A hotel on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast has won two international tourism awards, bringing attention to Tárcoles, a area known for its crocodile-filled river, fishing traditions and surrounding tropical forests. Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, was named Costa Rica’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2026 and Mexico & Central America’s Leading New Hotel 2026 at the World Travel Awards.
The recognition comes less than a year after the hotel opened in January 2026 and marks an early achievement for a property competing in Costa Rica’s established tourism industry. The awards were announced at the World Travel Awards Caribbean and Americas ceremony, held in Jamaica on October 11.
Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards recognize hotels, airlines, destinations and other tourism businesses through online voting by travel industry professionals and the public. Verified industry professionals receive double voting weight, and awards are presented in national, regional and worldwide categories.
Santa Lucía’s two victories were in the national boutique hotel category and the regional new hotel category, placing it ahead of other nominated properties in Costa Rica, Mexico and Central America. José Eduardo Arteaga, general manager of Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, welcomed the recognition, saying it provides an opportunity to introduce more international travelers to Tárcoles and Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region.
Arteaga said the awards also help showcase the variety of tourism experiences available in Costa Rica, particularly in communities outside the best-known tourist destinations. Near Carara National Park and the Tárcoles River in Puntarenas province, the hotel has 84 guest rooms on a 150-hectare (371-acre) property surrounded by tropical forest.
The property combines traditional Costa Rican hacienda-style architecture with modern rooms and activities focused on nature and local culture. Guests can participate in birdwatching, guided nature experiences, traditional Costa Rican cooking and cultural activities. The hotel also offers restaurants, a spa and other amenities.
Its location provides access to Carara National Park, known for its scarlet macaws and diverse birdlife, as well as the Tárcoles River, where visitors frequently see large American crocodiles along the riverbanks. The surrounding region offers beaches, wildlife tours and outdoor activities, making Tárcoles an accessible destination for travelers exploring the Central Pacific coast.
Beyond attracting visitors, the hotel says its operations support the surrounding economy through employment in hospitality, food service, maintenance and other services. The company also reports purchasing goods and services from businesses in the area. Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda promotes what it calls regenerative tourism, an approach intended to support forest conservation and strengthen connections with nearby communities. The extent of those environmental and economic benefits has not been independently quantified.
The awards come as Costa Rica’s tourism industry continues to report growth in international arrivals and visitor spending. According to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), Costa Rica welcomed 1,733,596 international visitors during the first six months of 2026, an increase of 7% compared with the same period in 2025.
Of those visitors, 1,605,360 arrived by air, representing year-over-year growth of 7.8%. Meanwhile, figures from the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) show that foreign visitors spent approximately $3.356 billion during the first half of 2026, an increase of 8.5% compared with the previous year.
Tourism also remains an important source of employment, accounting for 167,661 direct jobs during the second quarter of 2026, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). For Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, the two awards offer international recognition during its first year of operation. For Tárcoles, they provide another opportunity to draw attention to a part of Costa Rica where wildlife, local traditions and tourism remain closely connected.
