Take a look at some of our client reviews below and see what other people think of the work we’ve done. Don’t forget to check out YOUR pictures and videos at the PHOTO GALLERY and our VIDEO GALLERY
“We had a great time in Costa Rica! Everything was terrific and La Mansion was beautiful! The staff was very nice and helpful and the food was first class! The weather? Only sunny and high 80’s every day! The captain and first mate were terrific, they fed us and were very helpful. We really enjoyed the zip-line tour, ATVs, white water rafting, and jet skiing. We were always picked up on time and things could not have been any better organized.”
Bob Smouse from New York - February 2010
“Chris, thanks for everything. Most everything was as good as we expected or better. The facility and fishing boats were excellent and professional. We caught 11 sailfish, 11 mahi-mahi, 3 jacks, and 2 bonitos in three days. We saw, raised, and hooked lots more sails but they were not legal catches. Los Suenos is a beautiful resort. Having internet in the condo was great.”
Todd Kaplan from Florida - January 2010
“Hi Chris - the trip was fantastic. First of all, each item on the itinerary went off without a hitch which made for a stress free vacation. The Los Suenos Resort is spectacular and the condo itself was beautiful. Fishing was great. We caught a grand slam with 1 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, 3 sailfish, and 12 dorados the first day and five sails the second day. My family is in agreement that this was one of the best vacations we’ve ever had and we’ve been all over the world. Thanks again for your help.”
Jeff Gill from Florida - Dec 2009
“We absolutely loved our trip. The Kingfisher with Captain Rick & crew were so much fun. Not five minutes in and we had three bonitos hit at the exact same time. Then our son caught us dinner as always - a nice dorado. Then we all caught two sails each. It was a really great day. Capt. Rick is a great cook, he made us the best ceviche we’ve ever had and delicious sandwiches. The beer was ice cold so we were in heaven. The Hotel Punta Islita… wow, where do I even start? Amazing doesn’t cover it. What else can I tell you? Once again you have managed to give us a perfect vacation.”
Karen & Bob Townend from Texas - Dec 2009
“Chris - the trip came off exactly as you had planned it. It went smoothly from beginning to end. The hotels were beyond our expectations. Both La Mansion Inn and Peace Lodge had very large rooms with beautiful appointments. Both were very luxurious and were 4-5 stars by anyone’s standards. The employees were courteous and spoke English very well. The views of the ocean at La Mansion Inn were unbelievable and the tropical scenery at the Peace Lodge was equally spectacular. I would highly recommend both again.”
Randall Bigum from Florida - Dec 2009
“Wanted to let you know we had a fabulous time in Costa Rica. The resort was very nice and the fishing and tours you set up were terrific. We added a couple of things during our free time, went kayak fishing with Ralph again (he is awesome!) and went up the estuary in a boat. Feel free to use us as a reference in the future. You did a great job.”
Adam & Jennifer Hagenston from Missouri - Dec 2009
“What a week! I had an absolute blast my friend. The fishing was insane and definitely broadened my fishing horizons. Primo was a sensational guide whose knowledge and expertise definitely aided me in maximizing my ability to catch a multitude of new and exciting fish. I ended up hooking into 20 to 25 tarpon. Of those we boated seven, the biggest being about 150 lbs. We caught most of them sight-casting topwater poppers which was a tactic I was desperate to try. Watching those monsters come up and crush our lures was an experience I won’t soon forget. I also landed a 30 lb cobia, which was a real treat especially when the staff at Laguna Lodge cooked him up for me. The scenery was insanely beautiful and is something I will see when I close my eyes for many weeks to come. Overall Chris it was all that I expected and more. Thank you so much for all of your assistance in setting this vacation up for me. Ya’ll will be hearing from me next year for sure!”
Sam Thompson from Iowa - October 2009
“Still catching up but wanted to let you know the trip was really exceptional. The fishing was great on both sides. We boated 6 tarpon in a day and a half with several more hook-ups and spent the last half day enjoying the river fishing for snook and bass. The scenery was spectacular and we caught several fish. Primo was very good and hard working. Manatus Hotel is truly unique and a very special place. I know you are already aware of our dorado catch on the Pacific. I think we could have fed all of Tamarindo with the fish we caught. Also, the transportation was flawless. Our drivers were never late and always helpful. You often expect a few ’snags’ in a trip like this with all the travel and change of venues but there were none. Thanks for arranging a great adventure. We will gladly recommend your services (and already have) as well as use you for future trips. Best regards”
Scott Grandbouche & Dick Luedtke from Louisiana - October 2009
“I really enjoyed the trip; the condo was awesome and the people were very nice. I would like to thank you and the staff for everything and I will be going back. I had an awesome time. Captain Randy and his deck hands were great to be around and I will see them again. Thanks again and tell everyone involved thank you.”
Oscar Cortes & Tito Villarreal from Texas - September 2009
“Best trip ever, and we have been numerous places. 12 sailfish, 10 mahi mahi, and 4 yellow-fin tuna. Will send pictures and more details later. Thanks once again!!”
Dale Taska from Texas - June 2009
“The hubby caught 3 sails, I caught one. We both caught one roosterfish a piece. We caught more mahi-mahi than I can count! I know I caught two bull dolphins and the rest were female. The roosters were so much fun to wrestle with. We had a great time and the condo was beautiful and quiet. We are hoping to plan another trip next year with my cousin, his wife and daughter, and another couple and their kids - so 10 total I think. So of course we will need a bigger condo, but we definitely want to fish with Raphael, Freddie, and Josiah again. “
Kristie Stokes from Florida - June 2009
“Chris, The trip was excellent! As you know we were going on this trip for fishing and Costa Rica didn’t disappoint! Four sailfish, numerous huge Yellow Fin Tuna and Grouper galore. The amazing thing was we were able to catch all of this only 4-10 miles off shore. The Reserva Conchal was incredible. The condo was spacious and had a great porch overlooking the beautiful golf course, resort and ocean. We also enjoyed the personal transfers to each off resort location. The resort amenities were also was excellent and if you have the opportunity eat at the “Beach Club” the food and service is a 10! Thanks again for putting this together and I would recommend your services to any one and already have recommended to a few friends.”
Greg Griffin from South Carolina - May 2009
“I just wanted to say THANK YOU. Our group had a great time in Costa Rica fishing this last week. We caught and released a total of 69 sailfish, 1 marlin, 2 roosterfish and kept 6 yellowfin tuna and 3 dorado. We had no problems while there and your people were very helpful when we needed any info or anything else. The lady who met us at the airport and took us through customs and immigration was a great help as well. Thanks again“
Phillip Arnold from New Mexico - April 2009
“Thought you would like to see the roster, needless to say we did some real fishing! Tony caught a dorado - we at that for two days. We also caught a roosterfish and lots of red spotted snapper. We ate six of those. We also landed 15 sailfish. I landed two by myself. Weight about 130 lbs with no back pain!! The temp was about 100 degrees but the pool at teh beach club was great. The condo was huge. Had coffe on the veranda each day! All is well and we had a wonderufl vacation. Will try to get the sailfish pics to you but I do procrastinate. Many thanks.“
Helen Kuruc & Tony Kacznarczyk from New Jersey - April 2009
“Chris - Off the chart fun!! I am trying to get back around X-mas as well as a guys trip. The fishing was out standing! On our day out we got 6 very large pacific sails, we mounted one of them, and I capped it off with a 400 lb marlin! Great fun had by all. When we come back I will definitely be contacting you and we will for sure want the Spanish Fly again. Captain Dan was one of the best I have seen and the crew was outstanding. My wife and kids had a blast!“
Charlie Bolton from Georgia - April 2009
“We really loved Club Del Mar and found they had another room open so we decided to go back there to finish our trip. We absolutely loved that place as there was no one on the the beach near the hotel and it was very quiet, but still close enough to grocery stores, etc. We spent little time in Jaco. We spent quite a bit of time in Los Suenos which we loved and would like to maybe checkout for a couple nights on a future trip. I’m sure this doesn’t come as a big surprise, but I could live there.“
Brian Burns from Ohio - March 2009 - HALL OF FAME
“Chris - We were very lucky fishing. We caught 14 sails, 1 marlin, and 2 tuna in 2 days. We were very happy with the captain and the mate. Overall the vacation was great. I’m thinking of going back after Thanksgiving with my sons to do some fishing.“
Daniel Miller from New Jersey - March 2009
“Dear Chris - I must say when I first contacted you I was uncertain about using an agency we knew so little about. However, I liked that you included your photo when you first emailed me and I liked how attentive your company was to our needs. I spent weeks trying to plan this vacation myself and I am so glad I didn’t. I have to hand it to you, you picked all the right hotels, great transportation and great tour guides. The document you sent with step by step instructions on what would happen when we arrived made us feel more comfortable since it was our first trip out of the country. Everything went smooth and seeing at least 50 people standing outside the airport trying to arrange a ride also reassured me that we did the right thing by booking with you. Also once we saw how folks drive in San Jose I was even more grateful we had drivers for everything.
The trip to the Silver King Lodge was incredible, the food was amazing and we caught lots of fish. Our guide’s name was Clifford and I can’t say enough about him, he was terrific. His advice on landing tarpon was invaluable. When we talked to the on-site manager, Brent, he said the average ratio is 1 in 7 fish are landed but with Clifford’s help we only lost one BIG tarpon. I hooked one that was over 200 lbs. We saw him jump twice then he headed for the ocean. Due to the rough water we couldn’t go after him, just bad luck. We landed 2 Jack, 2 barracuda, 1 cubera snapper, 3 tarpon ranging 80-130 lbs. I really understood the value of Clifford’s advice on the last day when we saw other boats near us (from other resorts) lose 4 medium sized tarpon (around 60-80 lbs). We really appreciated the above and beyond service they provide! I truly hope to go back there some day soon!!! “
Christy & Allen Hyre from Maryland - Feb 2009 - HALL OF FAME
“Hey Chris - We had a fantastic time and I can’t thank you enough. You and the staff at Stay In Costa Rica were some of the most courteous and professional I’ve ever dealt with. I have lot’s of pictures that I will be sending to you in the near future and I would be happy to give a testimonial. We now consider our fishing crew personal friends and would love to fish with them again. In addition, I’ve already referred your service to many friends and you should hear from them soon, as well as a group that would like you to contact them now. Thank you again!“
Justin Linquist from California - January 2009
“Chris - We just wanted to tell you thanks for all your help with our vacation. We had an awesome time and can’t wait to come back.“
Charlotte Wasia from Idaho - January 2009
“Hello Chris. Our trip to Costa Rica was a huge success! We loved the Condo. The staff,restaurants and pool areas were fantastic. The crew of the boat we fished on were very knowledgeable and friendly. Fishing was a little slow the first day, but we made up for it on the following two. Caught a total of nine sails, six dorado and two tuna. A good time was had by all. Thanks for all your help.“
James Farnam from Alaska - December 2008
Hi Chris - The trip was all I hoped for and more. Everything went off without a hitch from the time I landed in San Jose right to the very end. All the services were prompt and right on time from the friendly transfers, meet and greet, local flights to Tamarindo, and the hotel accommodations were exceptional.
The fishing was superb, the Capt. Michael Rodriguez was exceptional. I could tell this by his boat handling skills the first day when we tied into a 500 lb Blue Marlin, that fish dam near destroyed me. It took about an hour to bring him boatside and revive and release him. My body, back, and arms paid a hefty price and I obviously was not in condition to battle a more than worthy opponent. Hell when Michael reset the rods you gotta know what was going through mind, ‘Lord Jesus I don’t want to see another one of those today. It was fun and I loved it!
We got into our share of Mahi Mahi, Rooster Fish, Yellow fin Tuna, Grouper, Red Snapper and some of those pesky Stick Fish that like to strip the mackerel off your baited plugs. Pound for pound as you told me, those Roosterfish will test ones endurance and stamina. We landed 4 but lost 2 others. Never jigged for fish over 400 ft. of water either, 7 snell hooks baited with squid. Hauling up 4-5 fish approx. 8-12 lbs a piece from 400 ft. can be quite a work out as I can attest . I’ll attach a few photos but to my disappointment I have none of the Big Blue to show. Thanks for putting together a very memorable experience Chris, I gotta do it again. Merry Xmas.“
Ron Wells from Toronto, Canada - November 2008
“Hey Chris! Our vacation was absolutely amazing and went perfect. The hotels were beautiful and everyone was so nice and helpful. We will definitely be returning for another trip in the future. Thank you so much for everything and all your help. I cannot tell you how much this trip meant to the two of us and how wonderful it was that it went so smooth and as planned. I have attached some fishing pictures. Thank you again for everything!“
Sarah McMichael & Travis Hall from California - November 2008
“Hi Chris! I wanted to send you a couple pics of the fish I caught with Ralph last week. The trip was great and the fishing was excellent! Thanks for hooking me up with Ralph. His knowledge of the fishing techniques needed in Costa Rica via kayak are first rate! I plan on doing this again as soon as I can.”
Bill Tuomela from Florida - June 2008
“The Buena Vista Villas was superb! Beatifully designed and decorated and with spectacular views. Our concierge, Kleber Cruz, was great. The Arenal Lodge was nice, the location was great and views of the volcano were spectacular. Nice pool and grounds with trails and a very pretty butterffly garden. All your drivers were great. The zip lining with the horse back riding was lot’s of fun and the rapelling was as well (they really do a great job including a very good lunch). The fishing was very good as we got 3 sailfish and 5 or 6 tuna over our 2 days. I have gone out on a number of charters in the states and in the Caribbean and would highly recommend capt Juan Carlos and the Blue Pearl. He worked hard and caught as many or more fish than the others out there.”
Mark Dephillips from Pennsylvania - March 2008
“The only disappointment was not meeting up with you! This was one of the best trips I have ever taken. The attention to detail & logistics were spot-on! Our fishing was wonderful – we had a guy named Danny Rauz on the boat with us the first day. He was the best “mate” I have ever had on a boat – he was prepared for anything, spoke good English, and really new how work with my fly fishing. On my last day I finally got a sail on my fly rod…a lifelong dream! I will refer all of my fishing buddies & fly fishing shops I deal with to you! Thank you again for making this trip a reality.“
Dan Hansen from Georgia - Feburary 2008
“The Tulemar property is a truly awesome place. The view from the Casa, the service from the staff, the food at the restaurant, the location. I really don’t know how you could improve it. We will be back next year in January. Some might consider the trip to Manuel Antonio from the airport lengthy, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Costa Rica is such a beautiful country. Granted the roads could be improved some, and the new bridges along the coast will be a great help, but, I would suggest to people, relax and appreciate it, after all you’re on vacation. Trying to build better roads through the mountains would be too much of an impact on the land. Sorry Chris, I don’t know how you could improve it. If it was any better we could not have left. We’ll be back. On a scale of 1-10 I’d give it a 12″
Gary & Melinda Falgout from Lousiana -Feburary 2008
“The Club del Mar was one of the nicest / best places we have ever stayed. The staff was so nice, the rooms were top of the line. We can not wait to go back. Fishing was excellent! We wish we had more time to do more tours, but there’s always next year.“
Lauren Fox from Georgia - Feburary 2008
“It was so amazing. Everything was perfect !! The folks couldn’t have been nicer and everyone was on the ball as far as our itinerary went. We got to take advantage of both boats so it was fine. No problems there at all. We took our catch to MarLuna one nite and Gran Escape one nite. We also ate at the plane and at the hotel. Our fav by far was Gran Escape. The folks on the boats and the guys who run it were just the best. They really could not have been more hospitable. I think we can say that for the whole country ! Our son went out with the locals who worked at our hotel bar so they all had a really fun time partying. It was great for all of us.”
Karen & Bob Townsend from Texas - January 2008
“Every one of the tour leaders was engaging, and friendly and highly knowledgeable. They knew how to add just the right things to the trip to make it fun for the kids and adults. I can’t really think of anything that could have improved the experience. On a scale of 1-10 (ten being best) how would you rate your vacation experience? a million!!!! This was the best vacation! 10! “
David Band from Maryland - August 2006
“The volcano exploded right after we caught a fish so I took a picture in front of it. You can see the smoke and the fish!!! Thanks again for everything.”
Amber Barry from Oklahoma City, OK
“I enjoyed the kayak fishing very much… Ralph is really into fishing which makes it very good… the only problem was the wind which made things difficult at best but Ralph and I still made do quite well. I would recommend this tour to any person who knows how to fish…”
Mark Hyner from Bluffton, SC
“I wanted you to know how very, very much I appreciate all your help and all your suggestions because they worked out INCREDIBLY. Thank-you, my trip was sensational. I have to send you pictures especially the fishing trip. I caught a 50lb rooster fish. The “Talking Fish” boat absolutely rocked. Due to this, I have given your email to quite a few friends of mine to contact you regarding their trip to Costa Rica. So if you get emails for a trip, they are people I have referred to you. I know you’ll set up a great time for them. I will definitely be in contact again when we come back for another trip.”
Nanette Parris from Palm Harbor, FL
“Our morning of sport fishing with Captain Randy aboard the Talking Fish Boat was great. The whole family came along, and nobody got sea sick. We caught lots of Red Snapper, Yellow-fin tuna, and Hammerjacks. The crew prepared some fresh sashimi on board, and it was delicious.“
Steven J Heyman from Orange, CT
“The trip was awesome. We caught 6 roosters from 60lbs to 80lbs. The boat crew were great. They made sure we had fun and went to where the fish were. This was not resort fishing, it was the real deal.”
Torey Kimberl from Atlanta, GA
