Lifetime family memories in Costa Rica!

Costa Rica | Dec 31 - Jan 8, 2026

My college-age son and I had an incredible time!
La Paloma Lodge was a pearl -- accessible only by boat, it is nestled in the rain forest and the experience of staying there was both novel and comfortable. My leg was eaten by sand fleas at the local beach, but otherwise we had a wonderful tour of Corcovado National Park, and the Cano Island snorkeling was fun. The only thing I would comment on is that the snorkeling trip ends with lunch on a beach (we were at San Josecito Beach) but there is no bathroom available there (which was surprising). I was also stung by multiple jellyfish larvae while snorkeling, so that was a bit rough. I was itchy due to the sand fleas and larvae stings for a full week afterwards. I would have appreciated a heads up about these in advance, as I did not adequately protect myself.
Manuel Antonio was awesome, but in particular, our hotel (Hotel Mariposa) was spectacular. The resort is breathtakingly beautiful, and there are monkeys and macaws surrounding the property. I went for a daily swim in the pool because it was so beautiful and comfortable. The food at Le Papillon is a bit overpriced but it is delicious.
The Manuel Antonio hike with Andres (an ornithologist and naturalist) was incredible. He can spot a dragonfly from 100 feet away. It was a privilege to learn from him, and his powerful scope was instrumental in getting some incredible photos. We LOVED the whitewater rafting, even though water levels were low. In retrospect, I would have wanted to go in a full raft (not a raft for just the two of us and our guide), as the heavier raft leads to a bumpier ride. The guides at Amigos Del Rio were excellent.
The surf lesson with Sebastian (who works for Glen) was good, even if there was as much chatting as there was surfing. The Manuel Antonio beaches are perfect for learning to surf. The only unfortunate aspect was that our driver to and from the lesson never showed up so we had to rely on alternate mechanisms. Also our itinerary listed the lesson as "2 hours" in one place and "3 hours" in another place. Turns out it was only 2 hours, but that was plenty.
All in all, the team at Serendipity did a great job, and Adrian was accessible on WhatsApp at all times. That was hugely helpful.
Here are my suggestions:
1. More specificity on what to expect and where to be. It's great if a tour starts at 7:50am. Where should we be at 7:50am? Hotel reception? Security gate in front of hotel? Who should we look for? There are times when multiple tour guides approached us, but we were not the right clients. It would have helped for us to have a name/company to look for.
2. Lay out where we will and will not have access to internet. At La Paloma, there is no cell service, and the only WiFi provided is in the central restaurant.
3. Warn people of sand fleas and jellyfish (golden line) possibilities.
4. Recommend tours like the mangrove tours or the night tours. We did not book these in advance but word of mouth indicates that they were amazing.
All in all, we had a great time, and I appreciate Serendipity Travel very much for booking such excellent guides and experiences.