Tranquilo Lodge: Modern Luxury in the Rainforests of Drake Bay

Drake Bay is one of the most remote places in Costa Rica, tucked away in the northwest side of the Osa Peninsula.

The location makes Drake Bay a sought after destination for visitors who want to get away from it all.

For those who want to enjoy all Drake Bay has to offer without sacrificing comfort and convenience, there is one hotel perfect for that called Tranquilo Lodge.

Below you can read our review of adult only Tranquilo Lodge resort.

This post has affiliate links which we may earn a small commission from if you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. Listed prices are quoted in USD and are estimates. This review is part of an exchange we did with the hotel. All thoughts and opinions are our own. More info: Disclosure

Tranquilo Lodge Location

Tranquilo Lodge is located in Drake Bay, which is on the northwest side of the Osa Peninsula. It is about a 9 minute car ride and 40 minute walk to the main town of Drake Bay, Agujitas de Drake.

How to Get There

To get to Drake Bay, you can fly, drive or take the boat from Sierpe.

Boat from Sierpe: This is about a 1 hour boat ride departing from Sierpe. Read our full guide to taking the boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay in the link. If you take the boat, Tranquilo Lodge will pick you up at the beach free of charge. They will drop you off at the beach as well, for you to take the boat back to Sierpe.

Fly: Sansa Air has local flights to the Drake Bay Airport from San Jose. Tranquilo Lodge will pick you up at the airport free of charge, and drop you back off at the airport at the end of your trip. The Drake Bay Airport is about a 20 minute drive to the hotel.

Driving: It is possible to drive to Drake Bay and to Tranquilo Lodge. They have a secure parking area inside the property free of charge for clients. Read about driving to Drake Bay in our guide.

The Property

Tranquilo Lodge has everything for a cozy boutique hotel stay with two pools, an outdoor dining space, bar, a yoga deck, small gym, and a spa.

The property is spread out on a hillside, with the premium villas up on the top near the pools and restaurant.

The gym, spa and parking lot are down below. One of the rooms is also down below near the spa.

The lodge is in walking distance to the beach (5 minutes) and if you feel like exploring, you can walk to town (around 40 minutes).

The Rooms

They have spacious villages up near the top by the rancho. These rooms are separated out by the lower premium villas or the higher up ones. All the villas are for two people only.

They have one room located on the lower section of the property that can fit up to three people with one queen bed and one individual bed.

For couples looking for a romantic getaway, they have a honeymoon suite that is in its own private corner.

The honeymoon suite has a day bed and private pool, so you don’t need to go up to the other pools at all. You have your own pool with an incredible view all to yourself.

We stayed at one of the higher level villas that had its own balcony and view of the rainforest and ocean.

All the villas are equipped with a stocked mini fridge with bottled water, soda and beer, coffee maker, safety box, bathrobes, slippers, laundry bag, ceiling fan, a clothing line, air conditioning, toiletries and hair dryer.

I absolutely loved the toiletries and amenities Tranquilo Lodge provided. You can tell that each item was carefully thought out and put together with lots of consideration.

Having the pull out clothing line was fantastic, since Drake Bay is insanely humid. It was nice to be able to wash our swimsuits, hats, and small items and hang it to dry in the room.

I’m also a huge fan of slippers in hotel rooms and loved that you could take them home with you. This is a rare item you don’t find in many luxury hotels in Costa Rica.

On the balcony are pool towels and lounge chairs.

They also have umbrellas which we were very thankful for. As we visited in June, we had on and off rain throughout the day. We don’t normally pack umbrellas with us so it was great the resort had them available for guests.

There is Wi-Fi all throughout the property.

Wildlife

One of the reasons why people visit Drake Bay is the wildlife. At Tranquilo Lodge, you can hear and see lots of birds flying around.

From our balcony, we saw vultures, hawks, Scarlet Macaws, parrots, tanagers and toucans.

Since we brought our tripods and telephoto lens, we set up our photography station on the balcony to take pictures of the birds flying around.

There is nothing as fun as stepping out onto your rainforest view balcony with a cup of coffee in your hand, watching the beautiful birds fly around!

The Food

Tranquilo Lodge includes three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in their rate. We enjoyed every single meal we had and they were super attentive to food allergies and diet restrictions.

One couple had a gluten allergy and they brought her all sorts of gluten free goodies.

Everything we ate was tasty and beautifully put together. They use fresh ingredients, keeping it simple but flavorful combining traditional Costa Rican food with other types.

Their pasta fresca casera we had for lunch one day was hands down one of the best pastas I’ve ever had.

Breakfast is fruit, coffee, juice and a main dish like eggs, quiche, gallo pinto, french toast, etc.

Lunch and dinner both have a starter like a salad or soup, main entree and a dessert.

The menu changes everyday and they’re great about offering alternatives if you have allergies or restrictions.

Activities

Tranquilo Lodge will book any tours you’re interested in doing during your time at the hotel. Popular tours from Drake Bay are snorkeling at Cano Island, scuba diving at Caño Island, fishing and hiking Corcovado National Park.

Choose Tranquilo Lodge to take advantage of one of the best locations to explore the Osa Peninsula and come back from a fun day to a cozy and luxurious room.

What to Know About Staying at Tranquilo Lodge

• Reserve your tours with the lodge as early as possible, especially if you are visiting during the high tourism season (December through April) and want to visit Corcovado National Park. The national park gives out a limited amount of park tickets, so you should try to book it at least 1 month out.
• Minimum age is 18.
• Minimum 3 night stay.
• Free Wi-Fi in the property.
• Free on-site secure parking.
• They offer day passes to non hotel guests. Must make reservations in advance. Max 4 people.

Lots of people are choosing to stay in Drake Bay for their entire Costa Rica vacation.

Tranquilo Lodge provides literally everything you need for an extremely comfortable, convenient and cozy stay and their warm hospitality will make you feel like family from the moment you arrive.

You can check rates for Tranquilo Lodge here.