Agua Dulce Beach Resort is the newest and most exciting property on the Osa Peninsula with all the amenities you would expect in an American Style Hotel and Resort. Located just 10 minutes from Puerto Jimenez on a secluded beach. Walk for miles on our beach, or go for an adventure hike to Corcovado National Park, charter a boat for World Class Sport Fishing, or have a dolphin and snorkeling adventure! How about a Horseback Ride, or a Zip Line Canopy Tour? Surfing anyone? Or...you can just kick back and relax around our huge pool with swim up bar! Whatever activities you choose, you will return to a clean, comfortable, spacious and air conditioned room. Have a spectacular meal in our Restaurant, and then retire to your room where your personal Jacuzzi will be waiting to sooth you to a perfect night sleep one one of our wonderful pillow top mattresses.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Our suite with sea view had airconditioning, which was essential for the very hot weather in February. The Sicilian chef looked after us very well during our week long stay with many classic Italian dishes on the varied menu. We ate every day at the hotel because the other Restaurants we visited in the rather seedy town of Puerto Jiminez did not appeal to us.
Scarlet MacCaws flew over the hotel every day and fed on nuts in adjacent "Almond" trees. Howler monkeys were howling occasionally in trees in the car park. A trip to Corcovado National Park is highly recommended.
Some drawbacks to be taken into account are the approach road is unsurfaced, washboarded and dusty, the internet works ok in Reception and Restaurant, but not very well in the rooms, and the beach is not suitable for swimming every day, because of waves and rip currents. The pool is a useful alternative.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:suite with sea view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from aguadulcel, Administration area at Agua Dulce Beach Resort
Responded 16 Mar 2020
We appreciate very much your stay with us. We are located minutes a way from down town Puerto Jimenez , we are located right infront of the beach as a quiet and peaceful place in a remote town the internet service is limited. The roads are in better shape that years before, we work hard with local liders to keep the road in good conditions. Thank-you very much.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had two days of fishing planned for the area and our travel agent booked us for the resort. Room was basic and clean. Majority of the staff was very friendly. Because we left so early each morning for fishing, we were going to miss breakfast. They offered to have a packed meal ready for us each morning. Very thoughtful.
Be aware that the restaurant on site is not part of the resort. This caused some confusion and problems, but nothing insurmountable. Note: the restaurant prefers cash.
We did catch fish and the restaurant did prepare a meal for the 4 of us with our fish. It was beautifully presented with grilled pineapple and very delicious. The chef stopped by to ensure we were happy.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Agua Dulce L, Front Office Manager at Agua Dulce Beach Resort
Responded 28 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for your great review and understanding about the restaurant, we hope to see you again
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This place is off the beaten track which was great. The staff were friendly, the ocean was beautiful, the pool was great, the restaurant makes home made noodles and dough, and the drinks were spot on. The rooms were nice and beds comfy. If you want to be in town for the night life this is not the place for you. If you want to get off the beaten path in comfort then this is the place. If you take a tour ask for Randal-he knows everything about the animals, plants, & area in general.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Agua Dulce L, Front Office Manager at Agua Dulce Beach Resort
Responded 28 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for your great review, we hope to see you again
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This "Resort" is far from what the pictures show on its website. We were supposed to be there for four days and as soon as we drove up we were shocked at the state of disrepair. When we parked our car we saw a mattress pushed up against a window on the second floor of one of the buildings. The building sorely needed to be painted. Although the pool area and reception were neat, when we went to our room there was a large hole in the screen door. The bedding and towels looked as if they had seen better days. Internet connectivity was virtually nonexistent as we had spotty communications with our travel agent. When we did get in contact with our agent we asked to be moved to another resort nearby. We later found out that Agua Dulce is for sale and has many legal difficulties which may be the cause of the state of the facility. We have been battling this resort to return our funds and yet they keep battling these efforts.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hotel is right by the beach, with beautiful view from our pool view room. Amenities in the room was very basic - fitted sheets kept coming off. Very friendly staff and the restaurant food was quite good. This hotel is about 3 miles from Puerto Jimenez - not a big distance, but the unmetalled roads were washed away by the rains - luckily, we had an AWD SUV to navigate the potholes. Should not be an issue during dry season!
Read more
Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:About 3 miles south of Puerto Jimenez, unmetalled roads to reach the hotel.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
These reviews are machine translated from their original language. Show machine translations?
What a wonderful hotel, quiet and nice with a lovely pool if you do not want to swim in the sea with the big lovely waves. Helpful staff, good food and clean everywhere. Nature outside the doors with all kinds of birds and lizards watching you.
Read more
Automatically translated
Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lovely beach at a hotel that's seen better days. The pool is nice and the AC works well. Beds were particularly uncomfortable with only a thin top and bottom sheet and a thin bedspread, no mattress pad, and a spring mattress where every spring could be felt. Surely there must be somewhere else to stay.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After reading the response from the "resort" on other people's negative reviews, I did not even want to bother writing a review - but people need to know what they are getting themselves into here from an honest, real reviewer that stayed two nights at Agua Dulce. If you look at a lot of the reviews of this "resort" you will notice that the people who rave about it usually only have a few reviews - I find this very questionable. While this could be possible, from the Agua Dulce I experienced, I don't buy it. I also find it strange that the hotel feels the need to question the customer with paragraphs about how wrong they are. This is not how real hotels and customer service works.
I booked a room online for two nights because we were staying in the area for work. I advised that we needed excellent Wi-Fi connection and we were told that the wi-fi would work perfectly. The honest answer is it definitely barely works and was very frustrating trying to use. The power went out several times and would have been understandable if we were warned about it, but we had no idea this would continue to happen during our whole stay.
We were put in the very back of the hotel when many of the rooms seemed to be vacant. We only saw two other couples staying during the two days we were there. The pool is public and the only people using it were not even guests - which seems like a nice gesture but when people are on vacation this is not really a selling point. There was a "pool bar" but it is completely vacant so this is not even a reason for the "resort" to make money off non-guests.
Our room was an absolute NIGHTMARE. The worst I have ever seen and I have traveled a lot. The hotel is made up of different buildings - each with two rooms and a sitting room in between for each room. Our room did not have a sitting room - it had little bathroom door locks on our side of the door, one without the locking part in it, to keep it closed and upon opening it was just a gutted room of concrete and garbage. The other sitting room that belonged to the other guest's room had the same lock setup, which is extremely unsafe (and would be terrifying for someone staying alone). The best part about it was that there was a peephole in the door and we could clearly see the other room's bed. Now - if the "resort" is going to say that they knew about this hole and didn't put anyone else in the other room because of it - then why didn't they tape up or close off that hole?! It made me feel so uncomfortable and creeped out the entire time. After day one I was ready to leave but I managed to stay both nights to try and give Agua Dulce a chance. The morning of the second night we checked out and honestly ran out of there.
There is a "security guard" that sits close to the pool by the exit at night but does not say a word to you when you walk by, which does more harm than good. The breakfast was a small buffet of scrambled eggs and a selection of fruit - we had it the first day but skipped it the second day. The bathroom was awful as the toilet did not flush - even after a few flushes the water just slowly spun around. The shower sprayed water into the entire bathroom - the floor was soaked after taking a few minute shower. The linens were scratchy and uncomfortable. There is an envelope in the room for the cleaning person, which I left a tip in, but we never had anyone clean our room.
The first night we had decided to have dinner at the restaurant, upon ordering we were told both things we asked for were not available. That was not a big deal, we just ordered something else. The real surprise was when the waiter came over to advise the price. He did not bring a bill with him - he simply just came over to the table and said a random price that was way too high. When questioned about the high price he apologized and said a different amount a bit lower. We asked to see a bill. He had our credit card in hand and swiped it through the handheld machine without even telling us the actual price! Really terrible service.
In closing, I hope this helps some travelers pick a different place to stay in the area, especially if you are traveling alone. Like I said before, I was not going to share this review but I wish I had seen a real, honest review like this before wasting our money.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2015
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I just returned home from a month in Costa Rica with my partner – including two weeks at Agua Dulce. I had seen the resort as it was being built a couple of years ago (side note: as we were driving down the beach in front of the property to sit and watch a treeful of scarlet macaws – these birds, among others such as parrots and hummingbirds - are plentiful around the property.) As we drove by what was soon to be Agua Dulce – I said to my companion, “I hope this place is a hotel and not a condo – because I’d love to stay here when it opens.” Well, when making plans to visit Costa Rica again this year (my 16th trip here) – I was happy to see that Agua Dulce was finished, and is a hotel. I immediately booked our room. I’m not saying this as a cliché: it truly was everything I had hoped for – and more. This is the PERFECT location for people looking for a vacation location that is a great fit for many types of travelers. Agua Dulce is fun, friendly, clean, safe – located directly on a swimmable beach (great for boogie boarding!) - with a nice clean pool and Jacuzzi. It has numerous types of accommodations to fit any size group.
The staff is comprised of FRIENDLY, professional Costa Ricans (most are locals) – who really know the area – speak English – and have significant experience in the hotel/tourism industry as they’ve worked at some of the lodges further out on Osa. (Dulce means “SWEET” – the people who work at Agua Dulce put the “sweet” into this resort.) There are a few ex-pat Americans on staff as well - part of the whole team.
I highly recommend this hotel to: - People who want to experience Costa Rica, see and hear the wildlife, be in a location that IS NOT teeming with high rises, hundreds of condos, thousands of tourists – yet, is a location that has what you need – the town has banks, supermarkets, tour companies – and the hotel is the perfect place to be your home base for anything you would want to do on Osa – or, you can spend your days on the beach, at the pool – and finally read (or write) that novel or memoir, paint that masterpiece, meditate under a palm - whatever it is that’s been waiting for you to disconnect from the intense pace that most of us now live with.
The resort is a perfect fit for all types of people as there's truly something for everyone – I met older couples who were on their first trip to Costa Rica, honeymooners, families with children. I met people from all over the world – mostly from the US, as well as Canada, S. America and Europe.
- Of course, it’s fantastic for people who love to fish. Does that need to be said when talking about Osa? Just in case – Agua Dulce is connected with a great charter boat, as the boat company is one of the owners.
- It’s also great for people traveling with fisherman – spouses, kids, friends – because even if you don’t fish – there’s sooooooo much to see and do (or see and not do : )
- If you’re traveling to or from Corcovado – this is the PERFECT stopover. But don’t just stay for 1 night – this is a vacation location in and of itself.
- If you’re looking for amazing value – stay at Agua Dulce. The price is great – especially compared to the numerous lodges outside of Pto Jimenez (on the way to Corcovado). You can use your money wisely by staying at Agua Dulce – and then, if you want to visit one of the Eco-lodges, take a ride and have lunch, walk around the property – but, having stayed at these other lodges more than once, I would rather spend my money on other things. Agua Dulce has the best overall value – by far – of all the hotels that I’ve stayed at in the area (including Lapa Rios, Bosque Del Cabo, Tortuga Negra, etc.)
Property Overview:
Agua Dulce is in a perfect location.
- The resort is built on the beach in Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula - just a few miles from the town and business area of Puerto Jimenez. Scarlet macaws fly through the property and hang out in the trees along the beach. We saw them every day (for 14 days).
- It is one of the few resorts in this area of Costa Rica that has ocean front with a swimmable beach, a beautiful pool - and air conditioning. (I don’t know of any others.)
- There are 3 cottages/bungalows that sit directly on the beach and face the Golfo Dulce.
- Between the front 3 cottages and the main buildings of the hotel is the pool and Jacuzzi area.
- The hotel office is located below a spacious bar/restaurant that is upstairs on the second floor – with a nice view of the Golfo to the front and pool area to the side.
Beachfront:
- The beach is swimmable. Wave size and strength variable – often it is swimmable for everyone; at times recommend stronger swimmers. Keep in mind that there is no lifeguard at the beach – so if it’s really wavy, don’t let the kids or people who aren’t strong swimmers use the main beach, there are often rip currents. Many beaches in Costa Rica post signs warning of Rip Currents, but no signs on Osa. If it looks rough, go to the pool or to the tip of the peninsula past the hotel.
- The beach is excellent for boogie boarding and can also be good for surfing. We went boogie boarding every day and never tired of it.
- You can also get to a beautiful bay beach with no waves (need 4wd if you’re driving – available right in Pto Jimenez; you can also walk – but walking not recommended for a family, as it is about 2 miles and can be very hot at midday). This bay beach is a hotspot for fishing – especially by the locals – and you can drive down and park seemingly remote as it is on a small peninsula across from Puerto Jimenez harbor.
- The beach sand in this area of CR is a mix of volcanic rock and shells….soft, not gritty. Note that during midday, the sand can get very hot, so wear your sandals to the beach.
- Speaking of hot sand, beachgoers have many options for shade – from palm trees (don’t sit directly under coconuts) and other local trees
NOTE: In addition to providing us with shade, the trees play host to numerous birds – including scarlet macaws which we saw every day, along with hummingbirds and other varieties. In the town of Puerto Jimenez by the harbor – flocks of parrots fly back to their home trees each evening at dusk, and scarlet macaws are often found in the trees by the Los Delfines restaurant.
Pool:
Agua Dulce has a very nice pool that is accompanied by a Jacuzzi. The pool is at the front of the hotel – and leads directly to the beach. There are several bungalows between the pool and the other hotel buildings – but the design allows you to see the Golfo Dulce from the pool area as well as some of the hotel rooms.
Accomodations/Rooms:
- The rooms come in several configurations; usually 2 queens – and the actual hotel rooms are used primarily for sleeping; so, if you need a refrigerator and/or extra space – you can get a “suite” which is a hotel room PLUS a room that serves as a living room with refrigerator and coffee maker. (You can also use a cooler.)
- If you have a larger group – you can get an extended suite – which is 2 hotel rooms that “sandwich” the living room in the middle.
- The reservations staff and managers do a great job of explaining the options and walked me through the floor plans on the web to make sure that I chose the accommodation that best met our needs.
- The rooms were very clean. We never saw even 1 insect in our room… even at dusk and at night, we encountered very few bugs (including mosquitoes).
- The rooms have great air conditioners (new and no mold) - The hotel has wireless – sometimes Internet access is spotty – but this is due to ISP issues, not the hotel. Agua Dulce has numerous wireless routers set up around the property to ensure a strong signal.
- Rooms don’t have tvs – but if you can’t live without seeing something, the bar/restaurant has 4 tvs, and was happy to oblige when we asked to see something, i.e. watch CNN to see the blizzard back home. But during a month in Costa Rica, I didn’t see a TV for the first 3 weeks except for at the bar/restaurant.
- The hotel rooms have front decks that are furnished with 2 wood and leather rockers – very comfortable and nice to hang out on.
- The second floor rooms of the front buildings have some views of the Golfo. I stayed in 5B. These front rooms overlook the pool, and the pool is open from early in the morning to night time – so if you want a room that’s very quiet, request a room further back. As you can imagine, sometimes when people are in the pool, and they’re so happy to be on vacation in such a beautiful place, you can hear them… however, there was never noise at night – so I would recommend a front room with pool view if you want to be closer to the beach.
Restaurant/Bar:
Delicious. Efficient. Great staff. We had a vehicle during our stay and initially intended to go out to dinner in Pto Jimenez every night. But after a few nights doing so, we started coming back to Agua Dulce’s restaurant – because it was very good, so convenient, with the right price. Enough said. You should eat there – whether or not you’re staying there.
Staff: they put the “Dulce” in Agua Dulce!!!!
- There were many positives about Agua Dulce – yet the #1 item that sticks out in my mind is the phenomenal customer service provided by the staff. After traveling to Costa Rica approximately 16 times in 12 years, I’ve observed and interacted with many staff of hotels. The group at Agua Dulce are the friendliest and most professional by far. Most of the staff have worked in the travel/tourism/hospitality industry for many years – at many of the higher end (and higher priced) eco lodges between Puerto Jimenez and Corcovado.
- We met and talked with many of the team – if you’re lucky enough to go to Agua Dulce, I hope you get a chance to do more than check-in with them or order your meal. Seriously nice, nice people. Be on the lookout for Vilma, Carlos, Chris, Brian, Harry, Minor, Joann, Sara, the chefs (who I finally spoke with the day before we left because they were always so busy cooking!) and the rest of the staff. They are sooooooo nice! (Dulce means “SWEET” – the people who work at Agua Dulce put the “sweet” into this resort.)
A few more thoughts: Staying here for two weeks gave me a much better perspective on this resort hotel than if we had just stayed for a few nights. It was interesting to see management make changes and improvements on the fly – they view this resort as a place where they will continuously try and make changes that enhance their guests’ experience. For example, they got bikes while we were there, so guests can ride to the town or bay beach or just around the neighborhood to see birds and other wildlife.
Bottom-line: I’m already making plans to return to Agua Dulce in the near future – yes, that’s how much we loved it. I highly recommend it to all travelers to Costa Rica – except, of course, for those who need a 5 star golf resort and other related amenities – I’ve stayed at those as well – during my first visits to Costa Rica, before I realized that I couldn’t tell the difference from similar hotels that I’d stayed at in Miami, Las Vegas, Cancun…. (most of these were either free vacations with points or when I was attending or presenting at conventions as VP Marketing for high tech companies.) I'd rather know where I am - especially when I'm in Costa Rica! It’s also not perfect for those who need to stay in one of the exorbitantly-priced lodges (marketed as Eco-lodges) outside of Pto Jimenez on the way to Corcovado).
So now that it’s my own experience, and on “my own dime” so to speak – and I look forward to staying at Agua Dulce - it is “sweet”!
Read more
Date of stay: February 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Room 5B or the Bungalows on the beach. If not available, the reservation staff will help you...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loved every minute of our stay at Agua Dulce, and all the tours that management scheduled for us. The arrangements were effortless on our part, and the staff was incredible. Within 2 hours of arrival our family of 5 had a delicious lunch at the hotel, and was kayaking in the Mangroves with an excellent local guide. When we returned Harry made us dinner the first night even though the kitchen was closed, Carlos went out of his way to be kind and welcoming, and the breakfast was both delicious and served with warmth and kindness, with a background symphony of Scarlet Macaws. The hotel is perfectly situated on a spectacular beach, with gorgeous views, abundant wildlife and the constant thunder of crashing waves.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey, I believe that you can rent kayaks directly from the resort. I'm not sure how much they cost. Fishing for a full day was $600. However, if you get with a group it will lower your price. I believe the flight to the park is 45 minutes. make sure you pack as much deep woods bug repellent as you can into your bag. We went through four cans in a week. You also want to bring mosquito net . The simple things to us are like gold price wise over there. The beach is literally 10 seconds away. Very nice and secluded. Trust me.. The air and TV at agua dulce are worth it!!!
Mexico City, Mexico54 contributions15 helpful votes
To be honest, the best way to have a transportation in Puerto Jimenez is to rent a car.
Yes, you can get a taxi to the hotel too, I think the cost is around 10 usd.
There are more places to choose from in the Puerto Jimenez area.
PRICE RANGE
S$121 - S$138 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of PuntarenasOsa PeninsulaPuerto Jimenez
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
