My wife and I spent a glorious week at the El Remanso lodge on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. The experience from start to finish was exceptional.
We began with a flight from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez on Naturair. The flight provided beautiful views of the Costa Rican countryside and the Pacific Ocean.
The El Remanso staff greeted us with a wonderful smile at the runway in Puerto Jimenez. The warm welcome foreshadowed the amazing service we received from the friendly and helpful staff during our entire stay. Gerardo, our naturalist, was very pleasant, knowledgeable, and engaging. My wife received a great massage and the dining/bar staff were just outstanding. When we left for home we felt like we were leaving friends behind.
Adriana and Daniel manage the lodge. They both made us feel more than welcome and offered helpful and straightforward advice on all our activities.
Because of availability we stayed in a standard cabin as well as both deluxe cabins. We started in the standard cabin and were quite pleased. The deluxe cabins were simply fantastic.
I could go on and on. Simply put, the staff, setting, wildlife, and surroundings are second to none.
If you can visit El Remanso, do it. I know we play on returning as soon as possible.

My wife & I have just returned from a week in Costa Rica. The 5 days that we spent at the El Remanso were magical. El Remanso is a serene and beautiful spot in the middle of the rain forest – simple but elegant rooms, friendly helpful staff, great food, and as many or as few activities as you would want.

Although the trip to the Osa Peninsula is not the easiest, with the right attitude getting there can be just the beginning of a fun adventure.

For us the El Remanso was perfect but we have decided that of our friends at home there are two groups: ones that would love El Remanso and those that would be looking for a different kind of vacation experience.

El Remanso would not be right for those of our friends whose dream vacation includes early tee times on the golf course, shopping during the day, or a late and successful nights at the casino. El Remanso is not for those who might be daunted by a steep half-mile climb from the beach to the lodge or who would feel deprived by a lack of AC or TV in their room. But for those of our friends who would enjoy the exercise of a hike up the hill or through the jungle, who would appreciate waking up each morning to the sounds of howler monkeys and birds in the Rainforest, watching Macaws and Toucans sitting in the trees by the pool or exploring the and lagoons and tide pools on miles of empty tropical Pacific beaches I enthusiastically recommend the El Remanso.

El Remanso may not be for everyone but for us it was GREAT!!! Loved every minute of our stay.

Sometimes we like to keep something very special to ourselves. However, El Remanso is a gem of Costa Rica and needs to be shared with others. I doubt it will succumb to overexposure but remain true to its purpose. After spending the first four days of our trip in the Central Plains driving, rafting, and zip lining, we couldn't wait to visit the Osa Peninsula and our much anticipated stay at El Remanso. We were not disappointed! The eco-lodge, staff, grounds, rain forest, and surroundings exceeded our expectations.

It is a 50-minute flight from San Jose to Port Jimenez, and a 45-minute drive on a dirt road in a 4 X 4 to El Remanso-an adventure we looked forward to in our search of a rain forest experience and remote tranquility. There is no need to visit Corcovado National Park on a day tour since the lodge offers the same wildlife experience 24 hours a day . It is located on a 100 plus acre private reserve with many trails, waterfalls, and secluded Pacific beach. Monkeys, Scarlet Macaws, Toucans, and numerous species of birds can be seen and heard from your porch, hammock, or the dining room. We were not looking for a large commercial resort and found the perfect, friendly, attentive, and intimate experience here. The lodge only accommodates 20 some guests, so you are not just a number and receive very personal attention. The managers Daniel and Adriana are very visible and accommodating.

The dining room is open air with a bar and comfortable seating areas offering a place to meet with other guests or just relax. The food and service was great-what a pleasant, hardworking staff.

We stayed in a Deluxe Suite (El Rayo Verde) which was very spacious, clean, comfortable and private. It is very much open air-allowing for the sights and sounds of the rain forest at all times. Huge bathroom with tub and open shower (plenty of hot water). The windows and doors have no glass or screens, but curtains and wooden shutters. No phones, TV, air-conditioning (not really needed), and lights out after 8:00 PM are all part of the experience and were never missed. Candlelight offered ambiance. It is early to bed and early to rise anyway with the Howler monkeys and other wildlife. We slept very well considering all our outdoor activities. Another pleasant surprise was the total absence of biting flying insects-day or night. Granted, our visit was in the dry season, but we never used repellent or saw a mosquito or sand fly.

Having never been to a rain forest before, we decided to take a guided hike our first day with the Naturalist Gerardo and would highly suggest this to anyone who truly wants to get the most out of your visit. He is extremely knowledgeable, interesting, passionate, accommodating, fun, and has eyes like a hawk! This helped us observe wildlife so much better on our own hikes. The property also has 4 waterfalls and we did the waterfall rappelling with Gerardo. I was a bit apprehensive, but again he was skillful, safety conscious, and very patient. This activity was definitely a highlight for us.

I would highly recommend El Remanso for a unique, comfortable, and enjoyable Costa Rican rain forest experience. They have it all!

This place is amazing! We just stumbled across it after a 4 hour taxi ride from Sierpe. We were in luck that they had room. This is the nicest of the 5 places we stayed between Drake bay and this side of the peninsula. We had the best time woundering around the primary rain forest. The wild life here is easier to see than in the National forest. It's much more quiet with less of a crowd. The beach is amazing, althogh not the best to for swiming. The pool however made that seem like a null point. Of the 3 diff rooms we stayed in the first and third were the best. Get one with a vew it's worth the extra coin. The atmosphere was just undescribable. The staff was great and always had a smile. This place is very elegent, yet still made you feel like you were in the wilderness. A must if you enjoy day hikes. There are 5 different waterfalls to walk to on the grounds. I can't say enough about how much we liked this place. I have been telling all my friends that this is one of the best places to go on the Osa...