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

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.

Along with one of the best sunset views along the coast, this comfortable ecolodge on a high cliff bordering Ballena Marine National Park has spacious, airy cabins and a forest trail to a pristine beach. Wood-and-stone cabins, spaced out along a garden path that descends from the open-air main lodge, have huge bathrooms with spacious showers. Trails wend through dense primary forest down to the wide sweep of almost-deserted Playa Arco and to a private, natural swimming pond. Electric car owners can charge up for the night at the hotel's electric charging stations. Breakfasts are hearty, served in the hotel's contemporary restaurant Aracari, which is also open to nonguests. Along with contemplating nature, you can nurture your inner self at the huge, otherworldly yoga platform or pamper your outer self with a massage. For more space with a view, request a suite or deluxe room.

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.

You may feel as though you're on a luxury safari when you step inside one of these spacious South African tents perched on sturdy wooden platforms cantilevered over a rushing mountain river. There's lots of headroom, electricity for reading lights and fans, comfortable beds, and—even more civilized—a private, spring-fresh bathroom with hot shower just a zippered compartment away. You can enjoy bird-watching and river views from your own veranda, hike forest trails to a nearby waterfall or follow the stepping stones to explore the other side of the river, bask on a sun-baked rock in the middle of the river, or go horseback riding. This campers' paradise is the creation of an energetic, eco-minded Dutch couple. Breakfast is excellent—tropical fruits, homemade bread, granola, and Dutch pancakes are highlights—served in a stylish, open-air lodge with Wi-Fi. For guests who prefer to stay in the lodge, there are three comfortable rooms. Tea and coffee are available, but there's no restaurant.

Just as the name implies, there's plenty of sun and sea, as well as a beach fringed by coconut palms and apricot-colored wooden cabinas with porches where you can take in the spectacular views of the Osa Peninsula year-round. Each breezy, roomy cabina (sleeps four) has high ceilings, lots of cooling fans, and has been recently refreshed. Two of the sunny bathrooms feature pebble-lined showers. The alfresco restaurant serves the town's heartiest meals and the tastiest brownies. The popular U-shaped bar is an easy place to meet new friends.

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.

One of the best lodging deals on this coast, these seven, no-frills villas are in a sublime, lofty setting, with a large swimming pool and a huge terrace overlooking a million-dollar view of the Pacific. Sleeping up to five guests, the villas have either one or two bedrooms, equipped kitchens, a private terrace with hammocks and rocking chairs, and large bathrooms. Ceiling fans augment the cool ocean breezes, and there are air-conditioners in each of the bedrooms. Light lunches are available by the pool, along with à la carte dinners. A nonprofit animal sanctuary on the property houses rescued wildlife; guided tours of the refuge ($33) are given by 24-hour advance reservation at 9 and 11 am, and 1 pm daily except Monday.

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.

You'll be charmed by this boutique ecolodge at jungle's edge, a modern representation of indigenous dwellings. The cabinas have comfortable king beds, mini refrigerators, and terraces where you can watch the birds, butterflies, monkeys, and sometimes sloths in the jungle. Three of the rooms have both indoor and garden showers, while the fourth room is slightly larger at the foot of the stream. Tile floors and plenty of shade keep rooms cool, or you can swim in the lovely saltwater pool (there's no air conditioning). Enjoy a delicious breakfast that changes daily; it's included along with the Costa Rican owners' personal concierge service and overall attentiveness.