundings of nature, and consequently, renting space amongst the wildlife, we need to remind ourselves daily that we are the visitors in this animal kingdom. Though we cannot guarantee that you will be seeing all of the animals found around the Nosara area, you will surely come across some interesting species during your stay. Along with the “cute” animals, come the insects, some small and some larger. Spiders are abundant and they weave their webs at the speed of light. None of the spiders are venomous even though they may sometimes appear to be. You might also come across some scorpions which do bite hard, but are not poisonous. Tolerance of this ever present animal population is a necessary compromise in order to enjoy it here. What is the difference between the green season and the dry season? The weather varies with the months but the temperature is usually around 85-90 degrees in the afternoon and 75 degrees in the evening. September and October are the rainiest months of the green season. Are there medical services available in Nosara? There are local government doctors and a private physician in Nosara. The closest doctor office is located 200mts from the Hotel. Do I need shots to travel here? No shots are necessary for travel to Costa Rica. What is the temperature/ weather like? At The Harmony Hotel, and in the Guanacaste area in general, expect warm, breezy days, with highs of 82 - 92 degrees, lows 75 - 85. Because of afternoon clouds, August through November are cooler months, highs in the 70s. Temperatures during January through April are in the mid to high-80s. From the middle of December to the end of April it is rare that it will rain at all. This is the summer season here and excellent sunny weather can be guaranteed. Weather the rest of the year is explained below: The "green season" is probably the best time to be in Costa Rica for a rain forest adventure. Rain here is not the same as it is in the temperate zones. This season is generally from 15 May to 1 November. Outdoor activities and work do not stop and you don't get cold. The general pattern is for it to rain 3 - 4 times a week, most likely in the afternoon and more likely at night. The days are evenly distributed between partly cloudy or overcast. It can mist or give you 8 inches an hour. If it rains that hard you want to be here. It's incredible. The 15th of July is the middle of a usually occurring 6 week mini-dry season. It's called canicula in Spanish and though it is not guaranteed to be rain free the possibility of rain during this time is much less than the rest of the green season. Half of June and half of August are usually included in this period. While May and October tend, over the years, to be the months with the heaviest rain there is no certainty that there will be much rain in either May or October. Climate is what people expect, weather is what they get. Costa Rica is a tropical country located between 8 and 11 degrees north of the equator. It has twelve bioclimates, three different rainfall regimes and many microclimates, so researching its climatological conditions can be an almost never-ending task. Although Costa Rica is considered to have a stable climate, it is important to note that different temperature and weather conditions may be experienced within the same day, or within short distances, due mostly to the rugged terrain of this mountainous country. There are two well defined seasons: the rainy/green season (invierno), and the dry/summer season (verano), with one main difference between them: rainfall averages. Dry season runs from December to April, and the green season from May to November. Rainfall averages for the country may reach the highest point during the months of September and October -- approximately 650 mm per month. Seasonal changes don't bring significant changes in temperatures, although nights may be cooler in some areas during the rainy season. Mornings will most commonly be sunny all year round. San José is located 1150 meters above sea level, and has a moderate temperature throughout the year. It may go as low as 15º C at nighttime, and up to 26º C during the day, giving rise to the image of San José as a city with an eternal spring climate. The Intermontane Central Valley where San José lies has an average temperature of 20º C, and may actually be considered as dry compared to the humidity of the Caribbean Slope. When it rains, temperatures will drop slightly, mostly because of humidity and winds. The Caribbean coastline has an average temperature of 21º C at night, and 30º C during the day. The rainy season has a rainfall average of 224 inches (5,600 mm) per year, along the coast, on the eastern face of the mountains and in the Caribbean lowlands. In most of Costa Rica the peak periods of rainfall occur during May to June and September to October, although precipitation remains substantial throughout the period. Though it is considered to be the wettest region of the country, rains usually occur in the late evening and nighttime. Due to humidity and trade winds, temperatures will remain low, and even drop noticeably during rainy nights. The Pacific coast is warmer than the Atlantic by 3º to 5º C. The northern part of the country is totally dry for six months of the year. Rainfall averages only 59 inches (1,500 mm) a year in the northwest and central part of the country. The South Pacific region, where Lapa Rios is located, is generally wetter than its counterpart to the north. General rainfall will reach up to 197 inches (5,000 mm) a year. High mountainous areas, such as the region surrounding Costa Rica 's highest peak Cerro Chirripo, have cold, windy and cloudy conditions all year round. Chirripo remains below 10º C (50º F) during the day, and may experience temperatures as low as 0º C (32º F) at night. Frost and even snow have been reported (okay, just once in the last century). As a general rule, temperatures decline with elevation at a rate of approximately 3.5 Fahrenheit degrees per thousand feet in Costa Rica (6.5º C per 1000 m). Thus, average December temperatures vary from 79ºF (26ºC) at Orotina on the coast, to 66ºF (19ºC) in San José at 3500 feet (1100 m), to a chilly 43ºF (6ºC) in Villa Mills at 10,000 feet (3050 m). First-time visitors to Costa Rica often neglect to bring a warm jacket with them after reading about the climates of the coastal regions and the Central Valley . A medium-weight fleece jacket is ideal. Costa Rica is located in Central America, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, and bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. This small country represents only 0,01 % of the planet's surface and it shelters almost 4% of the existing world's biodiversity. It has given priority to the conservation of its natural resources, protecting 25% of the national territory in National Parks or other natural areas. The country offers world-class eco-tourism and adventure travel. The options are unlimited for any discriminating traveler: horseback riding on a secluded beach; hiking through the lush whispering greenery of a rainforest; having an exhilarating experience on a white-water rafting trip, observing the tropical forests from a canopy tour; surfing the blue waves of either coast; experiencing a quite, close encounter with different species of birds and wildlife; and enjoying the diverse culture and hospitality of the Ticos. Facts
What does Pura Vida mean? Pura Vida (POO-rah VEE-dah), used by Costa Ricans since 1956, literally translated means "Pure Life." Contextually, it means "full of life," "purified life," "this is living!" "going great" It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction. The phrase has become widely known in the United States and Europe. Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time and wanton friendliness. However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large. Pura Vida also means "I am doing alright", "I am doing perfect" and "thank you". Expats who adopt the expression properly get a big smile in return. It is an acknowledgment of the Costa Rican attitude towards life. How is Costa Rica different from other Central American countries? Costa Rica is one of the oldest democracies in America. In 1869, a compulsory state-paid system of education was established. Today Costa Rica's literacy rate averages around 96%, which is one of the highest in Central America. Peace is also one of the country's most honored virtues. The army itself was abolished in 1948. And to further their acclaim, President Arias won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1987 for devising a Central American peace plan that was signed by the leaders of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Who operates Harmony Hotel? Do you recommend any other hotels? The company that manages Harmony Hotel operates two other high end resorts that all share the same focus on service quality and sustainability: Latitude 10 Resort (Santa Teresa)
Lapa Rios Ecolodge (Osa Península)
Arenas Del Mar Beach & Nature Resort (Manuel Antonio)
Jicaro Island Ecolodge (Lake Nicaragua)
Where should I stay overnight in San José?
Planning your Honeymoon or a Romantic Escape? Looking for wellness in your vacation?
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Latitude 10 Resort was built as a private resort and is now available to the public. As the winner of the 2008 Grand Award in the International Class for second homes, the resort leaves nothing to be desired in luxury and elegance in its natural setting, providing interaction with the jungle and it’s beachfront location. Staying at Latitude 10 is like staying with good friends at their luxury beach house. You will experience personalized service and attention to detail in a relaxed, yet classy atmosphere. Breakfast and pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres are included in your rate as well as your private in room mini bar. For more information and reservations please visit 
A luxurious 16-bungalow ecolodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean and protecting over 1,000 acres of preserved rain forest, hosting 2.5% of the World’s Biodiversity, soon to be named World Heritage Site. Here, environmental education is fundamental to the employees and international guests’ experiences. This model ecolodge has been consistently voted as one of Latin American’s top resorts by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure and Andrew Harper. For more information and reservations please visit 
Arenas del Mar is a stunning, luxury and sustainable 38 room upscale beach and nature resort with spectacular views of the Manuel Antonio National Park on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, nestled in eleven acres of rainforest with private trails and two tree-shaded sandy beaches. Guest rooms, apartments and suites offer spectacular ocean views, upscale dining in two hotel restaurants with a focus on fresh local ingredients, pools with views of the rainforest and the beach, a spectacular Spa and personalized service that exceeds guest expectations. Arenas del Mar is a model project for sustainable development strictly following the guidelines laid out by the Costa Rican Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST). For more information and reservations please visit 
Developed in harmony with the surrounding nature and local community, Jicaro Island Ecolodge is Nicaragua´s most upscale nature resort located on a private island in Lake Nicaragua. Nine private two story casitas serve as the perfect setting for romantic escapes and wellness retreats on this secluded island getaway. The open kitchen serves Nicaraguan fusion cuisine using local and organic ingredients in an open air setting overlooking Mombacho volcano. Immerse yourself into a magical island experience filled with peace and tranquility and access to a wide variety of activities ranging from hiking or zip lining on volcanoes, bathing in hot springs and exploring the colonial treasures of Nicaragua. A visit to Jicaro Lodge and Nicaragua can be easily combined with a stay at any of the mentioned hotels in Costa Rica. For more info and reservations please visit: 
Many international flights arrive to San José in the evening and you might want to spend a night in or around San José. There is a great variety of hotels to choose from. We highly recommend that you stay at our sister hotel 
