For travelers who care about where they sleep as much as where they go, Costa Rica has quietly become a destination for architectural stays. Among the most distinctive is Nebulae, a boutique multicultural center 15 minutes from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San Roque de Barva, Heredia. Designed and built by architect Eric Bogantes through Alianz Architecture, Nebulae offers something rare: a place to stay that is itself an architectural project, not a hotel that happens to look modern.
Why proximity to SJO changes the trip
Most international visitors land at SJO and immediately face a choice: drive three to five hours to a coastal destination, or spend the first night near the airport in a generic hotel. Nebulae offers a third option. A 15-minute drive uphill from the airport puts you in a cooler microclimate, in a space that already feels like the start of a real trip. It is a soft landing for jet-lagged travelers and a calm decompression for the last night before the flight home.
The architectural language of Nebulae
Nebulae’s design language fuses three influences. The first is biobrutalism, an evolution of brutalist architecture where raw materials, exposed structure, and honest geometry meet living plant systems and organic surfaces. The second is tropical modernism, the regional vocabulary of large openings, deep eaves, cross-ventilation, and indoor-outdoor flow that the Costa Rican climate rewards. The third is a retro-futuristic sensibility, where the building plays with sci-fi geometries and unexpected volumes that hint at a future re-imagined through tropical eyes.
The result is a built environment that does not look like anything else in the Central Valley, and arguably anything else in Costa Rica.
The architectural units you can stay in
Alianz Loft
The original architectural laboratory of the project, inaugurated when Eric Bogantes was 25. The Loft is the seed of everything that came later, and remains one of the most photographed pieces of independent architecture in the Heredia region.
The Modules
Compact boutique accommodations designed for one or two travelers, where the entire spatial program is reduced to its essentials: a place to rest, a place to wash, and a generous opening to the landscape.
The Waterbox
A water-element architectural piece that integrates a reflective surface into the geometry of the building, blurring the line between structure and landscape.
Laureal Event Center
The gathering venue, sized for cultural events, weddings, brand experiences, and private retreats up to medium scale.
Smart-home automation as part of the experience
Nebulae also functions as a Loxone home automation showroom. Lighting scenes, climate control, audio zones, and security are integrated through the Loxone system, and a guided tour of the automation layer is available for visitors interested in smart-home design. For architecture enthusiasts and tech-curious travelers, this is one of the few places in the region where the technology layer is fully exposed and explained.
Beyond the room
A stay at Nebulae naturally extends into the rest of the program: morning yoga at the shala, an exhibition at the Art Gallery, a curated sound event at sunset, conscious gastronomy in the dining space, and the option to attend or co-host private events.
Booking your stay near SJO
Reservations open through the Book us page, info@nebulae.cr, or WhatsApp +506 6300 0064. For architecture professionals and groups, full-property buyouts and architectural tours can be coordinated through Alianz Architecture.