If there is one hotel room you need to stay at in your life, it’s Cockpit Cottage, Costa Rica. We cannot get over this room at Hotel Costa Verde, where you literally sleep in a plane suspended above the jungle while overlooking the ocean! It truly does not get better. In this post, we’re going to give you all the information about our stay and what you can expect. And when you reach the end, you’ll be ready to book your Costa Rica adventure.
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Hotel Costa Verde
Before we dive into the specific Cockpit Cottage suite, we need to set the scene. Hotel Costa Verde is a hotel property with both traditional rooms and plane suites. It’s located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Think of Hotel Costa Verde as a campus. The rooms and pools are on the main campus, and the restaurants and zipcoaster center are short strolls away, but still under the banner of Hotel Costa Verde. This means that you can order room service from any of these restaurants. And the hotel can book several activities for you, and you can be picked up for them on-site. It sort of feels like an all-inclusive setup, though the meals are sadly not included!
Traditional Rooms
We wanted the full Hotel Costa Verde experience, so we spent a few nights in the Costa Verde II Studio Plus panoramic ocean apartment before our Cockpit Cottage stay. We booked in the off-season, so it really was not expensive to stay in this room. Given how gorgeous the view is, the room was honestly a steal. And if you’re traveling as a family, you get even more bang for your buck. The apartment includes two queen-sized beds and a seating area. There’s also a kitchenette with a full-size fridge. The balcony was also so much more spacious than we were expecting. There’s plenty of seating and an outdoor tub so you can take in the scenery while unwinding from the day. The balcony overlooks the ocean and the pool. So if you’re planning on getting in the tub, you’ll want to make sure you have a bathing suit on since it’s not totally private.
There are other rooms, bungalows, apartments, and adults-only sections to choose from. But truly, we can’t recommend the panoramic ocean view apartment enough.
Restaurants on Site
As we mentioned, there are five restaurants connected to the hotel. And you can walk to any of them or order the food to be delivered to your room or the pool.
Anaconda – This is the only restaurant we didn’t dine at. We’re not big breakfast people, and this restaurant is only open for breakfast during the low season. They offer breakfast and lunch during the high season.
El Avion – We loved this place so much that we went twice. If you’re on our site, you know we love anything unique. And this restaurant, much like many of the Hotel Costa Verde suites, is partially a converted airplane. What’s more unique than that?! Pro Tip: Go inside the actual airplane bar section and head towards the front. You can actually climb inside the cockpit of the plane and pretend to fly it. You can also add your name to the graffiti inside. We totally missed the cockpit during our first visit, and are so glad we went back.
El Wagon – If you’re craving late-night pizza during your stay, you can order from El Wagon. Or if you’re looking to dine in, you’ll enjoy eating inside a converted wagon.
La Cantina BBQ – For live music, head on over to La Cantina. Their menu offers more than just BBQ food. Here you’ll also find a variety of fresh seafood, salads, pastas, steak, and more.
El Baguette – Grab a quick bite to go from El Baguette. They have delicious local coffee, pastries, artisan bread, and empanadas.
Staying in Cockpit Cottage, Costa Rica
Inside the Plane
Cockpit Cottage is an airplane converted into a hotel room. The cockpit has been converted into a kitchenette area. And at the other end of the plane, you’ll find a set of double doors leading to the balcony. The balcony isn’t as spacious as the one we had in the panoramic ocean room. But this one was even better. Because of where Cockpit Cottage is located on Hotel Costa Verde’s property, it’s much more secluded. You have to cross a suspension bridge to reach the plane. In the panoramic ocean room, we were mostly ocean-centric, as the name suggests. In Cockpit Cottage, we felt like we were really immersed in the jungle. And because no other people were around, the wildlife really made an appearance. Monkeys were swinging from the trees constantly. We could hear them scampering across the roof of the plane and see them playing in the trees right next to us. But even though we were more immersed in the jungle, we still had a beautiful ocean view.
We knew the room would be exceptional, but we did not know how much we would love the bathroom! The bathroom is technically outside the plane, but it is netted to keep out bugs. It may take a moment to get used to relieving oneself in the great outdoors. But we loved it because we could hear and see the wildlife while in the shower.
The Experience
The experience of staying in Cockpit Cottage felt incredibly immersive. We felt far more connected to nature and the animals staying in this suite. And there was such a cool vibe to being suspended in the trees in a plane. It felt like the TV show, Lost! We also can’t overstate the value of the privacy we had here. We didn’t hear anyone else when we stayed in Cockpit Cottage since we were removed from the traditional rooms. But we still had access to room service, which was a major plus! I did a lot of journaling while there because I was able to really connect with myself in the peace and quiet. And then every once in a while, I’d hear a rustle and pop my head up to watch the monkeys swinging by.
Price
Cockpit Cottage is more expensive than the traditional suites. If you’re planning to stay at Hotel Costa Verde for a while, we recommend splitting your time like we did. You could stay in a regular suite for most of your stay and then switch to a plane suite towards the end of your stay. Definitely end your trip with the plane since it’s such a special experience. The regular rooms just won’t compare after you’ve stayed in the plane.
Though the low season is rainier, you’ll get a much better deal on the rooms during that time. For example, Cockpit Cottage costs only $297/day in the low season, but can be as much as $541/day in peak season.
Other Hotel Costa Verde Plane Suites
727 Fuselage Home – This is the most well-known plane suite at Hotel Costa Verde. This two-bedroom plane suite sits atop the trees in the jungle. It still offers ocean views, and like Cockpit Cottage, it’s removed enough from other people that you’ll likely get a view of monkeys, sloths, and toucans.
Cockpit Cabana – This cockpit bungalow is excellent for honeymooners, families, or friend groups. It has two queen beds and is about double the size of Cockpit Cottage. This room is near the adults-only apartments and is closer to the ocean. So you won’t be as immersed in the jungle as you would in Cockpit Cottage, but you have a gorgeous view of the ocean from your room and balcony.
Sky Loft – If you’re traveling as a larger family or friend group, you’ll have more than enough space in the Sky Loft. This plane houses four queen-sized beds in two separate bedrooms. It also has a terrace that can seat eight at the dinner table. There’s also a wet bar and a living room. If you’re staying in the primary bedroom, you’ll also have your own private balcony.
Manuel Antonio Activities
Skybike – Just a short walk from Hotel Costa Verde, you can maneuver yourself in a motorized skybike through the trees and keep your eyes peeled for creatures all around you. We got to see a sloth up close and personal here! While you’re not guaranteed to see any animals, it’s a fun activity in the jungle either way.
Zip Coaster – This was an absolute thrill! Imagine zip-lining but at a much faster speed, going around bends and dropping like you’re on a rollercoaster. It was so fun, a little scary, and a must-do.
Jungle Night Tour – The jungle comes alive at night, and you can experience this firsthand with a Jungle Night Tour. Or if you’d prefer to see the animals and nature during the day, you can book this guided day tour. Going on a tour and having a guide is absolutely crucial. We would not have spotted a single thing on our own. The guides bring out telescopes so that you can see even the smallest of creatures in total detail.
10-in-1 Waterfall Adventure – If you want to pack a ton of action into one day in Manuel Antonio, check out this 10-in-1 activity package where you can go rappelling, ziplining, Tarzan swinging, and more.
We truly can’t say enough good things about Cockpit Cottage Costa Rica. We had everything we needed on-site, service was incredible, and truly nothing beats sleeping in a plane in the jungle!
