I'd recommend Cabinas Las Caletas to anyone who wants to experience the real Costa Rica. It's owned with a Tico/Swiss couple, is extremely clean, the food is excellent, and you'll sleep well with the ocean sounds to sooth you. It cools off at night.

I liked the remote feeling of the Drake Bay/Osa area. It's why you go to Costa Rica. If you're looking for Cancun style resorts, go to Cancun.

It's nice that Costa Rica has not been ruined yet by large resorts.

We saw Macaws, Coatis, Jesus Christ Lizards, dolphins, caught a Bonito fish, and really forgot about the hustle and bustle of the US while in Drake Bay.

NDrake,
We were in the Drake Bay area last summer and stayed at La Paloma. We would like to return and had looked at Cabinas Las Caletas as a possibility before. We had a transfer from Puerto Jimenez last summer because we went to Bosque del Cabo first.How did you get to Caletas and how much was the airport transfer. Also, what is the food like? Did you do a dolphin tour with delfin amor by any chance, and what was the charge? Are there animals on the grounds of Caletas or did you have to go to Corcovado to do that? There were animals on the grounds of LaPaloma but we are looking for a less expensive option. Thanks so much for your help. If you did do the dolphin trip did you see a lot of dolphins, big pods?

I wholeheartedly agree with NDrake; Las Caletas is what Costa Rica is all about.

We took the difficult way to get to the small village of Sierpe,transferring by van from the San Geradardo de Dota mountain valley. If we had it to do over, we would have skipped the long, hot rive, and flown there. From Sierpe, someone from the lodge will pick you up by boat and deliver you to the lodge. You do have to do what's called a "wet landing", which involves sort of leaping into the water out of the way of the boat's propellers and making your way to shore.

We thought that the food was overall very good. Not gourmet, but tasty. They use a lot of fresh fruits, veggies and spices. They'll pack up a lunch for you if you wish, or you can lunch at the lodge.

Except for macaws, we saw more animals around the lodge and on nearby trails than in Corcovado, where there were more people. The day we arrived by boat,we were greeted by white-faced monkeys! We didn't do a dolphin tour.

I'd recommend Las Caletas if you don't mind rustic but clean cabins. I heard La Paloma is luxurious, Las Caletas has the feeling of staying in the African tundra in a nice cabin with views, but its not luxurious. It was about $65 per person, per day, including meals. Tours were about $75 per person, per day.

If you got used to the luxury of La Paloma, you might miss it at Las Cabinas Caletas, but we had nothing to compare it to and were very pleased.

Its warm there, and we thought we'd have trouble sleeping without AC, but were pleasantly suprised that we slept better there than the air conditioned hotel we stayed in, up in Manuel Antinio.

I really enjoyed their porch chairs, reading a book, watching the waves roll in. It's like being part of the Swiss Family Robinson adventures.

There was a Macaw every morning near our main breakfast area, but we saw most of the wildlife in Corcovado National Park.

The food was very good. Conisted of Lasagna, Crepes, nice breakfasts, plenty of fruit, french toast, Juevos Rancheros, and marinated Red Snapper for dinner. The picnic sandwich lunches they packed for our tours were made on homemade bread! We had fresh tuna salad (made with real fresh tuna I believe).

I liked the owners of the hotel. They were laid back and you felt like you were not being smothered by them,but they were available when you needed them. If you want privacy, quiet, and a relaxing place to stay Caletas is the place.

As for Delfin Amor, a couple from our hotel took their tour to see dolphins and were very disappointed. They only saw a few on their way back from a long grueling ocean voyage on a small boat. I heard you have a 1 in 5 chance to see large pods of dolphins.

We went snorkeling and changed our plans to take the Delfin Amor tour, and saw about 30 dolphins on the way back from Cano Island. But we heard the day we decided not to go, that they saw lots of dolphins (according to the Delfin Amor volunteer).

It depends on who you talk to, but remember, dolphins are smart, and they won't come around if they do not want to. You're taking a chance if you go on their tour, but that chance may pay off with large pods of dolphins, and might not.

The wife and I spent 4 nights late Feb '05 at Caletas in the private cabin up the hill. The ground level seating area was pleasant but the upstairs bedroom kept the heat late into the night -- but had a fan. Some units do not have a fan. The seats had no cushions. Never saw much in the way of animals there on their grounds except Macaws and a few other types of birds and---bats in and around the cabin. I really expected more. Monkeys came through the day before we arrived. The beach in front is not impressive but there is a swimming area and 5 to 10 min. walk south is a nice beach. The food was good but again the heat was oppressive in the dining area. Not much breeze and no fans except one night when I commented how hot it was one was brought down from upstairs. Didn't help much.Went to Cano Island snorkling and saw a good variety of fish but only a few dolphins went by as we ate lunch on shore. A family went with Delfin Amor and swam with a huge pod of dolphins that sounded like an awesome experience but we were told by Caletas the swimming with Dolphins is illegal and they don't alow it from their boats. A couple went fishing with David from Caletas ($45 ea.) and had an incredible time. The next night we feasted on fish including sushi.

Corcovado was beautiful and we saw three monkey types, coatis feeding on sand crabs, a crocodile, boat billed herons, owl, sloth, JC Lizard and some colorful birds besides Macaws. The primary forest was very nice.

If I returned to the Drake bay area I'd consider Punta Marenco for the more airy cabins and ocean view, nicer beach though a tough walk back up to cabin, sunset views-- missed those at Caletas and the Rio Claro Reserve is ajacent and has trails.