17 Best Hotels in The Osa Peninsula and the South Pacific, Costa Rica

Famous for miles of bird-watching trails and expert guides, this lodge has comfortable, spacious rooms with two double beds and modern bathrooms, some with bathtubs, set in colorful, bird-attracting gardens. The main lodge has a huge firepit, a spacious bar, and a gift shop with lots of useful bird-watching items, including rain ponchos. A hearty breakfast is included in the rate. Breakfast and lunch can be served on a large sunny terrace frequented by hummingbirds. Homegrown trout is the restaurant's specialty. Don Efrain Chacón first bushwhacked his way through these mountains in the 1950s, and the property is still run by his children and grandchildren.

If you want to avoid the twisting drive down the San Gerardo road, take a bus to Km 80 on the Pan-American Highway and arrange a lift to the hotel ($25 for up to 5 people).

High style at high altitude, this avant-garde lodge clinging to the side of a mountain has unbeatable valley views, great bird-watching, luxury accommodations, a sophisticated restaurant, and the top ecological sustainability rating. All rooms are uniquely designed to reflect the environment, including #14 built around a tree. All casitas and suites have living rooms with huge picture windows, private terraces, a/c, Jacuzzi tubs, minibars, ethanol-fueled fireplaces, as well as fluffy duvets for cold nights. The staff go out of their way to make sure all of your needs are met, offering everything from baby cribs to packed lunches. 

Stunning contemporary design, high-tech comforts, and a lofty location overlooking the Pacific combine to set a whole new standard of luxury at this adults-only property. Garden walkways lead to spacious villas, where architect and owner Martin Wells has pulled out all the stops: glass-walled showers for two, innovative stone double sinks, sliding teak doors leading to an exquisite walk-in closet, and glass flooring. Boxy white sofas and chairs and a floating king-size bed, piled high with pillows and a puffy duvet, invite relaxation. Creature comforts include exotic teas, a stocked mini-bar, and a Nespresso machine. Other requests, including room service and tours, are a tap away, accessible via personal iPads—even laundry service and beach transport are included. An exquisite saltwater infinity pool surrounded by an elegant terrace restaurant and chic bar and lounge establishes the sophisticated tone in the main lodge. Meanwhile, at the restaurant, from breakfast to dinner, every dish is delectable as well as beautifully plated. Returning from dinner, you'll find your villa romantically staged, with drapes drawn, candles flickering, and a red glow emanating from under the bed. The spa is an experience not to be missed.  You'll feel worlds away from civilization, but a brief shuttle trip can transport you to the "whale's tail" upon request.

Sweeping ocean views, impeccably appointed accommodations, and lots of tropical-foliage privacy make this lodge the area's most romantic option. Planted in an exquisite jungle garden on a ridge jutting into the Pacific, the elegant, spacious wooden ranchos (small houses), placed strategically for total privacy, have bedroom lofts, spiffy bathrooms, and large, breezy porches with wicker furniture. Interiors are enlivened with local artisan touches. All accommodations here have air-conditioning, purified water, and a balcony with a hammock to sway away your cares. Nos. 1 and 3, aptly called "sunset ranchos," have the best sea views. Four superior rooms in a shared building are spacious and luxurious, with king-size beds, jungle, garden, and ocean views. Room D has a wraparound deck overlooking an expanse of jungle, delighting bird-watchers. Service here is personal, enthusiastic, and polished. Take a dip in the small pool, or head down the hill to Playa Cocolito, a gem of a beach. Diving trips and certification courses, river kayaking, and nature tours with private guides are among the activities. The fan-cooled restaurant serves excellent tropical fare, and there's always afternoon tea and home-baked treats—the carrot cake is a standout. Sophisticated, four-course dinners—with vegetarian options—are served at a long communal table, giving guests a chance to meet and share experiences. Red or white wine (or beer) is poured at dinner. Wi-Fi is available in the main lodge and in cabin "A" closest to the Club House. There's a three-night minimum stay, a package that includes all meals and two tours. 

Everything at this luxury resort—designed like an art deco ocean liner incongruously dry-docked in Golfito's American Zone—is first-class, and guests stroll among gleaming hardwoods, polished brass, and stained glass. A magnificent art collection, commissioned for the hotel, lines corridors equipped, gangway style, with white hand railings and portholes. The smallish standard rooms feel a little subterranean, but feature such swanky amenities as fine linens, marble bathrooms, handsome furniture, well-designed closets, lots of mirrors and reading lights, and strong air-conditioning. Upper-level, deluxe state rooms and suites are brighter and more spacious, with large bathtubs and private balconies. The public areas are grand, filled with more art, sculpture, and stylish leather furniture. Across the road from the main hotel lies a self-contained resort, with a magnificent pool, gym, tennis and squash courts, and a spa. Service is polished and friendly throughout the hotel. Included in the room rate is an excellent buffet breakfast, served in the gloriously over-the-top main dining room. 

High on a hillside with spectacular ocean views framed by giant traveler's palm trees, this Austrian-owned hotel is a good base for exploring the area. The elegant Mediterranean-style buildings, painted blue and white, have spacious rooms, and there's plenty of open space for kids to play in, plus fitness trails for grown-ups and a spa to relax in. There's also a 4,300-square-foot swimming pool that commands both mountain and sea views. The birding here is excellent. If you tire of the view (not likely), there are large flat-screen televisions on swivel bases. Breakfast buffets are hearty at the pleasant poolside restaurant, which also serves lunch and candlelit dinners, featuring excellent fish along with some tasty Austrian specialties, including Wiener schnitzel. Service is friendly and polished. There's always a breeze and a feast for the eyes from the restaurant terrace. For budget-minded guests, there are two "adventure cabins" at the edge of the jungle, with ceiling fans but no air-conditioning.

With one of the most spectacular ocean views on the Costa Ballena, this modern "castle" is a luxury boutique hotel with nine ultrachic guest quarters with private terraces. Along with a million-dollar view of a shimmering infinity pool melding into the ocean from the lounge terrace, there are exquisite design touches everywhere in this modern, honey-colored castle. Three palatial suites have huge contemporary bathrooms, king-size poster beds, and a tasteful smattering of one-of-a-kind side tables, chairs, bibelots, and art. Smaller double rooms sport the same design touches, three with ocean views and one tucked away in the hotel garden. "Spa Suites" 8 and 9 have ocean views, Jacuzzi tubs, and more privacy than the other suites. The restaurant is breezy by day and romantic at night. Keep binoculars handy since the birding in and around the hotel is excellent. Early in the morning and at sunset, pairs of scarlet macaws perform a fly-past.

With an excellent restaurant, a lush garden, a pretty infinity pool, and exceptional service, this elegant hotel is a heavenly spot for those who like to indulge themselves. The original 16 rooms have elegant, dark-wood furniture, comfortable beds topped with plush linens, and subtle angelic touches. Other luxuries include coffeemakers, soaking tubs, and spectacular stained-glass windows. Six Jungle Rooms are smaller and darker, but cheaper and very comfortable, with pickled-wood walls, antiqued armoires, and balconies facing the forest or garden. The romantic, high-ceilinged terrace restaurant, aglow in shades of royal blue and gold, has a very sophisticated menu; the tender osso buco is cooked to perfection, and the menu is completely gluten-free. The breakfast is also excellent.

On a precipitous ridge, this modest wooden lodge is an affordable and comfortable launching pad for a hike up Chirripó, or a pleasant spot to relax and breathe in fresh mountain air and scenery and watch birds. Along with budget rooms with private bath above the restaurant, there are private, comfortable cabins scattered around a pool, all with gorgeous views of the mountains. The lodge's spartan but fresh rooms above the restaurant can accommodate up to four. The lodge is named for a twisted-wood pelican—one of dozens of idiosyncratic sculptures carved out of tree roots that now reside in a rustic museum on the property. The owners are eco-conscious, and they are part of the consortium that can arrange everything for a climb up Chirripó, from park reservations to transportation to porters to lodging. 

This small bay-side hotel overlooking the beach and almost hidden behind flowering hedges is the most comfortable and reasonably priced place to stay in the village of Drake. There are economic rooms—all featuring a/c and private baths with hot showers—that open onto an elevated, shared terrace with bay views and breezes. But there's a price for those views: 185 steps to climb. All the rooms have tiled floors. Guests get to leave their artistic signatures on painted driftwood mobiles that decorate the open-air restaurant where breakfast (included) and day-long meals are served. The on-site diving operation is well run, so the lodge is often filled with groups of divers swapping diving tales around the bar.

A paradise for resplendent quetzals, this rustic but comfortable lodge is amid cloud-enshrouded mountains and valleys with 16 km (10 miles) of hiking and birding trails through ancient oak forests dripping with moss and epiphytes. Cozy bungalows, each set in splendid isolation, have picture windows and modern bathrooms and some have hot tubs and king-size beds, dehumidifiers, and TVs. Nighttime temperatures drop into the 40s at this high altitude (about 8,700 feet) and you'll be happy for the electric heaters and hot-water showers. The main lodge has a large fireplace and an observation gallery abuzz with brilliant hummingbirds that aren't the least bit fazed by onlookers. Meals are simple but hearty, and an espresso machine guarantees excellent coffee. A bird-photography shelter is equipped with battery-charging stations and natural backdrops and feeders to attract photogenic birds ($10).

Nestled into the mountainside overlooking the Pacific, these private, chic, one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, treehouses, and suites are the ultimate getaway. The rainforest location and luxurious lodging have lured such guests as Al Gore, Sheryl Crow, and Anderson Cooper. With panoramic ocean views including some of the "whale tail," Ranco Pacifico's restaurant and pool area are sleek, the rooms well appointed, and the service outstanding. The owners have managed to blend eco-friendly practices with an award-winning spa for a truly organic experience. Included in your stay are complementary touches like breakfast, beach shuttle, Wi-Fi, parking, a tote bag, and other hotel swag.

In one of the most beautiful mountain settings imaginable, this yoga-centric riverside lodge, reminiscent of a Himalayan temple, is pure pleasure, from the lush flower gardens to the sophisticated room design to the open-air yoga studio within sound of the rushing river. The two-story lodge has six double rooms with two single beds each and modern bathrooms; five suites and casitas offer more privacy and self-catering facilities. Breakfast is included and dinner is by reservation. You can order a packed lunch or be on your own for lunch. You can soak in the swimming pool and hot tub or cool off in a natural river pool.

For serenity and mountain greenery, you can't beat this lodge in a secluded valley with panoramic views and the opportunity to see hummingbirds and some of the 200-plus highland bird species on the lodge's list, including the resplendent quetzal. Accommodations are in three wooden cabins, where each room has its own private veranda and tile bathroom with skylight. Try to get room 1 for the best views. In addition, there are two spacious junior suites with fireplaces, kitchenettes, sunken whirlpool baths with views, and king-size beds. Now open to the public, the hotel's Los Colibríes Restaurant, serves tico and international cuisine.

Set in a riotous garden filled with fuchsias, hydrangeas, and hummingbirds, Trogón Lodge is more picturesque hideaway than hiking-heavy destination. It has comfortable wooden cabins with white-tile bathrooms with rain shower heads and beds topped with snow-white duvets, flannel sheets, and rafts of plumped-up pillows; electric heaters and extra blankets also guard against the chilly mountain nights. One superior suite perched in solitary splendor has a king-size bed and a whirlpool tub with a panoramic view. Excellent meals featuring fresh trout are served at tree-trunk tables in a cozy restaurant with a wood stove, and a bar and dining terrace gaze out over the trout ponds and the river. Quetzal-watching along 3 km (1.8 miles) of trails, and waterfall hikes are some of the diversions.

This three-star affordable resort hotel, with two pools and tennis courts is upriver from Dominical Beach on exquisitely landscaped grounds filled with orchids, bougainvillea, and hibiscus. It's especially popular with families, with mini golf and four family rooms with kitchens and two double bedrooms. The bigger junior suites have king-size beds and cable TV. Every room has a/c, a private porch, a mini-refrigerator, and a sink. Plants and elegant table settings fill the thatched-roof Crocodile Grill restaurant, notable for its excellent seafood at reasonable prices. A huge, luxurious pool has a swim-up bar and handsome teak pool furniture. Day passes, including lunch, are available to non-hotel guests for $27 per day.

These modern 1,000-square-foot villas, on the rainforested peak overlooking Costa Ballena and the "whale tail," feel lavish and luxurious; each has indoor and outdoor showers and large soaking tub, private terraces with infinity plunge pool, posh beds, and heavenly views. If you ever leave your room, you can join the other guests at the hotel pool and lounge, restaurant, well-maintained hiking trails on 12 acres, or jungle yoga shala. Unlike some other boutique hotels in the area, this one welcomes children.