RESORT TO LUXURY IN COSTA RICA

Story & Photos by Pamela A. Campbell

Alfonso Martino has a zest for living in the tropics, and as a world-class hotelier from Italy he's brought to Costa Rica a blend of luxury, fine cuisine and his own brand of guest relations unrivaled in the local industry.

Lured by the extremely favorable climate of La Garita de Alajuela, Martino designed and built Hotel Martino Med-Spa & Resort on a 6.7 acre estate, 20 miles from San Jose and 10 minutes from the Juan Santamaria International Airport. Situated in the Central Valley of this peaceful Central American country, La Garita boasts a weather pattern of comfortably warm days and mild nights (usually between 65 and 80 degrees F).

Martino's warmth and engaging manner is distinguished by his constant reference to philosophy in many discussions about his vision for the resort as a perfect location to nurture the body and soul.

Each of the four large buildings housing the gourmet restaurant, the 34 luxury suites, conference center and the spa and fitness facilities display distinctly individual architectural designs. A thatched roof outdoor bar and patio complement the neo-classical style swimming pool, surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens.

The imposing entrance to this five-star luxury resort, securely anchored by large Roman columns sets the scene for  extraordinary elegance. Wall-high foyer cabinets made of Kaoba (hard) wood featuring a display of local crafts are resplendent of some of the furnishings specially made for the hotel.

I have never met a hotelier so impassioned about pleasing his guests and greeting them personally. "Every person has a name, not a (room) number," emphasizes Martino. "That is the difference between a family-owned hotel and a big one." His attention to detail truly defines his dedication to catering to his guests. "You can't imagine how long I studied the soap and the sheets and the beds, not only to feel clean, but to be comfortable," he confides. I must agree that some things do add a noticeably special touch, like the towels, delicately monogrammed with the letters MCH, and yes, the finely milled soap was lightly scented.

A much traveled and educated entrepreneur, Alfonso Martino's establishment is an extension of his gentility, expressed in some of the most exquisite artistry he has commissioned locally by Maria Fonseca and Marta Ripoll.

Fonseca's works extend to the dining room where two Pochote wooden screens feature renditions of  Bacchus, God of the Vine, and if you look carefully on one of the panels an androgynous figure that could be clearly distinguished as male or female once you conceal certain body parts, while another section bears a native figure. Another attention grabber are the long Jaspet wooden tables with feet beautifully carved with the faces of lions on each side. And my favorite, at the foot of the stairs in the downstairs lounge area, a sleeping lion carved from a single block of wood.

Every suite, like mine, features air-conditioning, satellite TV, telephone services, in-room mini-bar, private bathroom and a balcony with wooden and leather rocking chairs. Each door is solid Cedro Amargo (bitter cedar) with carved native designs by Costa Rican artist Fonseca. Equally interesting are the wooden angels (carved by the same artist) that are mounted above the beds and accented by murals of flowers and birds by self-styled Impressionist painter Ripoll (who also painted the mural depicting the town of Sperlonga where Martino grew up in the med-spa).

A fully equipped gym with over 20 workout machines is located upstairs in the med-spa building. There is also a tennis court and two squash courts on the premises. The med-spa will be fully operational by the end of June offering one day packages for $180, while a week long program costs $820 or $2,240 for two weeks, treatments and meals, all-inclusive. (Please see the attached box for a complete list of available spa treatments).

There is no limit to Alfonso Martino's dedication to comfort and style at the resort, but he also treats hotel and restaurant guests to the finest Italian and international cuisine of gourmet chef Luigi Genovese.

What does this 20-year Italian veteran chef enjoy most about fine cooking? "The creativity, especially with pasta and seafood," he says. And Costa Rica presents plenty of opportunities for him to demonstrate his culinary talent because of the rich diversity of meat, fish, fruits and vegetables available locally.

Each morning I enjoyed a selection of tropical fruits for breakfast, and nothing can rival the sweet juicy taste of the papayas, mangoes, watermelons and pineapples of Costa Rica. If you're a coffee lover, Costa Rican coffee is great I'm told. And the best place to sit and eat is on the outer terrace of the dining room which overlooks the swimming pool area and vibrant flower gardens and trees.

Some of my tastiest meals included corvina reina con verduras aromaticas (sea bass in vegetable sauce) and pechuga de pollo milanesa (Milanesa chicken breast). Fresh vegetables usually accompany meals, and I particularly enjoyed the spinach. For pasta lovers, it's all freshly made and you can taste the difference. I did, when I lunched on Ravioli con relleno de ricotta (ravioli with ricotta filling). Fine Italian wines were a wonderful accompaniment to Luigi's fine cooking.

Luigi's postres (desserts) are a delicious finale to the meal and I found them a divine temptation. Try the Flan de Caramelo (cream caramel) and Pastelitos calientes con relleno de ricotta (hot pastry with ricotta filling).

Another specialty in Costa Rica are the frescos, so refreshing especially at lunch time or just after you've had a swim. These delicious, nutritious drinks are made from blended fruit and can be combined with water or milk and sweetened to taste and served with ice.

Every Saturday morning either Luigi or Alfonso goes to shop for fresh produce at the market in nearby Alajuela. The fruits and vegetables grown on small family run farms are usually tastier because they remain on the trees and vines until they ripen. "It's the market which makes the menu," says Alfonso.

I had the glorious opportunity to visit the open-air market in the company of Eva, Alfonso's wife, who must have thought I was a bit strange since I kept repeating at regular intervals, "Wow, those are so big" - referring to bunches of bananas or plantains or beets as I paused to photograph the colorful piles of produce. I have honestly never seen papayas that were almost the size of watermelons.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the marketplace busy, but not crowded, with garden varieties of every fruit, vegetable and flower grown in Costa Rica, and wares ranging from spices to woven baskets, leather goods to souvenir cloth hats. This was a great place to people watch since it's a family outing for the locals. If you happen to be in town on a Saturday morning it's worth checking out.

Just remember that it's all happening at the Hotel Martino & Med-Spa Resort, where Alfonso Martino has realized his dream of opening a European-style world class resort in the midst of tropical Costa Rica.

For information and reservations Telephone (506) 433-8382, Fax (506) 433-9052 or contact TravelTravelTravel magazine editor Pamela Campbell editor@travel-travel-travel.com