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Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica vacation, travel and tourist information by reviewer Janette Higgins.
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Costa Rica
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Cabinas Jimenez
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John Podson and
Crystal Odegaard
Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula
Costa Rica,
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| Phone: 011 506 735 5090 |
| The owner's artistic talents are evident throughout this charming complex on the shore of Golfo Dulce. |
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Review by Janette Higgins
author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide
Six editions of the book were published to critical and popular acclaim. Janette now publishes her B&B
reviews and holiday reports online.
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A fellow guest at Cabinas Jimenez turned out to be an interior designer. She commented that Crystal Odegaard, who runs these cabinas in the Osa Peninsula’s Puerto Jimenez, along with partner John Podson, has a great eye. I would agree. Crystal’s talents elevate these accomodations beyond the ordinary. The colourful frescoes, carefully chosen artefacts and hand-woven bed and window coverings from Guatemala all contribute to the aesthetic pleasure of a stay here. Add to that the relatively quiet location, the beautifully landscaped gardens with views of Golfo Dulce beyond and you’ve got a winner.
So what are a couple of gringos from the United States doing running a small lodge in Puerto Jimenez. Turns out Crystal’s from northern California and John’s from Pennsylvania. Both lived in Cape May, New Jersey where Crystal was an executive chef and John was deckhand on a fishing boat. So it’s all about the lure of the sea – now John and Crystal take people out on boat tours in the gulf for sightings of dolphins and whales. And of course they take folks fishing. They do their own travelling when the cabinas are closed in the rainy season from September through mid-November.
Why stay in Puerto Jimenez? Well, it’s the gateway to the Osa Peninsula in southwest Costa Rica. It’s not nearly as well-touristed as other parts of the country and, as I overheard at lunch one day at a local gringo hangout, it’s ‘not for high-maintenance types’. Admittedly most visitors take the easy way and arrive by small plane from San Jose; about USD $80 one way. We’d opted for the low-maintenance $6-and-something ‘directo’ bus. It was a cliff-hanger of an all-day bus ride but that’s a story in itself. Suffice to say, that if not for the exceptionally capable driver; well, I hate to think….
We’d booked two nights at Cabinas Jimenez because we suspected we might need recovery time from the bus ride before taking a pick up truck to Carate for our stay at Corcovado Lodge Tent Camp (see separate review). It was a good decision. This larger-than-it looks town has several restaurants including the surprisingly excellent Jade Luna owned by a native New Yorker who’s decided to stay on with her daughter after marriage to a Costa Rican broke up. We had one of our best meals in Costa Rica there. When I complimented the owner/chef on her exquisitely buttery tuna sashimi, she told us to thank the diners at the next table. They’d caught the tuna that day!
Then on our return from Corcovado Lodge we stayed once again at Cabinas Jimenez. This time my friends upgraded to Room 2 and it has to be my favourite. Now we’d had very nice rooms (8 and 9) the first two nights and I was quite happy to keep Room 8 for the last night. But Room 2 is large, has a private deck overlooking the gulf with a hamaca and hand-crafted wood chairs. Plus it has a fridge and coffee maker. My friend had managed to buy part of a bag of coffee beans and have them ground at a local shop the day before and we’d picked up some pastries from the bakeshop near the gas station just past the bank at the other end of town. (We did our research; those on offer at the mid-town bakery just didn’t measure up.)
I was invited to early breakfast on their deck. The pastries were delectable and the coffee darkly delicious. We could see people collecting at the dock to catch the 6 A.M. ferry so we wrapped it up, hiked along the beach and down the road past a little soda (family-run diner) where the day before we’d had ceviche. Next door was the secluded bar run by a German ex pat who’d served us the coldest beer we’d had in Costa Rica. Oh, the memories!
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Reviews of Janette Higgins'
favourite places beyond Ontario
Janette Higgins' reviews
of Ontario's best bed and breakfasts
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Cabinas Jimenez, Puerto Jimenez Osa Peninsula
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| Tell your hosts Janette Higgins sent you! |
| E-mail: |
Click Here |
| Website: |
http://www.cabinasjimenez.com |
| Best to call: |
Anytime |
| Languages: |
English, some Spanish |
| Season: |
November through August |
| Rates: |
S $25-60, D $40-75 includes taxes; $10/night extra for air conditioning |
Currency converter
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| Cards: |
cash only; VISA to come shortly |
| Facilities: |
7 rooms; 2 with double beds; 5 with double bed and single bed; en suite bathrooms; quiet Sanyo air conditioners available for $10 night |
| Parking: |
fenced off-street parking |
| Breakfast: |
continental; in lobby |
| Location: |
Puerto Jimenez is the main entry point for the Osa Peninsula. The cabinas are at the north end of the town facing east over the Golfo Dulce. |
| Directions: |
Obtain when booking |
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