lrjones

We are planning a family trip to Costa Rica in March. One of our stops will be the Oso region. I am looking for the best overall place to stay in the area. Hot water,nice pool and beach would all be great. Thanks for the help.

Lucy

Suzie2

About the only place you are going to find all 3 things on your wish list is Lookout Inn. It is right across the dirt road from the beach. Almond trees line the road and scarlet macaws are a constant visitor to them. They have a web site you can look at.
As far as the best places minus one of the things on your wish list, I would say Bosque del Cabo is my favorite of all places on the Osa. Another place that I would not stay (have in the past) for various reasons but is considered to be one of the top places to stay is Lapa Rios. The grounds are much nicer at Bosque and the people who own it live there. The individual cabinas are beautiful with breathtaking views and the grounds are just lovely to walk around on.
Lapa Rios has beautiful duplex cabinas but when on the outdoor patio you can hear your neighbor. There are also a hundred or so steps to climb in the heat for your meals or to get to the pool if you are in the higher numbered cabinas. There are also no real "grounds" to walk around on. It is all hiking. It is run by a management company. Crocodille Bay Lodge is another place that I have heard is supposed to be top quality. From the outside it doesn't look terribly nice to me but I hear the rooms are very nice and the food is excellent. It is more of a fishing lodge but non fishing people stay there also. They even have air conditioning (not terribly eco friendly).

Incognito

I have my personal opinion about Lapa Rios. In December we stayed in Lapa Rios in room #1 and we had a huge problem with bed bugs. We know this is where they got us because we were in Costa Rica for 6 nights and Lapa Rios was only one place where we stayed in. We are still itching. We would never return there because of those nasty things. There is no easy acess to the beach and pool is small where a big iguana comes every day and leaves his s... .

Suzie2

You are lucky in that you had a lower #'d cabin. We were in 13 out of 14. It was a miserable hike up and down. Up for food and pool and down for the beach. Bosque is a long hike to the beach also but if you go to the Gulf side they will arrange to pick you up.

Brian

Suzie,

Do you know what the drive is like from Puerto Jimenez to Lookout Inn? I understand the taxis ($120 round trip) are covered pickup trucks with seats in the back, and the ride is about 90 minutes. I'm thinking of going there next July.

Suzie2

It is about 90mins or slightly more. A very dusty, bumpy, wind in your hair ride. Technically, because of insurance reasons, they were supposed to have eliminated those trucks with the benches in the back but as of last year I was still riding around in them. There were more enclosed vehicles tho so they may be slowly getting rid of the open trucks. I personally get a kick out of them and would like to see some of them stick around. It is a rough ride but you see lots of neat stuff.

Suzie2

There is an alternative to the expensive taxi and that is the colectivo. It is still an open truck but much cheaper. It is used to shuttle the help to and from the lodges. There is one around mid afternoon heading to Carate to pick the workers up that you could catch a ride on. To get back to Puerto Jimenez you could catch the morning one that drops the workers off.
If you decide to take the regular taxi for convenience don't be put off by the cost. We were when we first started traveling down there but after riding around with the head of the taxi organization we found out why. The government does not help with roads down there like it does with the rest of the country so the lodges and taxi drivers have to pay for the road upkeep themselves. When places like Lapa Rios don't pay their share, more is put on the drivers and other lodge owners.

Brian

Thanks for the reply, Suzie. It wasn't so much the cost that I was concerned about. I was more concerned about reliability and whether or not this would be the "ride from hell", especially during the rainy season. I knew about the colectivo, but the flight I was considering arrives in Puerto Jimenez early in the morning, so the taxi would be more convenient.

Suzie2

Hi Brian,
There are options to the open trucks. Terry or the gal that helps him manage the place will most likely have a taxi waiting for you. That is how most of the lodges work. You might want to communicate to him ahead of time that you want an enclosed taxi (extend a cab or car). During the rainy season you will want to be in something higher off the road because there are some stream/river crossings.

Brian

Suzie,

What can you tell me about the hiking trails near the Lookout Inn? How many are there and how long or difficult are they? I know there are trails in Corcovado National Park, which is about a 45-minute hike down the beach. I recall you saying in one of your earlier posts that there really isn't much to do in the Carate area. I've been thinking about staying there for 5 nights, but that may be just too long for me. I do like the idea of staying near the beach and the park. Another option is staying at Bosque del Cabo, which has numerous trails on its property, but is quite a hike from the ocean and a bit more expensive. I really don't want to split my time between the two places.
Thanks.
Brian

Suzie2

As far as "trails" go, there aren't a lot. The forest can be pretty dense. You can walk up the Carate river bed and see lots of things. I haven't been that time of year so it may actually have water in it. There is a path on the side of the river. From there you can go up the hill to Lana's place (Luna Lodge). She is a sweetheart and there is always a big welcome to anyone who seems to just stop in. You can buy a cold drink there which you will probably need at this point. From there someone can show you the way to the waterfalls. She also has some trails up there. Will most likely be some gold paners on the river also. Pretty good birds, some monkeys, misc. As with anything in the wild it is all luck and timing. You can walk back towards town a little way to the Lagoon. I think Terry has kayaks that you can use in the ocean and in the lagoon. The ocean of course will depend on conditions. You can go down to the Costa Rica Expeditions tent camp and do their canopy tour. They also have a good trail there. There is horseback riding.
Something to think about is rain. This might give you an idea of what to expect weatherwise.
http://www.jlaselect.com/laparios/climate.htm

Brian

Thanks, Suzie. You have pretty much confirmed what I thought. I am a little concerned about going in the rainy season, but from what I've read, the rains usually taper off a little in July.

Suzie2

They do. It actually called little summer down there and from what I hear from people who live there, it is their favorite time of year because it is so much prettier.