drake bay wilderness resort is awesome for anyone who loves a good view, friendly, great staff, and awesome time. we stayed a week and that was way too short. we are definately coming back. their tours were great and we had so much fun and saw all the wildlife we thought we would and more. definitely recommend the sirena (expect to get your feet wet and muddy) and canopy tours. cano island snorkling was fun, but the water doesn't have the clarity of many of the carribean dive locations. while not gourmet, the food was well prepared, tasty and had a large variety. laundry and shoe drying were handled without problem. i wouldn't recommend the resort for someone looking for a typical holiday resort atmosphere - no golf, no bar scene, no discos, no shopping malls - just lots of relaxation and nature.

The resort was beautiful and the staff for the most part was nice, but the trip had an EXTREMELY bitter end with the owner. They had lost one of my expensive t-shirts but found it right before I checked out. However, what was white was now pink. I don't wear pink and the co-owner (wife) offered me a free t-shirt in compensation. The husband heard of this and refused to give me the free t-shirt. He said he only would give me 50% off or exchange a t-shirt for my now ruined one. After arguing with him and his non-existant customer skills, he called me, "just a rich bitch." I was extremely offended and horribly dissapointed. I would only reccomend this resort if you can stay away from the manager. Another lady in our tour had a very insulting encounter with him. Bottom line, I'd go to another resort.

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort is not "luxurious" but it IS comfortable, eco-friendly, and most accommodating (seamless pick-up, free kayaks, tours right on schedule and spontaneous alternatives). Beautiful open views of the bay being close to the water. We were very impressed with Manual, our guide into the Corcovado National Park where we saw post card picture wildlife, enhanced by his telescope -- it is an adventurous hike (we chose the Sirena River tour), bring appropriate footwear (cross through streams). Nice group of people there during a busy Holy Week including ex-pat families living in Costa Rica who sought this place out for their adolescent kids -- good value as package tours and all meals are included. Socialization around the pool at day's end brought many comments: "What did you see today?", "I saw a sloth!", "I went on the canopy tour". The bug lady is a hit at night, though we didn't do it, a young couple writing a travel review from Argentinaloved it. It's not a far hike (past La Paloma Lodge) to the communal beach, Playa Cocalita for some great waves - well worth it. Wish we'd had time to cross the suspension bridge to visit the Agujitas village for more of the flavor of this landlocked area.
My sense is that all the resorts in Drake Bay do generally the same tours and potentially have the same type food, it's the lodging accommodations that seem to separate them. Can't beat this resort for everything you need! We'd definitely go again. Lost water pressure one evening so no showers before dinner or bed but a fast clean-up with water bottle and wash cloth made do since we were all in the same manner of saltiness. So tired after a full day, who cares? Lots of fun! Oh, by the second night we remembered to purchase a glass of wine at the bar to carry into the dining hall to enjoy with our delicious local fare (if you have a "picky eater" they will arrange something else) at the friendly family style dining. We are a 50-something couple from Boston traveling with our 22 year old daughter who has been studying in San Jose - she had her own room here, we thought we'd be sharing accommodations, a nice plus.

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort is perched at the shoreline with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and distant Cano Island. It is isolated from behind by jungle and rivers. The primitive trail going west from the resort leads to one incredibly beautiful, empty beach after another.
Getting to and from this place is not simple, but is a wonderful part of the experience. The trip in from Sierpe was on a fast speed boat down a river through undeveloped mangrove forest, ending with an exhilarating entry into the ocean. The trip out was by Twin Otter with spectacular views of the coast. Our inbound and outbound trips were coordinated through Drake Bay management, and they also arranged 2 very enjoyable tours for us while there.
It is amazing to me that everything worked seamlessly during our stay, given the logistic challenges of provisioning and maintaining the resort. Though the property is beautiful and very comfortable, it could not be described as luxurious in the typical sense. But this is not a typical location.
My wife and I are private people and were anxious about the community dining setup. However, we ended up enjoying our dinners with many of the eclectic visitors who were also drawn to this edge of the world.