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Casa Drake Lodge is located about twenty minutes by foot from Corcovado National Park's Los Planes Station. The lodge is owned and operated by the Aleman family, one of the area's pioneers. It is set on a large property which includes pastures, secondary and primary forest. There are many trails to explore and a lovely waterfall. Casa Drake Lodge is a naturalist's dream!
The place looks abandoned, is very far from town, and not what I expected. My taxi driver thought I was crazy when we arrived and wouldn't leave until I investigated the hotel. The hotel advertises a room with a private bath. Unfortunately, the bathroom is on another floor. That is deceptive and not cool. The husband kept mansplaining to me the bathroom is private as if I could walk in a towel from the bathroom to my room post-shower. Finally, I left since I felt too isolated and didn't see another guest. Also, the place felt super creepy to me. The hotel also told me not to book a whale-watching tour since it wasn't the right season. At another property, see my review; I booked the Cano Island tour and saw tons of whales. I am sorry, I canceled my whale-watching tour. There are much better hotels to book, and I would skip this place.…
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Date of stay: December 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Skip the Hotel
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for two nights in one of the upstairs double rooms in the main house. The house is rural and was a 20-30min drive away from Drake Bay. The house is quite basic in terms of comfort but the family who run the place were friendly and accommodating from arriving to leaving. Our room was reasonably comfortable with the facilities available. The room and house is open to the air and bugs outside but there was a mosquito net (however is was quite worn and had holes in it) there was also a plug in fan in the room. I did get quite a few bites while staying here. Breakfast was delicious every morning and we also ate dinner there on both nights. The food was homely and matched to whatever the family seemed to be eating so actually swayed away from gallo pinto etc which was a nice change. All staff were at all times exceptionally friendly despite language barriers, they were always smiling and on hand to help out. There were also a number of nice pets on site, several kittens and Osso the Labrador! The surrounding rural countryside was beautiful and there was lots of exceptional plants and wildlife in the garden of the house and the surrounding area. The local area was nice for walking but there isn’t much around. If you need alcohol or snacks throughout your stay bring them with you before hand. …
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hosts are lovely people who are so kind and welcoming to their house, alongside their dog and cat! The bungalow was basic but comfortable and the food was very nice. Do be aware that this is about a 15 minute drive from Drake Bay beach. One night we got taken to sunset beach which was a real highlight of the trip. Thanks again and great to meet you all.
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I highly recommended this region and this property. This was my first visit to Costa Rica’s southwest territory where I’ve heard descriptions of natural beauty unlike anything in the rest of the country. I chose Casa Drake Lodge after doing some preliminary research for rates and properties in the area. The drive there from San Jose is approximately 3/4 of the way, beautiful paved road. The last 1/4 however can be a little treacherous for some. It was mostly a dirt road section that requires crossing rivers through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen in Costa Rica. The reward is definitely worth it. The lodge property is a short drive from the town of Drake Bay where much of the outdoor activities are operated. The lodge itself was a pleasant surprise. Large spacious and most importantly clean. (However, if you’re looking for posh five-star accommodations, this is not your place) The property is managed by a family and I don’t use the term loosely, they are an actual local extended family who run and operate all aspects of the business. I thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality and attention to guest services. I lacked nothing I needed or that was required for a comfortable stay. But I know I don’t speak for everyone and everyone’s needs are different. Although I would have enjoy an air conditioned room, the fan provided was more than sufficient for my needs. The property is broken down into a main house and two bungalows. The main house is two levels where the lower level is the common area that includes a kitchen, dining area and bathrooms. The second level is the sleeping quarters. An all wooden structure adds a touch of rustic charm and warmth to the home. The gardens are ample and well landscaped and the bungalows far enough apart for privacy if that’s important to you. I can’t say enough good things about the quality of service we received during our stay. I consider Zacarías, Edward, Gregorio and Karen to be outstanding host and my friends. Thank you all for your kindness. A special thank you to my good buddy Kendall who represents the next generation of hosts. I look forward to a return visit in the future. …
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Date of stay: December 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had my parents stay at Casa Drake when they came to visit me and my family in Drake Bay, Los Planes. The cabin was very rustic. It was large and very private, but there were issues with bugs and the rain came inside and hit the bed where my dad was trying to sleep. Also, we paid extra for meals so I could eat with my parents. They gave very small portions that barely filled us up. They charged us a LOT for these extra meals, and never told us we could have asked to for seconds portions the whole time! :( Other than that we really enjoyed the time there.
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Date of stay: April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Hotel itself is OK, a large wooden house in a small village. Quite far from the ocean, but OK. The service is a bit lame, never knowing who to talk to in order to inquire about tours, or food, etc. The rooms are very basic, and for the price, we expected something nicer. It just seems to be like abandoned. A good service would have helped, but it was simply not there.
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Date of stay: September 2018
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Have been to many hotels over the years but I cannot recall ever having felt as welcome as we felt this week with owner Zacarías and his family. We are from CR and would love for more ticos to come and meet this hard-working, truly nice and helpful example of a family working to improve their lives and their community. Any shortcomings, it is a lodge after all, are more than compensated by their warmth and by the excellent local food. Not your typical gallo pinto stuff, but a well prepared and presented variety of local ingredients cooked home style to perfection. If you love birds, the sunsets are something to behold.
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Date of stay: March 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Casa Drake Lodge is a super typical lodge, really clean, well kept and lost in a luxuriant Costa Rican nature! We had a pleasant stay, they arranged all of our tours and movings in Drake area. The food is fresh and also typical, for a very immersive and discovering trip. A personal thanks to the Casa Drake lodge’s family, really kind and welcoming. We do recommend the place! Margot & Antoine
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Date of stay: March 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for 3 nights at the end of our Drake Bay trip. The location is quite remote and quiet (although there seemed to be a small pool bar across the street, which stopped playing loud music by about 8pm). It's difficult without a car, unless you're happy to stay just at the casa and walk from there (you can access the Naguala waterfall by foot, as well as the Los Planes Ranger Station and Corcovado, although when it's hot, book transportation). Ask them about hiking with Alfredo in Corcovado – he hikes in to meet you and you can visit his property deep in the jungle. Plan for several hours or a full day and be prepared for an intense hike. Edward is the English-speaking member of the family and he's quite helpful. The whole family is really sweet, even though we couldn't speak to them in Spanish. They were always smiling and laughing with each other, which was nice. Our meals were all cooked by the mother, who was an excellent cook. These were the best meals we had on our trip. The other family members hung around the porch and common area, so it felt like we were staying in a local family's house. It's too bad there wasn't an area to really relax in: the dining area had a few picnic tables, but no couch or place to put your feet up and hang out, so we would check our emails at the dining room table. Wifi was spotty at best and only available in the dining area. We stayed in the bungalow, which was huge and clean, with 2 hammocks on the porch that were well-used by us. ;-) It would have been great to have a dresser/place to hang clothes in the bungalow, as there is ample room for more furniture. The property seems really high end from photos, but it's more of a basic accommodation. We were really happy we chose to stay here with this lovely local family. (Edward is even helping us deal with a cancelled flight with Sansa now, a few days after we've returned to Canada. Thanks Edward!)…
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Date of stay: December 2017
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were welcomed warmly into this lodge, the family were so nice and accommodating. Me and my sister hadn't planned where we were going after the stay at Casa Drake, and the family helped arrange transport and made the process really smooth. The food was incredible, really nice. The rooms were really spacious too. Only issue was the length of time it takes to get to the beach, as the lodge is quite isolated. We had an itinerary planned and so taxis to take us to activities each day so for us it wasn't a problem, but i would recommend hiring a car if you don't have a tour planned. Also, the wifi did not work at times, but this was probably to do with the massive storms, and not fault of the family.
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Date of stay: July 2017
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.