Costa Rica Fishing - News, Reviews, & Reports

Aguila de Osa Inn - Jungle Luxury

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to travel to nearly every corner of Costa Rica and I’ve seen a lot of very nice hotels.  I’ve even been to the Osa Peninsula twice before, but last week this ’seen it all before’ old dog learned something new.  I had the pleasure of spending a weekend at the beautiful Aguila de Osa Inn, which more than lived up to it’s expectations.  Long regarded as one of the most luxurious hotels in what is Costa Rica’s most exotic and remote areas, the Aguila de Osa features 13 rooms, a can’t beat waterfront location, and some of the best food you can find.

After just a quick 40 minute flight to Drake Bay, we were met at the airstrip by an air-conditioned van and taken 15 minutes to the beach where we were passed off to a waiting motorboat who then took us the remaining five  minutes to the hotel.  I’m still amazed that in this “developing” nation you can go from a busy capital city to one of the world’s most exotic rain forests in under an hour.  Upon arriving at the hotel we were met by Carlos, the bilingual and extremely outgoing host, who quickly got us a fresh passion fruit smoothy (with rum, of course) to set the tone for the weekend.

I’ve been to the Osa Peninsula before so I had some idea of what to expect as far as the rooms and decor, but I was pleasently surprised by what I found.  Our Deluxe Room came with two queen sized beds, hardwood floors, standard electrical outlets, cieling fan, and a big bathroom.  What makes the Aguila ‘eco-luxury’ as opposed to just ‘eco-friendly’ are the little touches a stocked mini-fridge, hot water showers, and my personal favorite - a big balcony overlooking the rain forest and Pacific Ocean that comes complete with a hammock and two rocking chairs.  This is not the place to come if you are looking for Egyptian cotton sheets, flat screen TVs, and 24-7 room service, but if you want comfortable, clean accommodations but don’t want to sleep under mosquito nets while experiencing everything the Osa has to offer then this hotel is for you.

The other pleasant surprise was the incredible food that was served there.  Typical for most hotels and lodges in the Osa Peninsula they served communal meals three times a day and used the freshest natural ingredients and fish.  What I did not expect was the quality, variety, and sheer amount of food that we were stuffed with all weekend.  I might have expected to have a typical Costa Rican meal of a casado (rice & beans) with fresh fish or chicken, but they offered so much more.  For dinner we were served soup or salad, fresh homemade bread, fresh cooked vegetables, stuffed chicken, salmon fillets, BBQ pork, steak & shrimp kabobs, and even a baked potato with chedar cheese & bacon bits!  I had met the chef, Dixon, once before knowing he was cooking all of our meals for us made me anxious everytime we headed down to the restaurant.

In addition to the luxurious accommodations and delicious food, the main reason for going there is the incredible wildlife and natural beauty.  The Osa Peninsula is of course Costa Rica’s most famous national park and the place National Geographic refers to as “the most biological intense place on Earth”.  For most three to four night stays guests will have a guided tour of the Corcovado National Park as well as a day of snorkeling out at Cano Island included in their package.  Other options include scuba diving, horseback riding, or of course experiencing the world class Costa Rica sport fishing.  On our day we did a hike into the national park near the San Pedrillo station and we saw countless small birds, tree frogs, crocodiles, white faced capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, scarlett macaws, and even the world’s second most deadliest snake - the fer de lance.  On the second part of our hike we saw the San Pedrillo Waterfall and were able to go swimming a little bit farther down the river at a smaller set of falls.

All in all, last weekend’s adventure at Aguila de Osa reinforced my belief that the Osa Peninsula is my favorite part of Costa Rica and the Aguila de Osa is now my number one recommendation.