Dear Arturo,

When I first got going on internet and accidentally ran into you, I must admit I was somewhat nervous in putting my trust into someone I'dnever met. You were so easy to work with and so accessible that I started to think it might be O.K. Well, my dear man, it was more than O.K., it was perfect! You did an outstanding job for us and we will recommend you to our friends and for sure use your talents again for ourselves.

A little about our trip. The Vista De Oro Suite at the Grano De Oro Hotel in San Jose was magnificent, one of the most handsome rooms we have been in. The food was very good and I recommend the fried camembert appetizer. The Pacuare River Rafting was great, I got tossed out of the raft but was quickly retrieved and it was just a wonderful adventure. I would do the one day trip in future since the lodge had a little to be desired and we forgetting to take a book got a little bored. The same amount of river is travelled whether you do the one or two day trip. I would have liked more than one hour on the river the first day. Tamarindo was fun. Our room was fine but would have liked the bungalow. The best restaurants are Stella's and The Wave. Wow, that place is still very primitive. I expected more of a city but it was great. We did 4 wheeler tour and lots of walks on the wide, flat beach. Iguana's, squirrels, howler monkeys all around us and we could hand feed them, since the hotel is very much working around the habitat that was already established. On to Corcovado. What an adventure that was getting to our destination. The guides said whatever happened like rain, choppy seas, a late arrival, etc "all apart of the adventure" and it was. Our guide was outstanding and was assigned to only us the whole time. We went on the canopy tour and did zip line and rapelling...not bad for grandparents! Our bungalow was lovely. Snorkeling not to good but still fun and the water was warm. Lots of hiking, margarita's while watching the sunsets, and sharing in good conversation with the other guests. By the way, we talked to Steve, the owner, and he remembers going dancing with you and your wife and said you are a great guy and a good dancer. Our last night at Zandari was perfect. We got massages and hiked a little more and enjoyed the uniqueness of the hotel. It is like no other in it's artistic design and decorating and plantings and views. The guacamole sandwich was delicious and granola pancakes were both something new for us.

It was so nice meeting you, Arturo. You took such good care of us and we had not one glitch. We liked flying everywhere versus driving to save time and energy. Bob, will scan some of our pictures and send to you. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and only outdone by the beauty of it's people. We could not get over that the graciousness of the people was so genuine and not to get a tip. All our guides were very special to us and I wanted to adopt every one and bring them home. If you are ever in Missouri we would love for you to stay with us so keep our number handy. Otherwise, we'll be in contact with you for our next Costa Rican adventure.

Thank you, again, Arturo.

Fondly,

Suzi Feldwisch
"Bob Feldwisch" <b.feldwisch@worldnet.att.net>
"Bob Feldwisch" <bfeldwisch@learfield.com>

I just returned from a trip arranged by Rain Forest Tours, and it was fantastic! All the arrangements were smooth and problem-free, from the airport pickup to hotels to the tours. I had a great time mountain biking in the Orosi valley and hills,and the white water rafting was great as well. The hotel in San Jose was very quiet and comfortable, as well as the one in Manuel Antonio.
The advice to fly from Quepos back to San Jose was very good, since it saved 3 and a half hours of time at very little cost.
I would recommend Rain Forest Tours to anyone. They are very organized and have contacts with the best tour companies.

Bob Kennedy kennedy@iphase.com
Dallas, USA

Arturo, I would like to thank you for putting together a great trip that we will always remember. Our visits to Arenal, Tabacon Spa, Cano Negro, Monteverde, San Jose and the two day river rafting trip on the River Pacuare were outstanding. You put us in first class hotels wherever we stayed. Our favorite hotel outside of San Jose was in Arenal and of course the gem of all was the hotel in San Jose, what a unique and beautiful hotel, a beautiful mansion converted to a hotel.

The roads were as advertised, many potholes and the roads around Monteverde very rough but was well worth it. We had no problems getting around in our daihatsu, you definately want to rent a four wheel drive as you need the clearance for some of the roads.

Neither one of us knew much spanish but just enough to get by. The people of Costa Rica were very friendly and we never felt threatened at any point from the mercado central in downtown San Jose to the back roads of Monteverde.

Cano Negro was our favorite tour as we saw the most wildlife and Arenal volcano our favorite natural wonder.

Our favorite tourist purchase was some woodworkings from Biensanz woodworks. On our next visit we will visit their workshop in Escazu.

The food was excellent, from the gallo pinto to casado. the locally grown fruit was fresh and tasted wonderful, pineapple/watermelon/papaya/bananas/plantains etc.

Our tour guides at all stops were excellent and spoke very good english, our favorite was the tour guide on the Cano Negro tour from La Fortuna.

Anyone who has an appreciation for plant and wildlife will love visiting CR. The diversity of plant life, birds and butterflies is unbelievable.

We just got back from our trip on october 14 and traveled during the "green season" or the rainy season. Don't let the rainy season scare you away, it does not mean it rains 24 hours a day, just shower daily at certain times of the day which you plan your tours around. we did not miss any tours or sightseeing because of rain. The Green Season was a very good time to go as we got discounted rates on hotels and there is hardly any other tourists around, making for the feeling like you have CR all to yourselves.

Arturo, does an excellent job from meeting us on our arrival to set us up, giving us directions, offering his phone number in case of emergencies and personally picking us up at 5am at our hotel the morning of our departure for transit to the airport.

If you want a dependable travel agent for planning a trip to CR you should contact Arturo and he will set you up. He was very dependable and trustworthy, which is worth alot when planning a trip to another country and have no clue who to use our trust.

We will be going back as we just touched the tip of the iceberg as alot yet we want to see.

David and Beth Johnson davebethj@yahoo.com
Eden Prairie, MN, USA -

Hi Arturo-

I have had a hard time writing in light of events that have occurred here.  It seems sacrilegious to talk about having had a wonderful vacation when friends have been lost.

In spite of that, I did want to compliment you on a wonderful vacation.  Edgar was a charmer and eased our way beautifully into your country.  The resort was beautiful in a breath-taking region, and the views from our room were scenes from a post card.

I enthusiastically endorse Costa Rica, Rain Forest Tours, and diving in the Guanacaste region to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation in beautiful surroundings.  It was a phenomenal time that I will always remember.

 Thank you Arturo and Edgar.

Sarah Hager "Hager, Sarah (US)" sarah.hager@am.joneslanglasalle.com

Hi Arturo! Sarah and I had a great time in Costa Rica. The SCUBA diving wasunbelievable.

Thanks!

Stephanie Berg

sberg@swrworldwide.com

Estimado Arturo,

Caitlin and I wanted to say "gracias" one more time for the fantastic job you did organizing our trip to Costa Rica. We were overly pleased with every aspect of our vacation, from the incredibly delicious food (the fried plantains got better every time we ate them) to the warm and friendly people we met at the hotels and on the streets. Though the rainforests are incredible, the animals exotic and the volcanos explosive, we'd agree that what truly makes Costa Rica such a special place are the people who live there. We couldn't have felt more welcomed if we were in our own backyard. All in all, the trip was even more exciting and beautiful than we ever could have hoped for.

The rafting trip down the Pacuare was wet and wild, and even though we were rained out the second day due to a deluge that swept huge trees down the river we enjoyed the hike out of the forest and made the best of what mother nature had to offer. Arenal volcano and the hot springs were a great experience. We got to do some fantastic hiking around the area (we recommend the hike to el Cerro Chato) and "cooled off" in the springs during the evening. We were very lucky, or so we were told, to have seen the volcano erupt every night from both the swim-up bar and our hotel room terrace. Our final destination was the Osa Peninsula where words can't describe the beauty of this natural preserve. This was certainly one of the highlights of our trip where we were able to have some exciting adventures through the primary forest, see the incredible local flora and fauna up close and relax on the quiet shores of Drake Bay with a cool "Luna Tica" to wash away the stresses of everyday life. What a beautiful place they have there, we really didn't want to leave. Thank you again for opening your world to us and letting us experience, albeit briefly, a little part of the essence of Costa Rica.

Your planning of the trip was impecable Arturo, as every transportation arrangement arrived on time, our scheduled pick-ups went smoothly and every hotel was even more beautiful than the last. We truly appreciate all that you did.

Mil gracias por todo,
Caitlin and Scott
Scott Gravina <scgravina@hotmail.com>

Arturo,

Just wanted to let you know that this was the BEST vacation that we have ever been on. Everything went so smoothly. I want to thank you for all of your help! Your efforts made our trip unforgettable.
We will definitely be returning to Costa Rica and when we do, you can be sure that I will contact you again.

Thanks again Arturo.

Best wishes,

Tracy Godshalk
godshalk@prontomail.com

Dear Arturo,

Mi Mojito fue mejor!

It was good to see you and your "novia" Mariviella (spelling??), as well as

Steven and Sonia. Thanks for recommending such an interesting place. Cuban food and drink is excellent if that is a good example.

We had, thankfully, a wonderful but uneventful return trip. The arrangements and connections could not have been better, especially within Costa Rica. Gerardo is a jewel, conscientious, good natured, and he's learning so much about the plants and animals in the different areas! You are lucky to have him as an employee. Everyone really appreciated having him as our driver. We enjoyed every place we visited. Volcan Poas is awesome and a little ominous. Villablanca was interesting, with the chimeneas in each room, and the beautiful little chapel. Susan and Wayne had a great time doing the canopy tour there. Linda Vista del Norte is a simple, but spectacularly situated little hotel. We especially enjoyed our trip to the lava fields and horseback riding there. San Luis was very different than our usual hotel stays with the family style meals at long wooden tables. The true "tico" style food cooked on a wood stove was great. They were especially helpful and accommodating there, doing specialized hikes, long and short, and arranging for Sandy to have a special trip to a dairy farm to gather information for a magazine article on differences in dairy cattle farming in Costa Rica compared to the USA. Star Mountain was a little isolated from the beach since we were there with no vehicle, but our hosts were very obliging to give us rides whenever they could. We did a lot of hiking here and there, but it was great to just relax at the pool and watch the howler monkeys sampling the cashews and mangos in the nearby trees. Dominique and Daniel are excellent cooks, and the food was spectacular -- homemade bread every meal, fresh fruits, spectacularly grilled meats and seafood dishes. It was like having our own resort to ourselves because the hotel is so small and intimate. My brother Edmund and I enjoyed a fishing trip, especially seeing sea turtles, volcanic areas in the sea as well as fishing all around Isla Cabo Blanco.

I'll send photos by email whenever I have a chance to get them downloaded onto my computer at work.

Thank you for a wonderful, personalized vacation. It was everything we had hoped it would be and more.

Don

* Ray Davis <jraydavis@mindspring.com>

Dear Arturo

What a wonderful trip! We have so enjoyed our visit.

Thank you for the flawless organisation that went into organising our tour, it made it a better holiday for not having to think about the logistics at all. It was good to meet you after so many e-mails and the to know that e-mail booking could be so easy, we shall certainly use this method of planning a holiday again.

Please pass on our thanks to Gerado, he was an excellent driver and an interesting companion for the central part of the holiday. we learned much from him and enjoyed his company. We were amazed at the variety of scenery within Costa Rica and very taken by the open welcome we recieved everywhere. Yes, we'd come again, no doubt about that.

We especially enjoyed our time @ Tortuguero both for the quality of the guides while out on the canals and the laid-back atmosphere of the lodge and our time @ Eco Lodge San Louis, to be so deep in the countryside and talking with the biologists about their work was a real plus.

So... Thanks again for putting it all together.

Sarah and John Showers

Sarah Showers <sarah@treen.freeserve.co.uk>

Hi, Arturo,

Yes, indeed, the trip was wonderful!! We both had a very enjoyable time, and I can hardly wait to see the pictures. I will send you the best ones. Our

driver/guide, Edgar, was the best! He is truly an asset to your company, and I hope you will let him know we thought he was the most charming and thoughtful person we could've wished for.

We have many wonderful memories to share for the rest of our lives. Thanks!

Beverly

Bevytate@aol.com

Arturo,

I am back at work, and writing to you is TOP on my list of things to do today. I'm just not sure how to start. I can never thank you enough for such an incredible trip! It was truly a trip of a lifetime! You totally

took care of everything, and made us feel VERY comfortable. I just wanted to thank you personally for all you did. You made wonderful suggestions as to our itinerary, where we stayed, etc. Everything was PERFECT!

Gerardo was absolutely WONDERFUL! We felt very sad when he dropped us off at BlueBay! We did NOT want him to leave us! He was so incredible. He pointed out birds, toucans, howler monkeys, and stopped at the neatest gift shops with incredible views, etc. He was like a "mother hen" with us the whole time! I cannot say enough great things about him. It was like after about 1/2 the first day, he knew exactly what we liked, and what we were looking for, and would interest us, etc. He went FAR above and beyond what we could ever have expected.

We told everyone we met at BlueBay about your wonderful company. I gave your web site and name to everyone I met! :) And will continue to do so! We are already thinking about our next trip! We will definately use your company, and request Gerardo!

I dropped off 20 rolls of film to be developed yesterday! (Your country is SO beautiful, I just couldn't stop taking pictures!) As soon as I get them back, I will try to pick a few and send them to you for your web site. The pictures can never do it justice. I will also get on your website, and sign your guest book, telling about our trip. You can give my e-mail and name to anyone for a reference!

You ended our itinerary with "the end to an unforgettable adventure/vacation ". That was absolutely an understatement! Costa Rica is possibly the most beautiful place on earth.... at least the most beautiful I've ever seen! The early morning sounds and sights at Arenal (and all of Costa Rica), gave me such a peace! I hope to carry it in my heart until my next trip!

I looked for, but did see, a video on the volcanoes of Costa Rica. You had listed on your website, a video for the volcanoes. I would like to order one, if you can find out if you have one. I got to see the lava flow from the volcano, but our Camcorder wouldn't film any of it. I took some pictures, but I'm not very good at night shots, so I'd LOVE to have that video. Let me know if you can get it and how much, and I'll send you a check.

Thank you again, for such an unforgettable adventure! I will cherish it and the wonderful memories forever. And I hope it won't be too long, before we are preparing to come back again!

All the Best!!

Trisa

Hi Arturo,

My trip was fabulous. Corcovado is a true jungle paradise. Everyone who worked there went out of their way to ensure that all the guests had a wonderful jungle experience. I even enjoyed the adventure of getting to and from the Lodge. The weather was great and the wildlife was abundant.

Thanks for your help. All the arrangements went very smoothly.

Hope to see you again on my next visit to Costa Rica.

Regards,

Joe

Jstein227@aol.com

Hi Arturo,

The trip was great! We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica, and a lot of it is thanks to your work organizing it. This enabled us to make the most of our time. We also appreciated your flexibility in the last days, when we changed from Puerto Viejo to the Pacific coast. We ended up in Jaco, where the weather was sunny for most of the day. Playa Hermosa is a gorgeous beach!

The part we enjoyed most is probably the horseback ride to the Arenal lava fields. There was just us two and Gilberto, and we spotted a whole family of spider monkeys and another one of coatimundis. Isla Tortuga was a nice restful day on a wonderful beach. On top of that, the (family) staff at Linda Vista was very friendly.

I believe that Tami will send you some feedback as well in a few days, and upon developing our pictures, we'll send you a few scans!

Thanks again for your work on our trip, we were extremely satisfied with your services, and we already started to tout Rainforest Tours around!! No doubt we'll send people your way!

Cheers,

Hasta luego,

Patrice

"BOUVIER,PATRICE (HP-Sunnyvale,ex2)" patrice_bouvier@hp.com

"WONG,TAMI (HP-Sunnyvale,ex1)" tami_wong@hp.com

Dear Arturo,

We had a great trip. What a beautiful country! We highly recommend going to Costa Rica during the rainy season. Everything is so green, and it did not rain much at all. Tabacon Lodge was wonderful, and we had fun in the hot springs. We took a horseback riding tour to the waterfall at the base of the Arenal volcano. Our tour guide, Alberto was fantastic! We were able to see toucans, and we were able to meet members of his family. The next day we went on the caving tour which was unbelievable! We saw bats, spiders, red poison dart frogs, and live coral. It was really beautiful. (On all of our tours, including the canopy tour, it was Jay and me and the tour guide--which was neat.) The cloud forest in Monteverde was next. The roads were very rough, so I was glad we had four wheel drive on our car. On our canopy tour we learned about the rainforest and swung through the trees! We loved doing this! Not to mention the tour begins with a climb through a 8,000 year old spindler fig tree! After our tour we spent a few hours walking through the rainforest ourselves. Tamarindo was next on the agenda, so off to the beach we went. Jay was excited to surf. We rented a board from the Iguana surf shop and set out. It may be important for people to know that the surfboards there are much heavier than the ones that we have in the United States. Jay thought he would rent a board and save us the hassle of bringing his with us. He was doing great and had surfed a beautiful wave. He came down off of the board just like he always does, but the board caught the wind just right. The surfboard snapped back and hit him in the head. The staff at Capitan Suizo was very helpful and contacted the doctor for us. Jay got seven stitches above his eyebrow. So, that was the end of surfing for that trip. We did get some good pictures of that one wave he caught though. Since Jay could not get his head wet, we went kayaking the next day and saw all kinds of sea urchins and starfish. That was really fun. Then we drove to San Jose and spent the night at Grano de Oro, which was a beautiful hotel. So, all in all the trip was a good one.

Even with the stitches, Jay would say it was a great trip and we had a fantastic time. All this means is we'll have to come back so that he will have a chance to surf. Whenever we decide to come back, we will definitely contact you. Thank you for being so helpful. I attached some pictures for you.

Elizabeth
eli.kocan@home.com

Arturo:

Thank you very much for the vacation you planned for us. It was by far the best vacation Shirlee and I have ever had. Costa Rica is beautiful country with beautiful people. You'll be hearing from us again for our return trip.

Please inform us of any travel specials that might come up.

Thanks,

John Forbes

john.forbes@epiphany.com

Arturo,

Please forgive me for taking so long to reply but I have been extremely busy upon my return. I did have a wonderful time in Costa Rica, and would like to return some day with my husband. I enjoyed both tours that I took immensely.

I want to particularly comment on the Highlights Tour.

Our guide, Rafael, was excellent. He seemed extremely knowledgeable about the different places we visited, and about the native plants and animals, birds in particular, which my friend was really interested in. He seemed to take great joy in what he was doing, and actually cared about it, too.

Our second tour, Tortuguero Park, was as beautiful as the first tour. Our guide had a good sense of humor and was fun to be around. On the long and bumpy drive to the river, he stopped to buy us cocoanut water, which we drank right from the cocoanuts!

I took lots of pictures, but with a regular camera, not a digital one, and I don't have a scanner. I'll try to find a friend with a scanner to use.

Thank you for your help in arranging these tours at the last minute.

I look forward to returning to Costa Rica one day.

Ann Greene

anngreene2001@yahoo.com

Hi Arturo,

Well, I have safely returned to the states and even have some of my pictures back. I have to say that the highlight of the trip was the white water rafting.

The two day trip was ideal and the whole experience was great, I would definitely do it again. The guides that were with my group had to be the best. And the food was outstanding. I haven't eaten that well in years.

Thank you for your help in planning and answering questions beforehand. If I ever return to Costa Rica, which I hope to do, I will definitely be in touch.

Thanks again,

Mindy

Mindy Oxenford irishpt@yahoo.com

Dear Arturo,

Sorry to be so slow in sending you our comments on our recent Costa Rica trip. It was great! The best vacation we've ever had. We loved Costa Rica, and the itinerary you planned for us was just right to give us a taste of all your beautiful country has to offer. Everything was very well organized so that we didn't have to worry about a thing. We'll definitely be coming back for more--the only question is when.

Although we wouldn't have wanted to miss anything of what we experienced, I think next time we'll probably want to do more rafting and more exploring in the Central Valley (by car--we aren't really big hikers). We'd also like to see a little of the Caribbean side of the country and the Arenal volcano.

Ending up at Tamarindo as we did this time was just about perfect, and we look forward to returning there or discovering somewhere similar next time.

Thank you so much for your efforts on our behalf. We're quick to tell our friends and acquaintances about you when they ask how we made our arrangements.

Until the next time,

Shirlee Smith and John Forbes

john.forbes@epiphany.com

Shirlee.Smith@epiphany.com

Arturo,

I'm so sorry that I didn't write sooner. My husband, Erik, and I had an incredible, unforgettable trip in January of 2000. I don't know how we could have done it without you. Yours is a truly unique service. With every other service I looked into, they plan an itinerary for you, which may or may not be what you like. With your service, we were able to do each and every single thing we wanted to (white water rafting, rainforests, surfing, Tortuguero tour), and none of the things we didn't want to. You made our whole trip easier, less expensive and more fun. It was so wonderful to meet you at our hotel when we first arrived. It made both of us feel so much more at ease and comfortable in a new and foreign country. Then, our rental car arrived, and we were on our way. And when we ran into trouble because the road to our hotel in Arenal was flooded, you guided us elsewhere and were able to refund our money! And besides all of these wonderful things, you are just a dar!

ned nice guy! Erik particularly e

I must say that I was wary at first of going through a company that was located outside of the U.S. So I contacted 10 or so of the references from your website and each responded with unqualified enthusiasm and whole-hearted recommendations. I completely understand why. We have recommended your service to all of our friends, and hopefully will return soon ourselves.

Thank you so much for everything. You made my husband's 30th birthday trip an experience that he, and I, will never forget.

Christina Johnson 
teamjohnson@charter.net

Long Beach, USA

Dear Arturo,

My friends and I just wanted to say "Thank you" for all your help in making our trip to Costa Rica a memorable one.  We had a really great time and maybe one day we will go back.  Thanks again for all your help.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Sawka, Monique and Michelle Mori, and Niña Laureles

Dear Arturo,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for arranging a wonderful trip for the four of us. We had a fun and interesting trip to Quepos and Manuel Antonio. We enjoyed the excursions we took and appreciated your courteous and efficient service in picking us up and taking us to the airport and getting us settled in at Le Bergerac. Everyone there was very friendly and helpful.

I apologize for us changing our return to San José, Costa Rica, It was unfortunate that we were unable to reach you, but we did try a few times. It was Holy Week and everything was closed. I know your driver went to the airport to pick us up and we were not there. We did try to let your know that.

Tulemar Bungalows is a beautiful place and the beach was magnificent. The water there is so warm and the sunsets beautiful. We truly enjoyed our stay. Thank you again fro the trip to your beautiful country.

June Ferreri, Alice Cupples, Cindy Morse, Carolee Ornelas.

Dear Arturo,

We enjoyed our trip immensely. It was much more than we even dreamed of. Costa Rica is such a beautiful place and it was wonderful to appreciate it through the eyes of our Costa Rican guides. They were very knowledgeable and most proud of everything that there was to show. The wildlife and natural features were outstanding. The food was very good in each location.

Thanks again and please keep us aware of good deals in the area.

Karen Milano

May 8

Arturo, thanks for all your help. I should be getting some photos I can email you shortly and I'll do that. Here are my thoughts on the trip.

1) Your services were great: helpful thoughts on where we were considering visiting in Costa Rica, excellent accommodations and good work on logistics. Our driver, Gerardo, was excellent and informative and his services were especially appreciated in Monteverde, where he stayed with us for two days.

2) Your choice of hotel in San Jose was perfect, as it was all it's cracked up to be. Great service, great restaurant, attractive furnishings, nice spa -- I can't say enough. I wonder, though, on our next trip, whether we should try staying on the outskirts of San Jose somewhere -- there seem to be some nice places to stay out there.

3) The visit to Corcovado was the highlight for us. A fun, adventurous trip to get there (by small plane, bus, and two boats), and incredibly interesting jungle environment. As one of our fellow guests said, it was like being on the Discovery Channel for the whole four days (the same could be said of the whole country). The guides were great, food good and sights and activities fabulous. The beaches there were awesome and the creatures never-ending.

4) The scuba diving was fun -- lots of fish and interesting plants to look at and the dive guide was fine. The visibility wasn't the best and it was challenging because of the strong current and surge. My wife and daughter opted to kayak the second day instead.

5) Manuel Antonio was very nice and the hotel very beautiful and comfortable. We toured through the park with Leo, a guide recommended by the hotel, and had a wonderful biology/botany lesson with him. He was great. The beaches were fabulous and uncrowded by our standards. We had a very nice meal at Karola's (recommended by the hotel) and a mediocre, overpriced one at Gato Negro (which we just walked into). The meals at the hotel were good. Manuel Antonio was a little more commercialized than we expected but once we got our bearings it was fine.

6) Monteverde was very nice, a great change of pace from the hot jungle and a very interesting and different environment. The Canopy Tour was fun and Samuel, our guide you arranged, was excellent. We saw the quetzal, motmots, emerald toucanets and many others and lots of monkeys. The hotel was fine and the view and ambience from the dining room and balcony was great. Gerardo had some good recommendations for other restaurants. Las Palmeras had the best tipico food we ate on the whole trip.

7) El Pueblo was a fun place to go in San Jose and the restaurant you sent us to there, Mi Mojitos, was great.

Thanks again.

James Finn

April 18

Arturo -

We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica - we wish we could spend more time there. Thank you so much for taking care of all the arrangements. We truly enjoyed the horseback riding at Arenal with Luis. It was a bit cloudy at Arenal but we still got a good view of the volcano erupting, particularly at night. It was spectacular. We also enjoyed our stay at Monteverde. We did everything we wanted to do at Monteverde in just two days: night tour at the ecological farm, morning hike at the rain forest, butterfly farm, canopy tour, and skywalk. (And the coffee there was a great buy.) Taramindo was nice and not too commercialized. The highlight was the howler monkeys. They woke us up in the morning. We found a couple of great places to eat at Tamarindo - we think one was called the The Copa Cabana (really good!) and the place right next to it (Las Palmas?). In general, we found the food at restaurants and sodas to be excellent, better than what we got at the hotels and resorts.

We were particularly glad that we decided to get a driver. Gerardo was great! He was always looking for things/animals/birds to show us. He also managed to get us a private canopy tour when we found out the tour was booked. We know you've heard this before, but we'll say it again: he has a wonderful way with people (with us tourists as well as the local people) and is a great representative of your company. He was a big reason our stay in Costa Rica was so enjoyable.

As you know, we had to delay our trip to Costa Rica by a day because of problems with the airline. It was a great relief that you could re-adjustor travel schedule so quickly and efficiently. We really did not miss much. Thanks so much. Rest assured that we will recommend you to anyone we know who might be thinking of going to Costa Rica.

Angela and Pri Sen

april 17

Dear Mr. Napoles,

We arrived home after spending a few days in Florida, after our return from San Jose. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. Our two stays at the hotel in San Jose were an absolute delight. It had the charm and ambiance of an excellent small family run European hotel and the staff there was very, very professional. Friendly, courteous and very efficient. We enjoyed the two excellent dinners that we had there. The quality of the food was excellent and the service was of the standard that we expected.

Gerardo, who was our driver and guide for several days was friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and thoughtful. We enjoyed his company. Our stay on the isolated Oso Peninsula was an adventure. The plane flight, the boat ride down the Sierpe River and across the waters of Drake Bay and the beach landing at the lodge was an experience that still brings smiles on our faces. The staff there was very friendly and the accommodations were very good, considering the remoteness of the

facility. The electricity, from their in house power generator, usually "rested" in the post midnight period. But these very minor inconveniences were absolutely insignificant. But it was quite humid there. The day spent walking through the rain forest and the portion of the early afternoon at the Park Ranger Station, and the following day's boat ride to Cano Island where we snorkeled and swam at the Park beach was an adventurous delight.

The drive to Monteverde was beautiful, but some of the roads could have been a bit smoother. The hotel was very satisfactory. The room was gigantic, with a king sized bed, a queen sized bed, and a seating area with a convertible sofa. We could have slept about six people there. The furniture was very tasteful and the room was very comfortable. The meals were very good, and dinner in the smaller dining room, arrangements made by Gerardo our driver guide, with the roaring fire was a delight. The Sky Walk through the cloud forest was diminished by rainy weather. But we were fortunate that at the end of the three hour guided tour with the excellent guide, Alexandro, the sun came out. We enjoyed looking down at the Howler monkeys in the tree tops and we got a good look at a Quetzal bird.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it with my zoom lens camera. My wife did, with her little point and shoot camera. The hotel at Tamarindo Beach was a perfect end to our stay. This hotel was beautiful and comfortable and the meals there were first class. Our bungalow was large and airy and tastefully furnished and the bathroom was gigantic. The pool area was serene, and the water was a delight. But since we are beach people, the beach was what we really enjoyed. It was a visual delight with the rocks or coral reefs and the large sandy beaches with soft surf and rather warm water.

Upon our departure for our return flight home, we were delighted to see Gerardo again, to take us to the airport. Overall it was a delightful vacation. But we would have enjoyed seeing the lava flow at Arenal.

Jeranisax@aol.com

april 10

Dear Arturo,

I want to thank you for all your help with our trip to Costa Rica. Having

Gerardo as our driver was the best decision we made. He is such a kind,

sweet ,humble man. We all loved him so much so that we took he and his wife and daughter to dinner the last night in San Jose. He pointed out many things, places, animals, plants and more to us along the way. As a result, we "saw" more than we would have on our own. He engaged our children , ages 10,12, and 15, so well and a few times they all went off without us.

Our favorite part of the trip was riding horses for 4 plus hours from Arenal

to Monteverde and then staying at the San Luis Ecolodge near Monteverde. The staff at the Ecolodge was so friendly and helpful, taking us on night walks to see animals, on a few hour walk to a beautiful waterfall, going for another horse back ride and full gallop when we said we wanted to go faster even though we hadn't been on horses for years or hardly at all, teaching some salsa dancing and more. The rooms there are beautiful and the food very tasty.

Our stay at Quepos was in a beautiful room with great views from up on the hill of the ocean.

All in all we loved Costa Rica, both the land and the people. Everyone we met was very friendly and so helpful. Hopefully, we will get a chance to come visit Costa Rica again some day.

Thanks again for everything.

Bob Brown

April 03

Dear Arturo,

Our trip was everything we expected and more. Your services and care were superb, as were our destinations, save for 1 rainy day when we wanted to see Arenal (which was at its most active in years!)

Overall, everything was fabulous. Hotel le Bergerac is really nice, and the

restaurant there is nothing less than outstanding, and very reasonable. We were surrounded by an interesting mix of tourists and what appeared to be really upper crust local residents-- very charming and much more pleasant than being downtown or at one of the "resorts."

Casa Corcovado is nothing less than the most fantastic place we have ever

been. It should be a model of how to run a high class eco-resort. Simple

but elegant. Fabulous service, food, and wonderful people. Our guide kept us active from 6 AM to 9 PM! But why is it so hot???? This place is much more of an ecological experience with better food, amenities, and service than what I've heard from friends about La Paloma. Bravo!!

Alan, our driver, was also absolutely wonderful. Like you, he was confidence inspiring. A really nice guy, very knowledgeable about the country, flora and fauna, and a great driver. I think we took him some places in Monteverde that were new to him and very different.

Monteverde is unbelievable. The natural wonders of this area are indescribable, and our guide in the rainforest (Fernando) knew a lot more about ecology, animal behavior, and birds than my college professors!

I think that's enough for now. Hope to hear from you.

Thanks again,

Richard Malkin

april 3

Arturo,

First, and not most important, but I think it will help some people calm
their nerves--we were told before going by both people and guidebooks
that we were crazy to drive--we would encounter terrifying drivers,
dangerous roads, and criminals. This was totally untrue. Maybe we were
just lucky, but in the entire trip I did not see anyone passing
dangerously, speeding extremely, driving aggressively, or threatening us
in any way. Of course, the roads are bumpy, but there is nothing
dangerous about that if one is careful. In San Jose, it was a bit more
nerve-wracking, but no worse than New York, and nowhere near as bad as
driving in some other countries. We loved the independence of having a
car, and would do it again. We picked up local schoolchildren
hitchhiking, and also other foreign travelers who didn't have
transportation. We also had the exciting experience of watching a huge
black snake (a keel back) cross the road in front of us. At that moment,
we were quite happy to be in the car.

Second, every single guide we had in any capacity was fabulous. Not only
the professional guides, but the bus drivers, the young kids we met up
with, the boat captains, and even people working with machetes along the
road seemed to be so knowledgeable about all the flora and fauna. They
must be so tired of tourists stopping by the side of the road, looking
up with binoculars, and asking, "what is that?" But, they all seemed
happy to answer our questions.

Third, we loved the food. I  could have gallo pinto and fried plantains
every day. And the incredible pineapples. And the juices.

Fourth, we loved the people we met. I kept on insisting on speaking in
Spanish, even when it was obvious that many Ticos spoke English much
better. But they were all gracious, and pretended not to notice all my
elementary mistakes. Of course for my husband they spoke in English.
There were also many occasions where we met people who did not speak any
English, and at those times, knowing some Spanish made for a much more
meaningful experience.

Your organization was perfect. Everything happened exactly as we
expected. Enjoyed our meal at Mi Mojito (and the drink), and had a delicious meal
around the corner from Hotel, at an Asian place,--I think it was called
Tin Jo or something like that. We had fun watching the soccer game on TV
with the mariachis at La Esmeralda. They wouldn't play music till it was
over, so we just sat down to watch with them . Never saw such
enthusiasm!

Some of our favorite things: the sloth, oropendulo, fruit bats, crested
guan, red eye tree frog, helicopter dragonfly, trogon, spider monkey,
heliconia flower, blue morpho, the "walking' palm tree, Jesus Christ
lizard, caiman. What we missed: mot mot and Quetzal. We will have to
come back for them.

So, you can see Arturo, that we had a wonderful trip. Again, muchissimas
gracias por todo.


Joan Weissman 
feb. 19

Arturo,

The trip was wonderful and to date the most memorable. Your assistance was invaluable and made our excursions into places unfamiliar so much easier. Costa Rica is beautiful and filled our senses to capacity. It is one of the most biologically places I have ever been to. Thank you for your help and I will surely recommend you to others.

Dr. Larry

Jan 30

Dear Arturo,

At the end of the Costa Rica itinerary you designed for us, you wrote "and a guaranteed great time" - well, it was that indeed and then some! It was an EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE! Your country is beautiful and it was a delight to be able to spend time there.

The San Jose hotels are charming and the staff very accommodating. Good food at both places. Tortoguero was a surprise - we had no idea of the abundance of wildlife that we were easily able to see. We were not on the boat headed to the Lodge for more than five minutes before we saw water buffalo, a roseate spoon bird and then many turtles, crocodiles, birds, etc. Our guide, Claudia is very well informed and fun to be with. Traveling by boat via the San Juan River to Puerto Viejo and the Selva Verde Lodge was great. Enjoyed our overnight there and hearing the rain at night. Did the hike at La Selva with a very knowledgeable guide, Eric, in a slight mist and then later Tabacon Springs in the mist. Tabacon was wonderfully relaxing and we both would have liked to go back again. Gerardo

did a wonderful job of getting us around and we really enjoyed his stories, his sense of humor and his companionship. Not renting a car and "leaving the driving to Gerardo" was an excellent decision on your part! Did not see Arenal due to clouds. Fonda Vela (we had one of the new rooms) and Monteverde were next. The Sky Walk was a great experience. I (Carol) do NOT like heights but we did the walk and I loved every minute of if, after we got up the spiral staircase! Great food at Fonda Vela (bread was outstanding). It is a peaceful place. On to the warmth and sun of Tamarindo. By the way, it was very wise of you not to send us to this area first as the change from the snow and cold of Long Island would have been a shock. Enjoyed the Pacific Coast but we would have preferred lodging directly on the beach. Cala Luna has lovely rooms, grounds and pool, however a bit enclosed for us. Great food - Guanacasto breakfast or huevos rancheros held us through til dinner. Beef filet with gorgonzola sauce was a hit and we really appreciated the fresh fruit and veggies. This was our time to just relax, swim and unwind.

The Osa Peninsula was one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Getting there was an experience and we really admire the skill of the boatmen as they found just the right moment to get through the waves and the rocks to the beach. Wish we had a video! The views, the staff, the accommodations, the "limo" that took us up the hill, wildlife (scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, etc.), meals shared with new friends all make for special memories. We went to Cano Island and the next day did the guided hike in the Nat. Park. Our guides (Didier and Carlos) were exceptional and encouraged and helped us through some difficult spots. They also were very knowledgeable. We had the good fortune of being assigned to bungalow number 1. Being there gave us the feeling of being right in the jungle and of course we needed no alarm clock because we had the howlers!

As we were going to the airport for our flight home, Gerardo said to us, "Now this is your country too!". Si. Hopefully we will return!

With best regards and thanks,

Barry & Carol Kane

Jan 30

Dear Mr. Napoles,

It was great meeting you also, and I'm still getting backing back into the routine here in the snowy northeast. The trip was fantastic, the people and country are equally fantastic. Besides losing my glasses and a flat tire in Monte Verde everything else was great. Once again thank you for your time and effort, I have passed your name on to someone thinking about traveling to Costa Rica, so hopefully you can help them if they do decide to go. Once again thank you for everything and take care!!!!

Sincerely, KDMKENNEDY@aol.com

Jan 29

Arturo,

Jim and I want to thank you for a wonderful honeymoon. We had a great time. We would highly recommend the Grano de Oro B&B in San Jose. It was a wonderful way to end a perfect honeymoon. We also loved the hot springs at the Tabacon Resort. We enjoyed relaxing in the hot springs and the hiking in the area. We went on a canopy tour at the Ecolodge on the way to Tabacon and would recommend that as well. We also enjoyed our time at Flamingo Beach.

Thank you again for all your help.

Megan and Jim Mitschrich

Jan 19

Dear Arturo,

We had a wonderful trip! Everything worked out perfectly and we enjoyed every minute of it. The hotels were terrific and we would stay at both hotels again. The Grano d'Oro was charming and a great choice, and El Parador was beautiful and unbelievably hospitable. The junior suite high up on the hill was perfect. We saw monkeys outside our room, and had a great view. Manuel Antonio National Park had lots of wildlife to see, and a beautiful beach for body boarding. We also did a day trip to Carara Biological Preserve to see the scarlet macaws, and were treated to seeing two in flight. On the way we saw the crocodiles near Jaco. Thank you for your terrific help in planning the trip and for making the reservations. We look forward to visiting Costa Rica again soon - it was a beautiful country.

Sincerely,

Lynne and Paul Goldstein

Jan04

Hi Arturo,

Sorry for the delay in responding to you. Cindy and I had a fantastic time in beautiful and friendly Costa Rica! Thank you so very much for arranging such a wonderful trip. Casa Corcovado was the definite high-light (2nd only to seeing our friends), followed by the Arenal/Monteverde leg of the trip. We'll definitely refer anyone we know who might be headed to Costa Rica to you.

Happy New Year,

Brent Barton

Jan02

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