Is Costa Rica on your bucket list?
Because it should be. It’s a country like no other: boasting deserted beaches, lush rainforests, top wellness retreats, eco lodge hotels and active volcanoes. With over 5% of the planet’s species, it’s one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with incredible landscapes and wildlife everywhere you look.
After spending three months enjoying the best of this unique country, here are our picks of the best Costa Rican lodges and yoga and wellness retreats to ensure you get the most of your stay in this unique and unforgettable country.
Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge, Osa Peninsula
Bosque del Cabo is a premier eco-lodge that encapsulates the beauty that Costa Rica offers travelers. The rainforest retreat is hidden within 750 acres of unspoiled jungle, at the very tip of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, in the Southern Pacific region of the country.
Its unique location allows access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Golfo Dulce, with ocean breezes and sea views from each of its beautiful hand-crafted bungalows.
The lodge’s enviable location borders Corcovado National Park, and one of its lesser-known entrances, yet we didn’t need to leave the hotel grounds to experience the rainforest and its incredible wildlife. Private hiking trails allow access through the jungle to the entire rainforest reserve, from your accommodation front door to the ocean shores.
Visitors are free to explore at their leisure, but the lodge also offers guided tours run by local rangers for those who’d like to learn more.
The night tour comes highly recommended, especially for those who’d like help spotting their first sloth! Our incredible guide was also fluent in frog, explaining their unique noises and encouraging them to respond.
An added bonus was witnessing the infamous fer-de-lance snake, within twenty feet of the lodge’s restaurant. It was both humbling, and terrifying, to be reminded that the rainforest belongs to the wildlife, and we must be aware of that at all times.
The trails and tours aren’t the only places you’ll witness wildlife at Bosque del Cabo. As soon as we parked our car, we spotted spider monkeys swinging in the trees and coatis foraging for food. The lodge’s accommodation nestled within the rainforest also provides prime viewing opportunities.
There’s no need for alarm clocks with the calls of toucans, macaws and howler monkeys echoing throughout the trees that surround your accommodation. One afternoon spent relaxing on our private porch, enjoying the tropical breeze in our hammock, allowed us to witness capuchin monkeys foraging for lunch in nearby fruit trees. They seemed just as interested in us, peering onto our balcony whilst expertly picking and peeling their snacks.
As well as the raw nature of the rainforest and the beauty of the lodge’s grounds, the retreat offers all the luxuries you’d hope to find whilst on holiday. Two beautiful natural pools are available, with a full-service bar and lounge offering fresh juices and cocktails.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the lodge’s impressive thatched-roof restaurant, using fresh and local ingredients and offering options to suit all guests.
The meals were the most delicious we’ve tasted in all of Central America, and the family of peccaries we’d watch from our breakfast table made them the most memorable.
The story behind Bosque del Cabo is just as inspiring as the experience you’ll have when visiting. The owner bought the land from two families in the eighties, who were unknowingly destroying the precious ecosystem by burning trees and deforesting land for farming and livestock.
After three years of living off the land, the owner created a small lodge with just three cabins and a restaurant, welcoming guests two years later in 1990. With over thirty years of visitors enjoying the nature and wildlife rejuvenated as a result of reforestation, Bosque Del Cabo boasts the title of the longest-running nature lodge on the Osa Peninsula.
Ara Ambigua Lodge, Sarapiquí Rainforest
Ara Ambigua Lodge is another example of Costa Rica’s finest accommodation. Set within the Sarapiquí rainforest, yet only ninety minutes from the capital city of San José, it’s a perfect option for visitors who are limited on time whilst in the country. With easy access to the international airport and the highway, you’ll be surprised at the sanctuary-like feel as soon as you arrive onto Ara Ambigua’s grounds.
The eco lodge is set within 7.5 acres of preserved forest, where the only noises you’ll hear are the breeze in the trees and bird calls in the branches above. There are lakes and dedicated walking trails to explore, with ample birdlife and reptiles to watch out for.
We loved that the water for the hotel is sourced from the forest: 100% pure and natural.
The three swimming pools on the property are sourced from here too, and they’re perfect for cooling off in the midday heat. The setting is stunning, surrounded by trees and their wild inhabitants.
The accommodation at Ara Ambigua allows visitors to make the most of the forest setting too. Each room has a balcony surrounded by flora and fauna, and the coffee machine supplied inside allows for an enjoyable morning spent on your private porch.
Breakfast is included in the rate of your eco lodge room and these mealtimes were a highlight of our stay.
Opposite the dining room is an exotic garden, which fills with tropical birds every morning from dawn. Is there anything that epitomizes Costa Rica more than eating fresh tropical fruit, whilst watching a macaw enjoying the same?
Dinner times were just as memorable, as the bird garden is also home to an abundance of frogs. As soon as the sun sets, the frogs begin to wake up and we recommend timing your meals to allow for this spectacle.
If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of the famous red-eyed tree frog or the tiny poison dart frogs, as you’re simultaneously seated enjoying a delicious meal. We’d recommend the pizzas, it’s the hotel’s speciality. Once you’re finished, guests are welcomed to take self-guided night tours to get a closer look at the elusive amphibians. Just follow the sounds, it’s your best bet at finding them.
Ara Ambigua Lodge is a testament to the Costa Rican family who both own and run it. They arrived in the area in search of a better future, buying the land as an abandoned farm and inspired by the forest and the inhabitants within it.
The lodge is a vision of entrepreneurship: building from the dirt and weeds, to create the best hotel in the entire area. The children who grew up running around in the earth have now taken over the running of the lodge, and booking a stay here supports a local family’s inspiring regeneration.
Sunset Tucano Lodge, Drake Bay
Visitors to Drake Bay are usually there for one thing: heading straight to Corcovado National Park. However we’d recommend slowing down and spending a few days in the area, staying at a locally run lodge to enjoy the best the region has to offer.
Our choice was Sunset Tucano Lodge, run by a local man and his family. The accommodation offers a bridge between a homestay experience and a rainforest retreat, set on a stunning and tranquil property. Accessing the accommodation is an adventure in itself and visitors have three options.
Those with a 4×4 vehicle, or access to a ride, can approach on the unpaved road, others may choose to pick up a local boat in the neighboring Drake Bay, or active travelers can even opt to hike in.
This Costa Rica eco lodge is located on the Drake Bay hiking trail and, whatever your method of arrival, we’d recommend the trail at sunset. It’s likely you’ll be joined by the incredibly friendly local dogs, and even more likely you’ll spot wildlife as you walk.
The lodge’s nearby beach is beautiful, the accommodation access through the jungle is exciting and the wooden bungalows with terraces and hammocks are perfect, but the real highlight here is the family. Guests are offered a fully inclusive dining package and it’s this that encapsulates a homestay experience.
You’ll be seated in the center of the stunning grounds, watching for wildlife in the trees that outline the garden.
The owner’s wife cooks all three meals, in a tiny kitchen next to the dining area, whilst the owner shares his stories. Each meal includes fresh juices, local desserts and invaluable local insight, not to mention a keen eye for the wildlife. Our final meal was paired with our first armadillo sighting, it’s not often you can say that.
With so many travelers opting for any Airbnb closest to their tourist attraction, we urge you to dive deeper. Unique wildlife and local experiences can be found for those willing to stray from the path and stay somewhere different, from rainforest retreats to eco- lodges, there are so many incredible unique stays on offer in Costa Rica.
