Alajuela commands the fastest most reliable internet in Costa Rica. The second largest city in the country and the capital of Alajuela province, the canton of Alajuela has a population of over 305,000 and the province, over 1 million. Due to it’s proximity to San José, it is considered to be part of the Greater Metropolitan Area. It is the birthplace of national hero, Juan Santamaria and the location of the international airport of the same name. Juan Santamaria was a drummer in the Costa Rican army who was instrumental in the defeat of filibuster, William Walker in the Second Battle of Rivas in 1856. Juan Santamaria International Airport is the second busiest airport in Central America (second only to Panama’s Tocumen International Airport) and is only 3 km south of the city center. The airport moves over 5 million passengers per year and cargo of approximately 100,000 tons. The need for iTellum’s Internet via 1:1 International Fiber Optics is an essential element of the smooth operations inherent in such an important transportation hub.

Not only does the high-tech airport operation itself thrive on the redundant quality internet in Alajuela, best service and support provided, but the visitors that travel through this airport 24 hours a day look for superior internet to keep in contact with their business contacts, and family and friends, in addition to making their travel arrangements and hotel reservations. Of course, hotel accommodations are of the utmost importance in the immediate area of the airport and there are over 150 hotels, bed and breakfasts, villas and other short term lodgings to choose from. From hotel chains like Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn and Marriott to “Mom and Pop” bed & breakfasts and budget priced hostels, iTellum offers internet for hotels that provide excellent communications for their daily business plus an added convenience for their guests.

When mid-sized to large companies prefer to locate in certain areas, there must be an attraction. Internet Concierge is a term that iTellum uses to describe their faster, better, stronger internet service and support. Companies that seek this type of connectivity are interested in “the full package” putting aside price for services promised, and delivered. The airport invites the location of many companies both domestic and international, many dependent on import and export activities, and many operating in the free zones in the area. Companies like Dos Pinos, Incae, Intel, UPS, Hewlett Packard, Avon and Cargill are just a very small example of companies doing business from their Alajuela-based installations. The Coyol Free Zone was voted one of the top Free Zones in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018. The facility has 264 acres of land and currently hosts 26 companies. Eight of those companies are among the top 30 medical device companies in the world. The majority of the corporate tenants in this complex are OEM or Original Equipment Manufacturers. Other free zones in Alajuela are Inversiones Zeta, Parque Industrial Zona Franca Alajuela, and Corporacion de Inversion Desarrollo BES. Free zones attract a huge variety of firms because they allow corporations, tax and duty incentives and multiple support services all in one location. Alajuela is the perfect location for these companies and free zones based on having an international airport, an assortment of business hotels and excellent internet for medium and large businesses and call centers, of which several are located here.

Alajuela has its share of shopping malls; International Mall, Plaza Real and the most recent, City Mall offer top-notch mall-style shopping with commercial grade internet in Alajuela available throughout your shopping experience. City Mall is now thought to be the largest mall in Central America with 200,000 square meters and a huge assortment of international stores such as Forever 21, Levis, Universal, Carrion; a total of 350 retail units, a capacity for 1600 people in the food court, movie theaters and 2600-car parking lot. The “mammoth mall” even has a “snow-themed” amusement park, Snow Fun, where you can have a snowball fight, build a snowman or careen down a 42-meter sledding ramp! Like other cities and towns, Alajuela has a farmers market that starts on Friday afternoon and closes late, and then opens again early Saturday morning. It’s just west of the Central Market which is open most days of the week. It’s one of the largest and best-stocked farmers' markets in the central valley with a huge selection of fruits and vegetables and proteins. Local produce in Alajuela is diverse and plentiful, so it figures that Alajuela is also known as the City of Mangoes and has a fiesta that lasts about a week celebrating their heritage with crafts, music, parades and a large selection of mango refreshments.

Prolific users of superior internet in Alajuela and Costa Rica's central valley are the private hospitals and clinics in the Alajuela area. La Unidad de Cuidados Paliativos is a care facility for people that have been diagnosed as terminally ill with less than 6 months to live. It’s funding is basically via donations and it provides a higher degree of quality of life for those final months. It is believed to be the only one of this type of facility and serves the population on a national level. However, the oldest public hospital is Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela founded in 1883. It became part of the national health system in 1976 and was expanded and modernized. In 2004 it underwent yet another transformation, expanding once again and updating its medical equipment and facilities. Today the hospital provides health services to over 300,000 people in the area.

The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, the stadium located in the neighborhood of El Llano, is home to the soccer team, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, commonly known as “La Liga”. The stadium holds approximately 18,000 people and has hosted many concerts and events as well as final soccer championship games. “La Liga” is extremely popular, winning 29 championships and has fans all over the country. However, La Liga has its rivals too, especially Saprissa and Herediano, all of which can be heated topics of conversation among soccer fans.

An element of Alajuela to be appreciated is the different environments and neighborhoods. One can go from the quaint city center, to the modern shopping malls, to the fresh mountainous suburbs, to an active volcano, and to the country roads through lush fertile land that leads to the Pacific coast. Having an active volcano close to where you live may raise some eyebrows, but the rich soil it creates gives birth to rich coffee fields, sugar cane, hearty vegetables and fruit, and beautiful flowering ornamental plants. The Poas Volcano National Park sits at an altitude of 8000 feet above sea level with 15,000 acres of biodiversity including at least four different habitats. A few minutes outside of the city and you have a host of activities. You can visit the volcano provided it is not closed due to seismic activity, or venture to the Butterfly Farm in neighboring Guacima. Here you’ll see the entire process, from mating to caterpillars to chrysalis to butterfly. The famed iridescent Morpho butterfly amongst many others can be seen here and the experience is both educational and fascinating. The Chocolate Tour is another attraction that is a learning experience for most people. This tour allows you to experience how this treat is transformed from the plant to the plate and indulges the senses.

Travel a bit further west and you will encounter an unusual venue that serves the country on many levels, Rescate Animal Zooave. Originally opened in the 1960s, it was a private zoo based on the exportation and exhibition of animals. In 1990 new administration began a transformation process by moving the facility to a 36-acre property in a biological corridor that borders the Itiquis River. Operated by the Fundación Restauración de la Naturaleza (The Nature Restoration Foundation), the new focus is animal welfare and rescue, conservation, and environmental education. The lush botanical gardens are home to 125 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles that have been rescued; some that cannot be fully rehabilitated in order to be reintroduced to their natural habitat. Those that cannot survive in the wild, live in spacious enclosures that give them a better quality of life. There are three distinct “release” areas designated for those animals that do recover and can be reintroduced to the environment from which they originated. Another unique element of Zooave is that there are in essence, two restaurants, one for humans and one for animals. The animal restaurant is actually the area where food is tailored and prepared for each species based on the type of nutrition they would receive in nature, including details concerning balanced proteins, and vegetal and nutritive value. The restaurant for people is surrounded by the views and sounds of the animals that live there. It is called Kivu after a lion that was ill and transferred from another zoo for recuperation. There is also a reproduction area dedicated to helping species flourish and a hospital which is active rehabilitating animals that have been injured in some way and brought to the facility. The creation of such a beneficial and educational experience and the diversity of the City of Alajuela are facilitated through the best internet Costa Rica has to offer distributed through iTellum’s network.