staci1

We just got back from an amazing trip to Costa Rica. I usually plan all of my trips and itineraries, but this time, I decided to get some help. I can't say enough good things about Pat Hewitt and his company at Costa Rica Travel Exchange. All of our drivers were punctual and very friendly. They went out of their way to make us feel at home. All four of the hotels we stayed at were top notch and the tours that were arranged for us were very enjoyable. Pat is very friendly and knowledgeable. He listened to everything we were looking for in our vacation and recommended three awesome places. We flew into San Jose and drove to Monteverde, then to the Arenal Volcano area, and finally to Tortuguero. We were able to see three different ecosystems in a week. We also saw sloths, spider monkeys, white faced monkeys, howler monkeys, hummingbirds, caimans, crocodiles, morpho butterflies, toucans, two quetzal birds, and a sea turtle laying her eggs. Pat was always there to answer phone calls and e-mails anytime I had a question and the price of the trip was very reasonable! We were very happy with our trip and would recommend Costa Rica Travel Exchange to anyone planning to travel to Costa Rica.

MichelleY

Thanks! Please give a more detailed report: where you stayed, ate, had fun etc.

volcanogirl

That's great. Glad you were able to use Pat; he has an excellent reputation on the boards. What hotels did you stay in?

staci1

Yes, I know what you mean about saving....we start in the fall for our summer, but I can almost guarantee that using Pat's expertise will save you a lot of money! My husband and I are both teachers, so we don't have lots of extra money, but we were able to have an amazing trip at a very fair price. So now for the details (sorry, this is my first attempt on the forum)

Day 1: We flew in to San Jose where a rep. from Coach Costa Rica picked us up and drove us to Monteverde. We stayed at Hotel Poco a Poco. The hotel was very nice, the food was great, and the hotel staff was extremely friendly. That night, we went on a night hike that the hotel recommended-I think it was called Salvatore..but not sure.

Day 2: Went on a guided hike of Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve with Desafio Tours. In the afternoon, we went to El Trapiche tour, a coffee, chocolate, sugar cane tour. I highly recommend this tour! It was one of our favorites. Besides the usual tour, we got to ride in an oxcart, make our own candy, and visit the owner's home for a snack.

Day 3: A driver picked us up and took us to Hotel Lomas del Volcan in the Arenal Volcano area. This hotel was beautiful. It was right at the base of the volcano (in the safe zone). We had clear views of the volcano at different times of day. The hotel had many hummingbirds and when we woke up in the morning and went on the back patio, we saw trees filled with toucans! After settling in, we went on a guided Arenal Hanging Suspension Bridge Hike with Desafio tours. It was very beautiful. I do want to note that the drive from Monteverde to Arenal was extremely bumpy with twisting roads. I get very car sick, so of course, I had to ask the driver to pull over 4 times and got sick on the side of the road! If you have motion sickness issues, I suggest taking Dramamine and sitting up front.

Day 4: We went on an early Arenal Volcano National Park Hike with Desafio tours. It was fun to climb the lava flows. Later, we went to The Springs Resort and Spa (on a day pass) to soak in the hot springs. There are also other activities that are available there, including the Big Cat Sanctuary Tour. This resort is where one of the seasons of the Bachelor was filmed and Will Smith stayed for a month when filming After Earth.

Day 5: A rep. from Coach Costa Rica picked us up at 5:00 a.m. (our alarm didn't go off and we woke up at 5:00 a.m.) to meet the people from Mawamba Lodge at a restaurant called Rio Danta. We then went to the boat dock to tour the Tortuguero Canals to travel to the lodge. This was a beautiful ride. It was like the Jungle ride at Magic Kingdom but for real! We stayed at the Mawamba Lodge which was very nice, but they don't have air conditioning. We found out that none of the hotels have air in Tortuguero. We went on a night walk on premises. They also have a butterfly garden and frog area with poison dart frogs.

Day 6-Day 7: Still at Mawamba Lodge. All the meals and most tours are included when you stay here. The food was buffet style and very good. We went on a Sea Turtle Walk on the beach and saw a turtle lay her eggs, cover the nest, and return to the water! It was an amazing experience! We went on boat tours through the Tortuguero canals and saw lots of monkeys and wildlife. We made our long journey back to San Jose and stayed at Holiday Inn Aurola.

Day 8: We flew home to Ft. Lauderdale on Jet Blue (about 3 hours)

staci1

Travel times and meals--The drive from San Jose to Monteverde was about 2.5 hrs. The drive from Monteverde to Arenal was about 3 hrs. The journey from Arenal to Tortuguero was around 5 hours combining the drive and boat but it was broken up with a stop at the Rio Dante restaurant. The trip from Tortuguero to San Jose was around 3 hours.

We ate most meals at the hotels. During our travel time, we stopped along the way to eat at the local sodas (small restaurants that the drivers suggested).

If anyone has any other questions/comments, please let me know. I am liking this forum thing!

SiteC_er

Pat's the man! He planned our trip and it went perfectly.

colibri

Sounds like a great way to spend your first trip to Costa Rica - hopefully you'll return again like so many of us! Thanks for sharing.

MVC

Our group of 5 just return from an eight day trip at Costa Rica. Many thanks to Pat Hewitt's advice and service to make this a memorable trip. He responses promptly via emails to questions we encounter during the trip. IT is a seamless, hassle free experience. We can't do it better without his service.