Hotel Bougainvillea is located in Santo Tomás, a district of Santo Domingo de Heredia.

The town of Santo Domingo was founded in 1848 and named after the basilica dedicated to Santo Domingo de Guzmán. There are two beautiful colonial churches in Santo Domingo, Iglesia del Rosario (built 1838-1844) and the Basílica de Santo Domingo de Guzmán (built 1856). Outside of Santo Domingo in San Miguel there is a charming wooden church which predates those in Santo Domingo.

The people of Santo Domingo are religious and during Semana Santa (Holy Week) you´d be able to enjoy the processions and demostrations of faith. The residents of Santo Domingo take pride in the colonial houses built of adobe, there are some in ruins which residents would rather not tear down. Others are kept nicely despite their age and earthquakes.

Every Saturday, starting at 5:00 am in Santo Domingo you can get a taste of the local customs by going to the "Feria del Agricultor" (Farmer´s Market) where farmers sell fresh produce directly to local residents. The market lasts until noon, a great place in which visitors can take part in some of the local customs.

Santo Domingo manages to maintain its colonial charm despite its central location between two heads of provinces, the cities of Heredia and San José.

In an effort to continue the preservation of this area, INBio (National Institute of biodiversity) a not-for-profit institution internationally known for its collection and research of Costa Rican biodiversity, will finish the Botanical Gardens and Visitor Center in Santa Rosa de Santo Domingo in early 1999. You will be able to appreciate scenes of the different forests of our country and also, right within Santo Domingo, acquire information on all the national parks of Costa Rica.

 

Hotel Bougainvillea is adjacent to the school of Santo Tomás de Santo Domingo, if you are not awake by 9:30 am or so, the children playing on their mid morning break will certainly provide a cheery wake-up call! The Hotel Bougainvillea is proud to support the school and contribute to its development. Education is one of Costa Rica's national priorities and, through our support to the school, it has become our priority as well.