Naturelover3

Finally, after much research, my husband and I are going to the Osa the end of May. It is our first trip to CR. We are absolutely sure about staying at Bosque Del Cabo. I want to stay a week--he wants to split with Iguana Lodge or a similar place. I'm just not positive about Iguana Lodge. I feel so drawn to Bosque Del Cabo and have read that afterwards Iguana can be a let down.
Would a week at Bosque Del Cabo be too much? If not Iguana Lodge, then is there a recommendation for another hotel/lodge on the beach?
A million thanks!

volcanogirl

I love BdC, but I like the idea of a split since you have that much time. We stayed 3 or 4 nights at BdC, and that was about right for us. I believe Iguana Lodge has much easier beach access vs. BdC where you have to hike down to the beach. Maybe do Iguana Lodge first so you have BdC to look forward to. Plenty of people do stay the entire week at BdC and seem happy with their decision.

Naturelover3

Thank you, Volcanogirl! Very much appreciated. If anyone has been to Iguana Lodge I'd love to hear how you liked it.

emmajm

We did a few days in Puerto Jimenez (at Cabinas Jimenez), one night at Iguana Lodge just to see, then five nights at Bosque del Cabo.

For me, five or six nights is perfect at Bosque; wouldn't want less. I found it very comfortable taking multiple walks around the grounds and doing the hikes. Iguana Lodge was pretty but i don't hang out at the beach much, and thought the surf was too strong. And hot. For me Costa Rica is nature, not beaches. We did enjoy kayaking from shore and the boat ride in Golfo Dulce.

RAC

We found a 3-3 split to be perfect (we also had a night in between at Bosque del Rio Tigre). Iguana Lodge is right on the water near the port, so if you want to do boat tours or kayaking, that's the place for it. I can't imagine Iguana Lodge being a let down as long as you understand that it's not a wildlife hiking lodge. It's an amazing place, with a great lap pool and a dreamy yoga studio, and has two excellent restaurants, as well as being very close to Pt Jim/

Naturelover3

Thank you for the replies. I'll post after our trip(three months away) to hopefully help others. I so appreciate the advice here.

sparklegem

I highly recommend Bosque del Cabo. I do not think that a week would be too long to stay there. It is truly unique and amazing.

Our first trip to Bosque we split our time with the Iguana Lodge. I would definitely spend all my time at Bosque. My last trip down I spent a night at the Toucan Rescue Ranch before flying down to the Osa. It is also fun to visit Sibu Chocolate for a tour (and tasting!) and lunch as it is quite close to the Toucan Rescue Ranch.

mad

We just did a split week at Bosque del Cabo and then Crocodile Bay (which I do not recommend). It really depends on what activities you'd like to do. If you want to fish, go to the animal sanctuary, kayak or dolphin watch, I think it's totally worthwhile to stay in Puerto Jimenez for a few days. To do any of these activities from Bosque you need to take the longish drive into town and also pay for the drive. I liked going to Puerto Jimenez after Bosque. We enjoyed our less active time on the water after hiking/land activities for many days in a row. Fishing was phenomenal and we also saw tons of dolphins. Bosque is amazing, so you can't go wrong if you decide to stay the whole time there either!

volcanogirl

mad, what didn't you like about Crocodile Bay? We've never been but always looking for a place to split with BdC.

mad

Crocodile Bay is a very american feeling fishing lodge. We stayed there because they had A/C and I was thinking we might need a break from the heat, but it wasn't worth it. Our first night there we were kept awake by music from a neighboring bar. They changed our room to a quieter location, but the room looked like a worn down room from a chain hotel. The staff was top notch, the restaurant decent, the fishing amazing and the spa very nice. The grounds have very little wildlife and it just felt like an overall let down after staying at Bosque. They are also planning to build a fairly large timeshare/hotel right in town, which is very disturbing to me. I hope it doesn't ruin the area.

volcanogirl

Yea, that doesn't sound like our kind of place either; thanks for the details.