My husband and I stayed at Luna Lodge over the holidays. Getting there isn't easy - fly to Puerto Jiminez, drive 2-3 hours to Carate, and then cross the river a few times and head STRAIGHT up the side of a mountain - but it was well worth the trek.

Don't go here if you need air conditioning. It was hot, and humid, but not too hot that we weren't able to sleep. Our bungalow had a decent breeze, and you can't beat the open air bathrooms and howler monkey alarm clocks. We were in bungalow #5 which is great if you don't want to walk far or uphill. The higher up bungalows seemed to have a better view/more of a breeze, but our was fine (and we had toucans right outside!)

We really enjoyed the Corcovado hike, and heard that the hike in La Serena (via plane) was even better. The staff is fantastic and welcoming.

I recently came across our pictures from a family vacation to Luna lodge--about 10 years ago. Our son wanted to see the rain forest "before it was all gone". I'm so glad to see that Lanna and the forest are alive and well on the Osa Peninsula. when we visited there were three cabins. the transportation was a fifteen year old truck with a rickety wood bench in the back--we did have to push a few times going up from the beach! There were bugs and toads and lizards and monkeys threw fruit on us and we went fishing with strings. We had a difficulty timing our return trip from the forest because alligators were gaurding the river. No phones, TV, Video games for a whole week with a 13 y.r old boy-hell? Hardly, the best trip we've ever taken. It sounds like things haven't changed too much except for the pool and the land rover. This trip is not for everyone but go with a light wardrobe, bring bug spray and have a trip of a life time. Looking back at our pictures makes me want to return! Thanks for the great memories.

Come for the abundant wildlife. Come for the primary virgin rainforest, or for the hundreds of rare and beautiful tropical birds, the thundering waterfalls, the black sand beach, or a hike in the famous 42,000 acre Corcovado National Park. Just come. It is the trip of a lifetime; one you will never forget. Book your stay in one of the 5 tents that are tucked into the forested hillside and you will literally be in the middle of the rainforest - one of the few "wild" places left on this planet. This is a very small establishment - only 25 to 30 guests at any given time - so the personal attention from the staff is outstanding. The guides are knowledgeable and experienced. The meals rival any fine restaurant - dinner is family style and lots of fun. You get to know the other guests - you eat with them, hike with them, swim with them - I made many wonderful friends from all over the world. Our favorite activities were the Night Hike with Gary and the Waterfall hikes with Osa (the resident dog). The spa treatments and the morning Yoga are not to be missed! I swam in the pool every morning - many times I had it all to myself! My words of advise - bring WATER SHOES. Also, the trip in and out is LONG - so leave plenty of time for travel. Our vacation was 6 days, but we really only had 4 days on the OSA because one day on each end was travel. I wish we had booked a couple more days! There is an airstrip at the bottom of the hill from Luna Lodge - use the air taxi to get in and out - it will save you hours of slow ground travel on bumpy roads. But any way you get there it is worth it!!

We were lucky to travel to Luna Lodge at the same time as "60PercentTravel" and his family and second his accolades for this incredible experience. Our kids (aged 9 and 10) flourished in the freedom that the lodge environment offered -- no room keys; come and go in total comfort and security because of the wonderful and welcoming staff and the gorgeous place. Having other families with children there was a total plus and made the very long hikes great fun. After the long hike down the beach to Corcovado National Park (7 miles round trip), the kids enjoyed playing in the water (no sharks or crocs there that day!) and were building little coconut shell boats for the thousands of hermit crabs to take across the river. They were enjoying nature while we hunted for hawks and other wildlife in the vicinity. We also took the small plane into the park - Sirena, the ranger station - and wholly recommend it. Alvaro the pilot is like a cross between Indiana Jones and Porco Rosso (Miyazaki character) and Gary was a patient, knowledgeable and keen guide. We did not take advantage of the yoga or the massages but I heard they were phenomenal! We did find our own treasure trove of parrots each early evening around 5 in a tree near the yoga deck. There are a few great hikes right from the lodge including a waterfall hike guided by Osa, the amazing "responsible" and smart dog who my daughter fell in love with! Osa tolerated well all the tight hugs and close attention even though you could tell they made her a little uneasy! The bungalows are so well designed that I found myself thinking about the process that Lana must have gone through to design this resort. Having no key (there is a safe available in the main lodge) was incredibly freeing and absolutely no reception for anything electronic was beyond wonderful. The pool was refreshing and set well near views and beautiful birds (hummingbirds too were everywhere!). It took about a day to get our right lenses on to be able to see and hear all the wildlife right around us. The lodge is set about 1/2 mile up in mountain and up a river (and a very fun AWD ride through river and tent camps of the gold miners!) from the beach which is not swimmable due to current, rocks, riptides. We very much enjoyed the people who are also attracted to such an outoftheway place (only about 40 guests maximum) and learned about avocado farming in Mexico City from an Australian! Lana and her staff tried hard to make New Year's Eve very fun and the pinata and attention to the kids was much appreciated. I'm not sure when the last time I've seen adults play musical chairs but great fun and laughter was had by all! Our daughter turned 9 while were there and Lana had a special cake made and everyone sang to her as she blew out the candles. Not enough can be said about Lana and her wish for the preservation of the rainforest and her role in exposing the world to this incredible place. Lana, her mom Willie, Gary and all of the staff went far out of their way to ensure that we were comfortable and having a wonderful experience -- everything from meals to excursions. Each time you arrive back to "campus" from an excursion, you would be met by Lana or another friendly face with refreshing cold drinks and an inquiry about the experience. We have been to Costa Rica several times before but this was our visit to the Osa and we can't recommend Luna Lodge more highly for a beautiful and meaningful get away.