9°44′42″N 84°59′14″W

Bahía Ballena · Nicoya Peninsula · Costa Rica

The only way in is by water.

A family-run beachfront retreat. Ocean-view cabins, an organic kitchen, and nights when the sea glows. Five minutes by boat from Playa Pochote.

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Guests
2 adults
0 kids
A canvas-roofed teak cabin on stilts among bright green trees

Since 1982

Hidden between Santa Teresa and Jacó is a cove the Akerson family has cared for since they sailed here from Oregon. No road reaches it. You park at Pochote, step into a boat, and five minutes later the road is gone.

4.7★
396 Google reviews
5 min
boat ride from Pochote
9
cabins and rooms, all facing the sea
Wet sand mirroring the jungle headland and blue sky
Aerial of the headland and Playa Los Vivos, with Playa Pochote and the Río Pochote mouth in the distance
Camping Don TrinoPlaya Pochote · boarding
Río Pochote
Playa Los VivosYou’ve arrived

The crossing

Park. Step aboard. Feet in the sand.

Park at Camping Don Trino on Playa Pochote. Our captain meets you on the beach.

The bamboo-roofed restaurant deck with long set tables, framed by jungle and a glimpse of the beach

The restaurant · open daily 11:00 – 20:00

Lunch comes from Honey’s farm and the bay.

Everything on the menu is organic and cooked to order: ceviche cured in lime, poke bowls, casados, the catch of the day. Ingredients come from Honey’s Saturday farmers’ market, local farms and sustainable fisheries.

  • Cevichelime, cilantro, avocado, crispy patacones
  • Tuna tartarmango, avocado, sweet soy, sesame
  • Poke bowlbrown rice, pineapple, edamame, spicy mayo
  • Casadorice, beans, plantain, salad, fried egg
  • Fish filetwhite wine, lemon, butter and parsley
Ceviche in a blue bowl with patacones
Fish tacos with guacamole, slaw and lime on a wooden board
Mango and berry smoothies with a red hibiscus on a palm leaf
Beach beds and driftwood under a coconut palm, looking out over the calm bay to the hills

Day Pass

Come for the day. Stay for the sunset.

No overnight stay needed. The boat from Pochote, a beach bed and a towel, and most of the price comes back to you as lunch.

$50Adults 13+
$40 restaurant credit
$30Children 5–12
$20 restaurant credit
FreeLittle ones
0–4
Book a Day Pass

After sunset

After dark, every stroke of your paddle lights up.

Bioluminescent plankton turn the bay into a field of light. Ten minutes offshore, slip in with a mask and watch it spark around you.

High aerial of the forested peninsula, the beach and the teal bay with mountains behind

Our story

A family, a farm and a beach worth protecting.

Heart and Honey Akerson set sail from Oregon and arrived in 1982. They raised nine children here, on Finca Orgánico El Tajo, an organic farm that still feeds the restaurant and the neighbours at Honey’s Saturday market. Los Vivos is their home, opened to guests.

“Our hope is that they leave feeling a bit more elevated, better, healthier, with greater respect for the world, and more in tune with nature than when they arrived.”

Heart Akerson
Read our story

4.7★

396 reviews on Google

“If you stop reading here, remember this: this place is INCREDIBLE.”
Brad S.
“The views from the room were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in all my travels.”
Brad S.
“Waking up, opening the doors, and listening to the waves each morning became a highlight of our stay.”
Vanessa F.
“Los Vivos feels like a best kept secret to be protected.”
Liz Y.
“Food was the best we had during our 2 weeks in Costa Rica, drinks too.”
Liz Y.
“The beach is unlike any other, and the rooms being tucked away in the jungle gives the perfect balance.”
Shannon R.
“If you stop reading here, remember this: this place is INCREDIBLE.”
Brad S.
“The views from the room were some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in all my travels.”
Brad S.
“Waking up, opening the doors, and listening to the waves each morning became a highlight of our stay.”
Vanessa F.
“Los Vivos feels like a best kept secret to be protected.”
Liz Y.
“Food was the best we had during our 2 weeks in Costa Rica, drinks too.”
Liz Y.
“The beach is unlike any other, and the rooms being tucked away in the jungle gives the perfect balance.”
Shannon R.
Sunset over the bay with two pangas and a paddleboarder on gold water

Your boat is waiting.

Check in
Check out
Guests
2 adults
0 kids