The Tranquilo Lodge

English and Spanish are spoken by the hotel team, so you can get practical questions answered without turning check-in into a language exercise. The lodge is adults-only, which keeps the setting firmly geared towards grown-up travellers who have spent the day outdoors and would rather hear the jungle than a children’s entertainment programme.

The mood is built around the coast and the surrounding jungle. You have gardens, a terrace, Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and a restaurant on site, with the spa available when your shoulders have had enough of carrying dive gear. It is the sort of place where the evening can remain pleasingly simple: shower, meal, perhaps a treatment, then a quiet drink or an early night.

The lodge sits in Drake Bay, Costa Rica, on the Osa Peninsula. It is directly by the sea, with jungle around the property and the town centre just a short walk away. That gives you two useful options: stay close to the lodge when you want to slow down, or head into town without arranging transport every time you fancy a look around.

The beach is reached by a free shuttle, with sun loungers, parasols and beach towels available for the day. Snorkelling, boat trips, fishing and excursions to islands and waterfalls all fit naturally into this coastal location. For a change of scenery on land, hiking and wildlife observation are also part of the local menu.

The room choice is mainly about how much space and outlook you want. An ocean-view double villa or deluxe double suite suits a couple who want the sea in the picture, while the larger villa categories make more sense when you want extra room around you rather than simply somewhere to sleep. Quadruple villas are the practical choice for a group sharing.

The better-equipped rooms combine air conditioning with a ceiling fan, blackout blinds and soundproofing. There is a private bathroom, shower, towels, toiletries, slippers, wardrobe and safe, along with a minibar, bottled water and coffee. A desk is useful for sorting photographs or checking tomorrow’s plans, while the ocean-view categories give the room a stronger sense of place than a standard four walls and a bed.

Some villa categories also include Wi-Fi, and free Wi-Fi covers the hotel as a whole. The adults-only policy keeps the accommodation aimed at couples and grown-up travel, while the in-room safe and blackout blinds deal with two familiar holiday nuisances: leaving valuables loose and waking before you meant to.

Pura Vista Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on its terrace. Breakfast combines a buffet with à la carte choices and is included in the standard meal formula. The restaurant works with international cuisine, using ingredients from local fishermen and the lodge’s farms, so the menu has a clear connection with the coast and the surrounding land.

Dinner is a four-course affair rather than a quick plate before bed. The published service runs from 6.00 pm to 7.15 pm, with breakfast from 8.00 to 9.30 am and lunch from noon to 2.30 pm. Those hours reward a reasonably organised day; they are not designed for a late-night dining expedition.

A bar and snack bar are available, while limited room service can provide snacks on demand throughout the day. Packed lunches are also available, handy when an excursion or boat trip takes priority over sitting down for a full midday meal.

The spa is the obvious answer when your back has started keeping its own logbook. Treatments include massage, facials, hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud baths, wraps, pedicures, manicures and reflexology. Yoga and a fitness room give you something more active without committing to another expedition.

Outside the lodge, the free beach shuttle opens the door to a few uncomplicated hours with a lounger, parasol and towel. Hiking and wildlife observation offer a change from the water, while boat outings, island trips, waterfalls, markets, snorkelling and fishing provide more structured ways to fill a non-diving day.

The lodge can also help arrange excursions. That is useful when you want to see more of the Osa Peninsula but would rather not spend the evening comparing operators and timetables.

Check-in runs from 3.00 to 5.00 pm and check-out is by 11.00 am. Contactless arrival and departure are available, and luggage storage helps if your transport does not line up neatly with those hours. Early check-in and late check-out can be arranged on request.

An airport shuttle is available through the lodge, and the hotel can assist with excursions. Laundry and pressing services are available, along with a reception safe, concierge support and free Wi-Fi. An on-site infirmary and a doctor on request provide useful reassurance in a remote coastal setting.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, bank transfer and cash are accepted. Costa Rican-style electrical details are 120 volts and 60 hertz, with Type A and Type B sockets, so pack the appropriate adaptor if your plugs are of the more continental variety.

The lodge uses water filtration and water treatment as part of its operation. Its water systems also include desalination and rainwater collection, practical measures for a coastal property surrounded by jungle and dependent on careful water management.

There is no need for a lecture over breakfast. The useful point is simply that the lodge’s approach includes treating, producing and collecting water rather than treating it as an endless resource.