Self Drive Tours in Costa Rica

As the prior hotels, situated in a beautiful setting, embedded in the flora with birds everywhere. Each room is in its own house/hut with large bathrooms and a swing on the porch (mosquitoes were in high season, so not used; bring that repellent). The massage here outside in the forest was amazing with Andrea. The staff upfront was superb, offered quick golf carts, and was incredibly helpful. Restaurant for lunch and dinner with excellent food and drinks (plus daily happy hour). Breakfast could use a little more variety and maybe not charge extra for omelets or egg stations (did not see that anywhere else), but was very accommodating to prepare our catch for dinner (mahi mahi). All and all beautiful.

Loved this place, minimalistic (almost Scandinavian feel) to the room with a balcony and seats to look out at the local ocatis playing around. Huge bathrooms. The highlight is the restaurant - we were shocked how amazing the food was - the chef is top-notch, and we are foodies! Everything was superb! The desserts were a must, and the restaurant staff was truly amazing - Marco and Fernando! The outside with the hummingbirds was a beautiful setting for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is a la carte, so no buffet - but excellent. The indoor lounge with the fireplace is cozy for a book, as you have no TVs, which I personally loved. :-) Our only wish was there was a pool (maybe instead of the glassed lounge outside), but that is just minor wishful thinking. You have umbrellas and ponchos available to use (and rain boots + hiking sticks), which you will use!

The setting is beautiful, and service is impeccable from the front desk to the maintenance staff. The best part of this hotel is the hot springs, a total gem for relaxation. Loved the setting of the rooms, standalone houses nicely built into the nature, yet free of insects inside. You can see and hear birds everywhere, and it is a live rainforest - beautiful in and out. The onsite restaurant is great for breakfast but limited in the menu for lunch/dinner and a bit high in prices compared to the US standards (same for the spa). A short uber ride to La Fortuna for a bit of a dinner adventure was great for diverse food options, though. Overall, a beautiful place .

Mauricio did a great job walking up the volcano with us - it is not too strenuous but gets a little rocky later on. The history of the volcano and the overall lake + the continuation of the bird watching was amazing .

This is a public, commercial place with 7 ziplines which are fun, fast and some quite long and two of you go together. It is high up in the cloud forest so it was misty/rainy and more cold than we expected (long sleeves and pants + rain jacket is a must) - don't be fooled by the weather on the ground. I think we lucked out and it was rather empty so it was just us and another family paired up. While scary upfront, the crew was amazing - did a great job with instructions and guidance (reassuring and repeating :-)

A good trip if you want to watch and let the crew or the boys do the job as the fish are huge and takes serious strength to pull them out! Two mahi-mahis took a while to get - just like any fishing, it takes patience.

So much fun - Bryan our guide and Adrian, our kayaking support were awesome. Figuring out which way to go so we don't flip (which we didn't but a few of us fell out which was kind of fun). The rapids are fun and there are good calm spots/breaks in between to rest. The time flies (14 kms) very quickly and you learn those commands just as fast. We will never forget Adelante, vamonos and a few more that's for sure.

Great start of a vacation to ease into the wildlife - Mauricio was a great guide, pointing out so many animals—crocodiles, sloths, toucans, iguanas, lizards, macaws, and so much more. Truly an amazing, laid-back, easy-to-take-a-picture ride on a river trip. Mao knew everything about every bird/creature and shared amazing stories. The howler monkeys were especially amusing with the howls and cheekiness. Loved it!

Booked this for the teenagers for the adrenaline and was a bit uneasy about it myself, as I don't like heights. Both the guides were excellent, making us all comfortable, explaining everything, and helping the weakest links (me) navigate the slippery walks and jumps. It was super fun and doable (how elegant it was, don't ask - and how much screaming there was). Didn't care - saw gorgeous waterfalls, learned some new skills, flew through the rainforest, and definitely got wet - but it was controlled and safe - and yes, lots of fun!

Andres - no words needed. The guy is a magician and an encyclopedia on steroids - the passion for nature and everything that moves or is green is unmatched. It was a joy to watch him and listen to him as he lit up with every part of the rain and cloud forest. Teenagers wanted to spend more time with him and pick his brain, for which he should get a prize. We have all learned so much and didn't want it to end. Truly a remarkable tour, you have to do it.

We were not there in the tourist season and often felt like the only guests which affected the service. It was adequate. The restaurant menu was very limited and the site remote enough to make easy access of other restaurants difficult. The bar did make a really good mojito.

This was our favorite site as we were right on the beach, had great service and a good restaurant and bar. The layout is very tropical making fun for each of us. We enjoyed both pool and hot tub. Our last day there was a huge rain which ended up causing our cabin to be surronded by about 2 feet of water. So they moved us to the Tree House for our last night which was fun. For the move staff carried our luggage out of the cabin keeping everything dry. We missed the shower of the cabin and enjoyed the adventure of the event.