www.vacationscostarica.com

We had the absolute best vacation

We had the absolute best vacation. From the very beginning of planning Jack from Costa Rican Vacations was incredibly helpful. He called me before putting together a package to ask what type of vacation we were looking for and answered my many questions extremely fast and always with such a pleasant attitude. He was honest and upfront and didn't push anything on us at all. We flew into Liberia and rented a car which was easy and affordable and drove to Tamarindo. We stayed at the lovely Jardin del Eden and it was the perfect location. The staff there was wonderful and the grounds were amazing. It felt secluded and away from the bustle but with just a very sort walk we were right in town or right on the beach. We loved the breakfast that was included each day and the dinner which was also included was delicious. I was concerned about the dinner because I can be a picky eater, but if I wanted to remove something from one of the options ,they were extremely accommodating. I had a pedicure at the spa was wonderful (I wish I remembered the woman's name) and Kevin the bartender who we chatted with a lot at the beach bar was great! I didn't understand the description of the beach garden but it was basically a pretty garden area, with bathrooms, a plunge pool, lounge chairs (with palapa umbrellas) and two big beds and a bar where you could order drinks and food. There was a gate and you walked a few steps down and were on the beach. which was public so it was really nice to have our private space with only hotel guests but be right there. The only thing that I would say needs improving are the rooms. They are clean and fine, but very basic compared to the rest of the grounds but because Jack told me in advance what to expect I was not at all surprised. I was glad we could walk right into town, and while we saved money with breakfast and dinner included, we were able to try local restaurants for lunch and got to experience the culture and people. We took a surf lesson while in Tamarindo and it was wonderful. We didn't realize it would be just the two of us and a teacher but it was and we learned so much! They were professional, organized and on time. We also did a catamaran sunset cruise which originally thought would be in the evening but it was in the afternoon so it was wonderful spending the day on the boat and then watching the amazing sun set. The boat wasn't super crowded (room for all) and included delicious drinks and good food. We stopped for awhile and were able to snorkel, use the pool noodles or lay on big rafts. It was a wonderful day and I would def recommend this company and excursion. The picked us up right at the entrance of our hotel and dropped us back later. The second part of our trip we stayed at Nayara Springs which was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. Our room was amazing and the staff was wonderful. The hot springs and grounds were awesome (although the very hilly terrain makes it difficult to walk as much as we would have liked) but they have golf carts that will bring you anywhere and I don't think we ever waited for then 5 minutes! The restaurants was also fantastic. We did an excursion to the hanging bridges and it was professional and we had a great time. We had another excursion booked but when we realized we would be gone from the resort for an entire day we opted to cancel and we used our credit Nayara which worked out perfectly! I loved being able to use the chat option on Whats app while we were on our vacation. I chatted with Andrea a lot and she was extremely helpful and always answered right away, at all times of the day. I would use Costa Rican Vacations and Jack for any trip I plan in the future and would recommend him to anyone interested in planning. While I could have probably researched on my own, that would have taken an insane amount of time and I would never have know which tours to choose, etc. He was incredible from start to finish.

Date of experience: Apr 12, 2025