What an awesome trip... lifelong memories mad...
Costa Rica | May 25 - Jun 10, 2022

A
Abby S.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Jul 13, 2022

What an awesome trip... lifelong memories made!

The trip Olman planned way exceeded our expectations and he went above and beyond to accommodate our needs and requirements. Every single trip and transfer went smoothly, every hotel fitted our needs exactly and he planned a fun and fascinating variety of trips for our group (three adults and two young kids).

Hotel Tifakara was our favourite hotel overall - their beautiful gardens were bursting with wildlife! We saw toucans, a turtle, hummingbirds, dragonflies and so many frogs including of course the tree frogs, who we even found on our veranda. From there, we went on a hike around the Arenal volcano lava fields with Franklin, who told us so much about the plants and creatures that it took us 20 minutes to leave the car park! My budding David Attenborough son adored him and he even managed to time our hike to finish at the cafe exactly as the rain arrived!

We went in the May/June rainy season so did expect lots of rain... some days we were lucky, others not so. Our zip lining trip in Monteverde was disrupted by nearby lightning which meant we had to evacuate the course through the forest in the drenching rains. The guides were extremely professional and we felt absolutely safe throughout. We felt that it actually added to our experience with a properly adventurous jungle trek but if you don't fancy the extra adventure suggest zip lining earlier in the day before the rains come in.

We stayed in Espadilla Ocean Club villas in Manuel Antonio which was a lovely change from hotels and so close to the beach! The national park is beautiful and we saw two and three toes sloths, an anteater, howler and capuchin monkeys amongst many other things. It was a very easy trek, with water pipes along the way and a cafe too. Although it was busier than other places we visited, it didn't feel overcrowded.

From Manuel Antonio, Olman arranged an onward transfer to Sierpe as we had arranged a separate tour in Corcovado and then arranged our return trip to San Jose via a flight from Drake Bay.

I can't recommend Olman enough if you're planning a trip to Costa Rica. We'd approached several other travel agents and they just didn't seem to have the in depth local knowledge or flexibility required to put together a trip that suited our needs, wants and budgetary requirements so well. Thank you so much Olman!

Hotel Reviews
Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport
Alajuela

We only stayed here for one night, on arrival in Costa Rica so we were somewhat jet lagged. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and the breakfast buffet was incredible!

Authenticity & Character
Not very characterful, that that wasn't what we were looking for
Location
Very close to the airport
Staff
All friendly and welcoming
Cleanliness & Comfort
Spotless
Espadilla Ocean Club
Manuel Antonio

Beautifully designed, clean and comfortable. Lovely spot, very near the beach where you can hire loungers, get a massage etc. Cosy little private pool area where I wiled away a morning reading in the hammock and watching the capuchins eating mangos in the tree above. Note that breakfast is not included (we thought it was), but there is a supermarket nearby and the kitchen is fine but fairly basic.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
No one around who spoke English until the last day and no instructions (would be useful to have things like wifi passwords, local restaurant recommendations, etc). Cleaning/ caretaking staff we saw were great, however.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cloud Forest Lodge
Monteverde

Beautiful gardens. Loved seeing all the hummingbirds from the bar. Bungalows were clean and comfortable. The steak was incredible but the rest of the menu not so impressive.

Authenticity & Character
Very characterful
Location
Peaceful, great views.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Tifakara Boutique Hotel
La Fortuna

Great food, lovely rooms and pool area, incredible gardens. If you want to spot a tree frog, this is the place to go! Loved the hot tubs as I could relax in there while the kids played in the pool.

Authenticity & Character
Felt like a unique place to stay
Location
Peaceful, walking distance to La Fortuna waterfall and a short taxi ride to the town
Staff
All friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean and comfortable. Could do with more storage space in the rooms though.
Buena Vista Chic Hotel
Alajuela

Lovely hotel, great restaurant, friendly staff and they were very accommodating with our request for a late check out. It's up in the mountains so quite cool and the pool is unheated, plus we couldn't find anything to do within walking distance. This was supposed to be our pre-travel pool day so we altered our plans and went into San Jose instead. Entirely our fault as we asked to stay here but with hindsight, we'd have been better staying closer to San Jose or the airport

Authenticity & Character
Location
A little too far from the airport to be a transit hotel.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
San José - Arenal - Visit to La Paz Waterfall & Gardens
San José - Arenal - Visit to La Paz Waterfall & Gardens
Costa Rica

A great opportunity to see lots of the wildlife in captivity that we'd be seeing in the wild later on. All seemed ethical (rescue animals etc) and well kept.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs
El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs
Arenal/La Fortuna

Franklin was awesome and extremely knowledgable. I wish he'd come on all our trips as I felt like there was so much we were missing through lack of knowledge! The hot springs were amazing. Really clean and well designed. Start at the cooler end and enjoy a cocktail.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
They rearranged our hike time to avoid the rain - it was more awkward for them but a much better experience for us.
Transport
Rainforest Night Walk
Rainforest Night Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

Daniella worked very hard to spot all sorts of interesting creatures for us - we even saw some surprisingly active sloths in the trees.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Peñas Blancas River Floating Safari Adventure by Raft
Peñas Blancas River Floating Safari Adventure by Raft
Arenal/La Fortuna

Great experience, though we didn't spot quite as much wildlife as we'd hoped. The 'real' hot chocolate at the end was delicious!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining
Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining
Monteverde

Incredible zip lining over the forest canopy. The day started well but the rain set in half way around the course, followed by nearby lightning. We were separated from the rest of the group as we'd gone first and had to evacuate the course though the forest. The guides were very professional and we felt safe thoughout. They took great care of us and even lent their waterproofs to the kids (we were completely unprepared for a jungle trek in the rain!). I thought the kids (7 & 9) would have been frightened but they loved the adventure of it and it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole holiday!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
They snapped from laid back fun mode to emergency mode when we had to evacuate. Not only kept us safe but made us feel safe too.
Transport
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike
Costa Rica

Lovely park with lots of wildlife but busier than other areas so harder to see mobile wildlife

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Worked hard to spot larger wildlife for us. Would have been nice to have more explanation of the plants too.
Transport
Local specialist: Olman Romero
Olman
Olman Romero
Local specialist in San Jose, Costa Rica | Replied on Jul 13, 2022

Hello Abby,

I am so happy to know you have enjoyed an unforgettable trip to our country.
From the beginning, I knew you will have a terrific time in Costa Rica because of all the destinations you wanted to visit.

Thanks for your review of the activities and hotels.

Let's hope you can visit our country again in the future to continue discovering new attractions.

Pura Vida!
Olman