Iguana Lodge Beach Resort — Hotel in Puerto Jiménez

When considering the extraordinary beauty and seclusion of the property and its surrounding landscape, any nitpick that could generally go into a hotel review feels inconsequential and unimportant. I could say that the coffee and tea selection weren't great--- but I could also tell you about the long stretch of beach that we had to ourselves, like our own little spot in paradise, the sound of waves rocking us to sleep, the private casita with enchanting views, yoga decks overlooking the beach and the pool-- did you really come here to complain? It took me 24 hours at the lodge to realize that some people must gripe a lot because a lot of the promotional material and welcome package seems written in defence of common complaints, which affected my expectations. For example, all the mention of creepy crawlies, I was expecting a biblical level of infestation, but there was a very logical amount of wildlife around us given the location and season (dry). Our casita was for the most part free of anything but an occasional ant. The welcome package also makes Friday night pasta night sound INTENSE, to the point where we almost tried to skip it and are so so glad we didn't because the food was delicious, the music delightful and we turned in quite early. The point is, my goodness must people be privileged enough to complain in such a setting.

Since we left, my husband and I keep asking each other how the 4 days went by so fast. We were almost blindsided by our departure day, not wanting to leave, wondering where the time went even though we literally spent 4 days on the premises, enjoying the location (we didn't even go on any excursions). The food was delicious. We had breakfast and dinner included in our package and everything was always fresh, flavourful and presented with care and pride. The chef is world class. The staff prepared a special private dinner for us on the beach to celebrate our anniversary and it was one of the most romantic moments in our 8-year marriage. The staff was always pleasant and friendly. We were especially charmed by Gabriel, one of the restaurant staff, who went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable from the day we arrived, calling us by our names already by the 2nd time we spoke. In general, anything we asked for was delivered, no request was too much (if you're a reasonable person). The property was full when we arrived and we stayed in a lower-level casita which had a spacious and beautifully-designed outdoor shower and bathroom. 2 days in, Mardi the manager organized our move to a higher level casita so we could enjoy a better view, something we had inquired about when we arrived. The view was phenomenal and as a trade we lost our enormous outdoor bathroom (the 2nd one was still nice, but different effect). Every casita is unique and has its charms. Lauren, the owner, is warm and generous.

The drive into Puerto Jimenez is very short, maybe 10 minutes. We had our own car and found it useful for little afternoon jaunts to get ice cream or snacks. We loved this place and are already dreaming of...

This is a very private resort with access to more beach than you could use. It's located about 15-20 minutes from Puerto Jimenez on a dirt road. When you drive up the lane to the resort you feel like you're in the middle of the rain forest. The buildings for the resort are linked with dirt trails winding in the foliage. We stayed at one of the rooms above the Pearl of the Osa restaurant. The location was great with phenomenal views looking out onto the Ocean. The room was a little noisy but comfortable and clean (with AC). You could easily hear other guests come up and down the stairs, in the restaurant downstairs, and in the adjacent rooms. The buildings fit the setting perfectly. There are several cabanas located through the resort. The resort also has a spa open air building for morning yoga, exercise, and massages. I thoroughly enjoyed the massage, and my wife thought it was the best massage she has ever had. There's a pool and "hot" tub (it's not really hot, but with the weather here you wouldn't want it to be), as well as showers and bathrooms nearby. There are walking trails and shades along the beach, with many little nooks where you could rest, meditate, or just breath in the atmosphere of Pura Vida. Service was great and friendly. The resort has kayaks and boogie boards that guests can use. There was also an art studio, but I don't know if it is available to the public. There's also a tennis court for the guests. I think the main office might have a kitchen that guests can use, but I'm not sure if that's advertised. When we first arrived we walked out to the beach and couldn't see anyone for miles. We were able to kayak out to the reef, hoping to snorkel, but stayed in the kayaks instead when we saw dolphins jumping 100 meters away. The boogie boarding was great. The sand at the beach is dark, and a little more coarse with lots of pebbles in the sand. The resort arranged the massage and a tree climbing excursion for us (highly recommend- we saw several kinds of monkeys, tree frogs, snakes, birds, etc. on the hike to the very large tree). It was convenient to get them scheduled, but you need to be diligent in following up on confirming the excursions. There were mosquitoes at the resort (it is along a coastal mangrove swamp), so bring some spray. We also forgot a sentimental item at the hotel and the staff went through the effort of sending it to the San Jose airport so we could pick it up before we left...

We had a wonderful five nights at Iguana Lodge in May 2024. I am going to tell you what I liked and then address the negative reviews. We (adults and 22 year old son) had an air conditioned casita. We could hear the ocean 24/7 - it was wonderful. The bathroom was an outdoor bathroom and we were fully aware of this - it was attached to the bedroom. The staff was fantastic (including Mardi in the office) and the restaurant - great staff and good, fresh good. We enjoyed the wildlife and the pool. One afternoon in the pool we saw the monkeys for about twenty minutes swinging through the trees. We took a morning tour of the property and evening tour of the river both with Sidnar, their naturalist. We saw so many animals and plants that we would have not been aware of without the tours. We highly recommend Sidnar and staying at the Iguana Lodge and eating at Pearl of the Osa.||Addressing the negative reviews:|The hotel is right on the beach. I have no idea what no beach access means as you can literally walk down to the beach from the restaurant and/or your room.|I have no idea what no beach service means. If you want someone serving you margaritas under a palapa, go to Cancun. You are here for the nature. We thoroughly enjoyed walking a quiet, deserted beach.|As you are so close to all the nature and have a wide variety of unique tours to choose from, this is why it costs more to stay here. Location, location, location. |Were there occasional bugs in the room? Yes. We are in the middle of a rainforest/jungle - we would expect this ahead of time.|Were there leaves in the pool? Occasionally, yes. You could skim the pool 24/7 and, get ready for this, it's in the middle of a jungle surrounded by trees. |Be wary of reviews - some people have only left one review ever on TA and it's a...