‘El Silencio Lodge & Spa is the friendliest, most soul-soothing sanctuary where Costa Rica’s visitors can fully attune to a natural state of bliss’ says owner Karin Zurcher. Her brother, Ronald happens to be one of Costa Rica’s most prominent architects and he built the hotel using wood, bamboo, and glass making sure it blended perfectly into its surroundings. And what surroundings they are: 500 acres of privately-owned cloud forest.

Silencio is part of a new generation of ‘eco-lodges’. Its forest provides a much needed ‘biological corridor’ which allows animals to move between two national parks. It supports local communities and makes almost no impact on the environment. Wellness treatments are a specialty here with meditation and yoga lessons accompanying a wide range of treatments. When you are ready for adventure, you can visit one or both local volcanoes or take part in any number of rainforest-based excursions. Your dining contains organic vegetables, spices, and herbs grown in Silencio’s own garden and, at night, you can enjoy the peaceful silence that gives the lodge its name, Silencio.