CostaRica.org Reviews

Had the trip of a lifetime!
Costa Rica is like a summer garden. Impatiences that I plant every year in my garden here grow wild in the ditches there?it is amazing!

The tours we went on were thrilling and the tour guides could not have been more friendly and knowledgeable. The zip lining was my favourite; it was like flying over the top of the rain forest and zipping by the most beautiful waterfall. I?ve never done anything so fun!

The Hotels in Costa Rica we stayed at knocked our socks off. They were clean, beautifully appointed, the food was always top-notch. The coffee was so delicious! The service at each hotel was absolutely outstanding, far better than what you get in Canada. We felt like royalty!

The view of the volcano from our bed at the Arenal Springs Resort took my breath away when I first saw it in the early morning our first day there. It was the same experience when we saw the view of Manuel Antonio park and beach from our room?s balcony when we arrived at the Gran Hotel Costa Rica sipping the champagne we were offered as we arrived?absolutely delightful!

We loved that we were able to travel around the country. The geography is so diverse. I would think it would be a shame to go to Costa Rica to just sit at one resort and not do the kind of tour we got to do. The roads were a bit harrowing so I was very glad for the skilled drivers we always had.

Thank you so much for arranging this tour. We spoke with other vacationers and it was clear that we had #1 experiences in comparison to some of the tours they were doing.

We cannot wait to return and the kids are already saving their money for the next trip!

Thanks again and please tell your tour and hotel operators that they are absolutely the best!

Thank you so much for arranging such a perfect trip!
I can?t thank you enough for the fantastic vacation we had in Costa Rica.

From the white water rafting through the most picturesque setting, the thrill if repelling down waterfalls, flying through a cloud forest hanging from a wire, relaxing on a black sand beach to diving off of beautiful Manuel Antonio. We couldn?t of asked for a more wonderful time. We especially liked the Hotel In Monteverde with the cabins in the trees and the iguanas and monkeys outside our hotel in Manuel Antonio. Thank you so much for arranging such a perfect trip!

Thank you for organizing this memorable trip.
Thank-you for the hotel selection they were are fabulous, especially Tulemar Bungalows. We had a tremendous time canyoning, rapelling, zip-lining, nature walks, snorkeling etc, Costa Rica is a beautiful country and we have many memories and pictures to help us remember the trip. We truly enjoyed everything. The tours were all good and the drivers were on time and helpful. We enjoyed the drives since we were able to see part of the countryside and towns that we drove through. The only thing we didn?t get to see was Arenal erupting during the night due to cloud cover. Oh well, will have to come back? Just to let you know on the itinerary it was stated that breakfast not included at Sapo Dorado, it was included that was a nice surprise. Our last night we had dinner at Tiquicia, what a view and there was a wedding going on with a carnival atmosphere. So much fun!

Again thank-you for organizing this memorable trip.

The resort was lovely.
Just a little note to express our satisfaction with your travel arrangements, everything worked out fine for us, pick up/ drop off, especially the Sunset Cruise, that was a favorite for us.

The resort was lovely and the staff were extremely helpful and very friendly. Even though we did not see more of Costa Rica this time, we are sure to be back, and of course will use you again to arrange all our travel plans.

Once again, thanks for the wonderful service that you provided to us.

The best part of Costa Rica was of course its people.
Mauren who met us in San Jose was very helpful inspite of her limited English. Sleep Inn was good place and certainly recommend it.

Arenal Springs Resort was excellent. My son loved it. Fantastic view of the volcano while lying on the bed !! The grounds were immaculate and I took a lot of pictures of the plants and flowers. Free internet and international phone calls without a service fee !! Their attached restaurant was excellent. The nature treck and volcano tours were excellent. We did get to see the top of the volcano when the clouds lifted and at night did get a brief few glimpses of the red lava. I very highly recommend this resort and would love to some day stay here again.

Sapa Dorado in Monteverde was OK but needed some improvements. The wooden floor in some places had rotted out (in the open verandah) and there was some risk of our foot going thru the floor. Also, the place was quite drafty. Also, the grounds needed maintenence ? a lot of dead plants and unpaved , muddy areas. By the way, the night walk tour of the forest was great. Also I would advice people to be prepared for the cold weather here in Montverde, which is much colder than the other places. A light jacket would have been OK.

The ATV tour was excellent.

Finally Hotel California in Manual Antonio. The ocean view was not much of a view ? a small glimpse of the water. Maybe the view was better from the higher floor. But it is not worth paying extra for this ?ocean view?. I had asked for a wake up call which was not done. The hotel had frequent brief power failures which of course disabled the alarm that I had set on the small alarm radio in the room. Thank God I had the good fortune to set up a ?back up? alarm on my cell phone. If not, I would have missed our morning outing. The road up to this place is unpaved, narrow and steep. Two cars cannot pass at the same time and it is so steep that our tour bus could not go up and we were dropped off on the main road. I would not want to stay at this palce again. The park tour was excellent and our guide was tops. The horse riding tour was excellent and very highly recommend it.

Lastly, I want to send a special thanks to the taxi driver who took us from Manual Antonio to the San Jose airport. A very, very nice person who went out of his way to point out interesting things to us and even stopped for us to see the crocodiles at a bridge.

The best part of Costa Rica was ofcourse its people. We did not meet a single person who was not nice. I felt I was among good, friendly and honest people. Nobody tried to take advantage of ?tourists? and I felt very safe everywhere.

Thanks again and PURA VIDA !!!!!!

Your agency was terrific!
Your agency was terrific!
You guys checked out 100% before during and after our vacation.

Thanks again!

All we had to do was enjoy the beautiful country.
My costa Rica vacation rep helped us book the whole trip. They recommended sites to visit, hotels and arranged all the
transporation. All we had to do was enjoy the beautiful country.

It truly was an adventure.
Thank you so much for all your help planning our first trip to Costa Rica. It truly was an ?adventure? and left us feeling humbled and grateful for all that we have.

Although the rafting and zip lines were exciting, the tours we had in the rainforest and at El Trapiche were our favorite moments. The guides were all so passionate about their heritage and their country. It was inspiring.

Everything turned out great.
Everything turned out great. All three hotels offered something a little different. In Monteverde?s the weather was windy and rainy but not cold.

The zip line tour with the bridges gave you a great view of the cloud forest. The town was small but very friendly we ate at the tree house too expensive for bad pizza. We found another restaurant down the block for lunch very good food half the price. We learned it pays to look around a bit before you stop. The drivers were all very friendly. The taxi drivers they all had a different price for the same trip. My daughter said to pay what was on the meters only. In Arenal we did the horse back ride that took you to La Fortuna water falls breath taking views. We did the Baldi springs and wished we could have spent a lot more time there it was part of the volcano tour it was to rushed so that would have been something to do separately. The last night we went to Cafe Mundo with Jessica?s friends party of six the food was delicious and the prices were to good to be true i picked up the check so thank you for your suggestion there. We both had a great trip and we thank you for all your help.Pude Vida!

The accommodations set up for us from My Costa Rica were wonderful.
The accommodations set up for us from My Costa Rica were wonderful. We stayed at the El Sapo Dorado in Monteverde.

The location was great with an balcony that we could hang our hammocks on. The room was large and very clean. It also contained a refrigerator and a large bathroom. There is computer access at the reception area (room upstairs), but its very very slow and not worth the bother. Of course most people do the zip lines there. We also get a tour of Frog World (fun) and a night walk. That was also fun. We drove to Monte Verde from Liberia, but got lost on a dirt road. A four wheel drive really was necessary. The roads we took there was bad, but the way we left was much better. We also stayed at Hotel Esencia in Playa Santa Teresa. We really loved this place and it was great having a swimming pool. The cabina was large, clean, and had a small kitchen area and a nice porch. There was a hammock also, but when it was cool out the ants took it over. If your not a couple you may have to flip a coin to see who gets the big bed (its really big). The only transportation we utilzed was the Grayline from Quepos to San Jose. I would include there phone number in case you want to change the schedule, but the driver was friendly and stopped a couple of times along the way. My friend left earlier and they stopped and had a beer. I?m not sure if they stop at all the hotels people are going to, but they do stop at the airport and at the hotel we stayed at. One guy had to take a taxi from the airport to his hotel. Having the transportation arranged was nice because I didn?t have to worry about getting to my destination on time?always worry about missing my flight. We also stayed at The Adventure Inn. The room was large and clean. There?s not much in the location, but it?s a quick hop to the airport and the hotel pays for the taxi ride there (on-way). The staff were quite friendly, there?s a gym, and computer access. There?s also a nice hot tub to relax in after completing a trip. The only thing I would have liked there is a comfortable courtyard to hang out in outside. In Santa Teresa, which is a surfer hangout, may not be the greatest spot for older people, but we rented ATV?s and had great fun on them. You do need a four wheel drive to get around and driving there is an adventure. Well, that?s about it. Thanks for the help. We did love the places we stayed.

The Costa Rica trip was AMAZING.
Thank you for everything, the Costa Rica trip was AMAZING and everything you did for us worked out splendid.

I have a few friends going to CR this year and will be certain to recommend them to you. Thanks again, couldn?t have done it without you!

In a word ? wonderful!
In a word ? wonderful! From the well planned out itineraries, to the gracious guides conducting the tours, and the tours themselves, everything was absolutely wonderful.

This was our first organized tour as a family and it simply could not have been done any better. The zip lines, the rafting, canyoning and night walks, we had a great time. The hotels were great; we couldn?t have found these absolutely beautiful accommodations on our own. Thanks, My Costa Rica for making this a most memorable trip ? ?Pura Vida? indeed.

We are definitely planning to return to Costa Rica.
In any event, I just want to say that all went well. We really enjoyed all of our destinations. I think Arenal was our least favorite ? Tom has made a new rule for our family?s travels that if it?s not down a dirt road, we don?t want to stay there! However the Paraiso was beautiful and we really enjoyed the hot springs there. We also went horseback riding and that was a highlight of our trip. The Sky Adventure zip lines were exhilarating and a wonderful way to take in the sights. The volcano even put on a little show for us that morning, rumbling and spewing smoke!

Monteverde was my favorite. The Mirador Lodge was rustic and laid back with trails right out our front door down to a series of waterfalls! The views from up there of the lake and volcano were amazing. The weather was a wee bit chilly, but no worries there as we were prepared for the chill of the cloud forest and the little fireplaces in our room made it cozy when the generator turned off around 10 p.m. They even gave us little oil lamps and candles, and we played cards late into the evening by candlelight . . .a fun family memory we can always cherish!

Sugar Beach was my daughter?s favorite, beach bum that she is. We did a lot of swimming there, plus walked into Flamingo one afternoon (whew, that was an adventure!) We loved the resident howler monkeys and iguanas! Also the tide pools were fun to explore at low tide. We befriended our waiter, Francisco, who took us to Potrero and introduced us to his whole family. He proudly showed us the house he is in the process of building on his family lot. We spent one of our best New Years Eves there ? dinner, dancing, champagne and fireworks made it romantic and special .

Tortuguero was certainly the most exotic destination. The transportation arrangement there was also the most confusing for us as we joined up with a group in Guapiles ? we didn?t realize that we were joining a group to travel out there. Given the isolation and distance of the lodge, however, it was understandable (we just didn?t know it at the time). Luckily, they were a really fun group of Canadians who were fun to hang out with. When they left 2 days later we had the entire Turtle Lodge to ourselves! No kidding, my family of 4 and a couple from Spain. That was it! Needless to say it was very hard to leave Turtle Lodge. I was very impressed with their operation and all the nice touches ? hammocks, cozy spaces to linger in, mud boots to tromp around in, umbrellas ? it poured the whole time we were there with slight breaks in between, ponchos, and canoes (my personal favorite)! Also they had guitars and percussion instruments in the lobby which my son and my husband enjoyed playing one evening on the beach by a roaring bonfire!

We are definitely planning to return to Costa Rica to take in some of the sites we missed to the south ? Quepos and the coast south to Osa are high on my list. We were really pleased with the transportation arrangements ? the shuttles were always on time and the drivers were informative. The only part of the trip that was ?sketchy? was the drive back to San Jose from Guapiles on Thurs. Jan 8. We were curving around on the roads through Braulio Carrillo NP when the earthquake occurred ? our driver didn?t miss a beat as he dodged the rocks that had fallen in the road and bumped along at top speed in the fog, no less!!! We had no idea that there had been an earthquake until we arrived an hour later at the Hampton Inn near the airport and were informed by the staff.

Thanks again for all of your help with these arrangements. We really appreciate your taking so much time to make it right for us. Pura vida!

WOW. Great Job
We were very pleased with the Hotel Alta you choose for us. The driver who picked us up at the airport was prompt and very courteous.

The hotel and staff (especially Nancy) were very knowledgeable and accommodating. The facility was great and the view of fireworks from the top floor hotel deck on new years eve was an unexpected treat. Fireworks ?city wide. WOW. Great Job..and thanks for everything

We were very pleased with it all.
Thank you again for all the services you arranged and provided. We were very pleased with it all.

It was nice to just make one phone call when our plans became disrupted because of weather and know that everything was taken care of. Hotel Alta was a nice finish to our trip, as well. And the road from Quepos Airport to Dominical was in good shape. It took us 45 minutes.