My daughter and I recently went on a 7 day 6 night adventure vacation in Costa Rica to celebrate her 12th birthday. I found a GREAT deal on Travel Zoo with a company called Travel by Jen and their sister excursions company Jet Set Vacations (who booked all our fabulous excursions). My travel consultant was Sue Dibenedetto and she was fabulous from beginning to end. I am a seasoned traveler and usually don’t have so many questions and concerns but traveling during the pandemic was something new to me and I had a lot of unknowns. Sue was very patient and kind with me. Even though I often messaged her after hours (not expecting to hear back until the next business day) she was always quick to respond and address all of my concerns. She made me feel like a VIP and I really appreciate the level of care and service that she provided. When I moved around my excursion dates because of the Sabbath, she was not bothered, annoyed, or anything, she just wanted to make sure our vacation was the best it could be and that we were happy with everything as we wanted it. She went above and beyond expectations and I really value her for that. She didn’t just want to sell me the package and upgrades and go on to the next client, she wanted to make sure that we were satisfied with every aspect of our vacation. The entire experience with her has been great and I highly recommend her to my family and friends! I hope to plan a trip to Iceland next year with her!
I want to share my pandemic travel experience so that others may benefit from all the things I learned and utilize the information contained here for their benefit. It’s always best to learn from other people’s experiences than to have to go through the same issues. Hopefully these tips can help someone to have a more amazing trip!
GETTING THERE
The flight from South Florida was seamless. On the way there we flew nonstop but unfortunately American Airlines cancelled the flights we had originally wanted so not only did we arrive later in the day,* but our return flight also had a short layover. Not ideal, but considering the circumstances with the pandemic, it’s understandable that there is less tourism and therefore some flights are cancelled. I’m not sure if it’s because of the virus, but there were no movie screens on the chairs in front of us, we were expected to bring our own devices and watch movies from them. We did not know this. These are all minor adjustments.
One thing that I wish I knew or asked is that Fort Lauderdale airport (which is closer to where we live than Miami) also has direct flights to Costa Rica. For some reason I associated that airport with domestic flights and Miami with international, but that’s not always the case. It might be with certain countries like Israel but it’s not the rule. Knowing this in advance would have saved our commute time to and from the airport but it’s not a big deal in the grand picture.
Arriving later in the day was problematic/inconvenient and I will explain why when I get to that part of the story.
I want to mention that we returned from our trip prior to January 26, 2021. This is important because currently* international travel requirements have changed and in order to reenter the USA, you need to have a negative covid test done within a certain time frame of your departure. This is something that a person should check with their travel agent and with the appropriate authorities because I have a friend who was stuck in Columbia for 2 extra days for this reason!
RENTAL CAR
Our package deal included a Hyundai with Adobe rental car. The airport in Costa Rica is very small, so the rental car agencies are offsite. Our shuttle driver waited for us outside the airport with a sign and he had our name on his list. Everything was well organized and marked. We waited a little for other tourists to arrive but ended up driving to the rental car location with just one other person after about 20 minutes or so of waiting outside. The shuttle bus could probably seat 10 people or so. The drive to the rental car agency was not long.
If I had known that some of my drives would be up and down some very steep mountains and even one restaurant that we drove to, we drove about a mile on an unpaved road, I would have paid extra to get a more rugged car such as a jeep (4 x 4), truck, or at least a 6 cylinder car! A 4 cylinder car has no power going uphill and Costa Rica is a very hilly country. Especially the first 3 days of our trip! Although the car was automatic transmission, luckily it also had a manual option which I used in the mountains. Downshifting while going downhill is important so that you don’t wear the brakes out and the car slows itself down based on the gear you are in. When going up steep mountain roads, putting the car in a low gear gives more power and makes it easier to accelerate. THANK GOD none of our driving on the more dangerous roads happened in the rain. Driving uphill in the rain in a weak car is recipe for disaster (slipping backwards, no traction on wheels, losing control of the vehicle, getting stuck or crashing!). Been there, done that and it’s scary. Not something I’d want to put my 12 year old daughter through!
The travel agency was very upfront and disclosed that although the car rental was included in the package, the mandatory rental car insurance was not included and would be collected at the time of picking up the vehicle. We were informed in advance that it could cost $15 or more per day. Upon arriving to pick up the car, they presented the $15 per day option and the more expensive option (with better coverage). The more expensive option had a $150 refundable deposit and the cheaper insurance had a $700 deposit. The funds were returned after the vehicle inspection upon return. Of course we were to return it with a full tank of gas to avoid additional fees and also not excessively dirty to avoid cleaning fees.
Also, although there are MANY cell phone towers all over the country, there were remote areas that we had no reception and no wifi means no GPS and no GPS means you gotta DIY. The thing is that the highways and streets barely have any signs so it’s very hard to figure out where you are going. Driving at night is a challenge because some (many) of the roads have no lights AND the highways are often just 2 lanes (one in each direction) without a center divider so when you drive at night the other side’s headlights are in your eyes and it is hard to see! This is why arriving at 1pm instead of 11am was problematic. It took us time to get the rental car and by the time we were on the road, we did end up having to drive to our hotel at night in the dark on country streets with potholes which was scary because if we got a flat there was no one around to help. We did have a spare tire in the trunk but there are no street lights so trying to change a tire in the dark would be very stressful. I’d recommend making sure you have a flashlight in the car, flares, etc. Thank goodness we didn’t have to use any of that.
Another thing we discovered later on in the trip is that other people that we met on an excursion, also booked through travel by Jen, were offered a hotspot wifi device from the rental car agency for only $5 per day (this ensures internet availability anywhere you are). This would have been great to have! I assume we weren’t given that option because either the person forgot, or they ran out of devices (they were all in use). We would have loved having it and I would recommend anyone traveling to Costa Rica to get one because many hotels, restaurants etc don’t have great internet service and sometimes none at all (especially while driving)!
NOTE: I have T-mobile but the other tourist in our shuttle had ATT and said he had no internet. So make sure to call your provider before the trip to make sure you have an international plan! Also alert your credit card company of your dates of travel so that they don't block your card because it seems like fraudulent charges.
HOTEL 1 Linda Vista Del Norte
The first hotel that we stayed at was quite a trek from the airport. Although it was only ~87 miles, after getting out of the city and into the country, the windy mountain roads were rather treacherous to drive as described above. Since some areas had to be navigated rather slowly and cautiously (30 mph), the drive took much longer than anticipated.
The hotel was lovely. The view from our room, balcony, restaurant, and pool of the lake and dormant volcano (Arenal) was phenomenal and overall we really enjoyed our stay there. The infinity pool was picturesque; the complimentary breakfast was delicious and filling: fruit, 2 eggs, toast, rice/beans, plantains, coffee/tea or juice. The staff was friendly and helpful.
There were a few items that I would just mention as a heads-up to travelers. Although being immersed in nature, I was fully expecting to dealing with a lot of bugs while on excursions, and we came prepared with a natural bug spray and 4 insect repellant bracelets, we were a bit (no pun intended) taken by surprise to find critters inside our hotel room. Apparently, many hotels in CR do not have screens so if you open a window or balcony door you might be inviting unwanted guests. So when we got to our room at about 7pm and were greeted by a pink lizard, my daughter was less than happy about it. We heard crickets and other nature sounds. There were some bugs such as spiders and other things in our room. I had a sealed zip lock bag with cookies that I brought for my daughter, and overnight some tiny water ants found their way inside the bag.
The first night, my daughter wore a short sleeve shirt to bed and left her arm above the covers. In the morning we noticed that her arm was full of at least 5 red bug bites. Luckily they did not swell or welt up. In hindsight, I should have brought my topical benadryl stick. If you are prone to allergic reactions and have an epi-pen I would recommend bringing it because we were in remote places, very far from a hospital or even a drug store. Things are not open 24 hours and medical attention may not be as easily accessible as we are accustomed to in the states. So it’s best to be prepared with a small first aid kit. We did bring Neosporin and bandaids and other items.
Although the hotel was lovely, it’s only rated 3 stars because of the lack of amenities. For example, our room did not have a refrigerator. We also didn’t have many other standard amenities such as a(n alarm) clock, phone, blow drier, etc. There was no bible in the dresser, not that I missed it. The absence of a phone was a real bummer because every time we needed to speak with the receptionist we had to leave our building and walk over to another building and since it rains a lot there (even though we came after rainy season was supposed to have ended) it meant getting wet (they did not provide an umbrella), so not being able to pick up a phone and ask for towels or other things was a little inconvenient. This area has a lot of low clouds and precipitation. There are also rain forest regions in the country. Bring an umbrella. I should have packed rain ponchos!
The room itself was very nice. The bathrooms were newly remodeled, modern and pretty. They did provide some nice toiletries.
Even though we were in a remote area, there were some restaurants that delivered food which we were very grateful for. The hotel restaurant was only open for breakfast, unfortunately.
COVID MEASURES
I do want to mention that at the hotel, restaurants and virtually everywhere we went, masks were required, social distancing was practiced and we had our temperature taken and we were asked to either wash our hand or sanitize upon entrance. They took the matter very seriously for both locals and tourists. They had mask signs (reminders) and Plexiglas everywhere, just like in America.
Because of covid, there was no daily room service. Meaning, they did not enter our habitation to make the beds, take the trash or clean up. I put the trash bags outside our door and they magically disappeared. I had to get fresh towels when we needed them. Another minor adjustment.
SLOTH TOUR
Those adorable super slow creatures are abundant in CR! I was grateful that my travel company set us up with an authentic guide who took us to a nearby forest to see these cool creatures in their natural habitat. He was very educational and told us that the sloth parks kidnap the sloths and bring them to these zoo-like parks away from their natural habitat and since they eat from 5 different trees, they might not get all of the variety of nutrients that they need in their new environment and suffer health consequences because of it. So I was happy to support this local nature guide who took us on a little nature hike where we also saw many varieties of colorful birds, a monkey, and ants in action.
At first I was a little concerned about the tour company because they called my hotel the night before and changed our meeting location last minute. Then the receptionist tried calling him back for me and the number didn’t work. When we met him, he had an unmarked personal car and no uniform. We drove behind him and followed his car with him and his wife to the trail. She dropped him off and the other 2 guys on the tour took him back to the drop off location after the excursion was over. So the fact that things were changing and not official/professional looking seemed a bit concerning at first—being in a developing country and not knowing where this guy was taking us seemed a bit strange and off putting in the beginning, but it was ultimately very nice, albeit not what we were used to. I don’t think I would have trusted it had it not been set up by the travel agency, but in the end I was glad we did his excursion because it was more authentic. We saw 2 sloths but they were high in trees so it was hard to get a good photo.
ZIP-LINING & RAPPELLING
The meeting point was listed as a hotel but the excursion office was actually located across the street at Go Adventure near the mini-market. The excursion company was fantastic. The staff was wonderful and the trips were very fun and very well done. We did 10 zip lines and the view was beautiful. We saw monkeys in the trees near us and sheep in the distance. Afterwards the rappel was from 50 meters by a river. After that, we had a nice cultural crash course from the native indigenous Maleku people. It was brief but covered a lot of grounds including the huts they live in, their unique language, how they stoke the indoor fire to keep bugs out of their homes, the clothing made from tree bark, their use of analgesic plant medicine, their art work and handmade drums and use of masks with animals painted on to represent various things. We got to sample a refreshing drink they made from corn, sugar cane, and pineapple. It was a very well-rounded experience and we rode in an open safari type of vehicle with 2 long benches that was being pulled by a tractor. On our drive we spotted a large black snake. There is no shortage of wildlife in CR!
On this excursion there were 2 other groups of 2 (6 people total not counting the crew).
I highly recommend this tour company and both excursions we did with them (see below)! They also offer many other options such as horse back riding, ATV and river rafting.
GIVING BACK
Upon my return to the USA, I donated online to a local orphanage.
Grateful to the tour company for the suggestion! https://orphanagelafortunacr.
TUBING TOUR
Go Adventure was also contracted for this fun experience. We were on the river for about 45 minutes or so. The water was pretty shallow, you could definitely stand in it without a problem and we were each in our own tube. My daughter and I and a group of 6 from Maine were the only people on the tour. We wore masks whenever we were not in the water. Also the open air vehicle was very spacious so we weren’t really near anyone.
They had at least 5 crew members there for us: receptionist, driver, 2 guides, photographer. We made sure to show them our appreciation and gratitude.
This tour also included a little presentation by the Maleku man and another woman this time. It is presumed that some people don’t do more than 1 tour with this excursion company so they get to have this cool cultural experience.
The tour company had their own photographer on the excursions and a photo package for your group was only $20. He also took short videos and mailed us a link within 24 hours to download our memories. This was a great deal and we made sure to tip him for the wonderful service!
Our stay was divided into 2 parts. The first part was near La Fortuna in the North by the Arenal volcano and lake and the second half was in Manuel Antonio, in the South by the beach, for two completely different but magnificent vibes! The drive from the first hotel to the second hotel took around 5 hours and because we doubled up on excursions on Sunday (because we did nothing but rest and relax on Saturday) it means that we left later in the afternoon and since sunset was around 5:30pm, once again we had to drive in the dark streets. This time however, we did all the mountain-side driving in the daylight (thank goodness) and the flat, coastal driving was at night. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see the beautiful ocean view because it was so dark but we had to make sacrifices in order to observe the Sabbath and I didn’t want to miss out on doing fun activities, so this was our compromise and my choice. I am happy with the way that everything worked out. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
We did have to drive 3 hours to the airport on our way back home but the drive was pretty easy compared to the other 2 drives which had high elevations and colorful terrain shall we call it. LOL.
HOTEL 2 Si Como No Wildlife Refuge Resort
This hotel was absolutely fabulous and had all the trimmings (I was very glad that we came here second and not first)! The room was huge. I’d call it a suite. We had a wonderful view of the ocean from our room and balcony. We got lucky and our room was adjacent to the lobby and by our car, a really great and convenient location. The room had a phone, laundry service, ironing board (not that I iron), refrigerator, and even a sturdy umbrella! Their restaurant was open for all meals and even did room service (for the food). The shower had a lovely underwater scene stained glass window. The bathroom window had a screen! The room service was daily and we enjoyed the pampering of having our beds made, complete with towel sculptures—such a nice touch!
There is a complimentary butterfly garden across the street (which unfortunately looked very depleted, like some tourists may have stolen the exhibits inside the museum). Getting there involved a nice little nature hike (just a few minutes).
They have a movie theater where we saw a private screening of the movie of our choice, Mulan.
The complimentary breakfast options were like gourmet dining paired with fresh exotic juices and again a gorgeous view. 5 white-faced monkeys came to the open balcony style restaurant while we were eating breakfast on our first morning there and provided a show for us. One of them stole the container full of sugar packets and was eating them over our heads on the glass roof. These playful sugar addicted thieves were like celebrities and we watched them make their escape, jumping into the nearby trees and disappearing into the thick of the wilderness. It was delightful and unforgettable! LOL. What a thrill.
The hotel had an adult and a kid’s swimming pool. The kid’s pool had a really fun and very fast
slide which both of us loved (really fun), little waterfall and shallow area for
little kids as well as stools that connected to the bar of the restaurant so
you could order from the bar while sitting in the pool, which we did! I ordered
a virgin strawberry daiquiri for my daughter which she really liked. In general, we had really good food during
the entire trip. The bartender spoiled
us with strawberry infused water while we were at the pool. I think because the number of travelers is so
low due to the pandemic, they made an extra effort to be even more attentive to
us because they rely on tips to supplement their income. I was very mindful of
this, more than ever, and made an effort to be more generous than usual. So make sure to put tips in your travel budget!
Unfortunately neither of the two jacuzzis were in service. But I LOVED the music that they played at the pool bar, all my favorite salsa, bachata, and merengue and the bartender/DJ even took my request. LOL. When we were at the pool, there was only 1 other family there with 2 girls so it was pretty quiet and we saw an iguana tanning on the sun deck. I highly recommend this resort!
WEATHER
The weather in Manuel Antonio (location of the second hotel) was sunny and pleasant, whereas, during the first part of our trip (and I think it is characteristic of the location we were in) it was more overcast, on/off light rain and not as much sun and clear skies as the second part of our trip. In fact, you could rarely see the peak of the volcano because it was usually covered by clouds. It was just an interesting contrast to observe the weather differences in the 2 locations. Definitely bring a light raincoat or umbrella if you go. I had a long sleeve zipper up rash guard type of top that I ended up making good use out of. Also having light long sleeves is good to limit skin exposure for bug bites.
OTHER NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
There was a zip-line (roller) coaster very close to our hotel for only $12 that looked very fun with an option to sit or be suspended in a standing position for the ride, but unfortunately it was closed (probably due to the pandemic). We would’ve done it otherwise.
El Avion (Airplane restaurant) located inside Hotel Casa Verde is a must see. We were actually supposed to stay at this hotel but we upgraded to our hotel. This restaurant has a lovely view of the Pacific Ocean but the really unique thing about it is that you can eat inside Ollie North’s Iran Contra C-123 which is a huge airplane. It’s very cool and the hotel grounds are quite special. Highly recommended!
Ronny’s Place is a restaurant located off of the beaten path (almost hidden) and we never would have known about it had it not been recommended to us by our friendly local tour guide! It was a beautiful place to catch the sunset and dinner. They served me a pina colada inside a gutted pineapple which was as delicious as it was beautiful. Good thing a lady at a nearby table had one or I likely would not have ordered it! This is the place that I mentioned we had to drive off road (on little rocks) to get to. Highly recommended!
KAYAK TOUR
Iguana tours offers an early morning or early evening mangrove tour (depending on high tide times). Since I am not a morning person (except when on vacation LOL) I opted for the late tour, not realizing that it would be pitch dark! This outfitter picked us up from our hotel, unlike the others that we drove to the meeting location or office. During the dark drive, I was having second thoughts and wanted to cancel the tour because I was a little scared! Good thing I conquered my fear and went through with it because it was amazing and magical!
When we got to the launching site, I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the blissfully intoxicating aroma of the Ylang Ylang trees. This was a familiar smell to me because in my childhood home, we had a gardenia bush and the flowers smell very similar (unlike the ylang ylang essential oil smell which I don’t really care for). The smell was calming and just heavenly. They gave us some nice local refreshments before we launched (drinks, fruit, cookies) and then we received a life vest and our equipment.
It was just the guide, my daughter and I so we got lots of personalized attention. Our guide took pictures on his phone and sent them to us right afterwards. He was very nice and friendly and taught us about the area we were in and the wildlife found there. We wore flashlights that strapped to our heads so we could spot birds, bats, frogs, a snake, raccoons, an iguana, crabs, and of course lots of bugs as we glided effortlessly over the waters. One of the most beautiful things was the countless stars that were so bright on this clear night that we could even see a few constellations, and I’m not even good with constellations. We also got an additional unexpected surprise that our tour included dinner afterwards. Yay! LOL. They wanted to give us chicken but because we keep kosher, I asked for a vegetarian meal so they gave us salad, rice/beans, plantains and cooked veggies. It was very good and much appreciated.
CATAMARAN TOUR --> BOATING MANGROVE NATURE TOUR
My daughter and I were the only ones signed up for the catamaran tour and because fuel is expensive, they had to cancel it. They were very accommodating, however, and we ended up taking a boat tour in the bay (instead of the ocean) on a smaller vessel with a captain and a nature guide. This private tour also included snacks and breakfast. We had a lovely time and were able to cover much more grounds than in the kayak since we were in a motorized boat. We spotted lots of different wildlife including anteaters, flying fish, birds, iguana, monkeys and more.
TABACON
This was the only excursion that I booked directly myself and we did not utilize the travel agency to secure. I had been there in 2006 when I worked on a cruise ship, and I was excited to bring my daughter there. It was actually the thing I was most looking forward to on this trip and it was the biggest disappointment. I booked it in advance to secure our tickets. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we could not come on the scheduled day and I wanted to reschedule for another day. When I arrived the following day, they would not honor our tickets. The prices are astronomical. They charged me $170 for 2 people with a meal and would not refund or reschedule. I was so upset by this matter that I am currently disputing it with my credit card company. It’s not like they were at capacity. They could accommodate 30 people and we toured the property and saw only 3 people in the hot springs! There were only 2 other groups of 2 or 3 people walking around the grounds and only one couple eating in the very large restaurant. They could have easily granted us access but they denied us entry and asked me to pay again! This is unconscionable. I know these are hard times but it doesn’t give you the right to rip people off. There are plenty of other hot springs in the area, and even a FREE hot spring down the road (walking distance). Had I not paid in advance, I could have just paid to enter when I got there and not lost my money. As of the time I am writing this blog, 3 weeks after our trip, I am waiting to hear back from my credit card company as to the outcome of the dispute. I did not cancel my reservation, I only needed to change the date and they did not say anything about rescheduling in their cancellation policy. I would highly recommend boycotting this place at all costs! The customer service was deplorable!
SUMMARY
Overall everything about our trip was well coordinated, well planned, and beautifully executed from start to finish. The only bad experience we had was not through the tour agency. All the staff were friendly and we had a really great time! Thank you to everyone involved in the experience!
PURA VIDA!!!
