Let me update you on Monday evening: I stopped by the bar on the way to supper at the hotel and met an interesting character along with a nice young lady bartender. After a great dinner that Louise, our waiter, recommended, I returned to the bar to continue my conversation. The fellow tells me he is 73 and a former sea captain on commercial vessels. He is from Corsica originally and lived all over the Caribbean and came here with a girlfriend 18 years ago. I asked if he worked at the hotel since he had the hotel logo on his shirt. He casually indicated to me that he owned the hotel. His seafaring stories were most interesting. We discussed world politics, governments, healthcare and had a grand time. I went to buy him a drink and he would not hear of it and bought me one. I finally had to leave him at 2200 to get some sleep for our 0745 hour, pick up.
Our driver was on time and after a great breakfast we were off. I said goodbye to Louise, our waiter.
The gravel road was no better leaving town. It was pretty bad, but the scenery grand. After almost 2 hours we took a welcomed bathroom stop. Another hour put us at Lake Arenal, where we transferred from our van to a boat to make the last 30 -45 minutes, then another van picked us up for our last few miles to the hotel.
The ARENAL MANOA HOTEL IS JUST BEAUTIFUL! Large rooms, very large walk in shower and beautiful landscape. All is well and I have 1900 hour reservations for dinner. Now to look around the grounds a bit./emr out at 1552 hours, Tuesday.
Adventure Life took care of everything! All we had to do was show up when we were supposed to, which made our first trip to Costa Rica largely stress-free and incredibly fun. Our trip reps, Hannah and Mariethony, were helpful and responsive, getting back to us by email usually within a few hours. Our accommodations were all great, and we got incredibly blessed with some absolutely stellar guides and drivers.
Our Jungle & Beach trip was an excellent balance of adventure and rest. We got to try out a lot of different activities, including snorkeling, hiking, white water rafting and kayaking, while also partaking of some rest around the pool or by the ocean. We enjoyed seeing and exploring the beautiful Caribbean side of the country.
Joy Knowles
1 week ago
The company made our adventure trip hassle-free, and a lot of fun! I will definitely be using them again
Carolena F
1 month ago
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 month ago
COSTA RICA a trip of a life time travelling round this beautiful country. All went like clockwork even when the weather was against us and all transfers seemed to be part of the holiday not a chore. Would definitely use Adventure Life again having previously used them 20 years ago!!
Cynthia Calton
1 month ago
Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! Kassandra planned everything and the excursions, hotels, overall organization were outstanding. Everything worked out smoothly, the excursions guides were knowledgeable allowing us to see so much of the fauna and flora of the country. The hotels were great as well, all in fantastic locations and with beautiful views.