Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection

Hacienda AltaGracia occupies a 350-hectare ridge-top estate in Costa Rica's southern highlands, above the coffee farms of Pérez Zeledón and facing the cloud-wrapped Talamanca range. Under Auberge stewardship it has become the country's most serious wellness address: The Well—an expansive destination spa developed with the New York wellness club of the same name—spreads hydrotherapy circuits, healing arts rooms and movement studios across the hillside, with programming that runs from Costa Rican herbalism to modern diagnostics.

Guests stay in freestanding casitas with wraparound decks, outdoor showers and long views over the valley's morning cloud sea; interiors are crafted from timber, leather and local weaving, warmed by the highlands' cool evenings. Days balance restoration with the estate's working character—horseback rides through the coffee plantation, hikes to waterfalls, ziplining over the canopy—and the property's stables and organic gardens keep the hacienda tradition honest.

Dining moves from open-fire Costa Rican cooking at the main restaurant to garden lunches and coffee tastings from the estate's own beans. The resort is reached by road from San José in about three hours or by the hotel's arranged air transfers. For travellers who assumed Costa Rican luxury meant beach resorts, AltaGracia's highland register—mist, horses, spa and coffee—is a revelation.