Avis Best Place in Drake

We were in Drake Bay for three nights for a couple of days of diving with our two adult children. The house was perfectly situated, lots of space, and an amazing covered deck area with an afternoon breeze. Everything went very smoothly from first communications through to check-out. Overall we have no hesitation giving this house five stars.

The house is blessed by a great deck and large outdoor living space — with a spectacular view of Drake’s Bay. The location is convenient to everything in the small town and a 4 minute walk to the main beach where you get boats various places to visit (snorkeling and national park). Kitchen was nice in that it opened on large deck, but it was not well stocked with pots/pans and material for cooking (fridge was broken on our arrival and small “temporary” fridge was provided promptly for our use during our stay). One of best features for some of us, was outside shower with open view on to the bay. We also benefited from introduction from owner to Elsa — travel guide who arranged for our day trips (and even led our wonderful snorkeling trip). The “three stars” is because, while the outdoor living space was great…you could not/do not spend all you time outdoors when home (hard at night to linger outside given light naturally attracting varieties bugs). The indoor spaces are not “great.” Bedrooms all benefit from having separate AC, but are all very small and the two on back of house are on the Main Street (small/unpaved) in town and motorcycles/car noise throughout the night. If looking for “jungle experience” this is not it. No rooms had views as you needed to keep closed to keep bugs out — so going to your room meant going to small enclosed box and very firm beds. The common space indoors was not designed for living space — but for common/shared large hallway.

Corcovado was the highlight of our trip. The view was amazing and Jose and Elsa were so helpful arranging tours and making us feel at home.

Absolutely the best place we stayed on our trip throughout Costa Rica. The view is fantastic and the rooms are all very comfortable. We loved spending time on the deck watching the fauna and the location was super close to everything with a small grocery mart across the street. We could walk anywhere needed within 5 minutes. On top of that, everyone involved in the management of the property as well as the owner were VERY helpful and accommodating when we had an unrelated issue. They were not obligated to help us, but they did anyway and we are super grateful to them for that. Definitely the best place to stay in Drake Bay!

The villa is situated on a beautiful spot and the views from the large veranda are amazing. There are a variety seating and laying places to appreciate the beauty of Drake Bay! However, we weren't able to utilise the veranda as much as we would like to have, due to the mosquitoes. This is NOT a negative reflection on the property but it is the reality living in the jungle. Inside the house all bedrooms were air-conditioned and kitchen was well equipped with the hatch window to connect the veranda. We had a problem with the main fridge Freezer, the next day the host provided us with a temporary fridge. Having no air-conditioned in the lounge area prevented us from having meals together as a family. The beach can easily be accessed down a short path. On returning, it was a pleasure to shower off the sand in the outside shower. Host and representatives responded to messages promptly and provided with all what we asked for. The location of the property is ideal for all local activities and restaurants.

The host helped us with everything f on booking our boat ride to and from Drake and most of our activities (diving, snorkeling, trip to Corcovado NP). Sue answered ALL my questions accurately and timely. Elsa took care of all our booking details, and Jose took care of our needs at The Big Banana House. Everyone was superb. The house itself sits up on a hill with a wonderful view of the bay. The beds were comfy, the kitchen was complete and the outdoor shower was fantastic. If you're going to Drake, book Debra's Big Banana House. You simply can't go wrong.

Fabulous location and a fantastic place to explore the area from. Property had all we required and all was sociable and friendly

The house was good, 4 bedrooms and an indoor and outdoor bathroom. The deck and covered patio are the really amazing spaces: view of the whole bay, macaws by day and parrots in the evening. Located right next to a store and a tour operator so errands were very easy. Private (steep) path down to the beach. The most amazing amenity by far was the property manager Kim. She helped us with all our activities and transportation: taxis, boat shuttles, restaurants, night tour, day tours, even letting us know to book in advance as things were filling up. She was so helpful and easy to work with.

Good experience overall.