There are many good things to say about this hotel. The hiking trail leading South offers many opportunities to see great wildlife like monkeys and birds. Drake Bay puts you within a boat ride of Corcovado National Park, which was a wonderful experience (the boat ride can be choppy, so pick your days). The Bug Lady night walk was outstanding, be sure to book well in advance. We upgraded to the nice rooms that look out to the bay, the view was lovely, I suggest booking the upgraded rooms well in advance. Rooms were well cleaned. Staff were all very friendly. Food was never anything to write home about, but it was healthy and usually in sufficient amounts. It is served at a big table, which was a great way to get to know fellow hotel guests.

One thing that surprised us: the hotel doesn't seem inclined to plan things far in advance. The tradition semed to be that staff would confer with you at dinner the night before, to see what you wanted to do the next day, be it snorkelling, or diving, or hinking, etc. Once I abandoned my need to plan things well in advance, it worked out well, because they did take care of your needs.

The main knock against this hotel, and in fact all the resorts in Drake Bay, is that on Friday and Saturday nights, a local place starts belting out music at an INCREDIBLY loud volume. I think they had one of those trucks that is essentially a sound system on wheels. This music absolutely spoils the mood, as you can no longer hear the ocean, or the insects, etc. The howler monkeys seemed put out by it, because they were going nuts in the nearby jungle. A significant number of hotel guests seemed put out by the music, and it really surprises me that the local resorts dont do something about it. People travel to the Osa region to experience nature at its best, and the music ruins it. Don't get the wrong idea: I'm not a prude, I have no problem with a party and dancing, but the volume in question was ridiculous. People will stop coming if it continues.

I would have no hesitation returning, but stay away on Fridays and Saturdays.

You never know when you book on the web what some place will really be like. We landed with our meager 25 pounds of luggage (tiny plane) on an airstrip with only a windsock and a fire extinguisher. My husband gave me that "you've really done it this time" look. A Jeep pulls up and we were off on a 30 min ride fording tree rivers and huge wash outs. The road ends on a beach where two more guys show up and carry our bags over a stream, down the beach, and up some stairs to a small slice of paradise --Jinetes De Osa. This is a small 9 room hotel on the water which was even better than we had expected. The view from the balcony is beautiful, the rooms clean and simple and the ocean ever soothing. English is freely spoken here. Dennis, a Univ of VA transplant , was on the bar and available to meet our every need. He got us settled, served us a great breakfast and harnessed us up for zip lining through the canopy. It was fun and safe with 7 platforms. They told us where to hike through the jungle over a suspension bridge to a gorgeous beach. Meals are all home cooked and delicious and served in the beautiful open air familystyle dining room. That night we went on a "bug tour" which was very cool. Next morning off by boat to Isle de Cano (where they filmed Jurassic Park) to snorkel. We floated over white tipped sharks. On the beach a boa was eating a squirrel. Beware of tiny little jelly fish, wear a shirt. Next morning we headed out at 5:30AM for a 90 min boat ride to Corcovado National Park. We saw 4 kinds of monkeys, birds, crocodiles, bull sharks, and even met the President of the country who flew in on a chopper. The highlight was crawling on our bellies to get within 3 feet of the elusive tapir. The guides are knowledgeable and friendly and their English is impeccable. Last morning we hiked to Corcovado Tent Camp and were in the midst of a troop of 30 white faced monkeys. We loved this place, the people and the hotel. It was better than we could have imagined and certainly beats the "turning 60" party I would have had in a restaurant. The only recommendation we would make is to shower "off peak" as the hot water tank empties quickly. We travel alot and we will definitely go back to Costa Rica. Jinetes was awesome.

We spent 17 days in Costa Rica but Jinetes de Osa was our absolute favorite. We spent 6 days at this location & were very sad to leave. They provided excellent tours with amazing guides. Rolando & his brother were determined to find as much wildlife as possible while sharing information about the area. In Corcovado among other things we managed to see 3 of 4 species of monkeys (we had already seen the howlers), bull sharks swimming at the river mouth, crocs basking in the sunshine, numerous scarlet macaws, peccary, and our favorite the tapir that even came up to check us out, gently sniffing my daughter's boyfriend. We had equally good luck with the snorkeling as well as the whale & dolphin tour with Shawn a marine biologist. It was breathtaking to spend the day with dolphins jumping & frolicking as far as the eye could see. Claudio the bartender / waiter was an absolute gem. He took such pride in setting up beautiful tables for dinner & his service was top notch. After a long day's adventure he would surprize my daughter & me with a different but delicious drink upon our return. The food was great & more than we could eat. There was always cookies or ice cream if you wanted a little something to snack on, but my favorite was the freshly baked bread every day. . Monkeys would make an appearance to steal your cream & sugar as a pot of fresh coffee was left outside your door every morning before breakfast. The kids enjoyed spending time in the hammocks as well as visiting with the staff & other guests. The rooms were clean & comfortable with a ceiling fan to keep the rooms comfortable. Everyone of the staff made us feel at home with many of them going above & beyond to meet our needs. We were a party of two 54 year olds with our 24 year old daughter & her 24 year old boyfriend.

Jinetes de Osa is an unspoiled lodge with good food and excellent service in an outstanding location. Owner Greg is an expat who has been running the lodge for the last 11 years and his experience shows in his choice of friendly staff and knowledgeable guides. The fresh bread at every family-style meal is a big plus for hungry people coming back from a day of snorkeling or hiking! Guests while we were staying there, included a honeymooning Costa Rican couple, some Europeans and several couples from the US. It was a diverse crowd and everyone had a very relaxing vacation getting away from it all - it is as active as you want it to be with daily tours to dive, snorkel, hike, zipline and bird/animal watching. The only thing to be aware of is that it is a lodge, not a hotel, so if you are looking for hotel amenities you will need to pay twice as much for the larger hotels twenty minutes away. Jinetes has a perfect view, lush surroundings and is so unspoiled that at night you can't see any other lights from around the bay. While we were there, whitefaced monkeys were playing on the roof of the lookout deck, with macaws just down the beach. A perfect getaway for people who want to be off the beaten track but still enjoy good food and experienced guides.