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Reviews of Vista Drake Lodge

3 out of 5
Vista Drake Lodge
150 metros este de la Escuela Drake, 75 este del Telefono Publico, Drake Bay, Puntarenas

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 16 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 19 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 11 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 51 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

Elizabeth

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Robert, Challis

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay at Vista Drake
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.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Emilio Gonzalez on 5 Mar 2020
thanks you for your visit. we hope to see you here in the future.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great view over the Pacific.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Emilio on 5 Mar 2020
thanks you for your visit. hope to see you here in the future. oll the best . EmilioGonzalez.

10/10 Excellent

eric

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Remote Slice of Paradise
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!
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Andrea

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A family-run cabin with personal attention!
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!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Not friendly at all. Not friendly at all. Xxxxxxx
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place
Great place to stay. Very clean and awesome staff. Walls a little thin but not problem. Was upgraded to a nicer room before I arrived. Emilio was the best and super helpful with tour help to Corcovado.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Drake Vista Lodge was very close to the beach where we were to catch an early boat. Owner friendly and helpful. They provided water and breakfast prior to our departure.

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy, New York, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing hosts and beautiful view
Not only was the view incredible and the beach only a couple of steps away, but Emilio and Alberto could not have been more friendly or helpful! Amazing tours and amazing company! Five stars!!

6/10 Okay

benjamin

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
OK
This lodge is just OK. Drake Bay is not the sort of place to see luxury accommodation so expectations are lower, but I cant help feeling like there would have been better options for the money. The room was a little disappointing on first impressions and although we only stayed for a couple of nights considered looking at other accommodation whilst there. Service was ok. Two of the lads are great and are really helpful where as others don't speak. I wish I could say better things, but wont be rushing back here and would look elsewhere if we return to Drake.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Good for the money. Nothing special.
Nice hotel if you know Spanish. Free breakfast is a big plus.

10/10 Excellent

cynthia, Bethlehem, PA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful stay at Vista Drake Lodge
We had a very pleasant stay at Vista Drake. A woodsy little lodge, it was our favorite lodge out of all the places we stayed. The staff and owner very knowledgable about the area and tours etc. Our room was cozy and clean with comfortable beds. The only negative thing is that you could hear through walls, floors etc very clearly so it could be quite noisy at times but everything was always quiet during night and we slept well. There are some small restaurants, grocery stores and of course the beautiful Drake Bay within short walking distance.

8/10 Good

Matt, England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice stay at Vista Drake
I stayed at the Vista Drake for 5 nights in February. Vista Drake is a pleasant guest house & I was really pleased with my cabin which was on a hill with a nice view of the bay. There are 3 cabins up a small hill from the main house which I would recommend trying to get if possible. I'm not sure what the other rooms are like but I believe there are some at the main guest house. The guest house is run Emilio and his family, Emilio was very helpful and very willing to help book tours etc. Breakfast is provided, albeit a little bit basic but not too bad. Rooms where cleaned everyday. This is certainly a reasonable priced place to stay.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Rustic, close to the road. Ok for the price. Probably would choose a different place next time

8/10 Good

Mr Anthony, Liverpool

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent base in Drakes Bay
A lovely place, close to restaurants, supermarket, beaches and trails. Very friendly, english speaking owner. Room very spacious and comfortable. Good, varied breakfast.

10/10 Excellent

Tobi, Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was great and the staff was helpful.
Great place in a beautiful and desolate space. Emanuel helped us with everything and made a great brakefast. Drake Bay and the park is totally natural.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
spring break
The hotel owner is extremely nice and very helpful. I highly recommend arriving by boat. We took a car, it's about a 2 hour drive on a rough dirt road with several river crossings. Drake is a beautiful place, such a small town. If you are looking for some where to go that isn't extremely touristy I highly recommend it staying here!!

8/10 Good

Björn och Petra, Stockholm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Very friendly management
Emilio is the best hotel manager we had in Costa Rica. Very friendly and helpful. Vista Drake lodge has a good location in Drake bay. We stayed on top of the breakfast room and it was a bit noisy, but the room was big and clean. As a budget alternative we give Vista Drake lodge the best recommendation.

8/10 Good

Mario, Poland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice house
Its quite good and worth this money

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Do not stay here, better values around town
The property is misrepresented, way too much money, it should be worth a third of the money they are asking. Paper thin walls (we could hear the guests next door coughing, talking, snoring), no view, cocroaches and ants in the room, water ran out while my husband was showering. Owner is pushy about tours. We had a reservation for two days but since the place was so awful found a place with exellent accomodations and views right next door, for a lot less money!!! We wanted our money back for the second night but owner refused and after arguing for a while gave us back only a partial refund. The next day, he made us sign an invoice stating that we had stayed 2 nights for the cost of the first night, plus what he withheld of the second night. He said it was necessary to sign it so he could get his payment from Hotels.com, but we think he only wanted to save his rump in case we complained.

4/10 Poor

John W., Merritt Island, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Out in the Boondocks
If you ever want to go to the end Costa Rica, like the end of the world, then go here. One hour and half over a dirt road crossing streams and almost rivers. You must have a 4 wheel drive. The one restruant we ate at was horrible. We left a day early there was nothing there unless you wanted to hike. We could not reach our room because of stairs up a mountain. We ended up in a carport room with no windows.The only good thing is we have a story to tell.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
wish I had more than 4 days really needed a week!
great family business they took care of any needs you had

8/10 Good

Mike, Huntsville,AL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Very friendly staff with decent accomadations
Very friendly staff that goes out of there way to make sure you have a good time. Great breakfast! My room had no A/C but had a big fan that helped with the heat this time of year.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

6/10 Okay

Harry Morgan

Liked: Staff & service
Vista Drake Lodge
Drake Bay is very isolated and access is by boat from Sierpe or a rough road requiring four wheel drive. That said, it is a beautiful bay with access to Corcovado Park by a one hour boat ride, or a very rough four wheel drive trip. Emilio, at Vista Drake lodge is very helpful with making all necessary arrangements for all the various tours or activities available. The lodge has two air conditioned rooms, one small and a larger one with a kitchenette, but neither with a view. There are also several non- air conditioned rooms up a steep walk with fantastic ocean views. These rooms are open designed with mosquito netting over the beds. AC is really not needed. The lodge is located halfway downhill from the main street and the beach, about a hundred yards each way. All things considered, this lodge is a good value for couples or families.

6/10 Okay

Jessica

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
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.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Todo muy limpio, cada amplia, los cuartos sin a. c
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Eric

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lost in paradise
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.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Eigenaar zeer vriendelijk en behulpzaam!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Johannes

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Genieten van het uitzicht
Prachtige locatie, mooi uitzicht over de baai. Eigenaar is vriendelijk en behulpzaam. Geen etensfaciliteiten, behalve ontbijt en dat is goed. Het is schoon en goed onderhouden. Je ziet hier rustiger dan in de straat beneden, vanwege de regelmatig langskomende motoren en auto's
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Elisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gracias Emilio!
Dueño muy amable en negocio familiar. Muy servicial y dispuesto a ayudar. Nos prestó botas de agua para ir a Corcovado en época lluviosa, un gran favor porque los zapatos hubieran quedado inutilizables. Dispone de cabañas con vistas impresionantes!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Eduardo

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Vista insuperable
Vista perfecta de la bahia, acceso complicado, instalaciones sencillas, precio altísimo por ser Semana Santa, recomendado ir en otras fechas!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tres bon séjour
Séjour agreable dans cette cabine avec vue sur la mer. Accueil très chaleureux et serviable. Moustiquaire au-dessus du lit. Seul bémol les serviettes de bain tachées de peintures.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traumhaft..
Wunderschoen.. die anreise mit dem schiff war ein erlebnis. Emilio hat uns in empfang genommen und in die unterkunft gebracht. Auf dem weg dahin sind und die ersten papageien begegnet. Ein einmaliges naturparadies und eine reise wert. Emilio hat sich um alles gekuemmert, z.b. die waesche getrocknet.. und uns sogar im regen zum boot begleitet. Rundum schoen..

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service

6/10 Okay

JB, Paris

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Merci au patron
L’hôtel n'est pas un exemple de confort, notamment concernant la chambre du bas qui est vieille, pas entretenue, humide etc... Disons que l'on est chez l'habitant. De l'autre les gérants de l'hôtel sont des gens formidables, attachants et la main sur le cœur. Le patron vous donnera les bons coins à visiter sans vous ruiner! De plus il est très engagé sur la situation de son village, de son hôtel, de la gestion des déchets et tous les problèmes liés à l’afflux croissant des touristes. Prenez le temps de discuter avec lui, il vous ouvrira les yeux sur son pays et son engagement.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Chambre agréable et gérant très disponible
Emplacement pratique, a 100 mètres de la plage où le bateau depuis Sierpe dépose les passagers et du quartier comprenant les restaurants et magasins. Emilio, le gérant est très disponible et de bons conseils. Café, eau et même citronnade l'après midi sont en libre service. Nous avions réservés initialement la chambre caberna mais le gérant nous a laissé le choix avec une autre chambre disponible, la chambre Jacobin. Heureusement car la caberna est au rdc et semblait humide et peu lumineuse. De plus, elle donne sur la terrasse de réception et du petit déjeuner. La jacobin est au 1er étage et est très spacieuse et lumineuse. Elle donne aussi au dessus de l'accueil mais cela ne nous a pas dérangé. De multiples serviettes et shampooing sont disponibles, ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas au Costa Rica.Un bémol, la construction semble être faite a la va-vite et l'isolation phonique entre les chambres est inexistante. Il est même possible d'apercevoir la chambre voisine entre certaines planches. En dehors de ce petit défaut, nous avons passés un très agréable séjour sur place et nous avons apprécié la disponibilité du gérant.

10/10 Excellent

michiel, nederland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What a great place, such a nice host
With a family of 4 from the Neatherlands we planned to stay for 3 days but ended up staying a week at Vista Drake. Nice rooms, nice food, great trips .It was special to go and visit Alfredo, living in the middle of the jungle. We had a waterfall massage there and learned a lot about plants. We hope to someday go back to Vista Drake.

6/10 Okay

Detlef, Muehltal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Schnell wieder weg
Wir fanden unser Zimmer (die Bungalows scheinen den Berwertungen nach von einer anderen Qualität zu sein) grauenhaft: keine fenster, sonder nur Fliegengitter. Kein Spiegel im Bad. Dielenboden, durch die man in den Frühstückbereich herunter schauen konnte.Und Zimmerwänder, durch die man teilweise ins Nachbarzimmer schauen konnte. Dazu eine extrem durchgelegene Matratze, wie ich sowas noch nie erlebt habe.

10/10 Excellent

Julia und Felix, Münster

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Familiäre Atmosphäre mit perfekter Aussicht
Familiäre Atmosphäre mit perfekter Aussicht über die Drake Bay. Emilio, lulu und die ganze Familie waren tolle Gastgeber die sich super um Ihre Gäste kümmern und sehr hilfsbereit sind. So konnten hier auch (kurzfristig) Touren gebucht werden. Zimmer sind sauber und schön mit perfekten Ausblick. JEDERZEIT GERNE WIEDER!!!

8/10 Good

Laure, Marseille

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Bien placé, Emilio sympa mais pas de grand confort
En plein centre de Bahia Drake (c'est un grand mot peut etre... :-)), le propriétaire est sympa. Par contre pas d'eau chaude (y en a t il besoin?), pas "d'isolation", on voit à travers les lattes qui entourent la chambre, peu d'intimité... Mais on va à Bahia Drake pour vivre le Corcovado!

10/10 Excellent

Pauline P, Belgique

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Proprio très serviable
Très bien. Seul le petit déjeuner est à améliorer.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nahezu beste Lage in der Bucht
Überaus engagiertes hilfsberites und kontaktfreudiges Betreiber. Bei allen Touren Ab- und Anreisen ist es emfehlenswert auf die Betreiber zuzugehen. Emfehlenswert ist es hier auch eine Hütte zu mieten, so hat man den Blick über die gesamte bucht und kann auf die Baumkronen schauen wo sich eine vielzahl Paradiesischer Vögel tummeln. Wir waren 5 Tage dort, und rückblickend hätte ich am liebsten die ganze zeit dort verbracht (ehrlich). Thanks to Eric, Emilio & Co!!!
view from the hut

8/10 Good

Greg, Sweden

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
80 square meters!
Our "room" was a suite of 80 Square meters(!) with a large bathroom and our own kitchen. High above Sealevel, with Sea front view. No A/C but 2 large Fans. Close (<100 meters) to the Beach in Drake bay, but about 20 min stroll to the really great Beaches on the Western Coast. The Hotel is close to Restaurants and "Supermarkets" in Drake Bay. Breakfast OK, but not overwhelming.

4/10 Poor

Melina

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
buena ubicacion, infraestructura precaria
Bahia Drake y Corcovado son bellisimos, pero no volveria a quedarme en este hotel. No hay privacidad, la infraestructura es honestamente mala y ademas estaban en construccion. Si viaja con poco presupuesto hay otras opciones. Algo positivo de este lugar es que Elbert, quien fue nuestro guia en Sirena, es muy agradable y trabajador.