Costa Rica Family Friendly Vacation: Jungle, Wildlife & Beach

It rained every day that we were in Costa Rica. Sometimes, it poured. No one can do anything about the weather. Not the travel agency, Zicasso, or us. Despite the inclement weather, we made the best of the situation.

The driver who picked us up at the airport drove us safely to the hotel. Two of us had been in San Jose before. But not the other four. Some commentary about what we were seeking from the driver would have been nice rather than just a long silent drive.

The hotel was very nice. Maybe not Grano de Oro but no complaints about the hotel. The employees manning the desk were exceptional. And the hotels‘ restaurant excellent. (I had the freshest mojito ever from the bar). And next door to the hotel was a wonderful panaderia that seemed to be very conscious of those with nut allergies.

The next morning, while raining, we were picked up by our driver who first drove us to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Despite the pouring rain or maybe because of it, this sanctuary is a must see. It was a perfect start to a trip to CR. It is lovely and so well maintained.

He was the best of all the drivers and guides that we had on our entire trip. He was engaging, amusing and informative. He loves his country and loves his job. Who does not like being around happy people?! He deserves a raise!

Too bad he dropped us off at the resort. The extended stay there was the low point of our stay. The accommodations are subpar. Small rooms, poorly constructed, no insulation and the common walls shared with other guests were as thin as paper mache’! One could hear everything that the other guests were saying. When they flushed the toilet, took a shower or slammed their door, we thought it was coming from our bathroom! The first night, there were 2 crying little kids next to us. It was horrible. The following night, I had to have a detente with the new guests about the noise. They were just as aware of the issue.

Arenal has no shuttle into town; intentionally. They know that the road is too dangerous to walk. Therefore, unless one wants to pay $20 each way for a 6 kilometer cab ride, they have a captive audience when it comes to meals. Their breakfasts were great. A wonderful variety. Their lunch and dinners were stupidly expensive and their wait staff like little robots. For example, we ordered over-priced pizzas one night. One of the pizzas was obviously burned. The person could not even chew. We mentioned it to our server. His response: “Glad you all liked your pizzas.” “Ready for dessert?” Remember, my daughter speaks Spanish. “No, his pizza was over-cooked.” “Well, I’m glad that you liked it.” ”How about some dessert?”

I was also double-charged for a meal that was not included in our package. I am trying to work that out with my credit card company.

The travel agency should not be recommending lodgings at places that they have never stayed! There is no way knowing the parameters that I set forth that you would have recommended this resort.

The trip to Corcovado was a crazy experience in and of itself. But staying there was the highlight of our trip. But first, I had to get an extra room because you had booked 3 teens staying in one room together. They do not have any rooms for 3 people. Fortunately, they had an extra room for my granddaughter. Unfortunately, it was far from the rest of us and another room with a shared wall!

The accommodations at the Corcovado lodge was well worth the price. The breakfasts were rather bland but the other meals were excellent. The service was excellent and the people who manned reception, the best!

The grounds were well maintained and the excursions well planned and fun.

Bizarrely, though we were in Costa Rica, we did not see a single sloth anywhere. We saw a few spider monkeys when on the hanging bridge tour. But only two when at Corcovado. We did see 2 pumas! And I saw a coati! But the night walk was a beat as was the “jungle walk” during the day. Maybe it was the rain? Or maybe it was because our guide was always talking loudly as we went along. I understand that she was trying to be informative about the native flora but if I am a wild animal and I hear someone coming down a well worn path loudly, why would I reveal myself? Ask anyone who hunts. people only talk in whispers.

I have more to say but this format does not allow one to return to a previous text which is frustrating.

Mike and I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for our unforgettable two-week adventure in Costa Rica. The trip was amazing and exceeded our expectations. We were spoiled by the private transfers and private tours. All of the tour guides were professional and very informative. We enjoyed all of the selected hotels, with the lodge in Monteverde being our favorite. The hotel had a great happy hour with a variety of drinks and was within walking distance of Santa Elena. We liked having daily breakfast included and loved all of the fresh fruits, especially the cantaloupe and watermelon.

We appreciated your attention to detail and expert recommendations for the variety of tours and guides. We enjoyed the float trips and had a wonderful tour of the mangroves in Manuel Antonio. Our time in Monteverde included a rainy day hiking the hanging bridges and ziplining for the first time. I am glad we added the vanilla tour to our agenda in Manuel Antonio.   

Thank you so much for making this trip special and stress-free. Please let your staff know that we appreciated all of their hard work. The WhatsApp gateway was great once we figured out how to use the app. It allowed us to communicate with the team to update us on schedule changes or other information. We will definitely recommend your services to our family and friends, and ook forward to visiting Costa Rica in the future.

Our trip was very enjoyable. The resorts that were selected were top-notch in all aspects – nice rooms, great restaurants, and very nice locations. The tours we went on were very nice. Our favorite tour was the hanging bridge tour in La Fortuna. The hot springs at the La Fortuna resort were amazing. Our only criticism was the travel day between the resort in La Fortuna and the resort in Manuel Antonio. We were picked up at 8am and didn’t arrive until 4.15pm. We did zipline on the way, but the eight-hour travel day was very long. We would have preferred to travel straight from one resort to the other as quickly as possible, with no stops.

Overall, the trip was fantastic. Zicasso's travel agency did a great job of planning our itinerary and was very accessible during our trip. We loved Costa Rica.

The trip was great. The hotels were particularly amazing and I have stayed at many hotels around the world. Tabacón was so unique, it could be my favorite part of the trip. My husband and son absolutely loved the resort and the gorgeous private beach (and monkeys). 

All of the excursions were amazing, except one. The horseback riding was on such a unique and wide open trail, we felt like we were alone in paradise on horseback (and the boys both expected to hate it!). Except for the fishing, the guides on every single tour were truly incredible and enhanced every experience. I would think twice before recommending that particular fishing charter. They were barely friendly and very unhelpful. 

Other than that, everything was perfect. Somehow, they even made the long ride from Arenal to Manuel Antonio pleasant. Zicasso's travel agent put together a wonderful experience.