Besides cás, one of the best non-alcoholic drinks in Costa Rica is horchata. Visitors to the country might not see it on every menu, but we recommend that they order it when they do. Powdered horchata mix is also available at grocery stores or other food stores in downtown San José.

A popular drink in Latin America, where its main ingredients are plentiful, horchata is often available at Mexican restaurants, even in the United States. Latin Americans love it.

Horchata can be made from various seeds and grains–barley, sesame seeds or almonds, among others–but Costa Ricans make it from ground rice. Using a blender or food processor, horchata-makers grind uncooked rice with a bit of water to make a sort of a paste. They let this paste stand for a few hours or overnight. Once the rice has fully flavored the water, it is strained from the liquid. Horchata-makers stir milk into the rice-water, and the resulting cloudy white mixture is sweetened with sugar and seasoned with cinnamon or vanilla.

Horchata is served cold, in a tall glass with a straw and ice. Its reassuring hint of rice adds a pleasant depth and richness to the drink.

Some Costa Rican cooks use the strained rice to make arroz con leche, another Costa Rican rice-and-milk concoction.

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In February 2011, the Sleep Inn San José Downtown was named International Hotel 2010 for the region of Central America and the Caribbean. Although the Sleep Inn has received numerous awards for its quality of service and overall aesthetic appearance, this is the first time the hotel has been named International Hotel, an award given by Choice Hotels International, the Sleep Inn’s parent brand. This regional honor now qualifies the Sleep Inn for a still more prestigious continental award, to be determined by a vote at the Choice Hotels meeting in Boston in May 2011.

In addition to this great honor, the Sleep Inn San José Downtown won the Quality Assurance Review (QAR 2010), an award also presented by Choice Hotels International. To win the yearly Quality Assurance Review, the Sleep Inn competes against twelve other Choice Hotels in Central America and the Caribbean. Twice a year, Choice Hotels sends an inspector to each of the competing hotels. This inspector evaluates the cleanliness of the hotel, the efficiency of its various operations, the condition of the rooms and building and the hotel’s compliance with franchise requirements. After his second 2010 visit to the Sleep Inn, hotel inspector Nicolás González said that “in terms of cleanliness and maintenance and improvements, [the Sleep Inn and its staff] are simply excellent and significantly surpass the standards Choice has established for the region.”

The Sleep Inn San José Downtown has won the Quality Assurance Review four times in the past five years–in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Guests are welcome to examine the award plaques, which hang in the hotel lobby on the wall next to the reception desk.

In 2010, the Sleep Inn also received a Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (Certificado de Sostenibilidad Turística), which indicates the hotel’s interest in the environment and in promoting “green” tourism. The hotel was given a designation of three leaves out of a possible five. Throughout its years of operation, the hotel has embraced environmentally friendly practices—saving water, recycling and conserving electricity—and it has encouraged its guests to do so as well. Horlando Salas, the hotel Manager expects that the hotel will receive a five-star rating this year.

The Sleep Inn is very proud of its wonderful employees, whose hard work and dedication have helped the hotel achieve its award-winning status. In addition to the faithful work of its employees, Horlando Salas notes that the success of the hotel depends on the added values he and his staff bring to the hotel. He says that the Sleep Inn offers services beyond those required by the franchise—free guest parking and free airport transportation, for example. The hotel’s Executive Housekeeper, Jendry Porras, and its Maintenance Manager, Christian Fallas, keep the hotel and its grounds in prize-worthy condition.

Read more about Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism.

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Visitors to Costa Rica often fall in love with its beaches, volcanoes and tropical rain forests. But in their rush to the mountains and coasts, some visitors—and some locals, as well—fail to fully explore the capital itself, missing out on some of San José’s cultural attributes. The Costa Rican Ministry of Culture and Youth (Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud) wants to redirect attention to the city and to promote its finest features. To that end, the Ministry is sponsoring a months-long program called “Cultural Corridors: Fall in Love With Your City” (“Corredores Culturales: Enamórate de tu Ciudad”).

The Cultural Corridors program encourages tourists and Costa Ricans alike to spend their leisure time in downtown San José, enjoying its parks, art exhibits and cultural performances. The program began in February 2011 and will continue through July 2011. Activities begin at 11:00 AM on each Saturday of those months.

San José’s parks will act as the main “corridors” in the Ministry’s new plan, because they connect the city’s museums and theaters and act as outdoor exhibition and performance spaces. The Sleep Inn is conveniently located right near several of the parks that serve as the focal points of the program, and each of these parks will have a particular cultural focus. For example, the Park of Spain (Parque España), almost directly in front of the Sleep Inn, will be an exhibition space for the visual arts—painting, sculpture, engravings and art installations. The Park of Peace (Parque de la Paz), in front of the Escuela Metálica, will host urban sporting activities—dancing, circus acts, roller skating and BMX riding. The Morazán Park (Parque Morazán) will be the new music center, and musical groups will perform all genres in the kiosk that stands at the center of the park. Other cultural activities are planned for the areas immediately surrounding each of these parks—and surrounding the Sleep Inn.

The Cultural Corridors program has three goals. The first is to celebrate Costa Rica’s history—not just in terms of dates and events, but in terms of what it means to be a Costa Rican. The program aims to create a certain nostalgia for the Costa Rica of long ago—a quieter and more tranquil time. The program’s second cultural goal is to encourage both locals and visitors to establish—or reestablish—their relationships to the city’s parks and to reclaim these parks for rest and relaxation. The Ministry says that the fast pace of urban life has reduced the parks to mere walkways, as people hurry through them from one errand to another. The idea is to encourage people to spend some time in the parks, talking to one another and enjoying the urban oasis the parks create. The third cultural goal is to promote multiculturalism in the city, celebrating the artistic and historic contributions of Costa Rica’s various ethnic and cultural groups.

Founded forty years ago, the Ministry preserves and promotes cultural diversity in Costa Rica, encouraging all social and economic groups to participate in national cultural activities. The Sleep Inn is proud to find itself at the hub of the Ministry’s new and exciting cultural plans. Sleep Inn guests should remember to inquire about activities happening during their stay.

Writing and editing by Beaumont Hardy Editing.

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An interesting homonym puzzle has emerged during the Sleep Inn’s celebration of the revamping of Paseo de los Damas, the street that runs directly behind the hotel. This historic street has been known primarily as Avenida Tercera (Third Avenue), but city planners recently decided to revive its centuries-old name when they widened the street, restored its granite sidewalks and planted more overhanging trees.

The confusion stems from the fact that the word “dama” is a homonym. Spanish speakers are familiar with the noun “dama,” which means “lady.” A “Damas” sign usually hangs outside women’s bathrooms in Costa Rica, and ladies and gentlemen are formally called “damas y caballeros.” This type of “dama” is, of course, feminine, and the noun takes the feminine article “la” (”la dama”).

Many people have assumed that Paseo de los Damas refers to the gentlewomen who once strolled along the historic road. The street name seems to conjure images of parasol-twirling ladies tripping along the shady streets in their finery.

Oddly, though, the street name does not refer to women at all. The word “dama” is masculine, as its preceding article indicates (”el dama”). The dama is a flowering tree found all over Costa Rica, and this tree now lines the famous avenue. The street that many assume to have been named after its elegant female users was actually named in honor of the trees that dip overhead in the breeze.

Although the article before the noun indicates that those ladies are not the ones being remembered along the charming new street, the connotation of those elegant women of long ago is so pleasant that we at the Sleep Inn approve of the homonym confusion and the charming images it creates.

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Costa Rica celebrates its independence today. Enjoy this rendition of the Costa Rican national anthem, played by the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica.

Read more about Costa Rican independence day.

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The Sleep Inn Hotel has a new promotional video on YouTube. The street scenes in the video reveal the results of recent beautification efforts in the area around the hotel. The street behind the Sleep Inn, Avenida 3, was once known as the Paseo de los Damas, or the street of the dama trees. These trees still line the street, creating sun-dappled shadows on the sidewalks, which have been widened and refurbished with granite pavers. Intrepid guests of the Sleep Inn might enjoy a pleasant eastward walk along the Paseo de los Damas.

Walkers can leave the hotel by way of the curving staircase and turn east once they are outside. Avenida 3 skirts the graceful trees and quiet shade of the Parque España. Then, the walk heads past the Centro Nacional de la Cultura (National Center for Culture), a gracious late-19th-century building that was once the Fábrica Nacional de Licores (National Liquor Factory). The center now has a museum and theater, and visitors can see interesting art exhibits and performances there. Farther east is the Estación del Atlántico, the Limón train station, where walkers can see an old narrow-gauge steam engine. After years of disuse, the train is now fully operational and will take riders to Heredia. The station itself is charming and provides a glimpse of the Costa Rica of long ago. The eastward walk finally leads to the old Aduana (Customs building), which has now been modernized and serves as the venue for art exhibits, theatrical events and dance performances. The renovated Aduana is an intriguing blend of classical and modern architecture.

The Sleep Inn is proud to be a part of this lovely section of San José.

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