Our Client Testimonials

We believe we offer the best vacation experience to Costa Rica. But don't just take our word for it! Hear what our clients are saying about Costa Rican Vacations.

We pride ourselves in excellent service...

"We had a wonderful time on our vacation. Everything went really well. The kids favorite part was the white water rafting followed shortly by the ziplining. Our favorite accommodation was the Paradise Hotel at Arenal - excellent. We really enjoyed the private beach area at Manuel Antonio - took a cab to the park and then walked to the beach area. We were able to see lots of wildlife including the three different types of monkeys as well as the sloths, crocodiles, and toucans. We definitely appreciated having a driver as some of the routes would have been tricky to navigate and the drivers were wonderful at accommodating us with the kids. Every tour provided us with excellent guides who were very willing to show us all kinds of interesting facts about the local areas. Thank you so much for all of your help in planning the trip - we would absolutely do it again!"
-- Ward Family from Florida


"Hiya Adam, We've just returned from our 2 week holiday in Costa Rica, and we have to say it has been our best holiday ever! We saw so many amazing things - the wonderful active volcano at Arenal, along with several beautiful birds, crocodiles, sloths, monkeys. The list goes on! I can't praise Costa Rican Vacations enough. The hotels they chose for us were outstanding in every way, as were all 4 destinations we visited whilst there - San Jose, Arenal, Monteverde and Manual Antonio.

All the transfers between each destination were so well organised, and always bang on time. The drivers were friendly, upbeat and made the transition between each place smooth and enjoyable! We are still both reeling from the wonderful experience, and having visited so many beautiful places, feel as though we've had 4 'mini holidays' in one! True perfection! Costa Rica holidays are passionate about Costa Rica, and it shows. They have a wealth and breadth of experience that is second to none, and this comes across in the high standard of everything they arrange. There is no way we could have organised all this on our own, let along attempted driving on those roads! I would urge anyone thinking of coming to Costa Rica to use Costa Rican Vacations. They made everything so comfortable and easy for us, and we couldn't have had a better holiday! We'll be back! :)"
-- Christine from Bristol


"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 and Travis Hall from Calabasas, CA


"Hola Alan, We have been back to a cold and snowy UK for a week now, and are missing Costa Rica! We just wanted to drop you a quick line, to thank you ever so much for arranging such a superb holiday for us!!! I know that you cannot have a hand in this, but we saw masses of colourful birds and animals, and were lucky enough to see 2 male and 1 female Quetzal in the Cloud forests. The Accommodation and trips you arranged were spot on, and along with the punctual transfer arrangements, we would have no hesitation in recommending you to friends who may be contemplating a trip to Costa Rica. Till our next Trip... "
-- James and Roy

Joan, Thanks for planning such a great trip for us. You added many touches and took care of many details that never would have been obvious to someone who was not as familiar with the country as you are. Nearly every day we heard stories from people who had booked with regular -- located in the U.S.A. -- travel agencies and who were suffering because those agencies didn't know the country as well as they should have. These people wound up at hotels they didn't like, had drivers who didn't speak English, endured 20-hour travel days because they were flown into the wrong airport in relation to the hotel they were staying in, etc. Thanks to you we were able to enjoy a well-planned and thoroughly thought out vacation.
-- Art Edwards from Georgia


Hi Joan - Let me add my thanks for the excellence of the whole thing - It was probably the most relaxing trip we've had in years. We are definitely recommending Costa Rican Vacations to anyone we meet interested in traveling there. Our daughter & her husband (and little girl) may be among the first. We'll be returning to Costa Rica one of these days and will be back in touch when the time comes. Thanks again.
-- Joyce Edwards from Georgia


"Thank you, we had a wonderful time. Costa Rica is, indeed, a very beautiful country. Thank you for arranging it so well. All the pick-ups happened on time and everything went very smoothly. The volcano at Arenal performed to order. We stood at the foot of it at dusk watching the contours changing in the setting sunlight and were rewarded with the awesome sight of red molten rock bouncing down the slopes. I also loved the Osa Peninsula – it was a bit like spending three days in the hot house at Kew gardens! Where next year…now that's a problem to ponder."
-- Linda Gyngell from Surrey


"Hi Adam, The first really impressive thing was that we hadn't even got through to collect our luggage when a board with my name appeared. Having left home 24 hours earlier it was great to have a stress free arrival. The first hotel Bourganvillea was very comfortable, a good choice for an overnighter. We only had a short stop here as you know, but we were able to walk round there beautiful gardens in the morning. El Establo was pleasant enough, but it couldn't match Mountain Paradise and Makanda. We couldn't tell which we preferred. The view of the volcano, the humming birds that flew around the jacuzzi bath outside, the fabulous food in the restaurant, the hot swimming pool and the staff at Mountain Paradise, compared to the most amazing view from Makanda where we could sit overlooking the Pacific watching the sunset and watch the monkeys who were very entertaining, where we saw a sloth in the grounds and just outside the gate, along with again good staff, lovely swimming pool, a nice restaurant.

The transfer between hotels was excellent, with the trip over the Arenal Lake of great interest. We didn't just cross the lake but had a guided tour of all the wildlife around it by our pilot. I don't know whether it’s normal for a 40-seater boat to pick up 2 passengers and give them such VIP treatment, but it was amazing. The excursions were all first class. We were picked up on time and they all lived up to expectation, some even more. The volcano hike was very memorable. We had previously spoken to an American tourist who had said the volcano hike was only ok so we had no real aspirations, but it was amazing seeing these rocks thrown from the crater and crashing down the sides, giving the sound of thunder. The zip lining and white water rafting were both very adrenaline hungry activities, but we loved every second, although some of our pictures don’t convey that, we – or should I say I – looked petrified. Out of the flora forna and wildlife hikes we did I would say that we saw the most by a long way at Manuel Antonio Park, how those guys can see some of those things with the naked eye is astounding. Many thanks again."
-- Steve and Eve from Southhampton


"The vacation was easily the best we have had in terms of meeting our needs and surpassing our expectations. Great, almost seamless, organization, fantastic experiences, overwhelming hospitality and totally relaxing!!!! Combined with my Dr. Atkins offensive I ate well, lost weight and literally reduced 15 points from my stress induced high-blood pressure. We will definitely visit again, have not stopped recommending you, your company and Costa Rica to all who asked. It was awesome!!!"
--Andrew Lewis from Kyrgyzstan

"Costa Rica Vacations took the worry out of traveling in a foreign country. They were there at the airport on time to pick us up and take us to our first destination. Every one of their drivers that chauffeured us spoke very good English, were knowledgeable and had a good sense of humour. They were prompt and made the journeys between hotels, trouble and hassle free. Costa Rica Vacations did a superb job and I fail to see how they could have made the vacation better. Definitely, 10/10 for both the vacation experience and service. I shall recommend your agency to lots of friends. I came across Costa Rica Holiday by browsing on the internet. It is always a bit worrying using an unknown company for the first time, especially if it has not been recommended. I would be happy to discuss my holiday and Costa Rica Holiday to anyone that would like to call me."
-- Michael Barnard

"Sorry about not having written sooner but I'm still recovering from THE VACATION. Both Vanessa and I thanked our lucky stars that we availed ourselves of your services. If we had rented our own car we would still be lost in San Jose like everyone else seemed to have done who rented their own car. At each and every location the pickup and travel was PERFECT and we enjoyed each of our drivers. The accommodations were the best even though we never saw the volcano due to the weather. The raft trip was the highlight. Ending our vacation at the Tango Mar was brilliant. Not only were we finally able to see the sun but the people associated with that location were just tremendous. From Helga, the owner to Edwardo and Lee our waiters to the cooks who prepared the most delicious meals. Ness and I would like to personally thank you for flying us out of Tambor instead of having to ferry/drive back. Thanks again."
-- BOB and Vanessa (Off the Beaten Track, Jan. 2009)


"Hi Annie, Our trip was awesome! You hooked us up with a nice trip. It did rain quite a bit in Arenal, but it didn't stop us from doing anything. My dad's highlight was the white water rafting, mine was EVERYTHING! I am so glad I did not have to drive in that country. Everyone we met and everyone I knew that had been there had horror stories. The vans were great. I was hesitant at first about doing a "tour" since I have never done one, but this was the ideal tour. There was not one person connected to this trip that I did not like or felt weird around. I think I learned more about the Country by having someone drive me and talk to me, than I would have learned on my own. The point of traveling is to explore and learn and I definitely got that. I also got to work on my Spanish which was great fun. Tango Mar had great people and fabulous food. It would have been nice to have been a bit closer to the town, but it I don't think we were missing anything there. Is it just me, or are Costa Ricans (Ticas), beautiful people or what?"
-- Vanessa (Off the beaten track, jan. 2009)


"Hi Joan, our trip to Costa Rica was absolutely fabulous. Xandari is probably the most beautiful setting we could have imagined. We were actually accommodated with the beachfront villa for the entire stay. That in addition to side trips to Manuel Antonio and Carara, along with New Year’s Eve at le loft made for what my daughter called 'the best vacation of my life'. Thanks again for all your help. pura vida!"
-- David, Alison, Robert, and Sylvia

"Everything was WONDERFUL! My family had a fantastic time! Arenal was so much fun, Si Como No was an awesome resort and we really enjoyed Manuel Antonio, and Grano de Oro was one of the coolest places we have ever stayed! But the highlight of the trip I think for everyone was the white water rafting! Our guide was phenominal and just the trip up into the mountains was an adventure! Overall we had a great time and only had one day of rain in MA that kept us from doing much. I will definately recommend all of the places we went and stayed to other people! Thank you again so much for putting together such a great trip! See our picture below".
-- Rachel Anderson from Lauderdale, FL

"I don't usually write to say positive things, but even before this survey I intended to write to you to thank you. We were really impressed that all of our transfers were timely. It is clear that you understand that traveling can be stressful if things go wrong and we were always met on time by very helpful people on all of our transfers. All of our tour guides were professional, knowledgeable and very pleasant and friendly"
-- Louis Iaconetti from Yorktown, NY

"Fantastic travel, especially our initial driver Carlos. The tours were all spot on. Horseback riding was phenomenal, as was the canopy in Monteverde. Surprisingly, so were the butterfly gardens as well."
-- Joshua Cressman from Verdun, Quebec

"The total experience was excellent. All of the drivers and escorts picked us up on time; and all of our guides were good hosts and full of great information. We really appreciated this attention to detail when we observed other groups of travelers having to deal with various types of problems, which we were able to avoid completely. Honestly, James did an excellent job of explaining all of the pros and cons for each decision we had to make. He did a great job organizing everything for us. After being there, it made us realize that we need to stick as much as possible with the original recommendations made by the travel agent."
-- Bill Jones from Dallas, TX

"You did everything you could to accommodate us, especially with our flight cancellation. the one thing I must commend you for is scheduling all tours and transfers so perfectly. we were ALWAYS picked up on time and arrived at destination as scheduled. everyone was friendly and I always felt safe. one of the best things was the personalized service since all our transfers were private. couldn't ask for more."
-- Carolyn Tong from Hillborough, CA

"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. James 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

"You have made our trip extremely wonderful. You worked so hard on our reservations and answering our questions. You made great choices for our excursions and the company to handle our tours. There was not one minute that we didn't feel prepared while we were in Costa Rica"
-- Steve McDill from Matthews, NC

"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 Takoma Park MD