Sarah, December 2013

“We had a wonderful time on our trip.  All of the accommodations you booked were great!

Here is a quick rundown of our experience. The heat in Cahuita was a bit of a shock, coming from North Carolina in the winter. However, we cooled down and really enjoyed our stay. The black beach took a little getting used to for my 14 year old daughter, but, in the end, she said that Cahuita was her favorite place. We took the chocolate tour that was offered by the Surf Carribean soda. It took us to BriBri, where we had a great experience learning how the indigenous people of that area live, use plants for medicine and make chocolate. We also were taken to two waterfalls, where we swam, and to the iguana reserve. Our guide on the BriBri tour was really hard to understand, but very nice and accommodating.

We really enjoyed our time with Jose Pablo [guide]. At Sarapiqui, we loved the zip line tour. The guides were friendly and fun. Also, the whitewater rafting trip offered by the same company was really fun — best in the afternoon due to water levels. The Arenal Observatory Lodge was wonderful! We enjoyed hiking on the property and the pool and hot tub, in addition to the hot springs. Jose took us to one called Ecothermal, which was really nice and quiet and not crowded. We were lucky and Arenal was in full view.

In Monteverde, we liked the El Trapiche chocolate tour very much. The kids enjoyed the candy making and learning about coffee and chocolate. At the end, the guide’s mother prepared a delicious picadillo on homemade tortillas, which was delicious! Jose took us to 100% Aventura for the zip line and Tarzan swing. The kids loved it! This is the longest zip line tour and much more exciting than the one in Sarapiqui, however, the guides were not as engaging. The Tarzan swing is terrifying, but both my 9 and my 14 year old did it, as did I. We liked the Tree House restaurant very much.

On our last day with Jose, we took a river boat crocodile tour on our way to Alajuela, where we saw lots of crocodiles and many, many birds.