A posting to warn people not to use these 2 Costa Rican
travel agencies, Rainforest Tours and the Costa Rica
Tourism and Travel Bureau. We used them(booked through the
Internet with Costa Rica Tourism and Travel Bureau to find
out later that they are also Rainforest Tours) for our 3
week birding/vacation trip to C. Rica Feb. 16 - Mar. 9,
1999. Numerous problems with them include no map provided
by them, no distances or time estimate between
destinations, no directions on how to find the hotels we
were booked into, resulting in 1 destination on itinerary
(that was prepaid) not being accomplished. We were given
wrong instructions by the owner of these establishments and
it resulted in us missing a vital connection with a bus to
Laguna Lodge in Tortuguero. Missing this cost us USD500.00
plus 2 nights of alternate accommodation. We were also
booked into a terrible place in Guanacaste (Villa Casa
Blanca) for our last 4 nights in C. Rica. We were promised
the "honeymoon" suite by the travel agent, only to find
that the room reserved for us was only big enough to fit a
bed into it! A/C was also promised and this was also
missing. The temperatures while we were in Guanacaste were
around 35C. Being from Canada (in the wintertime) this was
not acceptable to not have a/c. We left after 2 nights and
went to another hotel (with a/c and more room in it!)and
this also cost us more money, around $USD200 (total of
around USD700). So, we would not recommend using either of
these agencies. The owner was not helpful and terribly
defensive if we asked him any questions at all.
[There are 3 posts - the latest was added on Sat 17 April, 11:25]
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Wow! Take a little responsibility for your lousy vacation.
First of all, I think most of us on this list would never
dream of arriving in Central America without a map and
guidebook (which is how you find those distances, travel
times and directions that so bungled your trip). And I'm
curious how you got such bad directions- dare I assume you
didn't learn Spanish before you went, and expected the
locals to give you directions in flawless English? And I'm
so sorry you didn't get your luxurious, air-conditioned room
every night. Any idea how many Costa Ricans get that? But
I'm sure you were there only for the beaches, not to learn
anything about the politics or culture. I'm from Canada,
too, will be heading to CR in a month, and hope I'm still
welcome there after your visit. Go to Florida next time!
I think Boo hoo! got a little carried away here.
Sure, if you are an independent traveler be prepared to
bring guide books, maps, and learn Spanish...what ever
happens is on you. Still, there are alot of travelers to
Cost Rica that get their trips through agents and may not
be as prepared as a seasoned traveler. When you are
planning a honeymoon (as it seems Lynn was) you expect the
agent to be top of things. I do not know the ones Lynn is
talking about, and I do not plan on finding out about them.
But ANY agent that takes your money is going to run to the
bank. Agents should do everything they can to uphold
agreements and help in every way possible for a
tourist...even if that means getting them maps and accurate
directions. And if Boo hoo is not aware of it, a lot of
people come to Costa Rica for the beaches and
honeymoons...they have at that time other things on their
mind than the local politics. Costa Ricans I know are more
interested in helping tourists have a pleasant vacation
than expecting them to speak perfect Spanish. Why shouldn't
Lynn have expected a luxurious room with air-conditioning?
Is that not what she paid for? Costa Rica is not some
backward country: Tourism in Costa Rica is BIG business and
there are plenty of beautiful places to stay that, yes, do
have AC....gosh! they even have phones, running water and
indoor toilets....Boo hoo stay in Canada. And do not come
to FLA either.
A note to add in response to the topic "Warning about a
Travel Agency in Costa Rica".We DID take our own map to
Costa Rica and have Guidebooks with us. We only speak some
Spanish and are not fluent in it, but did understand people
when we asked them (in Spanish)for directions.
We were in Costa Rica birdwatching and had birding
fieldguides with us as well as a Birdfinding Guide to Costa
Rica (which had poor road directions in it). We expected
that a good agency would provide maps, directions,
etc.(they should) We had paid for good quality
accommodation and expected to receive it.
I thank "dav" very much for his response. Costa Rica is a
wonderful country and we look forward to returning next
year to see areas that we were unable to get to this trip.
I am well aware of the standard of living of the "average"
Tico. I just hope that they will see some benefit of all
the tourist dollars that are being spent in their country.