JeffV12345 03/20/2019

Fishing • Fishing was phenomenal! Each of us got at least one sailfish and on my extra days caught tuna (largest 60#’s), roosterfish (largest 70#’s), and multiple sails. My wife joined me on the last day, as she still had not caught a sailfish. On that day, we actually landed two sets of double hookups (raised 13 fish, caught 6). Alan was very concerned as we pulled into the pier because Ann and I looked so defeated – this was the last day for my wife Ann to catch her first sailfish and that was the only mission for the day. Then he saw the captain smile and looked at his log sheet. All Alan could do was shake his head in disbelief. What he really saw was Ann and I simply exhausted from such a great day on the water. Mission accomplished! • Water was calm and travel distance was about 35 miles out from the peer. Took consistently 90 minutes out and then back so about 5 ½ hours of fishing for offshore days. • Captains and mates were excellent, took the time to let us photograph lots of sea wildlife (spinner dolphins, white belly dolphins, humpback whales, pilot whales, sails just out jumping for fun). The captains also let me do a lot of the actual set up and fishing (especially the finesse part about getting hooked up – they did not baby me by just handing me a rod with a fish on). On the flip side, they worked their butts off and took no chances getting Ann, Tim, and Kristen hooked up with their first sails ever. • The roosterfish was pretty special. No one was catching them so everyone was going offshore. Alan asked guide Anthony to take me out and prove them all wrong. We did just that by hooking 11 roosters and landing 9, with the biggest being a 70#’s beast. It was a long and wonderful fight. Anthony has been fishing them for 22 years and this was the largest one he has ever landed in one of his boats. I haven’t seen a guide that excited over a fish in a very long time. I will certainly treasure the experience. • Alan did a great job coordinating boats – I always felt well treated and had everything I could have needed. Some people like the same guide all week but I enjoyed fishing with four different ones. Kids were a bit impatient with the long ride out and back but since they caught fish, all was forgiven. • Alan did not recommend the kayak fishing so I upgraded to a whaler for the last day – good call as that was the six sail day (thank you Alan)! Eco Tours • This is the area they could do a better job of communication. The problem is really how the reservations are made. They advertise that you sign up when you get there but we found that most were difficult to actually schedule due to availability once we did get there. We had interest in a bunch of them but were only able to schedule three while we were there. • A couple of tours were very good (rainforest and animal rescue by far the best), turtle rescue not so much (too many people, not enough turtles!). We had the same tour coordinator for the week and he was almost part of the family by the time it was time to leave – their personal attention is incredible and we learned so much about Costa Rica! • We recommend taking the tours!   Food and Staff • They are the very best! • Food – I found it hard to believe the variety and quality of food from just one kitchen. Everything from nightly fresh tuna sushi on days where we caught tuna, to excellent fish, meat, and pasta options. My wife is an extremely picky eater and still had something different every night that she could rave about. I ate fish every night and it was awesome. In the morning, the eggs benedict each day was the best I have ever had. Lunch on the boat was very good. My family says lunch in the lodge was excellent as well. • Wait staff couldn’t have been better!. • Olympia (main hostess for the resort) was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She was also an incredible “fixer” when things had to be coordinated. I really enjoyed fishing with her son Anthony (all the other guides were great as well!) • Room staff was accommodating and the rooms were meticulously maintained daily. • Bar staff had great local concoctions that my wife and kids loved each evening. • Schedule was perfect for a fisherman. Up for breakfast at 5:30AM, on the boat at 6:30AM, back at the dock at 3:00PM (sharp), quick shower then pool time for cocktails and appetizers (and story telling!) from 4:00-6:00PM, followed by a very nice dinner, then time for bed. The staff rigorously floated around this schedule such there was always enough resources at the right place and time. • Alan maintaining a “leaderboard” that showed what success each boat had was a great way to start up conversations with other guests. This was a fun place to gather in the bar at the end of the day. • We really felt like family by the end of the week! Accommodations and Resort • Very, very good. Our villa was perfect for a family. Staff kept everything clean and well stocked. • Pool area was perfect. We played many of the games in the game room as well. • Grounds were great to walk around with lots of wildlife to see and photograph. • My family enjoyed the spa services. • Pier and docks were well laid out and a fun place to be. • Boats and gear were absolutely first class – the results showed it! Overall • They certainly get 5-stars from my family and me! • Lynch Creek Travel (Lisa) as well!

Wanderer02864122325 03/01/2019

My husband and I visited Crocodile Bay Resort to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. David helped us book the trip. He was amazing - very knowledgeable, professional, and quick to respond to inquiries. We fished two days while there. The fishing was not what we were hoping for, but it was of no fault of the captains. The fish just weren't around as much as they usually are in February. Despite this, we still caught two sailfish, so it wasn't a total wash. Even though the fishing was slow, everything else more than made up for it. The staff was *amazing*. Everyone was wonderful: the waitstaff, eco-tour guides, captains...every single person you come in contact with at the resort is so friendly and will bend over backwards to make your trip enjoyable. We went on three eco tours: rainforest tour with Jose, ziplining with Dennis, and the chocolate farm tour with Diego. All three were wonderful. We also went paddle boarding. The food was absolutely delicious. I enjoy veggies with my breakfast. Even though they didn't have veggies on the menu for breakfast, they gladly made me fresh veggies every morning. On one of our eco stores, we harvested yuca after Diego found out I like it. We took it back to the resort and the chef made it three different ways that night for dinner. It was a great trip and we confident that the next time we go back, the fish will cooperate:).

Ann K 02/03/2019

First off, let me just say that Crocodile Bay is AMAZING. The staff is beyond friendly, accommodating, and genuinely friendly. We arrived at Crocodile Bay after flying into Puerto Jimenez with Sansa (Crocodile Bay set up all the arrangements in advance so travel was very simple). TIP: you do not need to stay in San Jose for a night if you can get in before 1pm. Sansa has flights to Puerto Jimenez in the late afternoon. We had to push a little as to not waste a day but it was well worth it. When we arrived, we were greeted with a song by the front desk manager, Olimpia. Olimpia is great! After check in, we were walked over to the fishing manager who asked us all about our fishing expectations, what we wanted, our pastexperience, and how hands-on we wanted to be. TIP: for inshore fishing ask to fish with Anthony, the roosterfish whisperer! After meeting with the fishing manager, we then met with the ecotourism group to make sure everything else for our week was scheduled. We wanted to go scuba diving so the lodge scheduled a special day for us since this isn't something they normally do. We went fishing for 4 days and 2 days of ecotours. The offshore fishing was Captain Mauricio was great. He is a very lively and hands on captain. He asked us all about what we wanted and made sure to do everything he could to get us those fish (which he did, tons of sails, tuna, mahi, and a raised marlin). As for inshore, the reason we came to Crocodile Bay, we had fishing with Captain Anthony. He is dedicated, knowledgable, and downright fun to fish with. It is like he has a 6th sense for roosterfishing. Lastly, we had a mate Diego. We fished with him the 1st day, and liked him so much we requested him for the rest of the days. He is from the US so his English is great.

NatureSeeker0776 01/24/2019

Booking my vacation at Crocodile Bay Resort was the best experience I have ever had, the staff welcomed us with open arms and had a beverage waiting for us. The resort is beautiful and if you are looking for peace and serenity look no further, the weather was warm, the food was incredible, everything we ordered was fresh and prepared perfect. We spent a lot of time at the resort and went to town once to mingle with the town folks. We booked two tours and one fishing trip through the resort. The Monkey tour was incredible; Dennis is very knowledgeable and has been with the resort for a number of years. The chocolate factory was incredible. It is a family owned business, only mom and the kids working the facility. Jose our guide was very knowledgeable, explained the whole process from start to finish. Lunch was served at the facility OMG it was fabulous. Have you ever had a chocolate facial? When you visit you will have the chance to experience it, this is why the people never age. Let’s talk about the fishing trip, chartered a tower boat and went for the Big Game Blue Marlin, the skipper and crew were great, you can tell this was not there first rodeo, They ask you questions if you are an experience fisherman or if they can help you with what you request. The tackle was great state of the art, boats were in very good condition, and seas were choppy slight swell, no other boats seen water temperature perfect. About an hour boat ride to our location threw out a couple teasers and small rods for Dorado saw a trailer out on the port side hit the big tackle fish on. 20 minutes landed a 150 LB Blue Marlin. Second fish came in the afternoon this time we threw out the tackle and he hit the Dorado light tackle fish on. Now if you have never caught a Marlin on a small tackle you are in for a treat. This one was a dancer trying to spit the hook, the whole time, after about 45 minutes I don’t know who is going to give up first me or the Blue. The captain was great backed down on the fish and keeps it straight across the stern the whole time. 53 minutes he gave up fish landed, released him. I was done time to pop a beverage and head back to the resort. Seemed that everyone at dinner time had a great day, the inland fishing was hot and we were the only ones that went out to ocean two fish on two fish landed, it was a perfect day. My experience at Crocodile Bay Resort was second to none. I would highly recommend this facility, if you want to enjoy beautiful people and feel like you are family; this is the place for you. I have already booked my vacation for 2020

Mason_siding (Wasilla, Alaska) 01/23/2019

As the former Outdoor Adventure Director of the North American Fishing Club, past president of Adventures In The Wild, and past CEO of Evergreen Video Productions I have traveled across the globe on many wonderful and outstanding fishing adventures. My recent fishing and outdoor adventure at Crocodile Bay Resort was amazing to say the least and one of the finest outdoor adventure experiences I have had the pleasure to partake in.From working with David to answer my many questions before I booked the trip, to the amazing staff who went out of their way for all the guests and myself, and to the captains, mates, fleet, equipment and meals all of which were top notch my hat is off to Crocodile Bay Resort.The attention to detail and wiliness to do what I requested daily was over the top.The offshore fishing was exceptional and I wish now that I had booked more days of it. Catching my 9' Sail and a large Dorado was a bonus for me. Many guests fished off shore a lot while I was at the resort and their daily photographs were a testament of how amazing the fishing is at Crocodile Bay Resort. Lots of Sailfish, Dorado and Yellow fin tuna were caught daily by many. The inshore fishing was very slow I believe do to the moon phase, but I can tell you that the inshore captains worked their tales off trying to make my dream of getting a trophy RoosterFish reality. "Dreams Can Become Reality" as one of my captains put me on a "Monster Trophy RoosterFish" that I fought, landed, photographed and then released. Bravo!All I can say is that Crocodile Bay Resort and their staff are nothing less than "Amazing". The meals were fabulous as well.Trust me when I say "I'll Be Going Back"."Let the Adventures Continue"Keep smiling!David W. Mason