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Kris Reger
Starting Member
USA
1 Posts |
 Posted - 06/15/2012 : 2:34:58 PM
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I won a Caravan Tour through Mailpound in January and chose to go to Cost Rica. It totally exceeded our expectation! First of all, in value. When we returned, I priced the hotels we stayed at (Barcelo San Jose Palacio, Laguna Lodge, Arenal Manoa, JW Marriott, Aurola) and the price of them alone exceeded the price of the tour, which included transfers from and to the airport, transportation between areas, professional tour guides, admission to parks and attractions and 3 meals a day.
Our main guide, Fausto, was just fabulous! He was a college educated naturalist, but did not only know about the plants and animals, but also the history, politics, economy and social customs of his country. He shared personal stories with us about his family, whom we got to meet at one of the stops.
Everyone in the group was pleased with our hotels. I also spoke to several members of the other group touring at the same time, but staying at different properties, and they were satisfied with their accommodations also.
One special thing was the inclusion of the Tortuguero area, which is often an add-on, even on pricier tours. It was definitely a highlight.
Two possible negatives. First, the bus rides were often very long, but that's the nature of the country! The rides were broken up by lunch stops at charming places, sometimes complete with entertainment, visits to plantations and interesting commentary by our guide. Also, the average age of the group was quite high. There was one couple with teenage boys, but I would say the rest were 50 and up, with one couple in their 80s! I don't know if I would recommend the tour for people in their 20s and 30s, unless I made very sure they were aware of this.
We have been in communication with quite a few members of our group since we returned (which is, I think, another sign of a positive expeience!) and I learned that one woman's flight was significantly delayed, so she managed to hook a ride back to the hotel from the incoming tour, and our guide arranged for her to take a city tour of San Jose while she waited. Nice! Several couples had taken Caravan Tours before, and liked them so much they booked another. All in all, a great experience! |
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