Vista Drake Lodge

The place has a good location in the city, but all the facilities (kitchen and appliances) are very old and nothing like the photos.
Also the hosts don’t give any information about the place and activities…. just give you the key and you are on your own.

Ça a été très compliqué pour avoir notre chambre (1- parce que Google Map ne nous amenait pas au bon endroit; 2- parce que la personne a la réception ne parlait pas anglais, ni français; 3- parce que notre chambre n’était pas prête même si l’heure d’arrivée était passée). Nous avions pris 2 nuits et nous avons manqué de papier de toilette…..
cela dit, l’emplacement est pratique, avec cuisine complète et salle de lavage dans notre villa avec balcon. Endroit propre.

It’s funky but great to have both AC and a mosquito net. Basic washroom with a cold shower. Sometimes a bit noisy in the morning when all the atv’s and motorcycles start but that’s because the locals are up even earlier getting ready for the day’s tourist expeditions. Close to restaurants and the beach. Would definitely stay again

Very noisy, the reception area was right under our room and there were chinks of light coming through the floorboards as well into the next room. You could actually see into the next room The water shut off randomly but the AC was awesome. Pretty much what you would expect for under $50/night.

We stayed for 6 nights in July 2023. Emilio handled all the logistics (pickup from airport, reservations for 3 dive-snorkel trips, Corcovado tour, boat back to Sierpe) and answered multiple questions prior to arrival about what things were needed. Cabin AC worked, beds comfortable, views were amazing. Saw iguanas, monkeys, parrots on property. Emilio provides breakfast (fruit, cereal, eggs, coffee, tea, juice) and unlimited drinking water in kitchen for guests. Tall rubber boots available for jungle tour. Central location in the village above the beach where tours start and within walking distance to multiple restaurants and stores was worth the occasional truck/motorcycle noise below the cabana on the main (dirt) road through town. Having walked all over during our stay, including out to some of the more secluded properties with pools, we would opt to stay here again. With the beach so close, no need for a pool.

The perfect location with a view of the ocean while nestled in the jungle where we saw monkees, scarlet macaws, toucans, and heard the sounds of the jungle all day long!

Emilio, the owner treats all of his guests like family preparing delicious breakfasts daily while providing anything you might need during your stay.

We will certainly return to Drake Bay and stay at his lodge again!

Don't miss a wonderful vacation and experience!

Magic paradise with an ocean view, surrounded by nature. Great host. We can highly recommend a stay here. Thank you Miguel, also for organizing boat transfer and a super night hike. A once in a lifetime experience.

Stayed for 6 nights in December and was totally taken surprised by the amazon Lodges and million dollar view, we just couldn't believe the view. The owner Emilio was really helpful , gave us some great tips for the area and the fantastic restaurants locally. Can't wait to return

An amazing place to stay! the view of our lodge was fantastic. I never stayed in a place like this with the tucans at the right side and the lizards
In the tree at the other side.

It’s quite spacious , which is really nice! With a fridge in the room.

Emilio the host is a great guy! Really easy and will help you whenever you need it.

We stayed 4 nights as a family of 4 at vista drake lodge. In General this is a beautiful property higher up ( not at beach level). The reason why we only give it one star is that it’s too expensive for what is offered.
We have no problem staying in low budget places but if they charge a lot of money and indicate services which are not available than it’s a problem.
The shower was cold and not working properly. Once as there was no water in the whole village which is nothing they can change but then it has not worked again even if we had water in the village. The ac was broken on the first day ( they fixed it after we asked about it twice). The safe was broken and the glass entrance doors did not close fully allowing large gaps for mosquitos and crawlers to come in ( we where provided duckt tape to fix the gaps). Our booking indicated daily room service but we never had anybody come in the room to clean ( which is important in the tropics if you eat in the room) or offer new towels. We did receive new towels after asking at the third day.
All in all it’s just not worth the price we paid. We met many travellers staying under 100$ for AC rooms with breakfast and view and we have paid double that price without breakfast for a room with little amenities.

We enjoyed every minuet!!! the view from the rooms is breathtaking, breakfast was delicious, best location (3 minutes from the beach), but above everythig - Emilio, Elmer and thier family made all the diference - they just wanted us to have fun, and looked for help in any way they could. they are so kind, and we never saw hospitality such that.

Vista drake lodge is amazing. We stayed for 4 nights. We even got an upgrade to one of the lodges! The views from there are amazing overlooking drake bay and you just want to chill on the porch in your personal hammock forever.

The lodgings are in the center of town and everything can be reached by foot. Emmanuel also hosts a lot of tours, gives great advice and we got a special breakfast on the day we left which was super nice!

We did some diving on cano island (highly recommended) and went to rio ajuitas with a kayak. The waves on the ocean are tricky (you'll get wet). But uf you do this an hour before sunset you have good chances to see monkeys jumping from one side of the river to the other and get a real jungle experience.

Staff was super helpful and friendly. Drinkable water was provided at no cost. We received an upgrade because a nicer cabin was available. Would stay there again.

My husband and I were on our honeymoon and spent a week at one of the houses Emilio and his wonderful family has in Drake Bay. It was so beautiful with Toucan's flying by, a wonderful kitchen to cook in, comfortable bed, flowers all around and a delicious breakfast at prepared in the morning for us at the main Lodge. Emilio and his whole family are just wonderful, welcoming and helpful. We took an overnight tour in Corvovado with Elbert, Emilio's brother, and had a trip of a lifetime. Elbert is an incredible guide and a wonderful person and we couldn't recommend this experience more. Thank you so much!! We hope to return again and will send our friends and family for sure.

First off, the view of this place is simply amazing! Beautiful view over the bay and lush vegetation all around. We saw so many animals just outside the terrace (which is huge btw): Toucans, Macaws, all sorts of birds, iguanas, butterflies..

The terrace has several seating options, armchairs, bar stools and hammocks. The cabins are designed with attention to details. Everything you need is there, a fridge, places to put your things, hangers and hooks.

The owner Emilio was super accommodating and helped us with everything we needed. He booked us an excellent guided private overnight tour to Corcovado as well as a snorkeling tour. He also showed us a really nice trail to a secluded beach, rainforest with lots of animals as well as interesting plants.

Delicious home-cooked breakfast in generous portions with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes and sometimes cinnamon buns. This even on days when we went on tours as early as 5.30 in the morning(!).

We also appreciated the care for the environment, you can refill your water bottles by the reception (for free) to reduce the amount of plastic waste.

As some other reviews have mentioned - it’s rustic, and sure it’s humid and you’ll probably get a visit by ants but it’s part of an authentic experience of this area of Costa Rica. We wouldn’t have wanted to miss it for the world!

Great view over the Pacific.

My boyfriend and I did an overnight trip to Paradise Verde on the boarder of Corcovado through Vista Drake. We had originally scheduled for 2 nights, but due to the crazy rain that caused overflowing rivers we could only do one. Emilio thankfully put us in one of the cabanas for that night. It was relaxing and beautiful.

The overnight trip was guided by Luis and his brother Nico. It was a private trip to a private location. We were the only ones on the trail which made it very special. Both brothers were incredibly knowledgeable about the area and fantastic at spotting out animals. Sleeping in a hammock in the middle of the jungle was unforgettable. We also did a night hike and found lots of frogs, snakes, and a turtle. For the trip you are provided food, water, rubber boots. Take your own sleeping bag if you want one. The hike itself is not difficult.

Communication with Emilio was not the best. We found that WhatsApp was the best way to talk to him. We didn’t really know what to expect and what to bring. He was very kind and informative in person. For anyone thinking about going, do it!

Below are some things to expect if planning by yourself:
Getting to Vista Drake: take the “ferry” in sierrpe. I use this term loosely as it is a small boat. You check in at the restaurant by the “ferry terminal”. A few people will approach you, but they are all working together. Very kind and helpful. 11:30 ferry is $15 per person, the later one is $20. You will pay before deboarding in Vista Drake. Make sure you have cash.
Deboarding means... walking off the boat into the ocean and to shore. Someone from vista drake will be there to meet you. It is less than a 5 min walk.

The hike: being sleeping bag, water, bug spray and a change of clothes. The paradise verde has hammocks for sleeping, flushing toilets, and a shower if you desire that. Expect to fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle and be woken up by the birds and monkeys calling to each other. In the fruit season, enjoy fresh fruit from the garden.

Leaving Vista Drake: similar to the way of deboarding. The ferries are pretty good with being on time. Listen for the man calling our Sierrpe. Pay him in cash before deboarding.

Also recommend to bring a rain jacket, and cover for your luggage / backpack.

Great place to stay when you visit Drake Bay. We stayed for four days. We went 2 days Scuba diving and made a wonderful 7hour hike the other day. We also made a lovely night hike which was organised by the hotel. The owner is a very nice and friendly man. Be sure to book the right cabin through, not all cabines have the vista view over the Bay.

Just back from a lovely stay at Vista Drake Lodge, Drake Bay. We stayed for 4 nights in a fabulous bungalow with a veranda overlooking the bay. This is a very special place and worth the effort to get to. Drake is a remote little town of back roads and is dusty and dirty with no jetty to jump onto when you get off the boat from Sierpe. However, you are essentially in the jungle surrounded by wildlife so embrace that style of adventure and enjoy it. Emilio is a great host and super helpful in organising tours for you. We highly recommend the Corcovado guided tour and Canò Island snorkelling whilst there, for food go to Claudios grill. There's no aircon but there is a hardly fan. Once you've done your tours jump in those hammocks on the balcony and chill. Only downside are the noise of the motorbikes up and down the street. Do yourself a favour and book into this rugged paradise. Ps take a torch!

Emilio was fantastic in helping us book all of our tours and to enjoy our stay in Bahia Drake! He even gave us his personal contact number and we were able to write him at any time with any doubts or questions. Just to let travelers know, Bahia Drake in general is a lot of hills with almost no accommodations directly on the beach, so please take that into account when deciding to go to the area and be aware that you may need to walk up/down hill. :) We really loved our stay in Bahia Drake with Vista Drake, thank you!