Puerto Jimenez Airport

Puerto Jimenez Airport is about as charmingly no-frills as it gets — a single open-air terminal with a tin roof, a few plastic chairs, and the kind of unhurried pace that immediately tells you you've arrived somewhere special. Don't expect a food court or a sit-down restaurant tucked behind a gate. What you will find is a small refreshment counter where you can grab a cold Imperial beer, a bottle of water, or a packaged snack before your puddle-jumper lifts off over the Golfo Dulce.

The real dining reward here is in town, just minutes from the airstrip. Locals swear by the sodas lining the main drag — these family-run kitchens dish out casados loaded with rice, black beans, platanos maduros, and whatever fish came off the boat that morning. El Jardin and Juanita's are perennial favorites, beloved for their no-nonsense, deeply satisfying Tico cooking. If you have a layover window, grab a ceviche de corvina from a street-side vendor; the lime, cilantro, and fresh sea bass here rival anything you'd find in San José.

Savvy travelers build a little extra time into their airport arrival precisely to eat in Puerto Jimenez before checking in. The town's proximity to the Osa Peninsula means ingredients are staggeringly fresh — hearts of palm, locally caught dorado, and tropical fruits you won't easily name. A cold pipa fría (green coconut) from a cart near the terminal entrance is the perfect send-off on a hot afternoon, a sweet, hydrating goodbye to one of Costa Rica's most rewarding corners.