San Ramon de Alajuela (pop. ~80,000) is one of the larger Central Valley coffee towns set in a beautiful valley enclosed by lush and fertile mountains. It is centrally located on the Pan American Highway an easy 45-minute drive from San Jose’s International Airport, one hour from the Central Pacific beaches, and 1 1/2 hours from Volcan Arenal. The mountain towns of the Costa Rican Central Valley are known for their wonderful climate, hailed by National Geographic as “the best climate in the world.” San Ramon, with its picturesque mountain setting and average year-round temperature in the mid-70sF (25 degrees C), epitomizes the character and comfort level that we have come to expect from the Central Valley mountain towns, which include Grecia, Atenas, Naranjo, and nearby Palmares.

We believe that out of the entire country, San Ramon and the surrounding mountain towns provide the best Costa Rica has to offer. The San Ramon that visitors see today is a “muy tranquilo” provincial city that welcomes travelers with a graceful sense of pride. It is a close-knit city with a slower pace of life. In the streets you will hear the greeting “Pura Vida” (pure life) a motto that encapsulates the pervading ideology of living in peace and appreciating a life surrounded by nature and family and friends.

Known as the “city of presidents and poets,” San Ramon was home to many of the political and literary leaders of Costa Rica including four former presidents and architects of the modern Costa Rican state, the most well-known being Jose (Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer, one of Costa Rica’s most influential leaders.

San Ramon is home to a branch of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), a major hospital, numerous restaurants,  banks, internet cafes, a new 3-cinema movie theater with stadium seating, and yet retains all the charm of traditional Costa Rica with a slow-paced family-centered way of life. The weekly farmer’s market features an abundance of locally grown fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

As some areas of Costa Rica are becoming over-developed, San Ramon and the vicinity is a unique gem just being discovered by an International community craving a real Costa Rican experience and a different way of living… Pura Vida!!!

Feel free to also check out THE GUIDE to San Ramon: The Guide