Honestly, most people heading to Uvita are looking for the Whale Tail. They want that iconic sandbar shot, a quick dip in the Pacific, and maybe a smoothie in town before heading back to a standard hotel. But if you keep driving up the mountain—and I mean up, where the road turns into a gravelly test of your 4x4’s suspension—you hit Oxygen Jungle Villas. It’s a weirdly beautiful spot. It doesn’t feel like a hotel. It feels like someone dropped a bunch of glass cubes into a prehistoric rainforest and just walked away.
Oxygen Jungle Costa Rica is essentially an adult-only boutique estate that leans hard into the "Balinese-inspired" aesthetic. You've probably seen the photos. Those all-glass villas are everywhere on Instagram. But social media usually leaves out the part where you’re sweating through your linen shirt because the humidity is at 90% and a howler monkey is screaming outside your bathroom at 5:00 AM.
That’s the reality of the Osa Peninsula region. It’s raw.
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The Glass Villa Concept: Privacy vs. The View
The main draw here is the architecture. They call them "One-Bedroom Glass Villas." It sounds fancy, and it is, but it’s also a bit of a trip for your brain. You’re sitting in bed, and there is literally nothing between you and the primary jungle except a sheet of reinforced glass.
You’ll see toucans. Not just "oh look, a bird" toucans, but Fiery-billed Aracaris landing so close you can see the serrations on their beaks.
The design is intentional. Oxygen was built by a Dutch couple who wanted to bring that clean, minimalist European sensibility to the chaos of the Costa Rican wild. It’s sustainable, too. The villas are built on stilts to minimize the footprint on the forest floor, allowing the natural drainage and wildlife corridors to remain undisturbed.
But here’s the thing: glass goes both ways. While the villas are spaced out for privacy, you definitely feel exposed until you get used to it. There’s something vulnerable about showering while looking out into a ravine. Most people love it. Some people spend the first night reaching for curtains that aren't there.
Getting There is Half the Battle (Literally)
Don't ignore the emails they send you about renting a 4x4 vehicle. Seriously. If you try to take a sedan up the mountain to Oxygen Jungle Costa Rica, you are going to have a very expensive conversation with a towing company.
The road from Uvita is steep. It’s winding. In the rainy season (roughly May through November), it can get slick. But that elevation is the secret sauce. Because the property is perched about 600 meters above sea level, you get a breeze that people staying down in the flats of Dominical or Uvita would kill for. It’s significantly cooler, though "cool" in Costa Rica just means you might not need the AC if the breeze is hitting right.
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The "All-Glass" Lifestyle and the Logistics of Luxury
The estate is small. We’re talking 12 villas. This isn't a Marriott. There’s one main infinity pool that overlooks the Pacific, and it’s arguably one of the best sunset spots in the entire country. When the sun dips below the horizon over the Marino Ballena National Park, the sky turns this bruised purple and orange color that honestly looks fake.
The service is personal because it has to be. You’re basically living on a private reserve.
- The Food: The O2 Restaurant on-site focuses on "fusion," which is a word that usually makes me roll my eyes, but here it works. They source locally. Think fresh snapper, passion fruit reductions, and lots of organic greens.
- The Vibe: It’s quiet. If you’re looking for a party or a place to bring the kids, go somewhere else. Oxygen is for couples who want to disconnect or solo travelers looking to write a book/existential crisis away.
- The Trails: They have private trails leading to waterfalls. Most people don't use them because the pool is right there, but you should. The secondary growth forest on the property is a hotspot for sloths.
What Most People Get Wrong About Uvita
People think Uvita is just the beach. It’s not. The town is spread out, and the real magic of Oxygen Jungle Costa Rica is that it positions you above the fray. You aren't dealing with the dust of the main road or the noise of the quad bikes.
However, being up there means you are isolated. If you want to go to dinner in town at Sibu or Falafel Uvita, you’re looking at a 15-20 minute crawl down the mountain. Most guests end up eating on-site more than they planned just because the descent feels like an expedition.
The Reality of "Eco-Luxury"
Let’s talk about the "eco" part. Costa Rica has a strict certification for sustainable tourism (CST). Oxygen plays by the rules. They use solar water heating and biodegradable products. But let's be real—running air conditioning in a glass box in the tropics is a massive energy suck.
The hotel balances this by maintaining a huge chunk of the land as an untouched private reserve. They aren't over-developing. They aren't crowding the ridgeline.
Is it "greenwashing"? No. But it is a compromise. You’re trading a smaller carbon footprint for an experience that allows you to coexist with white-faced capuchin monkeys without having them actually steal your granola bar.
Why You Might Actually Hate It
I’m a firm believer that no hotel is for everyone. You might hate it here if:
- You have mobility issues. The property is built on a slope. There are stairs. Lots of them. It’s a workout.
- You’re terrified of bugs. It’s the jungle. Even with the glass, you will encounter a grasshopper the size of a smartphone at some point. It’s their house; you’re just renting it.
- You need "action." There is no nightlife. Once the sun goes down, it’s just the sound of cicadas and the occasional distant thunder.
Actionable Advice for Your Stay
If you’re actually going to pull the trigger and book a stay at Oxygen, do these three things to avoid the common pitfalls:
Book Villa 7 or 8 if they’re available. These tend to have the most unobstructed views of the ocean while still feeling tucked into the canopy. The higher numbered villas are great too, but these are the "sweet spot" for photographers.
Timing is everything. If you go in September or October, expect rain. A lot of it. It’s beautiful—the jungle turns a shade of green that looks neon—but you’ll be stuck inside your glass box for the afternoon deluge. If you want blue skies, February is your month, but book six months out.
Don't skip the Nauyaca Waterfalls. While Oxygen has its own private falls, Nauyaca is about 25 minutes away and is arguably the most impressive waterfall in Costa Rica. Go early—like 7:00 AM early—to beat the tour buses coming from Manuel Antonio.
The Final Word on Oxygen Jungle Costa Rica
This place is a specific mood. It’s for the traveler who wants to feel the weight of the rainforest without actually sleeping in a tent. It’s expensive, it’s a pain to get to, and the Wi-Fi can be spotty when a storm rolls in. But when you’re standing in that infinity pool, watching a pair of Scarlet Macaws fly past at eye level, none of that matters.
It’s one of the few places in the Southern Zone that actually delivers on the promise of "immersion." Just make sure you bring a camera with a decent zoom lens and a driver’s license that isn't expired, because that 4x4 rental agency will check.
To make the most of a trip to this part of the country, combine a stay here with a trip further south to Corcovado National Park. Oxygen gives you the comfort and the views, but Corcovado gives you the raw, unfiltered biodiversity that makes the Osa Peninsula world-famous. Use Uvita as your "soft landing" before heading deeper into the wild.