Hotel Puerto Jimenez

La Chosa del Manglar: Tropical Garden Retreat in Puerto Jimenez

In Accommodation, Costa Rica, North America by Sheena6 Comments

Escape to the tropics at La Chosa del Manglar, an expansive property offering a variety of cabins & rooms nestled in a lush natural setting – find out what it feels like to be in a jungle oasis, in the heart of Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica!

Contents

La Chosa del Manglar Location

At La Chosa del Manglar, you can enjoy an authentic tropical experience in an urban setting.

The property is located a 5 minute walk away from the main street of Puerto Jimenez, where you can find banks, supermarkets & restaurants. The airport is also just 300m away – you can truly walk everywhere.

La Chosa del Manglar offers the convenience of a town location with a peaceful natural environment that makes you feel far away from it all.

It was one of our favourite places to stay in our one month Costa Rica itinerary.

La Chosa del Manglar hotel

Welcome to La Chosa del Manglar!

La Chosa del Manglar Rooms

We here at DIY Travel HQ stayed in 2 different types of rooms during our stay at La Chosa del Manglar, before & after our excursion to Parque Corcovado.

Our 1st room was a Classic Double Room, located at the back of the property. We loved the peacefulness & privacy here, as well as being in a cozy little hut shared with just 1 other room.

Our 2nd room was the Economy Double Room, which was closer to the restaurant & heart of the property. It’s in a longer cabin made up of several other rooms.

Both rooms were similar, with very good air conditioners & comfortable double beds with quality bedding. Both rooms had an outside porch area with a chair or rocking chair to relax in & admire the gardens.

Patio La Chosa del Manglar

Each chair has patio outside with a rocking chair

The Classic Double Room was slightly larger & also included a humidifier, desk & chair and large windows looking out into the gardens.

The Economy Double Rooms have the advantage of WiFi access, depending on your device. Either way, take a few steps outside the room to the tropical garden, lounge or restaurant and you will get a connection.

Double room

Economy Double room at La Chosa del Manglar

The bathrooms in both rooms were more fantastic, with hot water & good water pressure. The Classic Double Room ensuite had a lovely stone & glass shower, while the Economy Double Room bathroom was overall more modern.

* If WiFi & convenience is important for you, choose the Economy Double Room – but if you prefer to disconnect & be a bit more secluded, go for the Classic Double Room!

Bathroom Economy Room

Bathroom in Economy Double Room

There are many room options available at La Chosa del Manglar – prices range from $15.00 for a dorm bed to $130.00 for the Monkey Hut Family Suite with kitchen.

Other rooms include: 

  • Economy Twin
  • Deluxe Double
  • Mangrove Hut – Private Cabin Deck
  • Toucan Hut – Junior Suite
  • Osa Mountain Hut – Cabin
Dorms La Chosa del Manglar

Dorms at La Chosa del Manglar are great value

La Chosa del Manglar Restaurant / Cafe & Bar

In December 2016, La Chosa del Manglar opened an onsite restaurant, Mangroove Café & Bar.

The breakfast menu includes:

  • Stack of pancakes – C$5000 / $9.00
  • Osa Typical – C$5500 / $10.00
  • Omelettes – C$5500 / $10.00

All meals include coffee or tea, fresh juice & fresh fruit mix or banana.

For lunch & dinner, only a limited menu is currently available but snacks & drinks are available throughout the day.

You can also pull up a chair at the lovely & long, curved wooden bar. Alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks are served at reasonable prices with an extended Happy Hour in the evening.

Seating is available on wooden tables & chairs with colourful cushions, inside or outside in the Tropical Garden

Mangroove Restaurant

The new Mangroove Cafe & Bar at La Chosa del Manglar

La Chosa del Manglar Lounge

The restaurant & bar is part of the huge open area at the heart of La Chosa del Manglar, that also includes the Hotel Reception & Lounge.

Tropical murals are painted across the walls, stretching all the way up to the roof. There are no windows so the leafy, green paintings really blend in with the atmosphere of the gardens outside.

Pick-up a local Osa newspaper & take a seat in the corner sofa suite.

If you prefer something more active, there’s a ping pong table next to the bar!

Lounge La Chosa del Manglar

Relax in the lounge area at La Chosa del Manglar

La Chosa del Manglar Tropical Garden

There are more tables & chairs outside in the Tropical Garden. One seating area is shaded by a thatched-leaf roof, others by tall trees.

Whether it’s your own meal & drinks or from the restaurant & bar, feel comfortable relaxing outside – it’s a great place to read a book or get a little work done on the computer too.

We recommend being out here in the Tropical Garden in the mornings & evenings, when wildlife is the most active. Monkeys particularly like to come out to play. While you should definitely not feed any of the wildlife, the staff do put out bananas for the monkeys every evening & they don’t let the opportunity pass!

Tropical Garen

Enjoy a meal or drink at the Tropical Garden & wait for the monkeys!

La Chosa del Manglar Kitchen

La Chosa del Manglar features a large, fully-stocked kitchen available for guests to use. There is an oven, microwave & toaster plus plenty of pots, pans, plates, bowls, cutlery, cups & glasses.

If you need to store something in the fridge, ask one of the staff members behind the bar.

While there may be a few items left behind by travellers, no condiments are provided so be sure to bring your own salt, pepper, oil, etc.

There’s a large supermarket in the centre of Puerto Jimenez (5 minute walk) where you’ll be able to find everything you need for cooking.

We were really impressed with the kitchen amenities, it was always clean & tidy too. It helps long-term travellers like us keep our costs down & is very conducive to long term stays!

Kitchen La Chosa del Manglar

The large, well-stocked kitchen at La Chosa del Manglar

La Chosa del Manglar Social Room

There is yet 1 more common social room at La Chosa del Manglar – it’s near the tropical garden, next to the long cabin of rooms & near the tropical garden.

Here, you can relax on a sofa in the corner or at one of the many bar tables & chairs, with WIFi. It’s a covered, open-air space so the views are lovely & tranquil.

Common room La Chosa del Manglar

Enjoy the views from the Social Room!

La Choza del Manglar Grounds

La Chosa del Manglar is an expansive property, covering 4 acres around forest, creek & mangrove.

From the gravelly entrance way to the wooden boardwalk & stone track, the main path through La Chosa del Manglar is lined with trees, plants & flowers. It’s a beautiful walk, with the green cabins subtly hidden amongst the foliage.

There’s also a short nature trail within the hotel itself. The central garden in front of the restaurant is spacious & green. Like the rest of the grounds, it’s been beautiful kept.

Numerous tables, chairs & hammocks are nestled away around the sides, so you can always find a quiet spot to yourself to enjoy the serenity.

Gardens La Chosa del Manglar

The beautiful landscaped gardens at La Chosa del Manglar

La Choza del Manglar Wildlife

At La Choza del Manglar, you’re guaranteed to spot wildlife – without having to leave the hotel grounds.

During our stay, we saw/heard all 4 species of monkeys in Costa Rica: Spider, Capuchin, Howler & Titi. The latter is also known as the Central American Squirrel Monkey & is only found in a tiny sliver of the coast between Costa Rica & Panama.

We also saw toucans & scarlet macaws in the trees, along with many other birds & butterflies.

Other common sightings include iguanas, coatis, kinkajous, armadillos, lizards & snakes. Crocodiles & caymans can be found at the small creek at the back of the property!

Monkey in kitchen

You can even catch cheeky monkeys in the open air kitchen!

La Chosa del Manglar: Chosa Tours

La Chosa del Manglar have a dedicated on-site tour agency to help you with your travel arrangements in the Osa Peninsula – just visit Reide in the Chosa Tours hut at the entrance!

Tour options include:

  • Osa hiking
  • Golfo Dulce kayaking & snorkeling
  • Parque Corcovado hiking
  • Surfing
  • Birdwatching
Chosa Tours agency

Book your Osa Peninsula excursions onsite with Chosa Tours

Know Before You Go

Address: 150 meters east of the airport, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Prices: Dorm $15.00, Economy Double $45.00, Classic Double $49.00

Contact Information:

Read La Chosa del Manglar’s Tripadvisor reviews here

Did you enjoy reading La Chosa del Manglar: Tropical Garden Retreat in Puerto Jimenez?

Pin it and help others find it too!

 

[put_wpgm id=226]

 

*** The Final Word: Get back to nature at La Choza del Manglar, without sacrificing comfort or convenience! ***

Have you ever stayed at a tropical retreat like Choza del Manglar?

* We enjoyed a complimentary stay at La Chosa del Manglar – thank you to Andrew & Jacqueline for hosting us. We only recommend great value accommodation that we believe our readers would enjoy & as always, all opinions & photos are our own.

Visited in January 2017

Comments

  1. This area looks amazing. Costa Rica is pretty much our favorite place on the planet. Love the picture of the Capuchin – did you guys see any other types of monkeys while you were there? We have spent quite a bit of time in the Puerto Viejo area of Costa Rica, and saw Howlers almost daily. Love the pic of all of the colorful chairs – so homey and authentic feeling 🙂

  2. Looks like a nice place to visit. Thank you so much for including the map. I live part time in Boquete, Panama and my Costa Rica geography is horrible. I love reading about the places I could drive to but so many bloggers do not include a map sO i have no idea if it is doable.

  3. I really like its natural setting, that really allows guests to get the authentic tropical experience! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  4. This looks like a beautiful place to stay at. The room options are great and the setting is really beautiful and I like its proximity to town.The breakfast seemed pricey tho. Was that in USD? Thanks for sharing. I will keep in mind when I head that way.

  5. It’s rare to see a kitchen that well stocked! I guess the monkeys like that too:)

  6. Lovely post! I didn’t know this part of the world that much so reading posts like this are really helpful. I love the peace and general ambiance of the location, I think it would be a great place to simply let go and recharge. And yes, disconnecting for a bit wouldn’t be a bad idea altogether, too. The food seems pricey, though but I guess that’s to be expected.

Leave a Comment

2 × four =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.