Escape to laid-back luxury at this elevated rainforest resort

“I can walk down to the beach on the treetops.”

Or at least that was my first impression upon opening the curtains and gazing at the rainforest and the Pacific Ocean from the balcony of our sunrise villa at the Hotel Three Sixty (www.hotelthreesixty.com) in Costa Rica.

My boyfriend and I had arrived via a flight from Palm Springs well after dark the previous night. The moon shed enough light only for hints of the jaw-dropping views to come from nearly everywhere in the resort complex. We came looking for an escape from the real world and a chance to connect at this boutique property in the relatively undiscovered town of Ojochal in southern Costa Rica.

Thankfully, the Hotel Three Sixty not only fit the bill – it wildly exceeded our expectations.

The Hotel Three Sixty sits on a 58-acre private rainforest reserve at a roughly 1000-foot elevation, which results in cooling winds and stunning views of the ocean and rainforest.

This region near the border with Panama is a nature lover’s paradise with abundant flora and fauna, stunning waterfalls and warm water beaches, and a pleasantly surprising number of restaurants reflecting the region’s intersection of the local cuisine and contributions from its French and American ex-pat communities.

But the star of our visit was Hotel Three Sixty and its incomparable staff, who were dedicated to providing a level of service I had not experienced in my travels to date.

“Authentic, laid-back luxury,” says Hotel Three Sixty owner Trevor Ling when asked to describe his resort. “A major factor in that is our location. We aren’t surrounded by other hotels and businesses, and that’s the allure. The wildlife is naturally abundant because we aren’t near busy roads or locations with crowds of rowdy guests scaring away the animals. Because we’re 12 villas in size, even when we’re at capacity it never feels overrun. Our staff can take attentive care of guest needs because for us it’s quality, not quantity. Our priority is providing an elevated and exceptional experience.”

Laid-back luxury is an accurate description of our villa, which was large and tastefully decorated. All villas feature a king-sized bed, upgraded linens and toiletries, and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors opening to a spacious balcony. Our shower was comfortably big enough for the two of us and offered both privacy and stunning views. All villas are also (thankfully) soundproofed.

When we did venture off the property, the local area featured natural wonders like Nauyaca Waterfalls (nauyacawaterfallscostarica.com) and the famed disappearing Whale’s Tail isthmus at Marino Ballena National Park (www.sinac.go.cr). There are several beaches within a short ride from the resort, and we spent hours swimming in the 85-degree waters at the Whale’s Tail before the beaches disappeared at high tide.

Further away but accessible by boat is Corcovado National Park, the crown jewel of Costa Rica which also ranks as one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Here you can see rare and endangered wildlife like jaguars, monkeys, sloths, birds, spiders, snakes, crocodiles, and more living in their natural habitat and free of fear from hunters, poachers, and encroaching civilization.

Despite the natural wonders in the surrounding area, we were equally content exploring Hotel Three Sixty’s private rainforest reserve via its meandering nature trail. We saw several Panamanian white-faced capuchin monkeys swinging on the tree limbs above us and heard the frightening cries of the aptly named mantled howler monkey during our admittedly wet walk through the rainforest. Not visible on the trail but more prevalent than monkeys elsewhere at the resort, though, were seemingly ever-present flocks of multicolored parakeets.

The natural beauty of the resort extended to the view from the compact fitness center. Floor-to-ceiling windows allowed us to remain amid the rainforest while working out in air-conditioned comfort. The fitness center included a treadmill, weight machine, and dumbbells. Sorry, no stationary bike for those with questionable knees.

There’s also a full-service massage and Zen center. There was only one massage room, but it was large enough for our couple’s massage and foot scrub.

The central hub of the Hotel Three Sixty is its open-air lobby and Kua Kua Restaurant. Arriving guests emerge from the sheltering rainforest to be greeted with stunning 360-degree views. The unique design allows guests to be immersed in the natural environment while protected from its more extreme elements.

We dined daily at the Kua Kua. While we tried different dishes at lunch and dinner, we never strayed at breakfast. My boyfriend loved the Chilaquiles in Green Sauce while I couldn’t say no to the Two-Sauce Swiss Enchiladas. You can’t go wrong with any item on the menu, but my personal non-breakfast favorites were the Peruvian Chaufa-Style Fried Rice and the Fish and Shrimp Sashimi appetizer. Our conversations were often muted while dining, but only because we spent so much time savoring the views along with the food.

The exemplary Hotel Three Sixty service extended to our servers at Kua Kua. My boyfriend and I are not fans of spicy mayo on our sushi, and I half-heartedly noted this aversion before our arrival. When we ordered sushi on our first night, our server said they would hold the spicy mayo before I could make the request. Suffice it to say we were suitably impressed and pleased.

While Kua Kua is the only restaurant at the resort, the local area provides numerous outstanding dining options. These include Heliconia (FB @heliconiarest) and Citrus (citrusrestaurante.com). Both restaurants are a short drive from the resort. Heliconia features local cuisine in a lush setting overlooking a stream and rainforest. Citrus features a fusion of Asian, French, Middle Eastern, and local cuisines with a great wine list in a casual yet refined open-air setting.

Our fave off-site restaurant, though, was Fuego Brewing Company (www.fuegobrew.com) in the surfing town of Dominical a short drive from the Nauyaca Falls and Marino Ballena National Park. We loved the lush grounds and garden setting as much as the beer flights, Tuna Poke Bowl, and the ‘special of the day’ bouillabaisse.

We visited Hotel Three Sixty at the height of the rainy season, but not once did we get rained out of any activities. The rain fell relentlessly at times during the afternoon, but the mornings were dry, and the rains were only periodic. When it did rain, we relaxed and enjoyed the views from our villa, safe and very dry. Normally, we’d consider daylight hours spent in a hotel as a negative, but here it was a private – and very romantic – escape.

Oversized umbrellas awaited us in holding racks outside our villa door for those rainy moments at the resort.

If we took home one regret from our stay, it was that we couldn’t spend more time enjoying the resort’s infinity pool. We spent only one afternoon lounging in its cooling waters while enjoying the views and sipping cocktails delivered by the attentive Hotel Three Sixty staff.

We were never alone at the resort, but not once did the Hotel Three Sixty feel crowded or even busy. There were several other couples at the property, and we grew accustomed to nodding at each other and politely saying hello, but not much more ­ and that was OK. Everyone was centered instead on experiencing the Hotel Three Sixty with their significant other, including LGBTQ+ couples.

“The local community is filled with members of the LGBTQ community, including members of our staff,” Ling says. “We want travelers to only focus on the adventures they’re having, the wildlife they’re seeing, and the memories they’re making. There’s no room for worrying about if you’re accepted or how to act. You’re fully accepted here as you are. It’s the pura vida lifestyle.”

You can learn more about Hotel Three Sixty, including all-inclusive pricing, at www.hotelthreesixty.com.