Carlos helped us plan our trip for March 2020...
Costa Rica | Mar 19 - Mar 31, 2021

T
Teresa S.
New York City, NY | Reviewed on Apr 08, 2021

Carlos helped us plan our trip for March 2020, but we unfortunately had to cancel due to covid. When 2021 came around, we rebooked our trip with Maricruz. She was incredibly accommodating and tolerated all my ambivalence about traveling during covid! She answered all our questions during the trip as well and even got us an incredible upgrade to a new hotel. We always felt like we had someone to help us out with anything and this was important to us since we'd never been to Costa Rica and so wanted to move around a lot without much challenge (life in NYC is already challenging). Even when there was a problem with our itinerary, she fixed it up immediately

I want to assure you that Costa Rica is as safe a place as any to travel during covid - people wear masks everywhere, you must wash your hands before entering a restaurant or any place, and there is hand sanitizer everywhere. Plus you're almost always outside. They take yours and their health very seriously. Go now before the crowds return! We've traveled a bunch and Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and varied places we've seen.

That said, this trip was awesome from the moment we were picked up by Juan Pablo!
He was our guide for the first day - he was informative, engaging and kind. When we expressed interest in pejibaye, he took us to a road side stop to try some which was delicious and fun.

We stayed at Casa Luna the first two nights - wonderful hotel where we saw toucans and other amazing birds in our backyard during our morning coffee. We went to the rainforest and on our way to the hanging bridges our guide pulled over on the street because he spotted a sloth in the tree. So fun.

Always hire a guide for any of parks. They take you in, and find wildlife you'd never find on your own. They carry a scope and plop it down so you can see firsthand while explaining everything you could want to learn about the animals, ecosystem, etc.

From here we went to Monteverde - a beautiful area of Costa Rica. We loved the views from our hotel, El Establo and the proprietor was very accommodating and kind. Actually, we were met with knowledge, kindness and consideration all over CR. Take a night walk - the sounds of the forest will fill your soul.

Do the crocodile tour for sure in Jaco! Our guide Adrian and the driver of the boat (whose name I forget) were incredibly knowledgeable about the birds and the ecosystems. We met the crocodiles Osama Bin Laden, Mike Tyson and Bill and Hillary Clinton. More than we could have asked for.

We ended our trip at Manuel Antonio - beautiful beach and waves - surfing, swimming and relaxing under the trees. Monkeys and iguanas entertained us while we lay on our lounges listening to the sounds of the ocean. We stayed at Karahe for 2 days which was right on the beach but then upscaled to Sí Como No where we had amazing views, lots of wildlife to enjoy and wonderful service.
Either choice is worth your time.

Go now and book your trip with KimKim!

Local specialist: Maricruz Pereira
Maricruz
Maricruz Pereira
Local specialist in Costa Rica | Replied on Apr 08, 2021

Hola, Teresa! Thank you so much for your review and report!! It was a pleasure working with you, and I'm super happy that you could take the trip and enjoy our country so much!
I will forward your nice words to José Pablo, Adrián and your local outfitters, they will really appreciate them.
Pura vida!
Maricruz