La Casa de Mamá Coyita
Family-run guesthouse in a quiet part of Cartago, about 6 km from the Lankester garden, with breakfast cooked at home
About this stay
La Casa de Mamá Coyita is a family home turned guesthouse in a residential part of Cartago, run by Mamá Coyita and her son, so breakfast comes from the family kitchen, not from a buffet. Rooms have private bathrooms and look onto the garden, which has a sun terrace, outdoor tables and a play area for children, and guests share a kitchen. The address works for the three outings people come to Cartago for. Irazú Volcano National Park is about 33 km up the road, with tickets sold through SINAC by reservation and a daily visitor cap.
The Lankester Botanical Garden, run by the University of Costa Rica in Paraíso, is about 6 km away. The Basílica de los Ángeles, which keeps La Negrita, the small dark stone statue of Costa Rica's patron saint, and where the 2 August Romería ends, is in the city itself. I would use it for one or two nights on the way to the Orosi Valley or Turrialba, not as a base for a week.
- Run by Mamá Coyita and her son
- Breakfast cooked at home, with gallo pinto
- Shared kitchen, sun terrace and a garden with an outdoor play area
- Family rooms with private bathrooms
- Private parking; about 6 km from the Lankester Botanical Garden
- 8.6 guest score from 139 reviews
Our take
Mamá Coyita runs this small guesthouse in a quiet residential part of Cartago with her son, and the address is given the Costa Rican way: 100 m west and 75 m north of the chapel of the Asilo de la Vejez. Breakfast is what guests praise most, gallo pinto and other home dishes served family-style, and it shows in an 8.6 score across 139 reviews. Rooms are tidy with private bathrooms, though some reviewers mention old furniture and rooms without a window. I would book it for one or two nights to drive the roughly 33 km from Cartago up to Irazú early and to see the Lankester Botanical Garden; travellers who want a restaurant, a bar or a pool in the building should stay elsewhere.
- ✓Buy Irazú tickets on the SINAC online portal before driving up: entry works by reservation with a daily visitor cap, for both the Prusia and Cráteres sectors.
- ✓Head up right after breakfast: the craters are most often clear early, and cloud tends to close in as the day goes on, and at 3,432 m the summit is cold enough for a jacket.
- ✓Avoid the last week of July and 2 August unless you come for the Romería: pilgrims walk to the Basílica de los Ángeles from across the country and the whole city fills up.
- ✓Without a car, take the Incofer commuter train from Cartago station to San José; it stops at Tres Ríos, Curridabat and San Pedro, by the University of Costa Rica, before the Estación del Atlántico.
- ✓Plan the Lankester Botanical Garden for March if you can: the University of Costa Rica holds the national orchid exhibition there, and its collection counts around 1,000 orchid species.
Why we love it
- Run by Mamá Coyita and her son, with breakfast cooked at home
- A garden with a sun terrace, outdoor tables and a play area for children
- A shared kitchen for a simple dinner after an early morning on Irazú
- Private parking, about 6 km from the Lankester Botanical Garden
Why guests love itLa Casa de Mamá Coyita works for families who want a home rather than a hotel for a short stay around Cartago. Family rooms have private bathrooms and look onto the garden, and the shared kitchen makes a simple children's dinner easy after an early volcano day. Breakfast is cooked by the family each morning, and private parking keeps the car off the street. Pack warm layers: Cartago turns cool and windy at night, and the Irazú crater rim is colder still. The garden has an outdoor play area, but there is no pool and no covered space for children on a rainy afternoon, so I would not choose it for a longer family stay.