Ocean Forest Ecolodge Retreat

“The Real Costa Rican Experience”

Our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids ages 18, 15, 12) stayed at Ocean Forest Eco Lodge for 3 nights. We elected to take the boat from Sierpe as it is considered the rainy season. The boat ride from Dode Jorge was easy to board and cost $30/person/ each way. We paid for parking in Sirepe for $6 / da… more

Our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids ages 18, 15, 12) stayed at Ocean Forest Eco Lodge for 3 nights. We elected to take the boat from Sierpe as it is considered the rainy season. The boat ride from Dode Jorge was easy to board and cost $30/person/ each way. We paid for parking in Sirepe for $6 / day. Our rental car was kept safe and secure. The landing at San Josecito Beach is wet to your waist, but the crew ensured our bags stayed dry. Once on the beach Jonathan and crew were there to meet us and help us with our bags. On the walk back to the lodge we saw scarlet macaws, toucans, capuchin monkeys, and basilisk lizards. All this in a 15 min walk! Jonathan stopped and told us about the trees and even shared edible fruits with my kids, which they loved and went back to vist several times through out our stay. Once at the lodge we were shown to our rooms the Solo Bueno Suz and Solo Bueno Norte. These rooms share a wall, but each have their own bathrooms which was great for a family of 5. The bungalows have fans, hot running water, electric plugs and access to WiFi, but are still rustic. You do need to use the provided mosquito nets at night! The best part is the view from the decks. You can sit and watch toucans, macaw, capuchins, crested guans, humming birds and butterflies all while relaxing in your personal hammock. Nature surrounds you and if your lucky enough to watch a lightning storm from your room at night the show is amazing! If you decide to buy lunch and dinner, the meals you get are fresh, healthy and a testament to real Costa Rican cuisine. There are not really any other easy options so I would plan on eating all your meals at the lodge. If you have picky eaters beans and rice are always an option which worked well for my kids. Our family went on two tours that Ocean Forest booked for us. We went to the sirena station in the National Park and horseback riding into the forest. In the park we saw a sleeping tapir and had a great guide, but other than the tapir I think we saw more animals at the lodge. The horse back ride was an unexpected highlight for our family. The views are breath taking and the waterfall swim was so refreshing. I would recommend both tours, but really our best time was spent exploring the grounds around the lodge and on the beach. We swam, listed to the whales, body surfed the waves, watched the sun set, searched for sea turtles and played in the bioluminescent water at night. Overall, Jonathan and his team provided our family with a real Costa Rican vacation. One where you can emerse yourself in the plant and wildlife around you and learn to enjoy all nature has to offer. This is not a tourist trap, instead you are an honored guest in the family and serenity Ocean Forest Eco Lodge has created.

less

“Exceptional place in the middle of the jungle”

The owner and his team are very responsive to any requests via email or WhattsApp. We arrived by car (Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4x4; with this car it was not an issue to cross the two rivers between Drake Bay and here, but I wouldn't dare after a night of heavy rain; until Drake Bay the road is even… more

The owner and his team are very responsive to any requests via email or WhattsApp. We arrived by car (Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4x4; with this car it was not an issue to cross the two rivers between Drake Bay and here, but I wouldn't dare after a night of heavy rain; until Drake Bay the road is even possible with a standard car, if there was no heavy rain during the last 24h) in Rincon de San Josecito and could park at the local school. From there it is a 15 minutes walk along the beach. You can get assistance for heavy bags at an extra cost of USD 10 per piece. The bungalows are basic but you have everything you need plus the amazing nature surrounding you. The meals you get are fresh, healthy and tasteful and the staff will even try to prepare some extras for children if a certain dish does not "fit" them (even though this was the absolute exception since children can get used to local kitchen by just trying a few days). Gustavo and Eli arranged two tours for us (Sirena station and Cano Island snorkelling) and the tours were fantastic. After our four night stay we felt completely relaxed and continued onwards.

less

“Beautiful and peaceful botanical garden by a stunning beach”

My sister and I spent one nigh at the Ocean Forest Lodge and would have definitely like to stay longer. This place is secluded (you need to walk for about 20 minutes to reach the lodge) and very peaceful. The gardens have plants from the Amazon and the owner Jonathon is an incredible guy with a wea… more

My sister and I spent one nigh at the Ocean Forest Lodge and would have definitely like to stay longer. This place is secluded (you need to walk for about 20 minutes to reach the lodge) and very peaceful. The gardens have plants from the Amazon and the owner Jonathon is an incredible guy with a wealth of botanical knowledge. The food was made fresh every day by the super nice chef Su and the manager Gustavo was kind and attentive to all our needs. The rooms are spacious and clean; we had a room with a large balcony overlooking the gardens and fell asleep the the sounds of the ocean and rainforest. We will definitely come back!

less

“Far from the crowds. A beautiful paradise”

Ocean Forest EcoLodge is far from the crowds and an absolute delight. The property is lovely and rustic. If you are looking for luxury - this is not it. There are fans in the rooms and no air conditioning. We were thrilled to be woken every morning at dawn by the bird and animal life and the su… more

Ocean Forest EcoLodge is far from the crowds and an absolute delight. The property is lovely and rustic. If you are looking for luxury - this is not it. There are fans in the rooms and no air conditioning. We were thrilled to be woken every morning at dawn by the bird and animal life and the sunsets were to die for. The monkeys clambered over our roof and chattered endlessly to each other. You really felt you were in the jungle. The view from the hill top behind the lodge is magical. The beach in front of the lodge is not safe to swim in because of rip tides but it is absolutely clean and lovely to walk along. We swam at San Josecito beach and watched the red macaws in the trees. The monkeys followed us along our walk. We took the boat to San Pedrillo in the Corcovado National Park and saw a puma - sadly no tapirs. The tours are small but the park is quite busy. We went out for a morning snorkelling and saw turtles. We swam in the river at Rio Claro. The only downside was the walk to the lodge along the beach at 2pm in the afternoon with a 12kg case. We had been warned but it is quite a slog. In fairness it adds to the magic and the remoteness. Luckily we had help!

less