This is a testimonial from a client I sent to Costa Rica.

Dear Ellen,

Thank you so much for your part in planning our honeymoon.  Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and the Ticos really know how to treat the tourists!  Our agent in San Jose, Erick  from Travel Excellence, took great care of us and we felt like VIP's.

Each new tour or hotel, we said to each other "wow this is the coolest part of the whole trip".  The whole experience couldn't have been better, it really was a perfect honeyoon for us. 

I thought I would take a minute and sum up the trip for you--so that you can know what the highlights are when working with other customers:

Day 1 - 2:  San Jose & Rio Pacuare, Hotel Grano de Oro
We got in after dark and were a little apprehensive about walking the streets of San Jose without first seeing them in daylight, so we took in the hotel--the private patio with a fountain and fish was great, and the hotel food was amazing (and such a good value!). 

We woke up bright and early for our rafting trip at the Rio Pacuare.  What a way to kick off the vacation!  I've never rafted before and was terrified, and I was happy that the hardest part of the trip was first:  after those Class 4 Rapids, I was ready for anything!  We met two other honeymooning couples, one of which was staying at the same hotel (we had a lovely Peruvian dinner with them).  Oh, and the coolest part of the rafting trip:  they took 273 pictures of us and the disk was inexpensive!

Day 3 - 4:  Monteverde, El Sapo Dorado Hotel

I think Monteverde was my favorite town, and I wish we had stayed another half day or so there.  The cooler mountain climate almost reminded us of home.  The cloud forest was amazing, and we saw more cool animals than I can begin to list.  Erik had a close up encounter with a white faced monkey, and we also made a trip to Insect World--where all kinds of creepy crawleys crawled all over us!! 

Birthday dinner at Sophia's was great...we had the whole place to ourselves except the kitten in the restaurant (named Frank, just like our cat) who made us feel at home.  Having the restaurant to ourselves became a recurring theme...we really caught the country on the off season.

Day 5-6:  Arenal Volcano, Hotel Arenal Paraiso

It's hard to decide what was the most impressive part of this stop:  the active volcano or the most beautiful hot springs I have ever seen.  The Tabacon hot springs was amazing (although a bit expensive and touristy).  No trip should be without this stop!

We hiked the volcano in the day, fished the lake (where we caught 6 Guapote's), and at night relaxed in the hotel's pool--where the lava show kept us mesmerized for hours.  We woke to the sounds of the Mono's (monkey's).

Day 7-9:  Pureto Viejo, Shawandha Lodge

It almost felt like we were in another country in Puerto Viejo.  Again, the night-time arrival had us a little nervous...and the Shawandha Lodge was REALLY in the jungle (I think the monkeys were on our porch), but once we adjusted to the culture & climate difference, we fell in love with this town, just like every other town we saw! 

The laid back Carribean was the perfect finale for the trip.  We made friends with our tour guides and enjoyed a night on the town with locals.  By the last day of the trip, the high humidity had us ready for home...the timing was perfect. 

I think this was the best vacation destination I have been to...and the great planning made it even better.  The people there know how to take care of travellers, but it hasn't yet been spoiled by tourism.  Dollar for dollar, Costa Rica is a great value. 

If you mail me a few extra cards, I'd be happy to pass them along to my Wedding Planner with a great referral.  We had a great time, and have many memories!

Thanks again,

Gwen & Erik