Jeff Heth

I'm considering a 7-day stay at iguana Lodge on the Osa Peninsula in January, 2003 for a family of four - parents and 2 girls ages 11 and 12. Any information about the place would be appreciated

Terri

Hi,<BR>I just got back from CR and so I have a good idea of where most of the lodges/hotels are located now (it's difficult to get a good picture of locations while you're planning.)<BR><BR>To answer your question, I'd say it depends on what you want to do. The Iguana Lodge is near Puerto Jimenez and there's really not much to do there. I assume that if you're going to Osa you're interested in either visiting Corcovado Park or one of the private reserves in the area. For a high end option near Corcovado/Carate, I'd choose Luna Lodge (about a 30-45 minute beach hike to the La Leona Ranger Station where you can then explore the park trail that leads to Sirena station). For a midrange option I'd choose Corcovado Lodge Tent Camp. We just stayed there and loved it! We had outstanding views, beautiful beach to lie on, ocean to swim in, we hiked in the park itself as well as on the trails there (the grounds were lovely -- soft green grass, palm trees, lovely gardens -- did I mention the ocean view?). The food was great and they have a full service bar to enjoy before dinner. That being said, I know that it's not for everyone.<BR><BR>For a private reserve in the area, looks like Lapa Rios is the hands-down winner -- fly or drive into Puerto Jimenez and they pick you up there in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It's about an hours' drive from Puerto Jimenez (and about an hour from Carate.)<BR><BR>Of course, your other option for Osa is staying on the Drake Bay side -- don't have personal recommendations, but I hear La Paloma Lodge is great. We're sorry we didn't have time to visit this side, as well as the Carate side, on our recent visit -- next time!<BR><BR>Bottom line -- I really think you'd be disappointed if you choose Iguana Lodge as your destination in the Osa. (I'd only stay there if you needed to stay near Puerto Jimenez for a one-night stopover before heading to Carate or Corcovado.)<BR><BR>Hope that helps some!

dlewis

Terri,<BR><BR>I was wondering how comfortable the tent cabins were at Corcovado in the heat. I was considering them, but thought with the heat and humidity they might be too uncomfortable. Thanks for the info. You're a great source.<BR><BR>Diane

Terri

Diane,<BR>I have to say, I was a little worried about the heat/humidity problem as well, as I don't have a huge tolerance for extremes in weather. The weather did not bother me in southern CR at all. (Honestly, it's worse in the summer in Washington, DC than it was there!) Now, that's not to say it wasn't hot -- it was nice, hot beach weather. The sun was up bright and high every morning by 6am. But we enjoyed hiking during the day, the refreshing rainfall that always came around 1pm (lasts about an hour or so) and swimming in the ocean for a break. It's dark at 5:30pm and then there is a breeze that comes off the water.<BR><BR>The *only* thing at the Corcovado Lodge Tent camp that could be a complaint is that we did get a few bug bites. (We opted not to use bug spray). But that inconvenience was minor compared to the positive aspects of the experience.<BR><BR>Keep in mind that I'm speaking as a person who enjoys camping out -- so this was sort of luxury camping. The tents were high enough for adults to comfortably stand up in, had wooden floors, a double bed (some had two singles) which was strewn with tropical flowers, cheery curtains, and a front porch with chairs. At night we unzipped three sides of the canvas (where there was netting) so we could get a nice breeze and see the ocean and palm trees, though I noticed that other people did not do this.<BR><BR>This lodge, as I said, is close to Corcovado trail, has two well-maintained trails of their own, and offers some guided tours -- canopy, horseback riding, etc. They seemed to be quite organized overall.<BR><BR>As you can tell we really enjoyed it here. Low season we paid $45 per person which included three meals a day. For us, it was a great alternative to the higher priced lodges in the area.<BR><BR>Hope that helps, and let me know if you need other info. We had a great time in CR...you'll love it, wherever you decide to stay!

Jeff Heth

Hi Terri:<BR><BR>Thanks so much for responding to my message on Fodors.com. I was wondering if you had actually been to the Iguana Lodge or were your objections just because of its location vs. the other places you mentioned further south on the Osa peninsula. <BR><BR>I've looked at Lapa Rios and Luna Lodge -- neither of which could offer us a 2-bedroom type accomodation -- we have to have separate sleeping accomodations for the girls -- it's not much of a vacation if we all try to squeeze into one room! The Iguana Lodge offers a two story bungalow with two bedrooms and a deck, overlooking the gardens and the beach -- they say it's a 6-mile long, beautiful beach with great body surfing -- and very deserted. They also claim to have delicious food and make all sorts of activities available.<BR><BR>We're going to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle and we're planning a 7-day stay -- do you think we'll be able to see the sights you mentioned using Iguana Lodge as our home base? <BR><BR>Again, I really appreciate your response. We live on Cape Cod ... if you every need information about our area which is a wonderful travel destination, please let me know. <BR><BR>Warm Regards, <BR><BR>JEFF HETH<BR><BR>

Terri

Hi Jeff,<BR><BR>Yes, I did make my recommendation based on locale only. I did not actually see the lodge...I drove by it (at least the road that leads to it) on the way to another lodge. It is remote in that it's a few kilometers from Puerto Jimenez proper. (And there's special reason you'd actually want to *stay* overnight in Puerto Jimenez, altho it we kind of liked it -- seems to be a stopping point for backpackers.)<BR><BR>You know, it is possible that you could use Iguana Lodge as a base, especially if you have 4-wheel drive and if Iguana Lodge offers all the beach experience that you're craving. I'm sure the lodge would offer excursions into Corcovado and probably other activities.<BR><BR>There are also outfitters in Puerto Jimenez that offer Corcovado, mangrove kayaking, and some other excursions that are typically done from the Drake Bay area (like Cano Island).<BR><BR>And...if you're adventurous and prefer to do some things on your own, you could drive to Carate with your 4-wheel drive (about a 1 and 1/2 - 2 hours' drive from Puerto Jimenez -- very scenic I might add), then hike along the beach from Carate to Leona Ranger Station, then take the park trail for some wildlife viewing. The park trail is about 100-200 meters from the beach and runs along the beach all the way to Sirena station. We saw on this trail (even without a guide) many scarlet macaws, pizotes, poison dart frogs, white-faced monkeys, etc.<BR><BR>Another option to Carate is taking the collective taxi from Puerto Jimenez that leaves every morning at 6am. You may not want to do this with kids, though! It's about $6 per person.<BR><BR>Let me know if I can answer any other questions....

dianne

I may have replied to you on the Frommer board. I really disagree with Terri (just to confuse you more!). Everything/anything you want to do you can do from Iguana. Hiking, birding, horseback riding, rafting, kayaking, swim with dolphins, rapel on a mountain. The cabins are big enough for your family with the two bedrooms and big porch. I hiked into Puerto Jimenez one morning. It took about 50 minutes. I used the internet cafe which was my reason for going there. Otherwise there isn't much. In fact the town is 2 blocks long and really nothing. The walk in was nice, tho and I took a taxi back.

Brian

I've been looking at both Iguana Lodge and Bosque del Cabo for a trip this coming July. I like Bosque's location at the end of the Osa Peninsula, and the fact that there are hiking trails on and adjacent to the property. I like Iguana's location on a long beach. Both are comparable in price. What would be your preference?

dave

Jeff <BR>We stayed in a two bedroom/two bath house at Bosque del Cabo this past summer with our two boys (10 &amp; 13). It has a full kitchen w/fridge &amp; stove. The house is seperate from the rest of the cabins and very private.<BR><BR>For Brian - Bosque is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean - very scenic. It is a bit of a hike to the beach, but once there, it's all your own. Great trails onsite.

Brian

Thanks for your response, Dave. When you were at Bosque, did you do any day trips from there -- hiking in Corcovado, for example?

dave

Prior to arriving at Bosque we had planned to go to Corcovado, but never did. We saw basically all the animals (and snakes) on their property which is quite large. We stayed four nights and had plenty to do. There are good swimming beaches about 1-1/2 mile hike away we visited. We walked down and they picked us up and drove us back.

Terrixxx

I hear that folks at Bosque do not really encourage going to Corcovado. And when I emailed them about staying there, they didn't offer any great suggestions as to how I could get there...and frankly, I thought what they charged to go to the park was overpriced.<BR><BR>But if you want to stay at Bosque, it's actually quite east to get to Corcovado. You can hop on one of the collective taxis from the dirt road to Carate....and the taxis bring people back at 4pm every day.<BR><BR>Dianne -- You know, we really didn't disagree SO much. If you'll read my second post to Jeff I mentioned that it actually might be a good idea for him....and that he could do all he wanted by using Iguanaa Lodge as a base. Looks like it might be good for *his* needs. It just wasn't right for me, that's all.....<BR><BR>Cheers everyone,

Jeanne

We stayed in both Iguana Lodge and Lapa Rios. You probably going to be surprised but we liked the Iguana much, much more. There is a lot to do.

Kara Lee

Jeff - I was wondering if you made your decision about the Iguana Lodge. I am on the verge on booking the 3-bedroom house that they rent out but am somewhat hesistant because I cannot find any reviews of the lodge in the &quot;major&quot; guidebooks (Fodors and Frommers). But, it sounds like there is an abundance of different tours to take and they can arrange trips to Corcovado, Cano Island etc.

Sue

I spent a little over a week at Iquana last year. The beach was lovely but be careful at the tide change, the undertow was tough. The rest of the time the water was wonderful. Just up the beach were tons of sand dollars. We saw rays in the late afternoon. There are miles of empty beach to walk on. Great birds on the road between PJ and the lodge. Scarlet Macaws flying by. Kayaks to use, boogie boards also. Kayak tours, rainforest tours on horseback, deep sea fishing, I don't recommend the bird watching tour. The guide didn't even have binoculars and we found more birds than he did. The Orchid tour was fascinating but way over priced. <BR>All in all I thought it was a nice place. The food was good, the rooms lovely and Toby and Lauren friendly. They have two children about your childrens ages which would be nice for both. One boy and one girl.<BR>I have stayed at Lapa Rios, the Corcovado tent camp, Luna Lodge, La paloma and will be at Bosque del Cabo this year. My husband will be heading home after a nice stay at Bosque and I am planning on heading back to Iguana Lodge or their place next door for some quality beach time. <BR>The tent camp is really nice and Costa Rica Expeditions food is wonderful. I really enjoyed my stay there. Not much for the kids to do but walk up and down the beach. They do have a canopy thing up in the woods behind the camp that we didn't bother doing. We did do some hiking on their paths and had monkeys following us. <BR>Luna Lodge is beautiful and Lana makes you feel right at home. A long hot hike to the beach. For a fee..Esteban will bring you to and from the beach or just pick you up and bring you back to the lodge. Lana had just bought some more property that is beach front and adjoins her origional property. Can't wait to see what she does with it.<BR>

Sue

If you wanted to see the Carate area and spend the day there it is only a 2 hr ride from PJ. It could be considered an adventure in itself. There are lots and lots of monkeys to see on the road between the two. There is a pulpuria where you can get a cold drink and park your car to walk to the Corcovado park La Leona entrance (there is a fee). The tent camp does let you stop in and purchase a meal if you wanted to try that or just stop in and have a cold drink. Toby or Lauren might be able to call them ahead of time so they would be expecting you. I think lunch is around $18pp. Lauren and Toby might be able to pack you a box lunch for your day trip also. If you can get up to Luna Lodge (I wouldn't want to make that drive) there is a nice waterfall hike. Luna is a lovely place just a long hot walk to get to it. <BR>I do recommend you take one of the rainforest horseback trips from Iguana. I took it and saw lots of neat things.<BR>One word of caution...be sure you are back at Iguana before dark. Driving in CR in the dark is very dangerous.

Stacey

Hi Jeff,<BR>We had a great time at the Iquana Lodge last February. the owners, Toby and Lauren are great. They have 2 kids. the beach is outstanding, the water awesome, the food is terrific! We loved it because we could walk for 2 hours on the beach and not see another person. Because you have kids, they could get a little restless. The lodge offers a number of activities, but you will find most operate out of Matapalo. this would be a great spot to stay for a night before you head to Corcovado. We stayed at the Tent Camp too and it was a blast! your kids wouldn't get bored there. the tents were small but comfortable.