I have a penchant for seriously off-the-beaten path locations. Not only do I want to go to Nicaragua, but I want to go to the most remote places in the country. Way up north is a little beach village called Jiquilillo. This village is home to maybe a few hundred people. It's also home to Monty's Beach Resort, which I stumbled across on Trip Advisor. Monty's is a beach lodge with a big heart - they have all sorts of volunteer options in local communities, from soup kitchens to turtle rescue. It's a quick 2 hour drive from Leon to Jiquilillo. We head north and soon find ourselves on a long, straight dirt road headed due west. We drive through the village and start to wonder if we'll ever find Monty's and then we see a sign and head to the left. We can see the ocean and we drive down the dirt path and then we see Monty's. Cabanas on the beach with people drinking cervezas underneath thatched-roofs, kids playing soccer on the beach ... this is what I had in mind. We get settled into our cabana and get situated with a few beers and start to chat with the other guests. We meet a guy who invites us to release turtle hatchlings the next day, we walk down the beach, chat with Monty and get ready to learn the art of surfing. There are probably 10 people staying at the lodge and we are the only gringos for 100 miles. THIS is what I'm looking for when I travel.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner