There are only so many places I can stay on each trip. This may be a self-evident observation, but in practice it means that on every journey there are properties that I would have loved to have reviewed or revisited, but which could not be levered into my itinerary. And on my recent excursion to Costa Rica, Lapa Rios was top of that list. Long one of my favorite eco-resorts, it is also consistently popular with members.

Unfortunately, the property is located on the Osa Peninsula, in the extreme southwest of the country, whereas all the other hotels that I planned to visit lie north of San José. Lapa Rios is not especially difficult to reach, but getting there does require a 50-minute flight, followed by a 45-minute road transfer. I discussed the matter with the associate in the Andrew Harper Travel Office who was booking my trip — and who had recently returned from Lapa Rios herself — and we concluded, with regret, that on this occasion I would have to pass up the opportunity. I was not especially pleased but could recognize inevitability when I saw it.

When I write a report on a destination and a previously recommended hotel is not featured, readers sometimes assume that it is no longer endorsed. Emphatically, this is not the case with Lapa Rios, which remains Costa Rica’s preeminent eco-resort. If the intention of your proposed trip is to experience the country’s wildlife, especially its astonishing birds, to hike in its rainforest, and to put out to sea in search of dolphins and whales, then Lapa Rios should be the first place you consider.