It was quite nice to exit the airport and see a sign with our name on it. Your representative was very brief but I did get all the information I needed before we were whisked away in a van. The van was amazing and the first driver was incredible. He not only took his time getting us to Manuel Antonio he also made sure we saw everything that he finds amazing about the country including his favorite birds in the sky, favorite places to eat, views etc. We could not have asked for a better first experience in the country. His English skills were incredible and he took his time to teach us key Costa Rican phrases and words.
Costa Verde was incredible, especially the first room we had the first 2 nights. The second room was adequate but a not as amazing after our first few nights. The walk to Manuel and the beach was a bit more than we expected but after the first day it was easier as we knew where we were going and how easy the busses were to take.
When we left Manuel Antonio we had a driver who spoke not a single word of English so I just prayed that we were actually going the right place as he could not ever communicate that to us.
The driver from the Nauyaca waterfall horse back tour was amazing. He locked our luggage in his vehicle in his garage when we went on the tour and he went out of his way to ensure we were happy and comfortable. The ride and tour for the day was amazing. I felt like writing home and saying I found heaven. The food, the guides and the breathtaking scenery made the day a trip to remember. When the tour operator drove us to our next hotel he made us feel like family and hoped we would return soon. We even have his contact information to stay in touch.
To top it off the last night in Dominical was a room located at Costa Paraiso. We could of spent our entire trip at this property and in this room, it was so beautiful. I appreciated how equipped the kitchens were and If we were there longer I would of brought food for all the meals. The owner/chef of the property made amazing meals and the view was priceless. I was so grateful you found this place for us.
We really did not wish to leave the next morning for Arenal. We had a driver who was very punctual. He spoke a little bit of English so I was thankful that I knew where we were going. We were told the drive to Arenal would take about 7 hours without stops...well we did it in 5 hours complete with stops along the way. We just closed our eyes and hoped for the best. He definitely was a confident Indy driver. He did take time to stop at 2 places along the way that he felt we would like. He even told us not to buy at the souvenir store he stopped at for a bathroom break as it was overpriced.
Arenal Lodge was alright. It was a bit of a let down after the coast but that is because we went from extreme heat to cool cloud forest. Also, transportation off of our lodge property to anywhere was expensive as we were quite a ways off the beaten path so we felt a little isolated there. I was not aware the volcano was no longer active and I was really hoping to see it. I know we had one of the best hotels for viewing but it has not been active for at least 5 months the locals say. We did take in the nature walk and the guided horse ride on the property and enjoyed those. It took 10 minutes or so to get to the lobby from our room though. We did take time to go the hanging bridges and we really enjoyed that. We also went to skytrek/skytram and the family had a great time zip lining.
We had the same driver back to our bed and breakfast we had booked near the airport. The driver was great in waiting for us at the Zoo avenue. I would recommend this as a great start or end to the trip as it is a teaching zoo and it teaches about the wildlife of Costa Rica. We were able to learn about endangerment and rehabilitation. For us, it was a great way to end a trip. Our driver waited 2 hours for us while we went to the zoo so we did tip him well at the end of the day. By the way, we were not sure if we were to tip or not so we did tip all our drivers and bell hops( luggage handlers) well.
On flight day we were picked up by the owner of the company who you arranged but he was not aware we were a family of 5 complete with luggage to go along with it so we were a little delayed getting to the airport as he had to call a cab to come assist with us. We made it to the plane 10 minutes before boarding even though we were up at 3:30 am.
I did send a video last week about our trip highlights, I hope you received that.
Take care and I look forward to hearing about the Dominical hotel
Regards
Monica Bradbury