IT’S NOT FOR EVERYBODY ~ THAT’S WHY SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE IT ~ JUNGLE, BEACH … IT’S THE TROPICS ~ NATURE AT ITS FINEST ~ SCARLET MACAWS AND HOWLER MONKEYS AT DAWN ~GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK ~ OCEAN WAVES, THE SOUNDS OF PARADISE
If You Are Looking for Vegas – “Houston, We Have a Problem.”
If you are looking for a spot to unplug and unwind, with no televisions, no air conditioning, no hair dryers, with lots of beach time, maybe some yoga, toucans, macaws, tree frogs, and casual, friendly occasionally-salsa dancing people, you’ve come to the right place. Here we enjoy life, participate in our community, and strive to be a sustainable enterprise. This isn’t the vacation everyone wants. It is not Disneyland, nor the Marriott. That’s why a lot of people love this place!
Iguana Lodge’s vision of paradise doesn’t involve air-conditioning. Paradise here means gorgeous screened rooms permitting the luscious tropical breezes to waft through the rooms, as well as the divine fragrances of nature…not to mention the hypnotic sounds of crashing surf and the sound of howler monkeys at 4:30 AM. Paradise means rooms don’t need to have locks on every door. Throw in a few fans, great lighting, great bedding, exotic garden showers during a rainstorm … Sound Great?
It’s paradise to us. We understand, however, that it isn’t paradise to everyone. Even if all the above sounds great, remember, we are in the rainforest AKA plenty of humidity. (My hair looks fabulous! Hah!) If you don’t like heat, humidity, jungle – again, this spot is not for you.
Not only are we an environmentally friendly resort, our resort is located on the Osa Peninsula, one of the wildest, jungly, least trampled and tamed parts of Central America. It figures then that one would expect lots of untamed animals, as well as insects, frogs, butterflies, etc…. We like treefrogs in our shower, but that doesn’t mean everyone does. So, if in your heart-of-hearts you prefer to experience this level of nature on The Discovery Channel on your sofa at home… we pleasantly suggest that you consider visiting somewhere else, where Life is more controllable.
Meanwhile, the Osa means bad bridges and roads, which can interfere with supply lines. That’s the way things go down here. If we can’t make Walnut Vinaigrette or Mango Coulis one week, we just have to roll with it. We can live through this, and be happy too. Some people can’t.
Also, most of our workers have been here for years. They are not only our employees but our friends. They may invite you to their homes or tell you about their lives, they may occasionally bring their kids to the swimming pool. We like that, but have seen over the years that some guests don’t.
We have two restaurants and a public bar, known as The Pearl of the Osa. You will often meet Costa Ricans at “The Pearl” – hanging out, sipping a cool beer, surfing, playing ping-pong, etc. We like the fact that we have a local hang out – Ticos are wonderful people, and this is a great spot to meet them. Moreover, on Friday nights for a few hours we have a raucous dance party, that often involves dozens (maybe more!) of Costa Ricans coming to enjoy dining and dancing from 6 to 9:30 PM. This means loud music, wild women, and excellent salsa dancing. If this sounds unpleasant to you, avoid visiting us on Friday nights – every other night is quiet, tranquilo, peaceful. If it sounds like an excellent adventure, fabulous, see you soon!
Toby and I have created for ourselves our own personal paradise, a casual, beautiful place, where life is easy, and joy, creativity, and health is emphasized. We raised our kids here, and we love our lives. We believe in helping out in the community and hitting the surf, so sometimes you won’t see us, or if you do, we my be skipping out to do something wild and crazy.
We appreciate and value you as people and customers a lot! We have a staff of 25 that aim to please, and that we expect to provide you with excellent service – not mediocre service, but excellent service. If you are not getting that, or having any problems, please just ask to speak with us or seek us out. We are almost always around. Sometimes communication breaks down, sometimes cultural wires get crossed. Bottom line: you deserve a great vacation, and everyone here wants you to have one, especially us! Note: no matter how hard we try, we can not change the humidity levels, control the tides, or stop the macaws from flying by squawking at one another. (Seriously, people come here and are frustrated about the heat, the humidity, the loudness of the animals – it is a jungle out here folks. That what you want, right? That’s why you are coming here to the Osa, right?) Eco-resort, Osa Peninsula…
So if all this sounds good to you and yours, come on down! If it doesn’t, I am sure there are other spots that would bring you joy and happiness. Go for it. Please Enjoy your Lives – Wahoo.
