Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Mexico & Central America
Reload this Page >

Review - Costa Rica Private Guide and Driver - Leo Rodriguez

Review - Costa Rica Private Guide and Driver - Leo Rodriguez

Old Feb 12th, 2012, 11:07 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Review - Costa Rica Private Guide and Driver - Leo Rodriguez

Leonardo “Leo” Rodriguez – Private Tour Guide and Driver
Costa Rica Phone: (506) 8378-0001
Email: [email protected]

I was as nervous about the driving in Costa Rica as anything leading up to our recent trip. I know many people rent a car or use arranged transportation, but I strongly recommend using a private driver and tour guide as an alternative. After this trip I do not feel I will travel anywhere internationally without doing so.

I received Leonardo “Leo” Rodriguez’s name from Frommers forum and emailed him initially as only a driver. The prices that Leo charges for this service are in line with the many other options. The benefit of having Leo is not only that you can set your schedule however you want and stop for sights etc as often as you would like (these are the initial benefits that caused me to chose Leo). The real benefit is having a highly trained and unbelievable knowledgeable professional guide with you at all times. My main concern about having a private driver was that I am not an overly talkative person at times. I am not an introvert by any means, but I just often appreciate silence. I was worried that if I had a driver he would be talking non-stop on drives and then if we ate he would sit there talking and it would be awkward. Leo is outstanding as a conversationalist. He is not afraid to let there be silence in the car while driving and at the same time is eager to explain an exciting bird he just saw when you feel like talking, it is wonderful. Also we found that when we stopped for lunch to eat with Leo we would look forward to it as you would with a friend. Leo was an exceptional person with great manners and honest strong character.

Leo is also the master of the mid transfer activity. When he knew where we were going, you could see the gears turning as he came up with things to do in the middle to break up the drive and enrich your Costa Rica Experience. Many people we met and interacted with along the way (either rafting, zip-lining, or a standard hike) couldn’t believe that having a guide like Leo was even an option, and honestly when I first emailed him I couldn’t believe it either. My only true regret of the trip is that we did not use Leo for all tours. Being “responsible” I diversified my tour providers so I could be sure I wouldn’t have all of them with someone I didn’t like. All I did was guarantee I would have at least some with which I would be less happy. I actually canceled many of my previously scheduled independent tours to switch to Leo once I arrived and rode with Leo for a couple of days, but we had scheduled the all day tour combo with one company in La Fortuna and couldn’t cancel. They did an excellent job, but going from 4 days of just having my wife and I with Leo to having to squeeze into a van with 6 other tourists a driver and a guide (10 in all) was a huge difference. We found ourselves throughout the day (as we were sitting on strangers laps in the van) saying to each other how much we missed Leo. Having a private guide is also a huge benefit to learning about the area. I feel like a professional Costa Rica guide myself now because Leo had such thorough answers to our questions. Occasionally if he were with us on a different tour and other tourists asked their guides questions that they did not know the answer to, Leo would wait until we got back to the van and answer ALL of the questions that the other guides didn’t know. Leo knows everything about Costa Rica! People, history, wildlife, plants, geography, etc! He never failed to amaze us!! Leo is also amazing at spotting wildlife. We would tell him specific things we wanted to see on a given day and he would find them… I don’t know how he did it, but he does. If you chose to go with him ask him to make his eagle sounds to the sloths, it was the highlight of our trip.

Leo’s passion for Costa Rica is contagious and I will return in the future. When I do or if my family decides to go what I recommend they do will be to contact Leo initially and tell him when and where we want to go and have him advise from there. He knows where the best zip-lines, tours, rafting, beaches, surfing, diving, and hotels in the country are and given how wonderful of a job he did arranging all of this into my fixed hotel schedule, he could do wonders with a blank slate. He always asked us about hotels we stayed at and you could see him compiling his own rankings in his mind. Most problems we pointed out he was able to describe in detail later since he had heard them all before. We were very fortunate with our hotel selection, but having Leo’s input prior to our next trip will insure the trip of our lives. My wife and I were in Costa Rica for our 10-year anniversary for a first week-long trip without the kids in 5 years. It is funny to say that by Saturday, as expected we were ready to say goodbye to Costa Rica for the time being so we could see our kids, but saying goodbye to Leo was like saying goodbye to a friend and was actually one of the harder parts of leaving. I have no connection to Leo other than his turning our good Costa Rica trip into the best trip possible, but I have told him he can use me as a reference to anyone needed. If you would like any other information please ask him for my info and I would be happy to provide honest opinions. My name is Chad Matthews and my wife and I traveled with Leo the first week in February in 2012. Also one thing my wife kept commenting on is how safe she felt with him. I personally would feel safe if she needed a ride alone from him, and I know she felt the same she told several women while we were there about him and advised they use him for that reason as well.
Chad_Matthews is offline  
Old Feb 13th, 2012, 05:27 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Chad, We know exactly how you feel but in our case we would insert Wilson Rojas' name. And another poster had a great experience with Danny Jimenez. The way you feel about Leo is exactly the experience we had with Wilson.
It is because of these kind of great ambassadors to Costa Rica that we return year after year and now have a home here.
The joy they have in sharing their country & nature is contagious. It sounds like Leo now has you as a friend for life( a very valuable thing)
We look forward to reading your post the NEXT time you & the FAMILY come to Costa Rica. Pura Vida
1bhcrashman is offline  
Old Feb 13th, 2012, 06:33 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,085
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We thoroughly enjoyed our time w/ Leo, too, even though we just used him for transfers. Don Carlos is his alternate driver if Leo's booked and he's excellent also.
colibri is offline  
Old Feb 25th, 2012, 04:45 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We will be traveling there in July and might need a driver. Can you forward me his contact info?

Thanks
dodo5000 is offline  
Old Oct 26th, 2012, 07:25 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Chad,

I will be traveling to Costa Rica this spring with my husband and four teenagers. So many private drivers get great reviews that I am having a difficult time deciding who to hire. Do you think Leo would be good with teenagers (three are 16 and one is 14)? My kids are pretty easy going, but I am hoping to make this trip a little extra interesting by hiring the right driver/guide. Also - does Leo have a pretty clear, louder voice? My husband has a hard time hearing people who speak softly or have very heavy accents. He loves to ask questions and listen to what guides have to say so I want to pick the driver who has the clearest speech to make it best for him. Your review was very informative, but makes my decision even more difficult!

Thank you.
Lisabu is offline  
Old Oct 26th, 2012, 08:55 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Chad has only posted here once, so you may not hear anything back from him.
volcanogirl is offline  
Old Nov 5th, 2015, 06:00 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Lisabu,

We used Leo just a little over a month ago. It was probably the best decision we could have made regarding our Costa Rica trip. He provided some really good insight as to some places to go to (and restaraunts to eat at). We spent a few days in Fortuna and a few days in Tamarindo. He took us anywhere and everywhere and was awesome. Even as we were driving he would point out wildlife that we didn't even notice. I don't know if there is a better driver/guide you could hire. My advice is to talk with whomever you are looking to hire to make sure you feel comfortable with them. Leo's email is: [email protected]
landofand is offline  
Old Nov 5th, 2015, 10:04 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 24,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Lisa took her trip about three years ago, so hopefully she's already back.
volcanogirl is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
danmeds12
Mexico & Central America
0
Feb 12th, 2012 07:07 PM
ron1086
Mexico & Central America
18
Jan 1st, 2011 11:16 AM
catknoch
Mexico & Central America
8
Apr 17th, 2007 06:33 PM
Samstorm
Mexico & Central America
5
Dec 14th, 2005 09:23 AM
sally17
Mexico & Central America
5
Nov 1st, 2005 03:53 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -