The words “luxury” and “rainforest” may seem incompatible. Rainforests, dense with trees, foliage, fallen groundcover, wildlife, and rich moist soil, might not initially be associated with “luxury” in one’s mind. But when you truly experience an untouched rainforest, it is a luxury unlike anything manufactured you could imagine.
On the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, there are acres upon acres of rainforest — 296,960 acres to be precise. It is the most remote and undeveloped portion of Costa Rica, a fact alone that makes it exotic. Exotic alone doesn’t always equate to luxury, and that’s why if your final destination is El Remanso, a rainforest lodge at the southernmost tip of the Osa, your experience will be unforgettable.
The extraordinary El Remanso experience actually began over 30 years ago when its founders chose to create a remarkable sustainable destination. Sustainability is the beating heart of El Remanso. It is found not just in the way El Remanso protects and nurtures the literal environment around itself while delivering an unparalleled hotel stay, but also in the way its intentional effort helps sustain the local economy and society. Though sustainability might not have been the reason you choose El Remanso, during your visit here you can’t help but perceive and respect the marriage of this deep commitment to sustainability and real luxury.
Even before you arrive, El Remanso begins to create your personalized and memorable stay. The attentive reservation team will gather finer details about your preferences and needs so that from the time you arrive on the Osa, you will already feel pampered and ready for the adventure about to begin. Your journey to the property feels like a safari. Keep your binoculars handy as your driver, who also serves as your first tour guide, takes you from asphalt to dirt to rugged mountain roads, pulling over so you can catch a glimpse of wildlife or stopping for amazing, spontaneous photos. As your journey transitions from pastureland into rainforest, your feel your anticipation rising.
The truth is that no number of website photos viewed or past traveler reviews can really convey how alive your senses become as soon as you arrive. One of the first things that might strike you is how private El Remanso feels. You are deep, deep in the rainforest. While El Remanso staff attend to you immediately, it’s unlikely you’ll see any other guests around. This isn’t a fluke. There are only 16 accommodations at El Remanso – the only other time you’re likely to see other guests is at meals.
Your eyes will take in the array of colors – dozens of shades of green from garden plants to trees; pops of reds, yellows, orange, purples, whites, and cinnamon from flowers; hues of brown and black from massive tree trunks to the moist humus earth. El Remanso buildings meld into the surroundings, complementing rather than distracting from the natural environment so well that you might not actually see structures right in front of you. Only as you later acquaint yourself with the property will you come to realize that these subtleties are highly intentional – harmony with Nature realized time and time again.
In fact, everything created at El Remanso has been highly intentional to reinforce this aesthetic – shared spaces, accommodations, furniture and décor, menus, staff uniforms, pathways, gardens, scenic views, hiking trails. Nothing is overdone. Everything blends, soothes, yields, and protects. There is no escaping that you are in a luxurious environment completely synchronized with the most exquisite surroundings Mother Nature has birthed.
As you move from check-in to settling into your room, hospitality envelops you. Gracious concierges introduce you to the workings of your Experience Package – the arrangement inclusive of El Remanso’s lodging, three daily meals, high-touch services, and unique activities and tours — as they guide you to and through your room. Care for morning coffee or tea delivered to your door? Consider it done. As you plan the activities of the days ahead, the team of concierges will ensure that every meal, every tour, every activity, every wellness treatment is precisely what you want it to be…and then some.
These highly-customized activities will be incredible, in large part because of the passion and expertise of the professionals conducting them. El Remanso guides can identify wildlife from yards away, provide dazzling encyclopedic information about the flora of the forest, or take you on adrenaline-rushing adventures, all at a superior level. The wellness professionals tend to your mind, body, and soul as they ensure your comfort and serenity.
But perhaps the most luxurious experiences you will have at El Remanso will be the ones you create on your own. Stroll through Pacific Ocean mist on the beach with no other human beings around. Be lulled by the metronome of ocean waves as you relax in a tidal pool. Take a self-guided hike through one of the living tropical jungle trails and catch a troop of monkeys resting or moving through the treetop canopy overhead. Lay on your deck or patio and try to count the number of unique bird songs you hear or watch the spectacular oranges, pink, and purples hues of sunsets as the trees become one with the ocean.
After spending time at El Remanso, you will recognize that part of its special luxury is in the intimacy of your entire stay. You will feel at peace, unbothered, restored, and reconnected in a way that’s so easy to forget when you live so far from a natural world such as this. This feeling is no accident. It is all purposefully created by the vision of El Remanso.
So, is there true luxury in a rainforest experience? Unquestionably, yes.
Interested in a luxurious rainforest experience? Contact El Remanso today!
