My husband and I recently returned from 10 nights in Costa Rica celebrating a big wedding anniversary. The first half of our trip was spent at Bosque and was by far the most favorite part of our vacation. (second half was spent at a big resort that was a dissapointment after Bosque). I was initially nervous when I was told the Puerto Jimenez airport was closed and we would have to fly into Golfito and take a boat. However, the boat ride turned out to be an exciting beginning to our amazing trip. The boat ride only lasted about 30 minutes and Golfo Dulce is absolutely stunning. We saw many dolphins and sea turtles on our short journey. A Bosque representative picked us up at the dock in Puerto Jimenez and we were at the property 45 minutes later.
When we arrived at Bosque it was about 9:30am. Breakfast had already concluded yet we were greeted with a table set and ready for us to eat breakfast. (good thing because we were starving!) We then checked into our cabineta (Mariposa), which is too beautiful for words. (see attached pictures) We spent the next 5 days hiking amazing and well maintained trails throughout the immaculate property. We participated in a couple of offsite excursions such as waterfall repelling (very cool), sea kayaking, and a trip to the animal sanctuary. (tip - great trip but get a group of people together to split the $130 water taxi). We also enjoyed an afternoon shopping and wandering around Puerto Jimenez. However, there was more than enough activity onsite to have kept us occupied the whole time we were there. We also spent a lot of time reading in the hammock on our front porch and enjoyed watching the monkeys every afternoon off our front deck. I was a bit fearful of coming across a snake, but thankfully this never occurred. We ate amazing food (too much of it I'm afraid!), saw wildlife I had only ever seen on TV and met interesting and funny like-minded people. The staff was super friendly and knew all the guests on a first name basis. It was nice to be able to go to dinner without "dressing up." The atmosphere was refreshingly casual. It was also nice to vacation at a location where the emphasis is not completely on food and alcohol consupmtion. While we enjoyed cocktails and wine every night, it was by no means a focal point. And for the record, I received very few bug bites (mostly ants). I get far more mosquito bites in my backyard in Atlanta than I did at Bosque.
I relied upon most of the reviews on this site so I don't want to repeat everything perviously written. I concur with all of the wonderful comments and found them to be quite accurate. We will definitely take our children back but will wait until they are a little older. This is probably not the best location for children under the age of 6 (although some families had young children with them) as you do need to have a sense of awareness and understanding of certain dangers (i.e. poisonous plants, snakes, other critters, and some steep paths) . If you are looking for a "resort style" vacation, this may not be the right place for you. If however you are looking for a unique, personalized, adventurous, casual and romantic experience in one of the most beautiful palces on earth then you have come to the right place. If you are looking to set aside the "rat race" for a few days, you have also come to the right place (no Blackberry service, no cell service, no TV, limited electricity -although there is limited electricity in the cabinetas we enjoyed our evenings by candelight with the many candles provided in the room!!)
This vacation restored a level of connection between my husband and I that we would not have otherwise experienced, Without all the distractions of everyday life we were able to focus on eachother and truly spend time together.
A couple of "must have " items to bring with you include flashlights for every member of your party, flip flops, hiking trekker type shoes that can get wet (Land's End or Keen style), an alternate pair of hiking type shoes because they get wet and due to humidity it takes a long time for things to dry, at least 2 swimsuits, multiple tank tops, only casual clothes, binoculars, a camera with a good zoom and lots of reading material.
Thank you Phil & Kim for creating this piece of paradise. I hope Bosque will forever remain true to the tenants it was founded upon, It is a true gift for the rest of us that have to live in the "real world."










