El Remanso Rainforest Lodge

Incredible luxury hotel with a strong commitment to the local ecology. We really enjoyed our 3 nights here with daily guided walks and tours included (our groups were between 2 and 5 people). The guides were really friendly and great at finding the tiniest leaf frogs, scorpions, snakes etc as well as all the mammals and birds you are hoping to see. The rooms, food and service here are all of the very highest level - really exceptional. If you are staying for a few days you will find that there are separate lunch and dinner menus and these are not the same two days running, so you don’t get bored of the choices.

Staff (guides, waiting, reception, garden, maintenance) well trained, friendly and helpful. Liked that food and insured outing were included included in the room price. ||We did lots of outings - all super interesting and fun|- early morning|- night time|- river|- garden|- forest/jungle|Guides were very keen to share their knowledge from talking about the trees (garlic, milk, kerosene, etc..), birds, mammals and insects. They were incredibly patient and forever using their scopes to show us creatures we had been unable to spot as they were so tiny (continuously impressed by their ability to identify dots on the horizon & bird calls/songs) |Food was delicious with options for all preferences. As a vegetarian this was greatly appreciated. ||Rooms were very stylish, airy and comfortable ||We also were pleased that there was a tips box (emptied fortnightly) so we could reward all staff not just those we met. ||All in all, one of the best places we’ve stayed.

We took the light aircraft from San Jose and were greeted by a lovely driver from El Remanso. After an hours drive along a rutted unmade road we descended to the Lodge and were overwhelmed with the beauty of the place. The reception is an open expanse, all the construction using wood and blending with the rainforest setting. A gravel path took us to our magnificent room, Chilemate. The decor is sophisticated but simple. No glass windows, but totally open (mesh shutters kept insects out) to the exotic patio garden with outdoor shower and tropical planting. The restaurant is perched above forest on a platform looking out to the ocean. The food is Michelin star level, all so imaginatively presented and delicious. The staff all seem genuinely so happy to be part of El Remanso, and their joy and enthusiasm made our stay so special. Eli guided us along the river and we learned so much about frogs, mammals, birds and nature, and the next day took our zip wire session which was very memorable. We loved the peaceful, far from anywhere, exclusivity and sheer luxury of this absolute ‘one off’ haven. I very much hope to return.

My wife and I went to El Remanso for our honeymoon in May, and we couldn't have been happier with that choice. From the minute we were picked up in Puerto Jimenez, the staff were extremely friendly and genuine. On the car ride to El Remanso, our driver stopped when he noticed monkeys in the trees and pointed out birds that he noticed along the way. It was great chatting with our driver and getting to know him and the local area more. When we arrived at El Remanso, we were greeted with a cold beverage and a tour of our bungalow. The bungalow was perfect. The view was amazing, and the sounds of the ocean mixed with the jungle were incredible. We spent many hours just lounging on our porch, watching the birds and other wildlife through our binoculars. The restaurant was all really great. The service was always fantastic, and we really enjoyed every meal and every drink that we got there. We both ate vegetarian only during our time there, and that never felt like a limiting factor. It's also a beautiful space to just hang out in. We went on multiple excursions through El Remanso and really enjoyed each one. Our favorite was the waterfall hike. We really love the simplistic, but beautiful design of our bungalow. It had everything that you could need while staying at El Remanso, and the open design made it feel like you were a part of the jungle. Falling asleep to the rain every night was really magical. It was simple, but one of our favorite things was being woken up by the sounds of the jungle and having fresh coffee and tea delivered to our front door every morning to enjoy on the porch. What made our stay truly special was the staff. Every single staff member that we interacted with was very friendly, genuine, informative, and seemed to be having a good time working there, which is always good to see. It was really enjoyable just talking with the staff members and getting to know them. My wife is fluent in Spanish, and I am not even close, but they were very nice about it when I practiced. :) They even gave us a special jungle bouquet and dinner on our last night there to celebrate our wedding. Everything about our stay was a 10/10. We have already decided that we will be back to celebrate our parents' retirement and probably for even more future occasions.

We have been lucky enough to travel quite a bit - in the first 24 hours we saw more wildlife than on our Amazon trip, and in the 5 days we saw more even than our Galapagos trip or both our Australian rainforest trips||Unbelievable wildlife - all 4 Costa Rican monkeys on property and SO many birds ||Toucans and scarlet macaws are all over.||Anteater, sloths, coatis - we didn't see a tapir but those are super super rare ||BRING A NICE FLASHLIGHT ||Take advantage of the wonderful guides - we did at least one guided walk a day, sometimes two.||And the lodge itself is perfect. The staff are incredible. Beautiful accommodations ||The food is really out of this world. At home I eat 1-2 meals a day but here I didn't want to pass up a meal. All fresh local ingredients ||We did a Corcovado day trip, it was awesome, but if you can't do an overnight honestly you can see so much just around the lodge I'd just hike here.||We did the dolphin tour for half a day off site and that was really really cool.||Waterfall rappelling if you're up for it was super cool- intense maybe but the guides made it easy ||Such great staff, everyone was amazing and I feel bad I can't mention all their names - Karol and Enrique part of the wait staff at meals||Anthony and Edgar awesome guides||And Rinaldo is just a top notch manager, checked in with us daily about how things were going and how to make everything better||This is just a world class place. Could not have been better. Worth every penny

fabulous location surrounded by jungle. Staff helpful and friendly. Lovely large room with sea view. Excursions were great; river walk, night hike, bird watching, with knowledgeable guides. Good food and service. Would recommend for the experience.

I stayed here for 5 nights with my girlfriend. A longer stay than most guests or so we were told by the staff. We stayed at the El Dosel Eco lodge which is one of the single floor green roof lodges here at the resort from 12/14/25-12/19/25. Im actually writing this review from inside the lodge right now on 12/18/25 Im 46, reside in Michigan my entire life, but have been blessed to travel all over the world.||You've probably researched this place some already before finding my review. (and despite my worldwide travels all my years, this is the first and only trip advisor review I've ever written and left)||I know what your thinking. "Holy cow this place is costly. And alcohol isnt even included????? And there is only one restaurant????? Cmon.....what is that about????" If thats true, its because I thought it too before taking the chance on this place.||So what do you get? Let me tell you, Morning to night. At 5:30 am fresh costa rican coffee is delivered to your door each morning along with milk and sugar if you desire. 3 square meals a day with dessert at lunch and dinner. If you need more food, you just ask for it. Its basically all you can eat here. If you want more than 1 entree you can have it. You won't go hungry. Its included. Yes, there is only 1 restaurant. but there are also 2 menu's they alternate between every other day. My girlfriend and I stayed here 5 nights. Ate every meal here. The menu's never got tired. I never had the same thing twice at any meal. Neither did my gf. They also rotate appetizers at dinner. Again, never had the same appetizer twice either. Thats 30 different entrees and 5 different appetizers. Dessert is set up with 4 different dessert choices which rotate between lunch and dinner. (8 choices total) Every dish is sourced locally and every dish was of the highest quality and the view is spectacular||However, The food isn't the even the best part.||You have to ask yourself. Why am I traveling down here? If its to be immersed as possible inside of the Osa Pennisula's eco system, El Remanso has to be your choice. Here is why. Your cost includes several different tours. How important is it to you to see the Howler, Spider, Squirrel, and White Faced Capuchin monkeys? Because El Remanso has tour guides that are going to not only find you those monkeys, but they also have telescopes so you can get a great look at them in the wild. Take a look at the photos I attached to this review. You think I just pulled out my phone and grabbed these??? Think again. El Remanso tour guides take your smart phone and line up your camera with their telescopic lenses to get these quality photos in the wild directly taken by your smart phone. Not shared. Taken. You want these quality photos for yourself and the gram? You have to go with the experts and their equipment to get them. But Its included in the cost.||Sure, you can rent an airbnb or stay at the hilton for less cost. But there are amenities here that you won't get anywhere else period.||You don't need to rent a vehicle if you stay here. The staff will happily drive you where you need to go during your stay. They drove us to the ATM in Puerto Jiminez, They drove us to Backsplash beach which was outside the resort. ||We didn't ask, but I bet if you asked the El Remanso staff to stop at the liquor store in Puerto Jiminez before checking in so you can have drinks for your room they would oblige. Hell, I bet they'd drive you back to Puerto Jiminez for alcohol even after you check in, They take hospitality that serious here. But even so, alcohol isn't that expensive just to purchase directly from the resort. ||Of course, the El Dosel Eco lodge is amazing too. Incredibly comfortable. Recommend requesting it if its available. But their website does a good job of showing how awesome the lodges are. All of them with breathtaking ocean views.||Can't recommend staying here enough. Glad I took the chance. You should to. You won't regret it.

Our family stayed 3 nights at El Remanso and it was fantastic. Absolutely beautiful Eco Lodge in a pristine rainforest with amazing animal life right on the property. Great hikes and guides, excellent food and the people in the dining area who take care of you for your meals could not be nicer. Truly an amazing experience!