We'll being leaving MA to go to SJO. How far is Caffe Britt from there? I read they only have an 11:00 tour there in the green season. How early would we have to leave to catch the tour? Also, are there any charming villages we could explore after the tour and before we check into our hotel? We leave the next morning.

Not sure if this will link right but there have been some not-so-good reviews of the tour: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...amp;searchText

It doesn't sound really worth it to get up at the crack of dawn to get to. Around SJO you can visit Grecia or Sarchi, among others.

Thank you so much! I think we will skip it and figure our something else. Any suggestions?

misha, I don't recall - where are you staying in or near SJ? I only ask because you may find the hotel property enough to keep you busy after a busy trip.

I agree with Tully, to possibly drive through Sarchi and Grecia, leisurely exploring some of the small towns.

For coffee - Doka Coffee Plantation is on the road up to Poas, no more than 45 mins north of Alajuela. They do regular tours, but also arrange private tours in the afternoon. It is more of an informative tour on the growing, harvesting and processing coffee. Doka brand coffees are very good and cannot be found in the grocery stores.

Thanks for that information. We'll be staying at the Orquiedas (if I get a confirmation from them.) I'll look into Doka. Someone else also mentioned a family coffee coop tour that Luis at the Orquiedas helped people with. Does anyone know more about this?

Orquideas is very close to Doka!

Family Farm coffee tour - I believe it was Jessie that took the tour with Luis. Luis is a guide/driver for Wady Tours, which is also located at Orquideas.

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Orquideas was slow to respond to me as well. However, after a couple of follow ups, I always got my reply. I do recall they were having a tough time with Internet Service. And Lisa in MA recently reported some problems with their ISP. Keep trying.