Travel Review: Luxury Costa Rica, Bajos del Toro, Tarcoles River Jungle Boat Ride, Manuel Antonio National Park

I loved our first destination, a hotel in Bajos del Toro, which is situated in a cloud forest in Alajuela province. But you have to eat in the hotel dining room because the restaurants in town closed at 6 p.m. Only one of the hotel restaurants was open, and its menu was largely the same each evening. Had we known about that, we might have picked another hotel in the same region.

We thought we would be touring a coffee plantation while we were en route from Bajos del Toro.to Quepos.  I think there was some miscommunication because we did look at a coffee plant or two, but we never got to see how the process works.

The travel company arranged for us to go on a group tour to Manuel Antonio National Park on a Sunday morning. The guide was very good, but the park was extremely crowded. I think it would have been better to use a private guide from the hotel and plan the visit for Tuesday (the park is closed on Monday).

But these are minor quibbles.

Travel Company COmments

Hi Terry,

Good morning from green and sunny Costa Rica.

I want to address each one of, as you call them, the minor quibbles in your comments for which we are deeply grateful. We look forward to hopefully having the opportunity to host you again when you decide to experience Corcovado the most biologically intense place on Earth according to National Geographic.

Yes, Bajos del Toro is a wonderful destination. The only other wonderful hotel in Bajos del Toro has one restaurant. You hiked at this lodge. We have taken the issue up with the management of the hotel regarding the monotony of the menu. We have a response from their executive chef as they continue to work on it. Thank you very much.

Regarding the visit to a Coffee Plantation this must have been a miscommunication on our conversation for as stated in the itinerary we prepared for you: "Jan 12. Coffee Plantation, Tarcoles Adventure and Manuel Antonio (Breakfast-Lunch) Following breakfast, we will take you on a (approx. 4½ hour) private land transfer from Arenal to the Manuel Antonio Area, stopping en-route for you to see quickly a Coffee plantation and later you will enjoy the Safari Boat Adventure" which is precisely what we provided en-route to Quepos. Our bilingual driver Alex explained the coffee process as you visited the coffee plantation, but there was no coffee mill on the way which would have worked logistically without having prevented your husband from enjoying the Safari Boat Adventure. I apologize for my misunderstanding.

Please note that we also offered and arranged for private bilingual guided adventures. Your bilingual guided adventure at the Manuel Antonio National Park was a shared adventure. The park was crowded because it was high season. On Tuesday, the park would have been crowded as well as I explained to you in my farewell call to you. By booking the adventures in advance whether they are shared or private, we can ensure that they will be available for your enjoyment.

Above all, we are very grateful with your visit.