My husband, two boys (ages 4 and 6), and I have just returned home from spending 5 nights at Tiskita. We had a great time! We relaxed, saw tons of wildlife and really felt we were in the rainforest. I loved getting away from cars and televisions and just listening to the jungle sounds. The boys especially enjoyed the pool, the sandy beach (with tons of crabs), and the game area of the lodge. Just from the pool and walking between the lodge and our cabin we saw squirrel monkeys, capuchins, toucans, scarlet macaws, coati, and agouti. We spotted sloths and howler monkeys on our short walks on the trails behind the lodge. My favorite memory from the trip is waking up to see my two boys watching a troop of squirrel monkeys passing by our cabin. Another highlight of our trip, was Peter (the owner) taking us on our tour of his fruit orchard.

The lodge was very casual and I didn’t feel that the boys were disturbing the other guests. Meals were tasty. I don’t eat red meat and on the few occasions when red meat was served, the staff prepared something else for me. The cabins were rustic but clean and the showers were hot.

This is definitely a fantastic spot if you want to get off the beaten tourist path. There are nicely-groomed private trails for hiking, an incredible fruit orchard and comfy, screened-in rooms that are perfect for listening to the sounds of the rainforest at night. The cabins, made entirely of wood, are dotted along the hillside and have incredible views of the Pacific, as well as private porches with hammocks for lounging. We stayed in one of the newer cabins, called Jaguarundi, which was roomy and super quiet. The bathrooms were totally spotless and the water came out piping hot. There is also a nice swimming pool.

Meals are simple, Costa Rican country-cooking and are served family style. (Think rice, beans, cabbage slaw and various stews.) Drinks are largely of the fruit variety, fresh from the property's orchard. Alcoholic drinks tend to center on beer and wine, so if you prefer cocktails, it might be a good idea to let the staff know when you are making your reservation.

This is definitely an incredible spot to get away from it all. My favorite thing to do was to take long walks on the lodge's private trails, where you could see all kinds of plant species, as well as monkeys, toucans, and more. The site is really a testament to the hard work of the lodge's personable owners, Peter and Lisbeth Aspinall, who have, over the years, replanted what was once a deforested area with lots of native species. It is incredible to see. They have also helped reintroduce the scarlet macaw to the area.

I disagree with an earlier post that said that this lodge wasn't a good value. It's true that you're not going to get gourmet dinners here (nor would I expect to in the middle of what is a very remote area), but the real attraction here is the nature. And in that regard, the Aspinalls have done an incredible job. The lodge's simplicity lets nature be the star of the show.

Spent 2 weeks in the southern peninsula (Not the Osa, the southern Peninsula) and had a great time. I would suggest (if you have the time) to rent a car and drive if possible (it takes about 10hrs from SJO) because my trip wouldn't have been half as fun without the mobility a 4x4 provided me.

I was in awe when I arrived at the lodge, the grounds, the lodge and the rooms are just beautifully done. You could tell that the design took a lot of detail and work and that it shows through in just about every archetectual feature of the lodge.

While the rooms and the grounds were fantastic, the staff and the food left lots to be desired. I was looking forward to some home (lodge) cooked meals but in all honesty, the food was less then marginal. Additionally, the buffet was on a tight schedule that forced you to be at the dining area within 15minutes of chow time or you were out of luck. Those of you who trek and lead a less than scheduled lifestyle while on vacation will most likely find this a pain just as we did.

The management and the staff were neutral and at times even down right hostile.

In short, we enjoyed our stay at the lodge for the archetecture and grounds alone but at $200-$300 /day this was one place we would not return to again. In the 2 week stay we had the chance to spend time at several other locations and found them much more enjoyable and at a fraction of the cost. Tiskita allows guests who are not staying there to get a day pass for (I believe $15). I would stay somewhere else and get the day pass to enjoy the lodge and decide if the additional $200 are worth it.

Tiskita Lodge is on the Pacific coast of far southern Costa Rica. It is a family run lodge with cabins scattered about a beautiful section of rainforest. Meals are included, and feature Costa Rican cuisine with an emphasis on the over 100 varieties of fruits and vegatables grown locally. The host family are natives, one of which is a horticulturalist, and a native guide is also there for daily walks encompassing a variety of themes. We stayed for an entire week with three children six and under. The older kids cried when we had to leave! We saw an extensive amount of wildlife, most of it visible from the veranda at our cabin. We played in the pool and surf, took a fabulous wildlife tour on horseback, and daily enjoyed learning about the rainforest. The lodge was very family friendly, and bent over backwords to accomodate us. The accomodations are clean and well designed, putting you literally in the middle of the forest! Arrival is usually by single engine plane onto a tiny airstrip from San Jose. If you want an authentic experience, which benefits the community around you (the family supports and employs the local villagers, does education in the schools, reforestation, and helps to maintain a turtle nesting habitat), not a luxury pampered experience at the Hilton, this is definitely a place to go!