Ooh, I'm so excited to read your report, especially about Ojochal/Uvita. We're seriously thinking about going there next year with our kids, and about getting a rental house, so I'll love to hear about your experience. BTW, we spent 5 heavenly nights at your beloved Ylang Ylang (inspired by your past trip report) in February and loved it!

Thanks - great details and a good read , much appreciated!

Yeah, finally! Good start, looking forward to the rest.

Janenicole- so cool that you went to Ylang Ylang and loved it!!
Tully, I know, I know! But better late than never.

Ojochal - Casa Miles - I almost hesitate to talk about this area and the house rental, because I like that it's a bit off the tourist radar and I have fallen in love!!! Firstly, Ojochal is a small village approximately a 15 minute drive south of Uvita. The village consists of a handful of restaurants ( from the more upscale Exotica and Citrus and Ylang Ylang) to a smattering of not as expensive( but equally as good in their own right) like Adelante, Mamma y Pappa's Italian, and Boca Coronado. There is a small bakery(pancita) , a police station, and a wonderful organic farmers market held every Tuesday at Citrus. Beyond the village and up the mountain road are a number of residences, many with incredible views overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This was our third visit to the area, the last 2 years spent in a rental house, Casa Miles.

We spent 3 1/2 weeks in the house this year. It consists of 2 bedrooms, each with ensuite, a large open, living area, and a fabulous outdoor space with a hammock, table and chairs, and a lovely swimming pool. Views from the house are heavenly. There are toucans and parrots and an assortment of other birds that come visit every day. The jungle behind the house is home to a raucous group of howler monkeys. Casa Miles will be our destination yearly, as long as it is rented, unless we break down and buy something!

It is situated on "Finca Maranon"' what used to be a cashew nut farm. There are a lot of ex-pats that reside here - some full-time, others for the winter. Every morning, we would walk down the mountain to have breakfast at Diquis, a charming small resort run by a lovely French Canadian couple, Pierre and Renee. I would highly recommend this place in Ojochal if you decided you didn't want to rent a house and just wanted to kick back and not cook. We had many meals here, and met a lot of the guests, who were lovely. Many guests opted to stay long- term, a month or more. It is very reasonably priced and sits on a gorgeous piece of property.

We took a number of day tours when in Ojochal. The horseback riding trip to Nayauca falls should not be missed!!! I actually did it TWICE when we were there, with 2 separate groups of guests that stayed with us. This is a full day trip on horseback with a stop for lunch and breakfast at the owner's home. The falls are the most beautiful I have ever seen anywhere in Costa Rica. Great for swimming and splashing around under the falls. This tour is a must-do! Another winner was the mangrove tour from Sierpe by boat. We saw caimans and a boa and all sorts of water birds such as Ibis's and cranes. Lots of monkeys, too! And do not miss the bird watching tour at Hacienda Baru, the national park just north of Dominical! Pedro is an experienced guide and pointed out so many birds that we would have missed on our own. You can also stay in the park and the accommodations looked basic, but really all you need, as you are a 2 minute walk from the beach which is deserted, wild and had the biggest waves I have ever witnessed. No swimming here!!!

So many restaurants in Ojochal for such a small village! Our fave was Citrus, and Adelante for lunch. Diquis also has wonderful dinners, and they are priced very reasonably.

There are so many stunning, deserted beaches on the coast stretching from Dominical to Ojochal!!! I LOVED going to the Whale's Tail at low tide in Ballena national park first thing in the morning. You can walk forever out on the sandbar and there is great swimming in certain areas. The beach is so tropical, edged by all these beautiful shade palms, so Robinson Crusoe!! Another favorite was Ventanas beach closer to Ojochal where you can swim through these cool caves out to the ocean at low tide. There are a number of other beaches in the area, all great, and all relatively undiscovered. This is NOT Jaco or Tamarindo!

Next up - The drive to Puerto Jimenez and Cabinas Jimenez

Reading and loving it. Can't wait to go back.

Thanks for the great details. Sounds like the Uvita area is right up our alley. So glad you had a wonderful trip. Looking forward to reading the rest!

Great trip report! I'm definitely interested in this area now! You really bring the beauty and atmosphere of each location out so well in your descriptions! I can't wait to read more!

Ojochal to Puerto Jimenez - Cabinas Jimenez
It was very sad to leave Ojochal,but time to move on for another adventure! We did the drive in approximately 2 1/2 hours, with a stop along the way at a lovely little lodge (can't remember the name!) overlooking the mountains. As we got closer to PJ, the beautiful Golfo Dulce displaying it's fabulous vista on the left, we knew we were getting close. We arrived at Cabinas Jimenez as soon as we entered the town; the beauty of the location is that it is walking distance to anywhere in town, but tucked away from the hustle and bustle overlooking the Gulf.

Cabinas Jimenez was fabulous. We had the cabin on the far end of the hotel, (#1) and it was roomy, clean, with a large deck overlooking the ocean. We were steps away from the beach, and the views of the boats in the harbour were beautiful. Very reasonably priced, as well.

I love Puerto Jimenez!!! It is a funky little hot, dusty town with a load of character. I just loved walking the town, stopping for a cool drink at Soda Carolina's, and people watching! At this point in the trip, I was so infused with the pura vida spirit that I think it became infectious - seemed I was meeting people where ever I went and connecting somehow. I really do believe "pura vida" enters your soul after being in Costa Rica for a while, and that others can pick up on it, and subsequently pass it on to others they meet! Then you get this critical mass of travellers all high on pura vida, and it's.....pura pura vida!!!!

We had dinner at Pizza Mail-it (used to be a post office, or next to a post office) and it was probably the best pizza we had ever had! We took one look when it arrived, and decided we could never finish it, and would ask for a doggie bag. Well, no need for that! Completely polished it off. I would highly recommend this place for dinner, great ambience too!

So, back to Cabinas Jimenez for one night, and very excited for the next day - Lookout Inn at Carate. Can't wait to tell you all about it!!!

P.S. There were scarlet macaws in the trees everywhere in PJ!!

Hello

If Casa Miles has a website, would you be willing to share it? I can't seem to find anything and it sounds interesting.

Thanks.

Hello KPlumm, you can email Karen at ksmiles53@aol.com or
jmiles2337@aol.com. Good luck!

Enjoying the detail!

costaricalover; your itinerary was so helpful! I have been looking at lots of different islands and also Belize for a christmas - new years trip, but after researching your stops and the places you stayed, my husband and I got so excited we decided to return to Costa Rica (but it will be a completely different area than where we were about 5 yrs. ago and we went ahead and booked our flights.

Maybe you can help. I am considering Shelter from the Storm or Tikki Villas. It appears that they are pretty close to each other, Shelter does not include meals, Tikki includes breakfast. I would love to hear yours or anyone's opinion about the main differences between the two and if you recommend one over the other. From the websites I like the way the rooms look in Shelter; the ones at Tikki look fairly generic.

Also, can you tell me about Lookout Inn? Was it worth the drive? We always love off the beaten track unique lodging experiences. My last trip I discovered La Carolina and Ylang Ylang and they were highlights! Not to sound too wimpy, but did it at all feel unsafe to be in the open air rooms (which looks like glorified camping) while being in the jungle?

Do you know anything about Drake Bay? What do you think of switching Lookout Inn to go to Drake Bay instead? I am having a tough time getting a good sense about the area but it doesn't seem like it's in the jungle like Lookout. Love to hear your thoughts.

Somehow I missed this trip report the first time around, but this is a fun read, and I'm glad you had such a great time.

Oh, Juldie!! I just lost 30 minutes of writing in response to your email!!!
So, in a nutshell, I preferred Tiki Villas because of the
openness of the villas to nature, but Shelter was also lovely!
Fabulous hosts at either place, although Cindy and Thomas at
Tiki really went above and beyond the role of host to
make our stay enjoyable. Tiki has a better pool ( infinity overlooking
the ocean.) but , trust me, you will not go wrong with either!!

Regarding Lookout, I LOVED that place! Saying that, I prefer a more
open cabin to be closer to nature. There are some rooms that you can get
that have walls, but the beauty to me was being right out
there in the open with the elements. You can check out my Tripadvisor
review, my screen name is "addicted to costa rica", if you want
to read a very detailed report of my stay there. Be prepared for a lot of stairs and
communal dining. It's a very happy, social place!!

I have not been to Drake Bay yet, but will visit next February.
Btw,I got married on the beach at Ylang Ylang! Love that place
and plan to return someday soon!

But you haven't finished the report

Oh Tully, my lurking Fodorite pal! Thought I had
gotten away with it! Ok, I'll write later. And of course, I'll
be expecting a fully detailed report when you return in June!
I'll be lurking!

My husband and I have been travelling to Costa Rica for 12 years now, and we have visited the OSA peninsula 3 times. We have seen most parts of this beautiful country, but I will say, hands down, The Lookout Inn is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited! From the moment we arrived, we felt as if we were staying in a long-lost friend's "home" as opposed to a "hotel". Terry and Katya are warm and wonderful hosts, and made sure we lacked nothing for the week we spent with them. The Inn is perched on a hill with jaw-dropping views of a virtually deserted piece of the Pacific Ocean below you. Many other hotels in the area have lovely views, but none have the proximity to the ocean like The Lookout. We walked for miles down the beautiful beach every morning, and loved to hang out right in front of the hotel in the afternoon, reading un the hammocks and watching the magnificent scarlet macaws fly above. Did I mention the birds at the Lookout??? You need not leave the Inn to witness the very best of Costa Rica birding!!! Macaws everywhere, brilliant blue honeycreepers, birds I have not seen anywhere else on all my visits to Costa Rica! Capuchin monkeys and coatis come to feed every afternoon at the "banana feeding station".
We stayed in the Monkey House, literally open on 3 sides overlooking the wild Pacific with an outdoor shower. Heaven!
Ok, the food question... Never, and I mean NEVER have I been privy to such a wide variety of mouth-watering dishes!! My favorite was the freshly caught tuna, grilled to perfection. Melted in your mouth. And there was always a delicious home-made soup, a variety of salads, Terry's home-made cheese, and decadent deserts. ( Muchas gracias, Juan-ky!!) Everyone eats together in the open- air dining area, and by the end of the week, I added some fascinating people to my repertoire of friends who I hope to keep in touch with. One of the highlights of the late afternoon was joining the other guests and Terryand Katya for the " sunset viewing happy hour". Craig, the wonderful bartender makes a mean margarita, perfect for watching that beautiful golden orb sink slowly into the ocean. The highlight of the week was chartering a boat with two other guests and heading over to the Sirena Ranger Station for a hike in Corcovado National Park. We saw 30 peccaries crossing over a path right in front of us!! A National Geographic moment for sure! I also did a 6 a.m. Yoga class with Julie that was out of this world!

I could go on and on, but suffice to say that if you love nature, a storybook setting, a friendly environment and delicious food, just GO!!! I have stayed at two other lodges in the area that were a lot more expensive and lacked the feeling of ever-present "Pura Vida" at the Lookout. I will be back!!!!

Thank god for cut and paste...Tully, have I done well??

Vista del Valle up next...

Very well! Glad you enjoyed your time at Lookout Inn. It does have a very nice location and so many macaws. Looking forward to the rest.

How do you get to the Lookout Inn?

You fly into Puerto Jiminez, and then they send a driver
to pick you up. It's farther up the road then Bosque,
probably at least 40 minutes on the same road.

Jimenez

Ah, thank you!

costaricalover; thank you for such a quick reply. I am sorry about you losing that response email! I loved reading your review of Lookout; all of the reviews of it I have read have been pretty amazing. I looked at Luna Lodge but nothing seems to be like Lookout. What a unique spot, for sure. Just got to put aside my concerns about the open air rooms. I also took a quick look at Vista del Valle for maybe our last night. Being Marriott rewards members with points I can use the last night I am tempted, but it would be so wonderful to stay out of the brand entirely while in Costa Rica to stay in unique beautiful lodging our entire stay.

I want to ask you this. I am a hot spring/thermal pool lover and I know this trip where we will be there are not any. I am trying to determine if it can make any sense that upon leaving this area (your basic itinerary) to wrap up my stay in CR going to some hot springs before flying out. I know they are mostly in the Arenal area or Rincon de La vieja. Is this a crazy idea driving/time wise? The thought of soaking as a way to end my travels sounds wonderful. Thanks for your help.

By the way we are doing this entire trip by driving from San Jose, including going down to Lookout by car. We are not flying into Puerto Jiminez so we will be spending plenty of time on the road as it is.

Juldie, how much time do you have in Costa
Rica?

costaricatraveler; we will have 9 days on the ground. We are thinking 1 in Uvita/Dominical on the way to Lookout, 3 nights there, back up to Uvita for maybe 2 nights. If we do this it will leave 2 other nights. Thinking about hot springs or could maybe consider a boat trip from Yaco to Tortuga Island if that is a great use of a full day. ?? Love to hear your ideas.

I think you're biting off too much, especially if you plan
on visiting Arenal. When you say you have 9 days, does
that mean you will be flying into San Jose and leaving
the same day for Uvita? What time does your flight get in?
You don't want to be driving in the dark, in my opinion.

If you do have 9 full days, that is, no overnights in
San Jose area going out or coming in, I'd probably
split it between the Uvita/Ojochal area and then
head down to the Lookout. Otherwise you will be
spending far too much driving IMHO.

9 days does not include the day we fly in or the day we fly home. We arrive into SJO close to 10 PM so we will stay close to the airport and in the morning head to Uvita. So you think it would be too much driving to go to Arenal at the end for a couple of nights? Do you know anything about the day trip to Tortuga from Jaco?

What a great trip report! You have me questioning my itinerary, your's sounded so amazing! I will save your report for our next trip down. I think that you may have me planning my next trip before we even take this one

Wonderful trip report, costaricalover! I've been planning my family's own trip to the Osa Peninsula for late June/early July 2013 (to coincide with the Fodor GtG at Bosque, at least for a few days). We've been to CR before but not to the Osa. My husband always has to surf when we go anywhere that has decent waves but I want to focus on wildlife - it's always a conflict - I was going to have us stay 3 nights Drake Bay to do a day trip to Sirena and a day trip to Cano Island then 3 nights Cabo Matapalo for the 3 great point breaks and then 3 nights Bosque del Cabo. But I'd really like to have more time at Bosque. After reading this trip report, I started looking at Lookout Inn and realized there is also surfing at Carate - though my husband said beach breaks (Carate) are not usually as good as point breaks (Matapalo). But started thinking maybe we could do 4-5 days at Lookout Inn and do Cano Island and Sirena day trip from there as well as him doing some surfing, and then go to Bosque for 4 nights and have him do a couple days surfing at Matapalo from there - it's just not as easy to surf from Bosque as he'll need to get down to the beach and back. I am going to look into this more but am interested in your saying you chartered a boat to go to Sirena - can you say who you used and did they provide a guide? And approximate cost? I am going to go look for your tripadvisor report and you can also PM me over there if you prefer, over there I am Momof2LosAltos.

Thanks so much!

The ocean down by Carate is pretty rough, not really a surfing area. You can go into Corcovado on a day hike from Carate. It's about a 30 minute walk on the beach to get to the La Leona park entrance.

Hola Jane! I will be attending the Bosque gtg next year,
so hope to meet up with you there. I loved both Bosque and Lookout for very different reasons. The hiking at Bosque is hard to beat. Property is much larger and the accommodations are somewhat superior. Lookout is located much closer to the ocean, so we did a lot more walking on the beach. I loved the beach at Lookout-totally deserted, not great for swimming, but wild and dramatic. So, as Tully says, probably not a surfing beach. Tons of wildlife at both places, more macaws at lookout. The owners at lookout have feeding stations for birds and monkeys do not quite as natural as Bosque. Be forewarned that at Lookout there are many stairs as it is located on the side of a hill.

Terry, the owner, arranged our boat outing to Sirena, which was fabulous. It was not cheap, approx $150 per person, but well worth it. We only had 4 people so I think it gets cheaper the more people you have.

Can't really advise about surfing, sorry. But FYI, to complicate thins for you even more, Pavones, not far from Zancudo is very popular. Pavones is across the Golfo Dulce from Puerto Jimenez by boat, or a longer trek by car. I'll be checking out that area in February and can report back.

Looking forward to the Bosque gtg, and hope to see you there!