Had a great time here. The staff is awesome. We have to give out a huge shout out to ALEXIS. She was simply awesome. Loved the boat ride in. Love the big table where you ate with your fellow guests. Which was a great way to meet people and to learn about tours, other areas etc.....Every hotel should do this. :) Loved it. Thanks Alexis.

The staff could not be more friendly or accommodating. The casual atmosphere of Jinetes is what keeps people coming, day in and day out. This was my first visit to Costa Rica, and I have not been able to stop thinking about my experience since I left...It was a very sad day when I had to depart from the Drake Bay airport.

Alexis, Dana, Mauritza, and the entire crew working at Jinetes made my experience so very enjoyable. The food is tasty, the view from the bar and rooms is unbeatable, and the location right along the beach provides you with instant access to an amazing view and stretch of beach and ocean.

I recommend kayaking (there is a river just around the bend from Jinetes that's calm and beautiful), horseback riding (my favorite, perhaps), and taking a trip to Isla del Cano. On the way back from our island trip, we stumbled upon three humback whales!! A mother was playing around with her TWO calves. They were very energetic and just appeared to be having fun, more than anything else. That was awesome.

I also got to experience the Drake Bay Festival. While it was quite small compared to any "fair" I'd been to, it was a major event for the locals, and I got to see how the community of Drake Bay (and beyond) interacts. Music, dancing, games, food, and more brought people from all over to have a great time! Very cool, indeed.

And by the way, I didn't make it to Corcovado, but I do hear it is well worth the trip.

I only stayed for 6 days - 4 full days - and I was able to experience so much. I wish I'd been able to stay for 3 months. I came alive there and I would recommend taking this trip to anyone who is even remotely considering it. That's how I started - I followed through with my hunch, and my life might just have been changed as a result.

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.