El Remanso

My Husband and I were married during our stay at El Remanso and had the wedding / trip of a lifetime! The resort is amazing and the people that run the resort even more-so. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained. Set on a hill with a breathtaking view of the ocean the resort is tucked well within the rain forest which can been seen and heard at all times... simply amazing! There are lots of activities that range from super adventurous to no too strenuous... there's something for everyone to do and the staff is always eager to assist in making your stay more enjoyable. Gerrardo was the most amazing guide that you possibly could have, he's practically a walking flora and fauna encyclopedia but it is also obvious that he loves his work and is very dedicated to it. My husband and I had our reservations about a destination wedding and bringing our guests pretty far from home. It became clear to us through our frequent correspondence with El Remanso that we had nothing to worry about. They seemed genuinely eager to be hosting our wedding and even came up with lots of great ideas which helped us out a lot. I can personally admit that I never would have thought to have traveled to my wedding ceremony in a cart pulled by a water buffalo but I can tell you that it was awesome! and I'm thrilled that we had that opportunity. We were married on a private beach not to far from the resort that looked like something I've only seen in movies... no one for miles... not even footprints on the beach, no buildings, nothing but an amazing piece of heaven on earth. (see photos) Our day was great, and we were both so glad that we had decided to be married in Costa Rica but grateful that we had found El Remanso because they put such effort and care into arranging our whole event. We both agree that we wouldn't have changed a thing if we had to do it all over again. A big thank you to Cindy, who planned out our entire wedding and made our day more special than we could have ever hoped for! We will be back to check on our Manglillo tree that we planted at the resort in honor of our wedding.. a gift that we weren't expecting but are very honored to have been given. I would highly recommend El Remanso to anyone! whether you're going on vacation or thinking of doing a destination wedding. You will be amazed by the unadulterated kindness and generosity that the staff possesses. The grounds are amazing and the food is fantastic! There was nothing we felt that was lacking while we were there. But there was a lot of things about a normal vacation that we enjoyed missing like an over-crowded resort with haphazard staff and a shortage of activities overrun with high maintenance tourists... none of that here! Thank you El Remanso for the wedding / trip of a lifetime!

Incredible experience from start to finish. My wife & I were celebrating our 20th anniv and wanted something very special. El Remanso so greatly exceeded our expectations. The staff, food, service, atmosphere, wildlife, activities.... wow. Rain forest at the beach/ocean - oh ya! 10 min walk from our room to the deserted beach. Three types of monkeys, Tucans, on it went. We hated to leave and had tears in our eyes as we drove out of the virgin rain forest. Kudos to Cpt Joel (with wife Belin - sp?) for starting this. Daughter Adriana and husband Daniel are keeping the spirit going. We will return.
Mark & Eileen Smith
visit - June 2009

We went to El Remanso the last week of February as part of our 4th trip to Costa Rica and second stay in the Osa Peninsula. We cannot say enough wonderful things about this lodge, it was certainly the highlight of our trip and most likely our favourite place in Costa Rica!
The grounds are amazing, with many trails that you can explore on your own, probably the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life and the views from the restaurant and cabins over the rainforest and the ocean are simply spectacular.
The owners are very welcoming and their staff were always very attentive. The guides are very enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge about the surrounding wildlife, we did a guided hike and the waterfall rappelling and would definitely recommend it to anyone!
This was probably not our last visit to El Remanso!

My wife, I, and another couple spent four days last week at El Remanso they were four of the best days we've ever spent anywhere. El Remanso has a large acreage on the west side of Osa peninsula right on the Pacific. It is replete with miles of trails in the jungle where one sees many brilliantly colored birds and monkeys and other animals.
The surroundings are at once wild and beautiful. The cabinas are a delight with views of the ocean. And the owners and staff could not be nicer. One gets a feeling of genuinely personal service. The large, dining room is gorgeous,and it is open on three sides so that you can dine and watch the jungle and birds while you eat; and last, but not least the kitchen is superb,serving lots of local fruit and vegetables, good beef and fish and some delightful deserts, and the presentation is lovely.

I have never stayed at any of the nearby lodges, so I can't compare, but El Remanso is a winner. I would go back again and again.

My wife and I spent a 10 day vacation in Costa Rica in November, with the last 5 nights at El Remanso. It was the end of the rainy season and we actually had a lot of rain in the afternoon and during the nights but it helped to maintain a nice temperature.
Our cabin "La Guinda" had breathtaking views of the ocean and is built on top of a canyon. The amount of wildlife we saw at the lodge and on its trails is simply amazing, far more than other parts of the country we visited (Monte Verde and Arenal). Service is 5 star, very attentive staff and the owners made everything happen for us.
Great food with lots of fish and fresh fruit smoothies.
The tours are great, we did a guided hike with their very knowledgeable guide and their waterfall rappelling simply rocks!
The lodge runs entirely on hydro power and they are also active in conservation projects.
El Remanso is an hour drive away from the closest town and when we went there the local airport was closed so we had to add another 20 minutes boat ride to the trip.
Would definetely recommend this place, we'll surely return!

4 days in this lodge convinced us = THIS IS PARADISE!! Incredible beach, a big variety of activities, luxurious cabins, "haute cuisine" and very attentive staff. The hosts are very much available and organized our stay perfectly. If you want to see wildlife, El Remanso is the right place, white-faced or howler monkeys in front of your cabin early in the morning, toucans flying over the restaurant, macaws nesting on the creek nearby, amazing! If you don't mind being in a remote lodge (the closest town is an hour drive away) without TV or a place to party, you are going to love it, WE DID!

I am writing this after downloading all the photos from our Costa Rica vacation, it is snowing here... El Remanso was our last stop and we saved the best for last. 1 hour drive away from the airport, the road is terrible but our driver stopped 3 times (!!) to show us monkeys in the trees and even a boa in the middle of the road. Amazing place, wildlife everywhere : toucans, monkeys, scarlet macaws, sloths, the re's too much to continue the list. Our kids loved to hike around the trails of the lodge and their highlight was the waterfall rappelling tour. My husband and I loved the tranquility of our cabin deck in the afternoons. This place has the most beautiful beach I have ever been to (the waves are a little rough though), we spent a whole day there (with a packed lunch) and didn't meet anyone! The service is excellent and the food is the best we had in Costa Rica. A real plus = the fresh breeze in the afternoons and during the night, made it a lot easier to sleep at night than in Tortuguero. I whish we would have stayed more than 4 nights ...

Together with my husband and kids we had planned to go to Lapa Rios but our travel agent recommended us El Remanso Lodge, for he had been there the year before. To our surprise, El Remanso turned out to be paradise for all of us! For the first time, we all agreed upon this. The tranquility and privacy of the place is amazing. Our kids had a wonderful time, they went waterfall rappelling with the guide Irane, or on the discovery of the rainforest while my husband and I enjoyed the calm afternoons on the deck of our beautiful cabin. The hosts and staff were fantastic, everything from our arrival to the departure was perfectly organized. Back in Boston we all miss this amazing place! It's cold here...