Avis ALL INCLUSIVE-BOAT, POOL, HORSES, TOURS,STAFF - Family Oasis in private 65 acres

We had a great few days at Finga Manclar. The staff looked after us very well. We went full board and we had excellent local food. We also did most of the trips with Luis which were great fun - tubing, fishing, mangrove tour, waterfall, horse riding. Rooms don't have A/C but the fans were good. Make sure you bring plenty of beers and mosquito spray for sitting out on the veranda chillaxing. All in all a great few days in this lodge The directions from the Sierpe ferry were very good- as long as you re-set your trip meter ! Also, note that we got to the ferry just after 12 and hit the lunch hour. So we had a nice snack at Restaurant Las Vegas in Sierpe whilst waiting

This is our 5th family with friends visit to Costa Rica and we decided to visit the Osa Peninsula area. The area is less developed and hence the charm with nature. Lia was great helping us with the logistics. I recommend taking the short flight down to Drake Bay. We were picked up from the beach via water taxi. Luis picked us up further up Sierpe river. The journey to lodge was an adventure in itself. The property was nice. We had all our meals prepared, which reduced the amount of stuff to bring. Over the next four days, we did the mangrove tour, beach visits, tubing, kayaking, hiking to waterfall, fishing, and day trip to Corcovado. All in all a great experience (4 nights). We ended the trip on a beach house near Quepos. We picked up our car rental from Uvita.

My family of 8 stayed at this property; we were absolutely blown away. Gorgeous property, sparkling clean, beautifully equipped kitchen (though we cooked very little and enjoyed Raquel’s meals!), everything was perfect. My kids absolutely loved the house. They called it their swiss family Robinson tree house. It had just enough luxury to it to keep it fun. There’s no ac, but between the dip pool and fans, we were comfortable the entire stay. We came in early October, rainy season, and it was lovely. The storms we did have were so much fun, the weather was perfect, and the waterfalls were beautiful. You will have access to a large chest freezer and a smaller fridge, both of which worked perfectly. We were a little uncertain about cooking out here, and if we would have the ability to keep a lot of food cold, but in hindsight we absolutely could have. The best part of this property, though, is the family that manages it. Take every tour with Luis that you can! He is absolutely incredible, and his family is the sweetest. He can spot animals so well; he made tubing SO much fun for the kids; the horseback riding and waterfall were incredible. He even invited us to play soccer with the locals on Sunday and my kids are still talking about it. They milked the cows and made cheese and tortillas with Raquel … never a dull moment! This property was an incredible adventure that we will talk about for years to come. Thanks for sharing your home and your family with us ❤️

Luis and his family were the perfect hosts! They trested us so well and really took care of us. During our 3 days there we were able to go on a horseback riding tour and a mangrove tour. We also went out on the kayaks on our own. We werent able to do any guided hikes because It too dangerous to do a night hike and Luis was willing to do a hike with us but there was so much rain that the very steep hike wad impossible This place takes 4x4 and is in a very remote part of the country. We were able to see some monkeys and birds and small alligators on our mangrove tour. Make sure to bring lots of insect repellant. Keep in mind there isnt ac or hot water. There is electricity wifi and a fridge. Hope that helps

SO great to be able to get off the grid for a few days with my kids, during this Covid madness. The house was impeccably cleaned every day once we returned from one of our many adventures! Louis and his son were fantastic on the daily excursions, to have these as part of the package was great! Could not recommend this enough!

Me and my husband had a wonderful time at the Finca Manglar. Dolie, Evelio and Luiz were wonderful. My only regret was not having more time.

This really is "away from it all", though actually only 15 kms from Sierpe, where you take a car ferry across the river and then take a winding dirt road to the Finca. But those 15 kms take you away from traffic, noise, tourists and you are in a beautiful tropical garden, with water meadow, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys and a friendly dog and cat. The river is either a 15 minute drive away or Luis the guide will take you there in his boat. This involves some wading along a muddy creek, but rubber boots are provided. Luis can take you hiking, fishing, riding, going to the beach at the river mouth, and tubing. All you pay is gas for his outboard motor (and some extra to say thanks is nice!) Doli and Evilio the housekeepers live right there in their own quarters and are ready to help in every way. As there are no shops for miles and miles (and across the river) Doli can cook for you as often as you need. Her meals are very good, fresh, varied and reasonably priced . How she manages to cater with no electricity and only one small solar-powered fridge is a feat, but she manages beautifully. Sleeping is youth hostel style - one bedroom with two double and three single beds, all with mosquito nets. On the ground floor is a toilet, shower and wash basin. There is no hot water, but you really don't need it in that climate. Children will love the adventure of living off-grid, with solar powered lights and all those animals around. Adults will love the beauty of the garden, the river, the mountains - it is so restful and remote. I would say, though, that this is not the place for 'mint on pillow' people. You should not go if you need complete privacy or are sharing with people you don't know intimately. A communal bedroom, one shower, one toilet...this all needs you to be on close terms, so the ideal place for a young family or a group of close friends, but grandparents might prefer their private space. Light sleepers should note that the cockerel is up and crowing way, way before dawn and the howler monkeys too and the only thing between you and them is an insect screen. Nervous people would find the river crossing and dirt road intimidating too. There is another lodge, with restaurant and bar and natural swimming hole about 1.5 kms further up the road, run by delightful youngsters. One word of warning. Don't believer the panel in Sabalo village that tells you Drake is15kms away. It's 33 kms of rough track and you have to ford the river!

Property was just like the pictures, the surroundings were beyond our expectations, even though it rained some in the late afternoons, it was still a beautiful memorable stay! I must tell you, our hosts WERE AMAZING and made our stay that much more wonderful. They greeted us at the entrance of the finca and their warm welcome made us feel just at home! Will forever remember our stay at Finca Manglar

We stayed for five nights (my husband, three daughters 9, 10, 12 and me). It is off the grid, which is what we were looking for! We stayed in Costa Rica a total of 11 nights, which included a few nights in Uvita and a few in the cloud forest (San Gerardo). I would say 4-5 at Finca Manglar was a good amount of time. I didn't let anyone bring electronics and we packed very light so we could be adventuresome and we were! We didn't need electronics at all! During our stay we took a mangrove tour where we saw a lot of wild life, visited the private beach/tubing and took the capitains fishing tour. We loved it all. Our favorite ended up being the fishing trip because we were lucky enough to have seen whales playing and breaching within 20 feet of us for 30-45 minutes. Truth be told, if that had not happened on that boat trip, I would have been disappointed with that trip. We spent $600 (not including tip) for the family, and the capitain and crew were not particularly helpful with the fishing etc. My daughter did catch our dinner, but, I had to help my kids the whole time and couldn't really fish myself. The whales, however, made the trip worth every cent. We also took a day to drive to Bahia Drake and did a 2.2k zip line. It was rainy season (Aug), so, we got trapped on the other side of the river for 24 hours. That was a little scary, but, just the kind of adventure we were looking for and Lia was very responsive and helpful! We stayed the night there and were able to get back the next day. The only thing I really regret not doing was a full day visit into Corcovado National Park. It was hard to get to from the farm, but, I would figure out a way to add a day or so to your trip and go there and stay for 2 days. Based on everything I heard from our local guides, it is fantastic. We planned to go there and then spent a day stuck on the other side of a river, so, didn't work out! Couple of things to know. Plan your meals! Bring TONS of ice. We brought an ice chest and I was grateful to have it! We had Dolly prepare our evening meal which was a lifesaver! There is a small solar refrigerator, but, the ice and ice chest kept things much colder. Or, if you plan to stay long and prepare your own meals, plan for non-perishable food items and you'll be fine! Also, bring plenty of cash for tours. Driving back to town for cash and ice is a long trip and you won't want to leave the farm for that purpose, if you can avoid it. A+ to Lia, Dolly/Evolito and Luis!

We enjoyed our stay at the finca. It is the perfect place to relax and unplug if you are looking to go off of the grid. Luis, Dolly, Evelio, Ruth, and the staff at the nearby Sabalo Lodge were all extremely friendly, warm, and knowledgeable. I'm sorry but I've forgotten the name of Ruth's partner, but she was kind and courteous as well. Lia was very helpful with travel tips to and from the finca. We did many great tours with Luis and Perla del Sur. Dolly is a fantastic chef! Evelio was very helpful and one of the nicest people we met! Our family of six have nothing but great memories from Finca Manglar. For future travelers: you must know that there is no hot water, no telephone, no cable, no television, and limited solar power. As long as you are aware of this before you book, you will not be disappointed. Pura Vida!