Lapa Rios Lodge Lapa Rios Lodge

Beach, jungle, and luxury are the main draws at Lapa Rios Lodge, but the chance to see humpback whales from your own private verandah can only add to the temptation.

Costa Rica is home to Central America's last remaining lowland rainforest. And right in the middle of that beautiful tropical jungle is the intimate and quietly luxurious Lapa Rios Lodge. It pokes up from the forest canopy, on a low hill above the roaring Pacific Ocean.

Life here is simple, where email is as foreign as alarm clocks and 8am meetings. That's not to say there isn't much to do. Those humpback whales aren't going to watch themselves after all. But things move at that languid, tropical pace that seems to spark romance, and extinguish stress. There's lounging by the pool to be done, and surfing on the Pacific swells, and long meals of wild-caught fish and organically grown salads.

There are only 17 bungalows at Lapa Rios Lodge, so you're more likely to see monkeys at the pool than a crowd of people. You'll rest on hand-made bamboo furniture, beneath a palm-thatched roof. And your private verandah? The perfect place to enjoy an organic coffee and ocean view.