I'm the person who contemplated cancelling my May trip a few weeks back. We decided to press forward and I've had nothing but frustrating responses (or lack thereof) from hotels in CR since we decided to press forward.

Examples: I tried calling Orquideas Inn in Alajuela to make my reservation, and they requested I fill out a form online. They also said they were happy to arrange a rental car - just put my info in the message block and they'd get back to me. It's been over 48 hours with no response about rental cars or my room - is that normal? They have my CC info.

Also, no response from BdC when writing to inquire if my late deposit will be accepted.

I've also had very little response from places near Arenal after weeks of trying to email 5 different places (Silencio Del Campo is the only place that bothered to respond and thus will likely get my business).

Now, all I hear time and time again is how nice Ticos are, but I'm working on major frustration here. I'm an experienced Caribbean traveler, so I'm familiar (and patient) with all manner of "island time." However, I can always get hotels to accept my darn reservations!

Perhaps needless to say, when visiting a country where you don't speak the language and are nervous about moving around a lot during the trip, these lack of responses don't bode well for boosting my confidence about my decision to stick this through.

Is this indicative of customer service in CR or have I had a particuarly nasty run of bad luck? I realise I'm complaining right now, but I've been trying to get these details hammered down for weeks and I'm about ready to throw in the towel.

Welcome to my world!

I have been doing business for sixteen years in Costa Rica. I still have to follow up with numerous phone calls and faxes to get reservations for my clients fully confirmed. Even with suppliers that I have a good relationship with. Although, I have never had that much difficulty with the properties you mention.

It just takes a lot of persistence. Also if they are sold out for the time period you are requesting, they sometimes just don't respond. Guess they don't want to give you bad news.

Just keep trying. Sometimes faxes are better than Emails.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

i just returned from my 4th trip to CR. My advice would be to call....i have found that emails often receive a slower response....(but you will get a response...and if you don't, send it again...)sometimes they don't get the emails...i had this problem in maunuel. we did alot of calliing after our initial emails we sent. Bosque was much easier to deal with by phone. you do have to fill out the forms online or by fax to confirm reservations. after seeing where Bosque's office is in Puerto Jimenez, one can understand why email may be slow. be patient, the responses will come...
i have also been to many places in the caribbean....it is different...and i know what you mean about "island time". there is a pride in CR...almost an aloofness...a laissez faire attitude at times....my friends that travelled with us asked me about this when in playa tortuga....have no worries....you will also meet some very warm and friendly people....the staff at bosque couln't be nicer and more outgoing!

alw, I'd say it's fairly normal. I've been having the same experience with the Peace Lodge. I e-mailed them inquiring about certain dates and did not hear back after 2 days. I e-mailed them again. I faxed them information and asked them to e-mail me a confirmation; I waited a week without hearing anything, and then e-mailed them again, and they said they never got my fax.

Then just trying to send faxes; they won't go through, won't go through, won't go through, and then ta-da! for some reason they go through. We've found the customer service within the country to be good, but just getting things reserved is often frustrating. Sometimes it's easier if you're dealing with an American-owned hotel; Lost Iguana got back to me immediately the same day. I always ask each hotel to e-mail me a confirmation so I have something definite in writing. Be persistent, and tell them you need an answer one way or the other. I'll say "I e-mailed you on this date and have not heard anything. Could you please respond to me and let me know the next step?" They have all always gotten back to me. Good luck!

Be sure to check your spam file for e-mails.

MY

It's pretty normal, I wouldn't get frustrated or consider it how their customer service is. I've sometimes got same day replies from places like BdC or Orquideas Inn, sometimes have waited a couple days. It took me about 6 e-mails and 3 phone calls to Don Carlos to book a room for my dad but eventually it was settled. You can always, after 2-3 days, just send a follow up email to ask if they have received your email, just a little nudge never hurts. Often I just call to take care of things a little faster, email in CR doesn't get the expediency we have come to expect here in the US.

http://www.anywherecostarica.com/

This company and others work as reservations offices within the country. They are efficient and proficient and they make all the hassling phone calls for you. I have actually run into tourists in Arenal that have booked with this company and they received transport right from the airport to their hotel, no worries, and they were happy.

Good Luck, Costa Ricans are just learning what it is like to do business, they are still trying to catch up.

My advice: If your talking about a reservation more than a month away have some patience. Give them 2 or 3 days to respond. Most CR hotels are extremely small and don't have a huge reservation staff. It's usually the owners themselves that are bouncing around taking care of guests that are already there and trying to handle reservations. Most of the staff there,I have found, don't speak English. There is maybe only one or two people that can take reservations in English. The internet service is VERY SLOW there and depending on the area, it just goes down sometimes. DO check your spam folder. If it's been 2 or 3 days e-mail again. If your stay is approaching and it's urgent,then call. If your getting no response at all, the hotel is probably full. They answer people first that they have availability for. That's my experience anyway.

If you really want to get ahold of someone, it's much easier to call them instead of sitting there stewing as you sit there looking at your email inbox and waiting. A little person to person contact goes a long way...even if they tell you to then send by email at least they'll be looking for it to arrive.

If it helps at all...Silencio is a wonderful place in Arenal so I do hope you end up staying with them! Indeed, sounds like you've had a run of bad luck on the communication end though. I'm sure once everything's confirmed you will be able to relax and have a wonderful trip.

alw 1977,
you can try to book with Arenal.net all hotels,they will charge credit card and will respond quickly to your e-mail.Hope this will help.

At the risk of sounding too "CR can do no wrong" (knowing that most of you know I'm a big fan based on what I've known of the people and the country), we simply have never had this experience in any consistent way. Perhaps once in a great while, but nothing that stands out in my memory of MANY inquiries. So sorry to hear of your trouble.

Hang in there; you are sounding so doubtful, and I understand your frustration. Once you get things booked, try to separate these difficulties from your vacation experience. I think you will be more than pleasantly surprised!

Good luck!

Alright, what a difference a day makes. I heard back from both BdC and Orquideas within 24 hours after posting this email. Feeling a bit better about things.

Now, if I could only choose between Silencio Del Campo and Arenal Observatory Lodge for our Arenal stay.

alw, maybe they read your post! I often wonder if they peek in here to see what we say about them.

volcanogirl,
i think they do "peek" to see what is said i spoke to sarah at villa de las aves about a post on here re: her place and she emailed me to find out where the posts were b/c she hadn't seen them (we ate there while in playa tortuga by the way...GREAT restaurant! it's near ballena reserve)