Great trip. Guides were terrific. Hanging bridges etc.
Costa Rica | Jan 20 - Jan 28, 2026

S
Stephen S.
Seattle, WA | Reviewed on Jan 30, 2026

Great trip. Guides were terrific. Hanging bridges and volcano tour led by Mariano. Sloth tour(where we actually saw them)
led by Manuel and Ernesto. Monteverde led by Andres. All made the tours very special.
Worked with Holden from Serendipity Adventures to plan the trip. Again excellent. Last but not least was Adrian who answered all our questions as they came up. All in all an excellent adventure.
By the way we chose to rent a car and drive. We loved it but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are comfortable with small roads and sometimes challenging driving conditions.

Hotel Reviews
Hilton Garden Inn Guanacaste Airport
Liberia

Fine airport hotel

Authenticity & Character
Location
Next to airport
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lomas del Volcán
Fortuna

This was our favorite hotel of the trip. Peaceful. Wonderful rooms in separate little cottages. Great pool, good food and excellent staff. Would be happy staying there for a week.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Close to town but very private and peaceful
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Coast Beachfront Hotel
Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province

This was our least favorite of the hotels. Good location for the beach. Average rooms. Small crowded pool. No restaurant or services. Would not choose it again. Would look for a more self contained resort outside of town.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cloud Forest Lodge
Monteverde

This was the most dramatic hotel on our trip. Amazing location. Not easy to get to if you are driving but worth the trip. Good food and nice rooms and terrific staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk
Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

Great trip made special by our guide Mariano.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Mariano
Tamarindo Mangrove & Estuary Boat Tour
Tamarindo Mangrove & Estuary Boat Tour
Costa Rica

Skipped this one as I was not feeling well. Plus Tamarindo is extremely hot.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk
Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

We actually got to see sloths. The guides have a familiar route they take. Good chance of seeing sloths since they know where they are and obviously the sloths are not moving very quickly. Easy trip.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private: Half-day Birdwatching Hike in Curi-Cancha Reserve
Private: Half-day Birdwatching Hike in Curi-Cancha Reserve
Monteverde

Again the guide makes the trip. Andres was terrific.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968
Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968
Arenal/La Fortuna

Wonderful excursion. Again the guide makes the trip. Andres was extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend time with.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Holden Ketchum
Holden
Holden Ketchum
Local specialist in Cartago, Costa Rica | Replied on Jan 30, 2026

Thank you Steve for taking the time to mention everyone by name. They have all worked hard to show you the best of Costa Rica!

Thank you
Holden Ketchum
Serendipity Adventures