Bosque del Cabo Rain Forest Lodge — Hotel in Puerto Jiménez

My wife and I chose to visit Bosque Del Cabo the end of May, 2017 after doing an extensive amount of research on which lodge would be right for us in the Osa. After making all of our travel arrangements, we learned that the airstrip in Puerto Jimenez would be closed for repair. BDC’s office staff immediately helped us come up with an easy new plan to get there. We simply flew into Golfito and then took a pleasant and scenic 30 minute boat ride into Puerto Jimenez. Once we docked in Puerto Jimenez we were immediately greeted by a warm staff member who brought us to the office in town for a bit before heading on down the road to the lodge. It was there that the adventure began! Phil (he and his wife Kim own the lodge) was at the office and drove us in to BDC. The scenery on the charmingly rocky road to the lodge was splendid! Phil even stopped the truck a few times for me to get a better look at a few birds. This is what I want to emphasize because it foreshadowed the rest of our experience with Phil and Kim and their amazing staff. Even if they had seen something 1000 times, they were ALL always excited when we were excited! Any of them would do anything to make us feel as comfortable and as valued a visitor as possible! They did all of this without a single ounce of pretentiousness. I had been to Costa Rica before but never to the Osa Peninsula. It was my wife’s first time. We did not want to stay in an extravagant resort or a crowded place in a busy town. We really wanted to get off the grid, be surrounded by wildlife, eat great food and have a clean, reasonable place to rest our heads at night. BDC exceeded our expectations in every way. I am so proud of Phil and Kim for arduously working to preserve the environment that they live in. Because they have done such an incredible job, wildlife abounds at every turn! Bosque Del Cabo’s conservation story is truly inspiring. Their food is flavorful, well seasoned and very fresh. With notice, they will accommodate anyone’s dietary needs. The bar is well stocked (even if you drink the last Corona they will get you more first thing in the morning!) and their fresh juices are amazing. Their staff is comprised of educated and courteous people that put you at ease immediately. We loved getting to know all of them better. Everyone mentions the wildlife! That’s because everyone sees it. If you don’t then you are probably crying because that’s why (it would seem to me) people go to BDC. If you are there a week, hiking a bit and paying attention, you will definitely see all four species of monkeys, macaws daily, toucans galore, coati, agouti, poison dart frogs, a plethora of song birds, etc. We even had a sublime experience one morning at dawn when we were fortunate enough to see and get video of a puma with a young coati in his mouth crossing the grounds. It was an astonishing occasion! If you don’t like wild animals going about their business in the vicinity or if you can’t handle the thought of a frog accidentally getting stuck in your cabina, pleased don’t go to BDC. If you must be able to choose between 4 different appetizers before 6 choices of dinner in order to be happy, please go elsewhere to a resort. If you are turned off by monkeys napping overhead in the trees while you are in the pool, please go elsewhere. If you are adventurous, love wildlife and really want to experience the primary rainforest as well as the Pacific and the gulf beaches while being treated to a heavy dose of rustic Tico charm and accommodations, great food and great drinks… go to Bosque Del Cabo. Again, everything surpassed our expectations. I have never been able to say that about any other place that we have vacationed. Since our return home I constantly daydream about all of the experiences and wildlife sightings that we had there. All we talk about is saving to go back. In closing, there is no better value out there than Bosque Del Cabo. A life adventure...

Never Ceases to Amaze…

Arriving to the Osa in the evening after a long car ride, what an absolute pleasure to collapse into our cabins for a truly restful night, with the waves crashing down below and the frogs singing all around. It is hard to describe the level of relaxation you feel in such a calm, almost hallowed, place. No worries about hot and humid jungle weather, the open-air design of the cabin allows a nice breeze, complemented by impressively effective fans on the beds.

Within five minutes of walking to the restaurant for breakfast the following morning (under a huge ‘rancho’ with traditionally thatched roof and bamboo construction), we saw a small family of spider monkeys crossing the palms at the main entrance, made only better once we realized there was a baby latched onto the mother’s back! Over the following hour, in between ordering and eating a delicious breakfast (tough to decide between huevos rancheros and banana pancakes), we saw a huge family of coatis (also with babies), two great curassow males, three pairs of scarlet macaws (lapas), chestnut-billed toucans and aracaris (a smaller, even more colorful cousin that is less commonly seen), a smaller herd of peccaries with two newborn babies, and the green and black dart frog. I mean…are you kidding me? It felt almost silly, everytime we picked up our eyes from our plates, a new amazing species appeared. Despite all of this, upon looking up at the board listing all the recent wildlife sightings, I must admit a moment of jealousy for those previous guests fortunate enough to see a puma.

You may say that this is a testament to how special the Osa Peninsula is. And yes, you are correct. Which is clearly why so many people fall in love with the area and come back as often as they can. But it also speaks directly to Bosque del Cabo, what an excellent job they have done as stewards for their land, and how awesome the hotel property is (which is also why you discover that so many of the visitors are repeat guests who also come back as often as their hectic lives allow). I know that visitors to other hotels in the area would be hard pressed to see such an abundance of wildlife so easily. The openness of the main grounds, interspersed with beautiful plants, absurd, almost Jurassic-sized palms, and native fruit trees, coupled with the overlapping edges of the surrounding forest, combine to make such a unique space for observation.

After breakfast, we were ready to do a little moving, so we took a hike to the Tropical Garden, our little ones almost losing their mind as they crossed the suspension bridge. I know the Bosque property fairly well, and it is reassuring that so much of it stays the same (at least to my untrained eye). At the same time, the new(ish) addition of packed gravel on the trails, which were always meticulously maintained, was just a small example of the real consideration that the owners and employees take to constantly improve the experience, even if in small ways.

A bit of pool time and relaxation and a freshly prepared lunch (fish tacos por favro!), and we were once again ready for another hike. This time down to the Pacific ocean below the hotel. A more challenging walk than the Tropical Garden for sure, but the maintenance crew took it easy on us by carving an impressive route of winding stairs (which I refused to count for my own sanity). Only twenty minutes or so later, and we walked along the mouth of a little stream towards the beach down below. Entirely deserted and utterly breathtaking. Nothing to be seen in either direction except crashing waves, soft sand, and a mist emanating from the wall of jungle above. We mistimed our hike (my fault as usual) so did not bring the little ones to the tide pools, just down the beach a ways. I rationalize this oversight (to myself, not my wife) as just one of a number of favorite Bosque past-times that we will get to enjoy the next time...

This is our second time to Bosque del Cabo, and we'd do again in a heartbeat. We traveled this time with a 12 and 10 year old, and the accommodations, activities, and food are great for everyone. The owners, Kim and Phil, have done a superb job of maintaining the rainforest, while promoting eco-tourism and sustainability.

The food is amazing - period. Absolute culinary excellence. The chefs serve meals in a buffet style, with fish and meat at each meal, vegetables, rice, beans, tortillas, or pasta - whatever the theme may be - it is served with style, grace and class. The desserts are just delicious. And, unless you request to sit alone, your party is paired with other travelers, making dinner conversations lively and fun.

The service is just above and beyond. Giancarlos, Glenda, Filipe, Hylene, Grevien, and Marliny were genuinely polite and responsive to all requests and conversations. They gave our kids the warmest hugs, making their first international experience hard to beat going forward.

The rooms are sustainably outfitted, but classy. There are screens on the louver windows and doors, mosquito nets, and clean comfortable sheets. Our first room did not have a ceiling fan, which I think would be advisable for all the rooms. Our second place, Ylang, did have ample air movement and was just idea with an ocean breeze and open windows. For those who are jittery about bugs - please do your research and look at where you are going - this place is located in the middle of a rainforest, one of the most biodiverse places on earth. There are bugs - it's unavoidable - but Bosque does a good job of keeping them out of the house. Plus there are plenty of geckos doing pest control.

Don't feed the wildlife. While you might think it is cute - it creates a real problem for the wildlife, hotel, and guests. The coatis seem to have linked humans with food, and at the time of our visit, were constantly breaking into the rooms through the screens. Again, it's all part of the experience and we were on their turf, but I can't help but think that someone started all of this with a hand out.

If you're interested in surfing, we cannot recommend Kali enough - we are 100% Kali's biggest fans. Our son took lessons for his 13th birthday and stood up after about 3 pushes. "Best birthday ever!" according to our son.

While we were there we saw spider and howler monkeys, coatis, peccaries, agoutis, an ant-eater, white-faced monkeys, fleur de lance snake (2 - 1 adult, 1 infant), large lizards at the beach, butterflies, toucans, macaws, spiders....it was just amazing.

Do a night walk and the zip-line.

The best place on...