Hotel Poor Man´s Paradise — Hotel in Bahía Drake

Visited Poor Man’s Paradise (PMP) over first week of January 2022. We drove from San Jose to Sierpe (about 4.5 Hour drive with very little traffic). We caught the public ferry from Sierpe to PMP ( $35pp… last boat of the day at 4:30p). We were unaware that there was no dock at PMP so be prepared to wade in from the boat to the beach (shallow water… knee deep… wear water shoes!). It is then about a 15 minute walk down the beach from the boat drop off to the resort. The resort sent people to help us carry luggage down the beach which was much appreciated since we overpacked. The resort itself is wonderfully basic. Simple buildings nicely integrated into the surrounding jungle. Most buildings have two or more units (one upstairs, one downstairs). Upstairs and closer to the water allows you to hear the breaking waves on the beach as you drift off to sleep at night… Worth every penny! No hot water in our room… There was a gizmo on the showerhead to provide hot water, but it did not work in our unit. But that’s not a complaint because the water was warm enough to shower in comfortably without the heater. ||The gardens were beautiful but what really set the resort apart was the staff. Every person we encountered was friendly and went out of their way to help make our stay as pleasant as possible. The food was quite good… Not fancy, just good local cooking. Simple food, well prepared and delicious. There is a separate bar building open in the evenings where Ishmael is the bartender extraordinaire. Don’t miss his special margaritas! A walk up the hill behind the resort to the top delivers you to a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Go up at sunset but bring a flashlight for the...

What a Paradise the location is!||But what a shame Paradise has been Lost in the resort (sorry Milton). ||Very basic rustic cabins - no hot water and of course no a/c and it is VERY HOT. ||The bar had no Coca Cola and no tonic - so our cocktail choices were lessened. Also, loud reggae type “music “ playing when the clientele were all retirees!!!||We were impressed on the first night when the waiter asked if there were any food dislikes or allergies. However, 2 subsequent meals contained the offending item (and it wasn’t a language problem as we speak Spanish). ||The Paradise did not extend to gourmet food, nor had we expected it, but it was beyond comprehension that juice at breakfast was from a carton, the cheese and ham were of the sliced, processed type, the bread - packet Bimbo, and on the 2nd day butter was “no, no hay hoy”!!!||The charm of the beach and sunsets and resident monkeys is possibly enough to offset the feeling of camping (no, not glamping)..... remember you have to go everywhere by boat and the surf is strong so you should be fit enough to wade out and board the boat whilst judging the waves, and in fact we had to do a mid-ocean change of boat as they optimise the tourists and different trips. (Sirena was very hot and very expensive- long boat ride, not as much wildlife as La Fortuna and definitely not such a good guide as Guillermo at Bogarin). ||Check rates, as Booking.com special deal last minute was incredibly cheaper than going to...

The hotel is very beautiful and surrounded by nature. You will see animals in the garden of the hotel. They have a pond for frogs (that you can see at night) I have seen capuchin monkies from my room , and one night there was a tapir in the hotel garden. The rooms are minimal but with a good aesthetic. No hot water or AC , but they provide a fan which is all you need for the temperature at the time I visited. The hotel has a path that is also good for a night tour , or seeing the nature. The hotel can provide you with night tours (30$) and will arrange the trips you want to take (Corcovado park , Cano Island..) the beach that you can access from the hotel is in the most beautiful place and does not allow cars (unlike Drake Bay) and it is very quiet and close to the other nice beaches. The food was great , you can choose to pay in advance for three meals a day or just pay every time you wish to take the meal. They also have a bar and will provide you with water to fill. The staff even gave me a non plastic bottle that I needed to go to the national park with. Most of the staff speaks English well.|If you are willing to stay in a minimal non luxury hotel and experience the nature in the best way , this is the...