Day 1 - My husband John and I, grateful to leave two feet of snow behind in Michigan, sip thick, dark Costa Rican coffee with our good friends, Susan and John Campbell from Scotland at Hotel Le Bergerac in San Jose. The outside enclosed patio surrounds us with lush foliage, hibiscus, orchids, and azaleas as we feast on fresh tropical fruit juice, omelets, crescent rolls, and gallo pinto, a Costa Rican dish of rice and beans.
At Mercado Central in downtown San Jose, venders sell handmade crafts, clothing and artwork. Carved masks, pottery, and framed painted feathers depicting toucans were offered as we strolled the tent lined block of stalls. The streets are filled with ticos (locals) and tourists, all sidestepping the busy traffic backing up at intersections. We exchange dollars for the local currency, and feel like millionaires as we handle thousands of colons; roughly 500 colons equal 1 dollar. 1000 colons or two dollars, will buy a cervecas, a fair price for a bottle of local Imperial beer.
We are awestruck by the National Theatre, one of the most impressive buildings in the city. Built in 1897 the interior is decorated with Italian marble, mahogany furniture, crystal chandeliers, statues, and gold-leaf murals. The majestic artwork includes Costa Rica’s most famous painting, Una Alegoria depicting the coffee harvest. The painting is reproduced on the 5,000 colon bank note. Our cute, dark eyed guide, Alexandrea, herself an aspiring actress, entertains us with a ghost story of an opera singer who committed suicide on the stage. “All real theatres,” she tells us, “must be haunted by a ghost!”
Evening finds us in the darkly lit, smoke filled atmosphere of The Jazz Café, where the grilled fish is excellent, served with rice and beans of course! We sip Imperial beer and wait for the band to begin. The live music is sultry and captivating, accompanying two authentically costumed women who enchant us with flamenco dancing
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
2 weeks 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.