We stayed at Delfin Amor June 2006. We were a group of four adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 10. It was an adventure from start to finish. The flight in to Drake Bay Airport was a story we are telling to this day--torrential downpour on a dirt landing strip rolling our bags through the mud to a terminal which was basically a tin roof held up by 6 logs. We LOVED it. It is something like you see in the movies. YOu have to have an adventurous spirit to enjoy the Delfin experience.

To get to Delfin, we had a 20 minute ride where we had to to cross a river in a jeep then get into a boat for about a 20 min ride to Delfin Amor. Staff wrapped our baggage in plastic so it wouldn't get wet and loaded them onto the boat or us. The owner, Sierra, took care of all of our arrangements getting to and from Delfin. We felt she took very good care of all of our transports, and we weren't her easiest bookings I'm sure because we were coming from San Jose then leaving to Quepos.

Delfin Amor is BEAUTIFUL! You really feel like you are staying in the middle of the rainforest. Everything is green and lush. The plant life is just amazing. This is not a place for you to go if you want to be pampered. You a basically left to do what you want when you are not on tours booked through Sierra. They have beaches for you to enjoy and a trail through the rainforest to hike. They even provide hiking boots to wear. These activities are for you to do when you wish. There are not any scheduled activities, so if you need to be entertained, this is not the place for you. If you want a vacation where you are left alone to enjoy nature, you will be in heaven.

The rooms are just a little nicer than camping. There will be bugs around because you are in the middle of the rainforest. We probably had more than the usual amount of ants because we had packed snacks for our children, and they weren't the best in keeping crumbs off the floor. At night, you will hear all the sounds of the rainforest, and every morning around 4:30 howler monkeys woke us up going through camp. It's a bit scary the first day, then you look forward to it the rest of your stay. The first room in which we stayed had a fan that didn't work. Sierra did change our room when we mentioned it to her. We had hot water 2 of the 3 days we were there. Our cabin had a double bed and bunk beds. We felt the houskeeping was good. We did ask for a laundry bag the last day we were there to take advantage of the laundry service, but one was never given to us. Nothing ever dries out there--at least in the rainy season so be prepared to pack wet clothing/towels when you leave.

There is a TV in the dining area. It was World Cup time when we were there so the employees were watching it at times--that added a little excitement to our stay. Sierra found some cartoon stations for our children to watch at times during the day. This TV was also used to show a video of dolphin and whale footage Sierra had made.

Delfin had 5 resident dogs while we were there. We are dog people so that just added to our experience.

The tours we went on, Corcovado National Park and Dolphin Encounter, were amazing. Our guide Roy was so much fun. He is one of the best parts of our Delfin experience. The tours are catered to what the tourist wants to see and do. On our dolplhin encounter, I got really seasick, and they took me back to the resort then continued the tour with the rest of our group. I think that went above and beyond their duties and am thankful for that. Corcavado was the highlight of our whole 15 day trip for me.

The meals were amazing!!!!! I keep reading about vegetarian meals, but we had fish every evening. I am a picky eater, and I LOVED all of the gormet meals we were served. The food was one of the best things about Delfin. The chef even made a special dish of pasta for my 6 yr old one night. Meals are scheduled so all visitors eat together. It makes for very interesting conversation.

I wouldn't trade our Delfin experience for anything. It is an experience we talk about often.

We shoulda known when we saw the restrictive cancellation policy. It was my fourth trip to Costa Rica (my favorite place on the planet), and we were going to one of the more adventurous, undeveloped jungle areas--we were really excited. But only moments after we arrived at the Defin, we were informed that our *all-inclusive meals didn’t include all--or any!--meat. Sure, there's a deceptively cryptic reference to “special diets” on the website, but us omnivores apparently need to give plenty of notice well before we arrive if we want something as “expensive” as meat included in our meals at the Delfin. Soda and water will co$t you, too. Lights or lanterns along the pitch black walkways to the eating area might have helped assure safe passage to and from the cabins, but those “conveniences” can be pricey, too. Again, please refer to the website where it tells you not to forget your flashlight. They mean it. It does rain in the rainforest, so please bring your industrial ear plugs as the deafening sound of the rain pounding on the corrugated tin roof on your luxury cabin will play in your head All---Night---Long!!! The cold showers were a bit of a surprise, but they won’t kill you. The 4-inch scorpion in the bathroom at midnight was an even bigger surprise, and I guess that could kill you. The staff seemed unfazed when I told them about it. Sure, we were in the jungle, but there were no attempts at all at installing catch basins or plugging the holes along the cabin base boards that were big enough for a good sized snake to enter. Since there was no meat for the snakes to eat, we felt some reassurance, but still kept the bathroom light on for the scorpions. The Defin's owner is not the least bit Costa Rican, and she was unquestionably the most unfriendly resort staff I’ve met in the 10+ different CR places in which I’ve stayed. She ignored here guests, appeared condescending to her staff, and gave an unmistakable impression that this was ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. (I anxiously await her long-winded, deceptive reply to this post. DON’T believer her.)

To be fair, our Corcovado guide was one of the best we’ve had in CR. The Scarlet Macaws were fantastic. The food at the Defin was prepared well, despite representing little of what I might have chosen to eat. And the dolphin experience was tremendous.

In the end, nearly every “surprise” at the Delfin was a disappointment and every matter of convenience was decided in the way that would maximize profit. This resort packaged a penny-pinching approach and lack of upkeep as some sort of Naturalistic Minimalism. I bought it, but I hope you don't.

Wow, Wow, Wow....the lump in my throat and the chills that I get every time I think about my stay at the Delfin Armor Eco Lodge at Drake Bay in Costa Rica do not cease. I was wondering if my trip there in Jan. this year could be beat. I couldn't wait to take my girlfriends back to find out, which is what I did July 4th 2006. I'm glad to say that words would not justify the awesome expeirence that I had. I don't even know where to begin except to say "GO" and see for yourself because if you don't you're missing out.

The lodge is a beautiful piece of Gods art that has just about every plant, flower, bird and creature of the rain forest for your pleasure and entertainment. There's many things to do there and we took full advantage of them all. That includes the awesome beaches with the most unbelievable sunrises and sunsets. The pristine oceans will make anyone truly know that heaven does exist on earth with again many creatures that will bring tears to your eyes and take your breath away because of their beauty. This includes many different species of dolphins that do their jumps & flips a few feet from your boat to the humpback whale that decided he wanted to spend at least a couple of hours with us just blowing his spout, flipping his tail, raising his head & fins and breaching just feet from us.

The trip wouldn't have been what it was even with all of this if it hadn't been for the friendliest, laid back and yet very professional staff that was always there to be of service. From always having the cleanest of rooms to catering to our daily needs and routine. The tour guides were the best with very interesting and educational information. I guess the only thing else would be how good the food was. Yes, depending on what time of year you go it can be hot or it can rain, but I've never had that be an issue. If that's something that matters to you then just ask questions before you go as far as what the best time of year might be and then hope mother nature is on your side but again everything else will take your mind off such small issues.

The whole trip was very affordable and worth every penny, easy to make reservations and easy to get to. I could literally go on and on and on. You're just not going to get anything but "two thumbs" up from this nature/dolphin lover kinda girl. My next destination? Need you ask? I can tell you this...Dreams Do Come True and I still have a smile on my face. From Austin, Texas. See you soon Delfin Amor Eco Lodge! Until then - Pura Vida!

Arriving at the site was an adventure in itself. We were driven across three rivers due to washed out bridges. The last foot of the journey involved getting in and out of the boat in the water - no dock facilities. The cabins are small but generally neat and clean, however the electricity is intermittent. We had no lights or warm water for two days.

If you are on a diet this is a good place to go. The meals are good but very light and mostly vegetarian which we did not expect from the information given on the website. Because this is the rainy season we got totally drenched during each outing. There was no means of getting clothing or shoes dry and no offers of extra towels from the management. Roy, the guide, however was very knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. We saw a good number of dolphins but no whales or other marine life and the sea was too rough for snorkeling. Corcovado N.P. was good.