Encanta La Vida Jungle Lodge

Encanta La Vida Jungle Lodge, near Pan Dulce beach at Cabo Matapalo

Encanta La Vida is a small jungle lodge at Cabo Matapalo, a 2-minute walk from Pan Dulce beach at the tip of the Osa Peninsula. The rooms are scattered through gardens and forest, several of them treehouses, and macaws, monkeys and toucans are everyday neighbours. It suits surfers, yoga lovers and couples who want the jungle and the beach in the same morning.

Why we choose it

• A short walk to the waves. Pan Dulce beach is 2 minutes on foot, and the right point breaks of Matapalo are what bring surfers here from all over.
• Treehouses in the canopy. Three treehouses, including the Treehouse Canopy above the forest, make this a stay people remember.
• Yoga by the sea. The yoga shala is right by the beach, and there is a spa with massage rooms for the day after a long hike.

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Rooms and views

Every room is different. The Jungle HideAway sleeps 3 with a jungle view, and Las Brisas is an octagonal thatched cabin for 2. Mariposa sleeps 4, close to the restaurant and the pool. The treehouses are the ones people ask for: Treehouse Corazon looks over the garden, Treehouse Nest has a deck in the jungle, and Treehouse Canopy sits above the trees.

In Casa Suenos, Stargazer has a covered deck over the jungle and Little Moon looks into the canopy. Casa Olas holds the Olas rooms.

On the property

The restaurant serves three meals a day, and the bar is the meeting point at sunset. The salt water pool is a cool break between beach sessions. The beachfront yoga shala holds practice with the sound of the waves, and the spa has massage rooms for a slow afternoon.

Location and getting there

The lodge is about 30 minutes by taxi from Puerto Jiménez, the main town on this side of the Osa, which is where the small planes land. From here we can arrange surf lessons, a boat trip on the Golfo Dulce to look for dolphins, waterfall rappelling, horseback rides and a guided day in Corcovado National Park. See more of Matapalo.

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