About
La Ponderosa Hotel and Resort:
This beach & jungle resort and hotel offers modern beachfront accommodations in Costa Rica’s pristine southern zone with acres of lush jungle, botanical gardens, fruit orchards and trails leading to a beautiful waterfall. We have used our years of experience and installed all the amenities to insure that every guest leaves ready to come back and stay with us again. This hotel is the perfect destination for surfers and nature lovers. After surfing one of the longest point breaks in the world you can enjoy pure relaxation with a massage or lounging by the pool. Pavones is located in the Golfo Dulce, home to world famous nature reserves. It is a great place to see wildlife. You won’t be disappointed when you wake up to the sounds of the waves and jungle.
L.P. History:
La Ponderosa opened in 1994 as a simple surf camp in the jungle. In those days the “cabinas” ran only on solar and generator power. A few years later electricity arrived. The rooms were remodeled with electricity and air conditioning was added to some rooms. After 1999 we focused on the botanical gardens and nature trails. In 2005 we added TV to the rooms. In 2008, we added a pool and expanded some of the rooms to suites. In 2010 we added small refrigerators to some of the rooms. Now La Ponderosa Beach and Jungle Resort operates as a full service hotel. So, this is the history and the future of La Ponderosa… adding, improving and growing one year at a time.
La Ponderosa is still owned by its original founder, a surfer from Florida, USA.
The Game Room:
The big game room makes this hotel ideal for groups, reunions, retreats or families. We have satellite TV, DVD player, a huge movie library, stereo, dart board, ping-pong table, foosball table, board games and book trade library.
Wifi:
Free wireless high-speed internet access.
Courts:
La Ponderosa has Volleyball and Basketball courts onsite.
Beachfront Location:
This resort and hotel has a quiet and secluded location just outside of the town center. La Ponderosa beachfront has a sandy swimming area for playing in the water. There are shady tiki huts to relax in the shade and take in the view. Guests enjoy an incredible view across the Golfo Dulce to the Osa Peninsula. You can explore tide pools all along the coast. The beach faces west and is famous for spectacular sunsets.
Nature:
La Ponderosa is a great place to see wildlife. Macaws, parrots, toucans, iguanas, monkeys and more can be seen right outside your room. Explore twelve acres of nature trails. The resort has well-established trails through our gardens, orchards and forest. You will find staircases and bridges leading to our waterfall and lookout tiki hut. See a map of the grounds on this site.
Our area is home to some exciting projects with great people working hard to protect wildlife.
Botanical Gardens:
La Ponderosa has acres of gardens with a large collection of palms, tropical plants and fruit trees. There are TRAILS to take through the gardens and into the forest. See a gallery of garden photos on La Ponderosa Pavones’ facebook page.
Staff:
We employ local women and men from Pavones.
Owners, Marshall and Angela live onsite and are happy to help make your stay in Pavones one to remember.
Laundry:
If you are in need of laundry service then La Ponderosa can conveniently meet your needs.
Travel Services:
CAR RENTAL – We can reserve a car for you and arrange pick-up/ drop-off at just about anywhere in the country.
REGIONAL FLIGHTS – We can reserve flights to Golfito and other destinations.
VAN SERVICE- We can arrange for a van and driver to bring your group from San Jose (or other location) to La Ponderosa.
Dining:
The hotel’s private restaurant is open all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a full MENU.
Meals can be purchased individually or as a 3-meal package.
Recreation:
Pavones is perfect for nature lovers and surfers. It is just the right place for pure relaxation or tropical adventure. See a list activities on this site.
Rooms, Suites, Houses:
We offer a range of different accommodations for different needs and budgets. See a complete list on this site.
*The plumeria flowers, small sunset and villa photographs on this page by Jim Mayfield
