Rancho Pacifico

This magical little place is a must-go if you are planning a trip to the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The resort itself is a piece of art, where the unparalleled rustic beauty of Costa Rica meets luxury in a way that feels borderline dreamy. This, is only the beginning. The staff is the most accommodating and hospitable group of people you will meet. Alex, the manager, will do nothing short of bend over backwards to make sure you have the most comfortable, fun, and memorable trips of your life and has an incredible team of people who absolutely live by this creed. This is nothing like the factory resorts you see in travel magazines. Rancho Pacifico is special in a way which will leave you feeling like you left a little piece of your heart in Uvita, Costa Rica.

This was our second stay to Rancho Pacifico, and once again it was beyond compare. We live in Costa Rica so we have the luck to visit unique places in amazing natural settings quite often - and nothing quite compares to this piece of heaven. We stayed at the most comfortable and simple luxury of the Honeymoon Suite to celebrate our 5th anniversary. The room is embedded in the forest, surrounded by lush trees, flowers, birds, and stunning views of the mountains and the ocean! Total relaxation and privacy. The food, drinks, and overall service are characterized by a homey, familiar yet uniquely precious tone. Alex and the team (all of whom we were happy to see again almost two years later and be remembered by each one, as we also remembered them specifically for different ways in which they made our trip memorable the first time), made sure everything we needed was there- and then some! The spa is simply like no other! I dare you to find a more stunning environment for a couples massage. Go there - love it!

Set high in the rainforest canopy you will find a small oasis that is not to be missed. A truly unique place with indescribably beautiful views and amazing architecture. The road to get there, for me, was a fun adventure; a 4x4 is a must, however!! Very steep climb. The common area where the restaurant, bar, sitting area, pools, etc are located is an architectural masterpiece that captures the view of the ocean below to perfection. A modern design that fit perfectly in the setting...great place for drinks, dinner, reading, relaxing. There are two pools...neither large, but perfect for their purposes. I loved the small infinity pool that offered the most amazing view, in utter privacy. The food was superb. Because I like to venture out, I usually dined wherever I was, but the one dinner I had with them was beef tenderloin, cooked to perfection! Though I don't eat sushi, the one night they served that on the dinner menu was apparently very good... I understand from the other guests that it was outrageously delicious. Breakfast is from a set menu, but they will prepare whatever you like. It is generously offered for free, but If you want eggs and fruit, be prepared to pay for one of them. Like I said, it is a set menu, with additional items available for a charge. Fair enough. You also pay $4. For your first cup of coffee, then have free refills from there on. Lunch was a mystery for me. I thought they offered only breakfast and dinner, but apparently lunch is offered, too. It was not mentioned in the reception letter you receive by email in advance of your stay, but I saw it listed on the final bill. I overheard one guest ask what was for lunch that day; on that particular day they were not serving it. So who knows? Rooms: I can only vouch for the 2 bedroom tropical villa, which I loved, overall. Meticulously clean, and mostly well designed. I loved the wall to wall screens that gave a perfect view of the ocean and the overall feeling of the open space. The master bedroom was wonderful...bed comfortable with nice linens. (Better not mess them up or you will pay for them!) I am meticulous, so that wasn't a problem, just a strange peculiarity, I thought. The bathroom off the master was divine. All stone with wonderful showers and organic toiletries. The kitchen was large, open to the great room and views, with all the supplies you need. Full size fridge, stove, microwave, etc...and the most beautiful stone countertops and bar. The upstairs guest bedroom was also very nice, but oddly there was just a sink...no bathroom. The guest bathroom (just as nice as the master) was downstairs. This made for a bit of a problem if you had to get up in the night, particularly since there was no railing on the enclosed staircase. There is no air conditioning which had its ups and downs. Because the rooms were quiet inside, it made for a beautiful nights sleep listening to the nature outside. I was never hot...the top notch ceiling fans work very well. The only problem is that my clothes felt a little wilted. The is a climate controlled armoire, but the door didn't work. I'm sure they would have fixed it if I had asked. Very quick to help in any way they can. I just didn't ask. Truly, though, the sounds at night were a lullaby for me. The howler monkeys in the distance were up bright and early, so if you are not an early riser, well, there you go. I am, so found it delightful. They do provide ear plugs, by the way. Service: they are there if you need them, and fade into the background if you don't. A nice touch, indeed, but sometimes I didn't want to be a bother asking questions, so I just let it go.. The only issue I had was that I was not shown around the place upon arrival, and was met by the bartender. He was terrific, but I don't think his job was to show you the ins and outs. There is a minimal staff in the afternoon...understandable because most people are out discovering the trails, etc. If a guest is arriving, however, it would have been a nice touch to be shown the ropes and perhaps offered a fresh juice or something. We ordered drinks as it was pouring rain...too much so to go directly to our room. Lots to do via the beautiful property hiking trails, or off property excursions. I visited all of the beaches. Hiking not my thing...but others raved about the trails! Overall, a wonderful place with only a few quirks which are to be expected in the middle of the rainforest.

My husband had a little bit of depression on our last day because he did not want to leave. We both agreed this was the best vacation we've ever had, and we travel quite a bit. I rarely take the time out to write trip reviews, but this resort and this trip was the best we've had, so I wanted to give it the credit it deserves with a review. The resort was pristine--very modern but also minimalist in that it doesn't have things like AC and there are no TV's in the rooms. It's a small resort and felt as if there were no more than 10-15 guests there at any given time. The staff is small and very friendly. The people who work there were a big part of what we loved so much about our stay. They were always helpful and genuinely nice people--Oval, Ana, Cara, Beneke/bartender, security officer, cleaning and groundskeepers, everyone was great! There were no bolt locks on the doors but no need for them either. We would leave money around in our bags and jewelry without locking them up and they were always still there when we returned. We had to leave a note with the tips we'd leave for housekeeping so they knew that the money was left for them. We also found a camera in our beach packs and turned it in to the staff. They immediately knew whose camera it was and made it a point to return it to the former guest. It was always pretty quiet and serene. I'm not sure if kids are allowed or not, but we didn't see any while we were there. It was peaceful, beautiful, and luxurious. We ate at the resort for dinner every night. It rained later in the day, so eating at the resort was a lot easier than driving up and down the mountain when it was rainy. We also ate all of our breakfasts there. We are somewhat picky eaters and often dread vacation eating because most resorts have awful food. We were pleasantly surprised that we liked EVERYthing we ate at Rancho Pacifico. The food was great. It was consistently good all the time and there was plenty of variety each night for dinner so we were never bored with the options. For breakfast, we'd typically get the daily wrap, huevos rancheros, or pancakes and eggs with chorizo, onions, peppers. For lunch, we'd usually eat off the resort at one of the roadside sodas. There was one in particular we loved for their pescados fritos (fried fish)--it's called Restaurante Pinuelas. It's small and no frills but very good and ridiculously cheap. We also ate at one of the popular pizza places nearby and my husband had an upset stomach after having their salad. Plus the pizza there was just OK--can't recall the exact name but something like Restaurante Pizzeria La Fogara (?). We waffled back and forth about getting a rental car from the San Jose airport versus taking the hopper flight to Quepos. We rented a car and drove the 3.5 hr drive from the airport to the Uvita. No regrets!! We got a chance to see and experience the country in a way we wouldn't have otherwise. Plus we felt free to venture off the resort every day without waiting around for a taxi. It was the best decision we could've made to really experience Costa Rica they way we wanted to. We drove all over the place during our stay and loved every minute of our adventures. We did pay a hefty gringo tax at our first highway toll--we had no clue where to look for the real cost and got hustled by the tollbooth worker. But we ended up bypassing several highway tolls by using the Waze feature that takes you alternate routes to bypass tolls. Overall, driving in CR was very easy. The roads are well kept and there weren't any traffic police harassing drivers for no reason. We did one excursion--the National Geographic Tour. It was alright, but we didn't see as much as we'd hoped to. We also got massages which were phenomenal. We did 2 beach days and 1 day just relaxing at the resort. It was an incredible vacation that makes me want to come back again. Normally by the end of a vacation, we are ready to come back home. This is the first time that neither of us was ready for it to end. We will definitely come back to Uvita and Rancho Pacifico.

I stayed at Rancho Pacifico (RP) for 4 days after Easter in the Luxury Spa Suite. ROOM The room is breathtaking with views of the jungle on 3 sides in the living area. The space is very open; for example, a screen door separates the living area from the outdoor deck area, and light white curtains separate the bathroom from the shower, which is also separated by the outdoor deck area by light white curtains. I was surprised by the lack of solid doors/windows, but embraced it, as it added to the airy, one-with-nature vibe. I had read reviews of people being woken up in the morning by the howling monkeys, but I slept with earplugs on (provided by RP) and had no problems with sleeping in. I also sleep with an eye mask too, which is helpful if you want to sleep in, as the majority of the room does not have curtains that block out light. The room also has a small refrigerator, which is very useful. Note that there are no phones in the room, so for example when the power went out, I walked to the office to let them know. The power did go out 3 times when I was there, once probably due to the rain, and the other 2 times were probably my fault, as I was using the provided hairdryer to dry my shoes (oops!). One highlight was seeing a toucan right outside the deck from my room on the first day. RP PROPERTY There are two small pools with a beautiful view towards the ocean/Whales Tail. I went to the pool twice and both times I had one of the pools all to myself. Also, I didn't know until I explored the property, but there is a small gym. I did one of the two on-site hikes--the hike to the waterfall. Do take the optional walking stick. I am in my 30s but not too physically fit, and without the stick I would have definitely lost my balance at times, particularly because the evening before it had rained, so the earth was a bit slippery. In the last 100 yards or so, you can stop using the walking stick and use the provided ropes, which are slung around the trees and help guide you to the waterfall. The waterfall is peaceful and beautiful--it is not a swimming waterfall though, so no need to bring a bathing suit. FOOD I had low expectations of Costa Rica food because I am a very picky eater, but was overall pleasantly surprised with the food offerings. I had nearly all of my meals at RP. For breakfast, my favorite was the Huevos Rancheros, which was a hearty serving of egg and tortilla with a rich tomato & bean stew-like sauce. There was a different menu for dinner each night; sometimes you can choose between 2 options, other times, there is one selection. My favorites were the Cocina Peruana night (loved the seafood soup) and the mixed grill night (loved the ribs with mora berry sauce), and my least favorite was sushi night, but that is more because I have high standards for sushi, having lived in California with frequent trips to Hawaii and NY. Another thing to mention is that dinner starts at 7 or 7:30pm, which may be a bit later for some people. EXCURSIONS I did not book any excursions until arriving to RP. I arranged all of my excursions at check-in through Karla, where I decided on sunset horseback riding at Rancho Merced, waterfall rapelling (booked online through Costa Canyoing), and Corcovado National Park. For horseback riding, the RP car was unavailable so the taxi driver picked me up at 3:30pm only to get there and find out that forthcoming rain and thunder meant that the excursion was cancelled. This was disappointing because I had to pay the driver in cash for the transportation--perhaps next time RP could call to make sure the activity is still on. For Corcovado, they usually use Bahia Adventures, but Bahia's tour was not available for the three days that I was staying, so it was booked through La Perla Del Sur instead. One strange part was that one taxi driver took me down the hill, and at the bottom, I was asked to transfer to another shuttle driver, which I wish I was warned about ahead of time. The La Perla tour is different from what I expected (in the info book, which is probably based on the Bahia Adventures tour which says 2 hikes)--there was only 1 short hike to a waterfall, then lunch, then at 1pm we rode back in the boat with little stops in the mangrove river, to arrive back at the tour office in Sierpe at 3pm. The worst part was that I had to wait around the tour office until 5:30pm for the other family to come back from their Cano Island Tour (they were also shuttling back to Uvita), so I didn't arrive back to RP until 7pm. SERVICE The service is top notch--Karla, the concierge, starts off your check-in with a sweet smile and caring attitude. I did not rent a car, but the staff took care of me by arranging drivers (either their own car as they do have 1 car, or through taxi service, which I used for the majority of the stay due to the unavailability of the RP car). I got myself in some minor trouble when upon arrival to the La Perla Del Sur tour office, I realized that I had forgotten to bring my credit card and did not have enough cash on me to pay for the Corcovado tour. It was looking as if the tour company wasn't going to let me go on the tour without payment, but I used their phone to call Alex at RP, and he said don't worry, we'll figure it out later, just enjoy the tour. The staff is small and works as a family, and they all seem genuinely happy and eager to make sure you are happy. Other Tips: -Most rooms, such as the spa suite, do not have A/C. There is a ceiling fan, and there was a small plug-in type fan in the closet. The ceiling fan was too noisy for me even on the lowest settings, but the small fan was nice and quiet and even more powerful than the ceiling fan. It was also quite humid in April, so it took more than 2 days to dry my swimsuit outdoors. -Yes, there are insects around, though I did not see any spiders (thank goodness). I am a mosquito/flea magnet, and although I got 7 bites on my trip to Costa Rica, none occurred at RP. For all of my trips off of RP property, I did use 98% DEET, and I also sprayed my clothes with permethrin prior to my trip, which I highly recommend. -A 4x4 is a must! While it is preferable to rent your own car, you can also rely on RP for transportation, as I did, but be prepared to be patient when waiting to be picked up and to not always be able to use their own RP car and have to pay outside taxi drivers in cash. -Solo traveler: I was in the minority of travelers in that I stayed at RP by myself, but I never felt alone. Sitting at the bar was a great way to meet other guests and to hear about their Costa Rica activities, and the bartenders are fabulous at making drinks and making conversation. Although I was a young female solo traveler, I never felt unsafe on the RP property, and I relished my short time there.