Greg Group - April 2011

I wish we were able to get back to Costa Rica in the near future as we had a good time. Short visit, but still very enjoyable.

Yes, the whole Gray Line experience was excellent from the time I first called and emailed you, through the planning and reservation process, and the actual tour. Before our cruise started you were able to work with us, due to our group of 10 having elderly relatives with health problems, so that made it easier on us. Just to let you know, we cruised from Ft. Lauderdale to just past Costa Rica before one couple got notified that a relative had broken a hip. In addition, our tour guide, Al, was great. He kept us fully entertained and informed, and "included in our package" were many wildlife he spotted. Due to his stories, we nicknamed him "Holy Al."

I don't have any friends that are coming to Costa Rica soon, but I will keep your contact information so I can give it out. Plus our friends will be seeing lots of pictures from Costa Rica so that may help give them an incentive to visit your country.

Greg

I absolutely love Arenal!

I am a Costa Rican and this is my favorite tour whenever friends or family visit. Gray Line's tour buses are comfortable and their guides are always friendly and informative so the trip up north is very pleasant. Then the hot springs... soooo relaxing!!! I absolutely love them and recommend them for anyone looking to unwind. Also, Tabacón has an award-wining spa. I've never used it, but last time I went with my Colombian aunt she got a mud treatment and bragged about it for days.

Awesome one day tour

This is probably the highlight of my trip to Costa Rica.

From the start: They pick you up from your hotel - 8am. They may spend up to an hour getting the other tourists from their respective hotels. Boring! Then we drive to Arunel. The drive is kinda boring however the tour guide talks the whole way. 

We stopped for some photos of the volcano, which is a giant pointy mega-mountain.

Next we did something really fun - we went to Tobacan Resort and Hot Springs. They gave us a 5 start lunch and dinner and we spent 5 or so hours swimming in these hot waterfalls. Yes a hot waterfall! There is maybe twenty or so of them. And some are really big! 

In the evening we went to a spot for watching the volcano. When it got dark.. orange lava! You have to wait about 15 minutes between each eruption. 

You don't get to go hiking up the mountain, or even near the base - you'd get killed. But it is still quite an impressive sight.

I'm told I got lucky in two ways - firstly it was a clear day and I could see the top of the volcano. Secondly we got to see a proper lava eruption in the evening. Some tourists get to see neither of these. This is outside of the control of the tour operators.

All this for $109. Good value.

Hello,

During our recent vacation this past July 2010 to Costa Rica, our family stayed at the Best Western Resort in Jaco for 5 days and 4 nights. During our stay Mr. Luciano Segu was at the Gray Line Tourist Desk. He was very helpful to us in arranging typical tourist accommodations and side trips. Then our daughter became very ill. At this point Mr. Segu’s service to us went far above a typical sales executive. When he learned of our plight he not only found a competent doctor for us, but he personally accompanied us to the doctor’s office because we were concerned we could not locate it. Mr. Segu then became our advocate to have our pre-paid money for a hotel reservation at Manuel Antonio refunded, since we could not leave Jaco due to our daughter’s illness. This was so considerate of him because otherwise we would have had to pay for the hotel in Jaco as well as the hotel at Manuel Antonio. Needless to say with the expenses of the clinic, ambulance, private doctor, and blood tests, we were certainly grateful for Mr. Segu’s help in refunding our money.

More importantly than the money was the genuine care that Mr. Segu showed to us each time we talked at the hotel, and since the Gray Line’s desk is centrally located there, we spoke frequently. Each time we spoke he encouraged us, and not only offered to help but actually went out of his way see to it that everything that could be done was. Upon reflection now at home we also noted that Mr. Segu was always busy and attentive to each of his other clients as well.

Our family was blessed to have Mr. Luciano Segu be at the Gray Line Tourist desk. He is an excellent representative of the Gray Line Company as well as being a true ambassador for Costa Rica. We plan to make good use of Gray Line’s travel service whenever we travel in the future and we will definitely promote Gray Line to everyone we know who will be visiting your country. Mr. Segu excelled in his performance, not only as a sales representative but as a person who truly cares about people.

Thank you for the opportunity to share our experience with you.

Sincerely,

Jim and Jane Amen
Lisa Amen

Nebraska, USA

COSTARICA TRAVEL COMPANIES

Our Recommendation: Gray Line

Although Costa Rica is a small country, getting around can be a nightmare if you are not prepared. Renting a car can be prohibitively expensive, and the road conditions can make a 100KM drive take the whole day. Many people opt to take domestic flights from destination to destination in Costa Rica. This is efficient from a time perspective, but you'll miss out on some beautiful scenery, and with multiple destinations, the air fare can add up quickly. One great option is to take a tour bus. For a reasonable rate, you can get arrange a pick up at your hotel and get dropped off at your next destination. For tour bus services, we recommend Gray Line.
Gray Line has the most destinations of any Tour Bus company. The drivers are friendly and for longer trips, they stop at a local restaurant so that you can get some food, stretch out, and use the restrooms. The busses tend to be clean, and they are more reliable and more likely to be on time than competitors.

Gray Line also offers several affordable day trips which include guided tours. They will pick you up from your hotel, take you to your destination, and provide a guided tour that includes lunch and dinner. This can be a great, affordable way to see the country with day trips, but still get to stay in your desired location. Most of the day tours are under $100 and will allow you to have a great day without the trouble of renting a car.
For more information, we recommend that you visit Gray Line's user friendly website:

Travel Pass Excellent Value

One of the best ways to travel as a tourist is by shuttle service in Costa Rica, taking advantage of Gray Line’s one week pass that allows unlimited travel within Costa Rica. All destinations throughout Costa Rica were included in this unlimited travel apart from the trip to and from the airport at San Jose. We travelled all over the place using this season ticket for the Gray Line shuttle service, even travelling up to the northern beaches of Guanacaste as well as Rincon de la Vieja a couple of days later. I know some of the shorter trips might be more cost effective paying for trips separately, but we found the travel pass extremely economical for what we wanted.