4 Best Hotels in Puerto Jimenez, The Osa Peninsula and the South Pacific

You can't get any closer to nature than this off-the-grid lodge, famous for its excellent birding and hiking trails, wedged between forest and the banks of the Río Tigre. Stay in a private cabin along a garden trail or in one of the four second-story rooms with shared baths that have chest-high walls, and above that, are open to nature (no screens, just mosquito nets over the beds). In these almost-alfresco rooms you're at eye level with the trees, the better to spot visiting birds. Tuck into the linens and pillows that always feel fresh, and enjoy natural air-conditioning provided by the rushing river. Electricity is solar generated, but there's enough power to recharge batteries and power a Wi-Fi connection. On-demand gas heaters provide plenty of hot water in the garden showers. The gourmet fare here rivals that of the best luxury-lodge kitchens. At dinner, guests gather around a communal table with owners Liz Jones and Abraham Gallo to plan the next day's birding. Abraham, a lifelong local, can show you hidden mountain trails leading to Corcovado National Park, less than a mile away. More than 400 bird species have been spotted on the property, placing this lodge in the top three hottest birding sites in the country.

Follow the giant tapir-footprint signs to this extraordinary, rustic lodge, reminiscent of an Adirondacks camp but with oversize, whimsical wood furniture, all within hiking distance of the western edge of Corcovado National Park. The lodge offers roomy cabins to suit all budgets, including one two-bedroom family cabin and a wheelchair-accessible room with a semi-open, large bathroom paved with smooth river stones. A completely round, freestanding room is comfortable and cool, with an outdoor shower shaped like a vulture's head with outspread wings forming the walls. Kids of all ages will delight in the cabin-in-the-woods atmosphere, enhanced by creatively designed, huge twig chairs and headboards, twisted-branch windows, and furniture made from tree stumps. Breakfast is included, and excellent traditional Costa Rican meals are served in an alfresco restaurant decorated with creative wooden sculptures and furnishings, including a giant spider over the open kitchen. It's an 8-km (5-mile) hike to Los Patos entrance to Corcovado National Park, but you can see much of the same wildlife by walking the 5 km (3 miles) of trails of this 86-acre property or by going for a tractor ride along the river.

If a long stretch of deserted beach with macaws flying overhead in the kapok trees is your idea of heaven, check out this idyllic lodge with casitas and upscale club rooms set in a botanical garden. Casitas are elegantly furnished in bamboo, with thoughtful touches like Egyptian-cotton sheets and a raft of candles for romantic evenings. Pebble-lined showers have plenty of hot water and excellent water pressure. Eight modern but smallish rooms above the lodge's separate restaurant, are more affordable than the casitas, and have detailing such as travertine showers and outdoor porches. The gentle Golfo Dulce waters are perfect for swimming, sea-kayaking, and boogie boarding, and there's a 65-foot lap pool and Jacuzzi surrounded by gardens and forest. A tennis court, yoga studio, and ceramic studio round out the amenities. Their spa with excellent massages can help melt away the stress. Extravagant dinners, with exotic foods reflecting the owners' worldwide travels, are served at the Pearl of the Osa Restaurant on the property. Breakfasts may include mango scones and homemade granola chock-full of walnuts and cranberries. Macaws and toucans, and mammals aplenty—such as monkeys, sloths, tayras, frogs, and tapers—often wander through the 11-acre property.

Overlooking the harbor, these air-conditioned rooms set in a lush garden are the most comfortable in town, and have the best water views. Rooms vary in size and price, but they all have colorful murals of wildlife and foliage, along with bright, tiled bathrooms, making this affordable place a cut above the rest. Coffeemakers and small refrigerators are another nice touch. A two-story house on the property can accommodate up to six. For a waterfront room, request 1, 2, 10, 15, 17, 18, or 21. Bicycles and kayaks are available to guests, and there's Wi-Fi throughout the property. You can enjoy the sound of the surf from your private terrace or the hammock hut. Cool off by jumping right into the gulf at high tide or take a dip in the plunge pool.