megffighter

Hello,
I am planning my honeymoon to CR from Dec 1-Dec 14th 2003. We have a pretty detailed iten. already but have heard that it is easier (and less stressful) to use a tour company than try to book everything yourself and opt for the self-drive option. We would like to use a tour company that is well established with a great reputation, that will get us everywhere we want to go and is not too expensive. Any ideas?

We have seriously looked into Costa Rica Expeditions but they will not book us at Tabacon in Arenal or for any canopy tours in Monteverde (or anywhere) due to the fact they feel these places are "unsafe."

Otherwise they (CRE) seemed perfect. These places/activities are two of the things we are most excited about, we dont want to cut them out so...we are now looking for another respectable tour company.

Please help! We also have a couple other odd questions about vacationing to CR, these will follow in subsequent postings.

Thank you ahead of time if anyone can help!
Megan

becky789

I am also interested in company's that offer packages to Costa Rica that include visits to Arenal Volcano and eco-tours. Not interested in a "beach" vacation. Reasonable price is also a big plus.

Suzie2

CRE is an excellent company. They do have strong opinions about areas around Arenal for safety reasons. There was a problem a few years ago where a guide was killed while saving a mother and child. One of them was killed also I think. Tabacon Spa, if I remember correctly, is in the governments warning area which is why CRE won't book there. Did CRE say they wouldn't book you at the Tabacon Hotel? Or was it just the Spa area that they wouldn't take you? The Spa and Hotel are not in the same exact spot and CRE used to book at the hotel but not the spa. Confusing. You could possibly think of staying someplace like Arenal Paraiso or Montana de Fuego which are convenient to all of the tours but on the "safe" side of the street.

My advice, if you still want to use CRE, is to have them just take care of the main transportation between hotels, and the hotel reservations. Once at the hotels, you can then make your own arrangements for tours. Sunset tours in Fortuna is supposed to be very good. When in Monteverde just take a taxi on your own to do the canopy tours.

Another thing to ask them if you are still having problems and really really want to stay at Tabacon. We once wanted to stay at a hotel that they would not book for us. We booked the hotel ourselves and had them drop us off there and then pick us up a few days later when we were ready to move on. It might take some creativity but you can have Tabacon and CRE at the same time.

Leslee

Hi,
I'm tagging on here. Congrats on your honeymoon Megan. We too were planning on staying at Tabacon, but unsure now... Suzie, or whoever, where would you recommend to stay in this area? It seems Arenal Paraiso is a good option. There seems to be a problem with Tabacon's website, but we got news from another website that their "deluxe" rooms (our preference) are not available during our visit. So... next option might be....? Thanks for any suggestions,
Leslee

karenf

Regarding Arenal. Last year we stayed at Montana de Fuego. It has excellent views of the volcano. We had a cute cabin with its own front porch and tables and chairs that seemed like it was right across the street from the volcano. There was a nice pool with bar,etc., and they do run a shuttle to the hot springs. ( We had a car so did not use it.) Price included a very good buffet breakfast.Friendly staff, also did laundry very reasonably.

JoBurritt

This may be old news, but I haven't read anything about it, so I'm hoping I'm not telling you all something everyone already knows. A friend of mine just returned from her Costa Rican honeymoon and stayed at Tabacon for part of the time. When I told her we were planning to stay at Arenal Paraiso and go over to the hot springs at Tabacon one day, she mentioned that they stayed at Tabacon because they allow those who stay there to enter the hot springs 2 hours before people who don't stay there. She said that those 2 hours were the only time of day during her stay that the hot springs weren't mobbed. I checked Tabacon's website to see if there was any mention of this and couldn't find anything. Has anyone else heard of this?

This also brings me to a question. I was looking at Arenal Paraiso for several reasons, including the volcano views and the safety factor, but am now rethinking my plans because of this 2-hour thing. Do Tabacon rooms have views of the volcano?

CarolM

Megan, I used Costa Rica Experts as my tour company to book my trip last year and they were great; very helpful. Their site is: www.crexpert.com

They booked a custom itinerary for us and took care of all the details (you can do self-drive or get them to arrange for private transfers, which is what we did). We did Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, Arenal. You should check them out... I highly recommend their services. All our hotels were great, all our transfers were reliable and on-time, and they had good advice. Like Suzie recommends, use your tour company to book the "big stuff" (flight if you like, hotels, transportation), then arrange daily activities on your own. Most hotel front desks can help you book a wide range of activites for you once you get there.

I booked directly with Original Canopy Tours in Monteverde, online. It was simple. www.canopytour.com/monteverde.html Have fun!

SFRIEDMAN

I just returned from CR and we took 2 day trips, one to Arenal and Tabacon hot springs and the other to Rincon. We used TAM tours booked at our hotel and they were great!!! The tour guides were excellent and they offer many different options to fit your time frame. Tabacon Hot Springs is a must, especially for honeymooners it is the ultimate paradise!!! Good luck and enjoy!!