Costa Rica: Oxygen Jungle Villas (aka Heaven On Earth)

So for my husband's 30th birthday, I decided to surprise him with a trip to Costa Rica.  We had been talking about going for 3+ years but the timing was just never right.  One day we got our Conde Nast Traveller magazine in the mail and they had their Hot List 2010 in it.  You can find it here.  We got our laptops out and started looking up all the places that were listed, but a specific one caught our eye.

Oxygen Jungle Villas in Uvita, Costa Rica.  They also have a Facebook page here.

When I got on the website, I was 100% convinced that I would go there someday.  Not only is the place stunning to look at, it is beyond a great value for $139-$189 per night depending on which season you go.  We went during "green" (aka "rainy") season which is the least expensive and although it rained almost everyday we were there, it always cleared off.

Here is my review of the hotel:

Our expectations were beyond exceeded! The boutique-resort (as I like to call it) was absolutely perfect. When we arrived, we were so excited and our energy was high, but we quickly realized that we were in such a zen place, that we needed to take a minute to collect ourselves and relax! We were immediately greeted by the staff and were given a moist towel and welcome drink (alcohol optional.) While we were soaking it all in, Edwin had already taken our luggage down to our villa. We chatted with Alicia while we had our drink and then she took us down to Villa #4 (which I HIGHLY recommend by the way) We had an amazing view of the ocean while being surrounded by the beautiful jungle.


THE VILLAS: The villas are all absolutely amazing and beautiful. They are also surprisingly very private. Not only are there shades you can close on the inside of the floor to ceiling glass windows, there are also exterior shades giving you plenty of privacy from your neighbor. And it that wasn’t enough, there are strategically placed plants and trees on the outside of those to fill in all the gaps! The villas are beautifully decorated and the space is utilized extremely well. The front patio is perfect for resting and relaxing, not to mention gorgeous and the inside felt like a spa with a bed! The bed was so comfortable and we slept very well. There are double vanity sinks with plenty of shelf space below to put your things. The rain shower was wonderful. All the villas come with a portable dvd/cd player/iPod dock. We used this everyday to listen to music (they provide a soothing, relaxation cd) or watch a movie. (They have a library of dvds to borrow at the front desk.) The villa was very clean and cool- you can set the thermostat to your desired temperature.

THE SERVICE: We received impeccable service and individual attention from everyone on staff. In fact, we didn’t feel like we were at a hotel at all, but more staying at an amazing beach house with friends and family: Flora, Edwin, Alicia, Laura, & Linda. Everyone was so genuinely nice and helpful and they will go above and beyond to make sure you have the best experience you can have.

THE RESTAURANT/SPA: We ate every dinner and almost every other meal at the resort. They offer breakfast, lunch & dinner and have items to purchase for snacks as well. I’ll start with breakfast. The banana pancakes were hands down the best pancakes I have ever had. There were only a few options for lunch but they were all very good. Nice & light, which was nice since we were usually eating in our swimsuits! Dinner was wonderful. The chef has a 5-course “surprise” menu every night with fresh local ingredients. You literally don’t know what you’re going to eat until it is set in front of you! I think of the 4 nights we ate, there was only 1 course that we didn’t LOVE, everything else was absolutely delicious. We treated ourselves to a couples massage and they were great. There is not a “spa facility” per se, but it worked out quite nicely and if you want, you can have your massage on the front patio of your villa. Will probably do that next time!

THE SURROUNDINGS: I have never in my life seen anything more beautiful than this place. The best part about this whole place was just the natural beauty and wildlife. There were so many beautiful birds, flowers, trees, plants and views. Their private reserve is gorgeous. They have their very own trail to their private waterfall which, if you choose, you can climb up. The resort is not on the beach, but it has stunning beach views and the beach is just a short drive away. The wildlife that surrounds the villas is incomparable. We saw toucans, howler monkeys, hummingbirds, giant butterflies, and several other species of birds and lizards. Another plus about this place is that since it is so far up the mountain, the mosquitoes are practically non-existent. But don’t let that fool you; you will definitely need your bug spray if you venture down the hill! The pool is like nothing I've ever seen. It literally just blends in with the Pacific Ocean and is just stunning. The turquoise Balinese tile makes the water the most beautiful shade of blue. That surrounded by the mahogany-stained wood deck and bright white furniture are the perfect balance of beauty and contrast.

THE WARNINGS: I will admit the drive up the mountain the first time was a little intimidating, but after a few times we felt like pros! If you are looking for a place to go and “party” this is not the place for you. It’s not stuffy or boring by any means, it’s just not the style of the resort and we happened to find that VERY refreshing. If you are addicted to technology, you’ll have to get creative and settle for the free wi-fi, (bring your laptop, as far as I know there isn’t a computer for public use) or go elsewhere for television and cell phone service. There were some people that were able to use their cell phones, but you had to stand in a specific spot and there are no telephones in the rooms. (We used Skype to call home and check in with our kids.) While most people we came into contact with spoke English, I really wish I would have brushed up on my Spanish. So I recommend doing that if you can.

And the last, final warning is that you will most likely get depressed upon departure because it is such an incredible place and you won’t want to leave. :)

My review of Costa Rica:

The best way to describe Costa Rica in general is to say it is "Heaven On Earth," literally.  We truly had a spiritual experience during our stay there.  I can't explain it really, we just really felt very close to God.  Beyond that, it is the most beautiful country I have ever visited.  And although there is definitely severe poverty there, they don't call it "the happiest country in the world" for nothin'.  Everyone was so friendly and really just appeared to be very content with their life.  Costa Rican's live a very slow paced lifestyle, which is obviously very different than Americans, and it was so refreshing to soak it all in the short time we were there.

We decided to fly into San Jose and rent a car to drive the 4 hours to Uvita because we had never been before and wanted to see the country.  You can also take "puddle jumpers" through SANSA or Nature Air and fly into a nearby city and then drive about 20 minutes if you'd rather do that.  We will do that next time, but were glad that we drove the first time because it truly is a beautiful country.  Even though we stayed in Uvita, we also stopped for lunch at the Taco Bar in Jaco Beach, went to Hacienda Baru in Dominical for our Zip Line Canopy Tour, and drove to Sierpe for our private mangrove boat tour.  I would highly recommend all of them. :)