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Here is what our customers have to say about us!
Monday, May 19, 2008 6:27 PM
Ray;
I just wanted to thank you for arranging our trip to Costa Rica. Everything was great, including the weather. We had an amazing honeymoon and appreciate all of your help and suggestions.
Thanks again,
Tom K..
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Monday, May 19, 2008 6:27 PM
Ray;
My wife & I recently used the Costa Rican travel service you provide. I don’t often write to praise or to criticize services or products unless it’s something exceptional. I wanted you to know that we could not be more pleased with the service provided to us on our trip. All of the drivers were on time and very courteous. I especially want to tell you about one of the drivers; Marvin Garcia. He picked us up at Hotel Sugar Beach, near Tamarindo, and delivered us to Hotel Villa Romantica in Quepos. He was very courteous, as they all were, but he was also very informative and entertaining. He went to great lengths to ensure our comfort and that all our needs were met.
If you are not the person I should be writing, please direct this email to whomever it needs to go to so that he receives the recognition he so richly deserves. I have already recommended your service to other people I know will be traveling to Costa Rica, and provided them with your contact information.
Thanks again for your flawless portion of our trip.
Sincerely,
Charles S..
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04/30/08
Ray,
Just a note to say that we had a fabulous time in Costa Rica. All of your arrangements worked like clockwork, everyone was warm, helpful and punctual.
Thanks for your efforts in setting up a terrific trip. And the location of our rooms at Paradisus could not have been more convenient!
Best,
Michael K.
PS Now if you could just get that road from Arenal to Monteverde paved, that’d be terrific!
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04/28/08
Hi Ray,
Sorry it has taken so long to respond. We had a fantastic time and i
really appreciate the service and effort you provided. The transfer
provided back to Liberia worked out very well. Costa Rica was
fabulous and I hope that some day we will have an opportunity to return.
The Travel Store is high on my list and will be recommended to family
and friends.
Thanks,
Bob
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03/24/08
Hello Ray
I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful visit in CR. Of
course it was way to short. We enjoyed the wildlife and the people
very much. We are in the process of assessing our investment
opportunities.
Thank you very much for setting up the hotels and the car rental.
Linda DeS
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03/14/08
Well we didn't go with a GPS after all, but got only slightly lost a couple of times. Your directions were pretty dang good, BTW. Without them, I'm sure we would have had to have a GPS.
I want to say the itinerary you set up was very good, indeed. My wife and I were very pleased. We had a blast zip lining at Arenal. I also learned that driving in CR is an experience like zip lining, except without the fun. Tico's have a laid back culture, until they get behind the wheel.
Anyway, thanks for your expert help in setting up a great vacation in CR for my wife and I. Hope to see you again next year.
ac
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03/13/08
Maria and I attended the Dillman’s traveling watercolor painting workshop In Costa Rica on Feb.28 to Mar 8, 2008, with Bridget Austin as instructing artist (see Dillmans.com and Bridgetauastin.com).
This Central American country lies at approximately 9 degrees latitude and has a moist, tropical environment. It is generally mountainous with numerous volcanoes, some of which are currently active. Many of the more scenic areas are covered with tropical rainforest which grow to great heights in many areas. These forests, interspersed with lakes, rivers and waterfalls are home to a diverse population of plants,birds, animals and reptiles.
This workshop was, in our view, an ideal mix of painting as well as sight-seeing and photographic opportunities. The workshop progressed at a continual but relaxed pace. Painting was done mostly during the mornings while the temperature was relatively cool in incredibly beautiful and comfortable settings. Afternoons were spent on localized excursions to scenic locations within short driving ranges of the base hotels. Options were left open for individual interests and activities as well.
Following arrival at San Jose we traveled to the Arenal Springs Resort where we stayed for 3 days. The resort is located near the base of the active Arenal Volcano. Minor eruptions could be seen on a daily basis but the area is considered quite safe. Painting was done on the hotel veranda with a view of the colorful grounds and distant volcano. The grounds were well-manicured and contained a wide variety of vegetation including a fantastic assortment of tropical flowers. This stay included a trip to the Peace River Water Fall Gardens and an evening excursion and dinner at the Tabacon Hot Springs, where most of the participants indulged in a dip into the thermal pools. The third day included a trip to Lake Arenal and a hike down (and back up) a narrow valley to see the fantastic La Fortuna Waterfall.
The next day, we traveled to Manuel Antonio located along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, which is a very popular tourist destination, with many hotels. Our hotel was interestingly named Hotel California and was located near the Manuel Antonio National Park. As at Arenal, we were in a very scenic setting, and came with a view of the ocean.. The town of Quepos was nearby, where we had lunch and shopping opportunities. One evening we had dinner during sunset at the La Mariposa Hotel restaurant. The view from this hotel is of unparalleled beauty in all of Costa Rica.
Painting was accomplished here in a scenic upper-level veranda with a gentle tropical breeze. The hotel grounds had floral gardens with numerous Bougainvillea and Hibiscus. Monkeys could be seen in the surrounding trees and vegetation most mornings. Side trips included a Mangrove estuarine boat cruise to see a wide variety of birds and animals. Painting was also done at two beautiful beaches with large rock outcroppings and boats floating in the offshore.
Dennis and Sue Robertson as well as Stephanie Skotterud were as cordial and accommodating throughout this trip as could possibly be expected. They were tireless in there efforts to make this trip as enjoyable for us as they could.
The painting group was small enough so that each artist was provided ample individual attention. Most painting sessions were started with a demo by Bridget. She is an excellent demo artist and provided detailed verbal explanation of her painting procedures to maximize our learning curve. We would not hesitate to take another workshop with Bridget and/or the Robertsons and will likely do so as our schedule permits.
Bob and Maria Pauken
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2007-11-15 12:05
Nice site which loaded very quickly. The navigation was good
and there is more than enough content. Good luck
and wish you all the best.
Michael
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2007-11-12 5:10
Ray,
We got back in one piece....... All the arrangements were
done perfectly. Our driver arrived at 4:30 am to take us back to
the airport and set a land speed record for Costa Rica. He might
have to come to Chicago to teach people on how to drive the
Dan Ryan. The hotel was great the food was great the fishing
was great but the people in Costa Rica really made the place
special. I could see why people from here are looking to retire
in Costa Rica. I look forward to passing on your name to some
of my friends and clients so they could experience some of the
charms, some of course more than others, that we had on
vacation. I'm sure we will talk in the future.
Joe
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2007-11-09 13:58:06
Great site design made with ease of use in mind.
This is a one stop portal for travel to Costa Rica.
The site loaded fast and the content is well written and relevant..
Mark
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September 17, 2007
Dear Ray,
Other than being robbed, the rest of my trip in Costa Rica was wonderful. We saw amazing things including a humpback whale and her calf on our snorkeling trip. I was most impressed by all our guides and their amazing knowledge of their country and wildlife. If we had hiked through Manuel Antonio alone we NEVER would have seen even a quarter of the animals we saw via our guide. He had eagle eyes!
Seeing the independence day celebration on Friday night in Quepos was quite nice too. I took a few pictures of the children with their lanterns - they're so proud. It's refreshing to see a country of people with such pride and respect for their home...quite unlike the US!
As for being robbed - it certainly increased the cost of my trip by about $2000, but it was my fault. I knew better than to leave my bag in the car even though we weren't even in a town, just at a roadside cafe. I was just a little off kilter because American Airlines lost my suitcase, so all my valuables that would have been tucked into my large suitcase rather than my little backpack were still in the small bag. The money lost is far less important to me than the vast amount of work I lost off of my computer, but I'll rebuild.
Anyhoo, thank you so much for all of your hard work and continued assistance throughout the trip. I will certainly contact you for future visits and recommend you to friends if anyone is planning to take a trip!
Have a wonderful week!
Margarita
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Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:19AM
Fell in Love with Costa Rica
Hi Ray.
We have returned from the trip you planned for us to Costa Rica. In the brief nine days we were there, you did an amazing job of planning the places we visited of this magnificent country. I wouldn't have changed the activities or the locations. We wrapped up our trip with four dives. Costa Rica isn't known for the best diving, as the visibility isn't as good as many other places. However, what was lacking in visibility (about 45 ft on our dives), the phenomenal marine life more than made up for that. We saw sharks, eels, octupus, manta rays, sea turtles, schools of tuna and sea-bass, colorful fish and more. It definitely surpassed our expectations. And of course the wildlife on land was phenomenal too. The monkeys and sloths were my favorite. Although I also got to be on a first name basis with many iguanas.
Thanks for planning a trip that we will always remember. Pura Vida!
Michelle M
Side note: It doesn't appear that Hotel Karahe is under great management. This could be an absolutely phenomenal place. The view of the water from the villas is breathtaking. However, the mattresses are horrible and the bathrooms are not very clean. We definitely don't need fancy, since we don't spend a lot of time in the room. But these two things are the basics. I hope to go back someday and find that someone wipes off the dust and makes this place the gem it could be.
Also, the directions you provided were great. Thanks so much. The road to Hotel Sugar Beach was definitely an adventure. When we were first arriving, I read your directions and the description of the road being "HORRIBLE". When we actually got to the road we laughed in hysterics. We enjoyed it though...just part of the adventure!
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The family had a great time through out the entire vacation! We actually added other things as time presented itself. The most memorable event was a non-intended stop at a small shop of a wood carver on the way to Monteverde, he and his family took us in to their home and showed us with pride his garden, and workshop. He even took our sons and showed them how to work on his machines and allowed them to carve a bowl! We enjoyed the hospitality of the people through out the country, even in the large cities. Driving for me was a high point, as I love dirt roads and rally style driving! Thank you greatly for setting up a wonderful vacation and putting up with our incessant questions.
Tad L.
Muskego, Wi.
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Wed, 25 Apr 2007
Hello Ray,
We just wanted to send you a Thank you. Even though there was a lot of stress and things left to the last minute, in the end it worked out for the best. I'm glad the other caterer did not work out because Robin was absolutely fantastic. The resort was beautiful, the car rental worked out well, the garden court hotel was perfect. I would say that Robin did the most amazing job with the wedding, music, photographer etc. It could not have been better. The only concern we had was with the Marea Brava. They did not seem to have things organized. They had people leaving on the wrong days and not booked in for others. They also put us in different rooms than you had booked us for the wedding night and the rest of the week. I'm not sure if there was a difference but they put us in rooms 4 and 5 instead of 6 and 7 which were 2nd floor and appeared to be bigger than 4 and 5. We were having such a great time that it didn't really matter and we ended up moving back to a condo because the rooms were too small anyway. Just wanted to let you know that they were not the most pleasant to deal with, but the beauty of the resort made up for the service.
Thank you again for everything! We couldn't have done it without you! Very much appreciated. Take Care!
Tonya and David K.
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Sunday, April 08, 2007 5:08 PM
RJ,
This is a long overdue THANK YOU Our trip was wonderful everything happened as planned. All of the transfers you arranged occurred without a hitch. You chose a wonderful place to retire. I hope we can call on you again to help us plan our second trip to Costa Rica! Thanks again-
jah
RN, PhD
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Tuesday, March 13, 2007 2:39 PM
Ray,
It was a great trip other than an early bought with food poisoning courtesy of the restaurant at the ferry. (under cooked fish) Other than that everything and everyone was wonderful. Great people, (other than their driving) and spectacular scenery. The 2nd night at La Sabana was better than the first. Much nicer room that wasn’t right over the road. Room 17 to be specific. Outstanding and a great value. That place is a winner
Thanks for all your help.
Jay D. L.
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February 23, 2007
Dear Ray,
We have now returned from our trip to Costa Rica, and I want to tell you that everything went perfectly. All the planning certainly paid off. Each service, hotel, tour that you booked for us was waiting, precisely at the agreed time and place. There were no gaps. That made our trip so pleasant! Thank you for such excellent administration.
The wedding on the beach at Tulemar was as lovely as could be, and all went well. We all enjoyed all the hotels (although, I have to say, the Conchal development, so different from Corteza Amarilla and Tulemar, was not really our style, but it certainly was comfortable). The tours were so well done, and we got excellent use out of our rental car.
We will certainly recommend your services to any friends planning travel in Costa Rica, and, should we return, we will be in touch.
Thank you very much,
Liz L.
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February 5, 2007
Hi Ray,
We are back from our trip to the Osa Pennisula. What a wonderful and beautiful place! I can't say enough about how smooth everything went. Even with those paper transfers. We had a great trip and will call you again when we plan to go back. Costa Rica is the friendliest place and has everything you can imagine and more.
Thank you!
Trish and Jake Sharet
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December 12, 2006
Ray,
We had a blast! Everything you planned went off without a hitch. Thank you so much for all the changes and additions. We had the larger bus (25 passenger) going back to San Jose and it was a God- send! I might like to use the larger bus on all my adult only trips. How much more is it?
I want to talk to you about the Coste Verde sometime.
The Scuba shop owners were very complimentary about you and your business.
I want to plan another trip for the same time next year, but want to make it 9 nights. We would leave on Thursday, November 29 and return on Saturday, December 8. One night Rincon, 3 nights Tamarindo area, 4 nights Manuel Antonio area, one night San Jose with AM city tour.
Let's make sure we have the March 31 - April 8 trip set and then we can work on the 2007 Dec trip.
I am going to make a brochure that tells folks what to wear/bring for each of the excursions we do. I will send you a copy if you would like to use it for other clients.
Thanks again. I enjoy working with you!
Julie
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October 30, 2006
Ray-
Thanks for all your help and your quick turn-around getting Jessica added.
We are very excited for the trip. Please do not hesitate to use me as a
reference/testamonial in the future.
Best,
Rose Maguire
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August 4, 2006
Hi Ray,
I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you again
for your insights and help in lining up our trip.
Your recommendations were outstanding. I can't count
the number of times my boys would turn to me while we
on our excursions and exclaim "this is the best
vacation ever!" I felt the same way.
Everything we did was perfect for my kids: La Paz,
rafting, Tabacon, canopy tour, horseback riding. The
Arenal Paraiso was outstanding - we had a beautiful
view of the volcano and I barely slept at night,
watching it erupt with a gorgeous view from the
comfort of my bed.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country with beautiful
people. Thanks for helping us discover our bit of
paradise.
Who knows... maybe next summer we'll come back to see
the Pacific and Manuel Antonio park. If so, you'll be
hearing from me.
All the best,
Alan Gesalman
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August 2, 2006
Mr. Hagist,
I never did get back to you - just wanted to extend a hearty thank you for putting together a great trip for us. Everything was very smooth and my wife and I had a very enjoyable vacation. I'm sure we will return, and hope to plan through you again. If anyone I know ever heads down that way, I'll be sure to refer them to you.
Thanks again,
Larry Kniskern
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July 14, 2006
Ray,
I can't thank you too much for the truly great holiday we spent at Playa Tamarindo at the hotel you booked for us this week. The Hotel Luna Llena is truly a gem. The rooms were very comfortable and the staff and owners went "over and above the call of duty" to make our stay pleasant and enjoyable. Lounging by the pool was very relaxing and tranquil. They EVEN have WiFi internet available in the hotel!
Next time we book a vacation, we will definitely be giving you a call.
Again, many thanks for the great service.
Arne and Marilyn Dresslar
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June 1, 2006
Ray,
Just wanted to thank you for arranging our transfers and tours while we were in Costa Rica the week of May 6. All the tours were great - we had a wonderful adventure - we were able to do things like the canopy tours and volcano tours that were awesome we will all remember for a long time. I look forward to visiting Costa Rica sometime in the future and will definately contact you when we do. Thanks again for all your help.
Sandra Powell
NC
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May 2, 2006
Ray,
I wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time on our trip.
I have to admit that when we landed in San Jose, I was a little concerned that those vouchers that you had e-mailed me may be meaningless. After all, I had not done anything to check the bona fides of the Costa Rica Travel Store and those pieces of typing paper seemed so informal. Well, my fears were for nothing, because I was greeted by name at the airport and our airport transportation and the rest of the trip went without a hitch. The vouchers were unconditionally accepted and we were treated like royalty everywhere we went.
I want to particularly commend you for arranging the private van drivers. We had the most thoughtful, most conscientious drivers that anyone could ask for. As you had advised me, the roads in C.R. are not the interstates that we are used to, particularly the road from Monteverde to Montezuma. I would have been very distraught driving over mountainous, shoulderless roads had we not had careful drivers. We did not arrive anywhere quickly, but we arrived safely. Moreover, our drivers, who by and large were not fluent in English, were nevertheless very accommodating. On one of our trips, one of the girls got car sick and the driver stopped to buy her guava to sooth her stomach (and would not accept repayment). After we told another of our drivers how much we enjoyed the local fruits, juices and nuts, he took us to a marvelous fruit stand (in Ocininto?) to purchase tamarind juice and other local fruits, nuts and coconut cookies.
As you may recall, we also took advantage of many of the "adventure tours" available (white-water rafting, horseback riding and zip-lines). In each case, the equipment was in good condition and we had excellent, safety conscious guides.
If you or Costa Rica Travel Store ever needs a referral, you should feel free to have them contact me. I was really impressed by your knowledge and level of service.
Thank you for a wonderful trip.
Susan Shanklin
718.625-7204 (home)
susan.shanklin@verizon.net
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April 20, 2006
Dear Ray,
I wanted to thank you for all the wonderful arrangements you made for
our recent trip. Your inside information and knowledge of lodging and
activities really made the trip unbelievable! Every time I thought
the trip couldn't get any better, it did!
Arenal Lodge was spectacular and I would go back and stay longer next time.
We even saw an eruption our last night. Amazing! El Establo was a beautiful
resort though I think their staff was a little tired from being sold out.
We went to Santa Elena Reserve as opposed to Monteverde and only saw 3 other couples during
our 3 hour hike. Hacienda Guachapelin was an amazing adventure and I
definitely would go back there and stay a few nights to be able to savor all
there is to do. Also, because you had us go up to the lodge on a Monday when
the Park itself was closed at Rincon De La Vieja, it was incredibly quiet
and most of our adventures that day were "private" though they had not
been booked that way.
We love Costa Rica and found it to be beautiful, friendly, affordable and safe.
I can't thank you enough for all you did to make sure our trip was awesome,
but I will send you a copy of my tv show which is airing this month, and I
invited folks to contact you. Just send me a mailing address and your DVD
will be on the way. We will definitely come back to Costa Rica and when we do,
you'll be the first one we call.
Thanks again for everything!
Terrie Q. and Skip S.
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April 06, 2006
Good morning Ray,
We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. Thank you for putting together a
great itinerary for us. We were able to do everything except the Canopy
Tour at Arenal. It was just too windy and rainy for our tastes that day
and we figured we could catch it on our next trip.
My wife's name is Joleen, so that's not who they are looking for. Do
you know when that segment is going to air?
Speaking of return trips - I may be coming down in June/July with my
son. As our plans firm up, I will give you a call to make our
reservations.
Thanks,
Mike
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April 05, 2006
Ray,
The trip went great!!!!! Thank you very much. So I missed you in San Jose but I got your cards and will definitely try to do some repeat business with you and refer you to friends. Thanks again.
Donnie C.
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19 March 2006
Hi Ray -
Thank you so much for
putting together a great itinerary. We hada wonderful trip and look
forward to coming back soon. Everything worked out smoothly with no
hitches. The only item we didn't do was the zip line tour as it was
extremely windy and raining that day - oh well, that gives us
something to look forward to doing on the next trip down.
Again, thanks for your help and I'll contact you when we're ready to
return later this year.
Mike
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27 Feb 2006
Ray,
We (Me, my wife, daughter and her husband) just returned from our 15 day
trip to Costa Rica. We could not have had a better time. We had absolutely
no problems with any of the arrangements you made for us. The weather was
great as were our accomodations. Every place you recommended turned out to
be better than we anticipated. The Corcovado Jungle Lodge is a truly
fantastic place. Every thing about it is first class. We saw lots of
animals and birds.
The lodge staff did every thing in their power to make our stay pleasant.
The only place we were a little disappointed with was the Villas Nicolas.
This is a place we arranged ourselves. It was not nearly as nice as we
expected. We paid for a villa and received two separate rooms not even on
the same floor -- one adequate the other not. I certainly would not
recommend this place to anyone. It is in need of remodeling and attention
to general all around maintenance. We certainly didn't get what we paid
for. We paid $275 a night for a so called suite. We should have let you
arrange a place for us in this area.
Despite this one disappointment we still had a good time in the Manuel
Antonio area.
Again, thanks for your assistance. Your assistance helped us have a
fantastic trip to Costa Rica.
We will definitely return in the future.
David Brickell
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03 Feb 2006
Dear Ray,
Our trip to Sugar-Beach was excellent. All your arrangements worked very well.
Thank you for all your help.
Best regards,
Steve M
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20 Sept 2005
Hi Ray,
On behalf of Zamina and Aliya, I just wanted to THANK YOU SO MUCH for a FANTASTIC VACATION!!!!!!!
We had an amazing time in Costa Rica, and everyone was so nice to us and accomodating.
I would like to personally thank you for re-arranging our itenary due to my injury - that was very considerate, thank you!!!!
Thanks again for making our trip a memorable one.
Cheers,
Jasmine Sehota
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22 April 2005
HI Ray
We had a great trip. Everything was perfect. Thank you so much.
Amy
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19 April 2005
Hi Ray,
I just wanted to say thanks for all your help in getting our room in Monteverde and the van. The van did hold 15 people and since we were only 10, the rental company took out the back seat so that we had enough room for luggage. The room in Monteverde was very nice. We usually stay at El Sapa Dorado, but Montana De Monteverde was just as nice if not nicer. The staff was friendly and food was good. We had absolutely no problems with any of the vouchers. Everything you did was great!! Everyone we traveled with were impressed as well, and I am sure they will be calling us for your number when they go back. We truly appreciate everything you did. We will definitely be using you again. We even thought of calling you when we couldn't get a room on the night of Good Friday! Finally got one at the Marriott though. Thank you once again, we look forward to doing much more business with you in the future.
P.S. I wish you took AMEX, as that is our business card and usually the card we travel with. Just something you might consider. I know they charge a little more, but we would be willing to pay the extra couple percent to you.
Truly
Jill & Bryan St. Germain
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16 April 2005
Ray: We did RELAX... and ENJOY.
Thank you and Carolina very much. Everything was perfect. Juan Carlos was great getting us to Pavones and back. I think we will be going back to Costa Rica and when we do we will look forward to working with you.
Otra ves, muchisimas gracias!.
Steve & Elisabeth.
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29 Mar. 2005
Hi Ray,
Well, we are leaving CR tomorrow. It's been a great trip. Thought I'd give you a little feed back on how things worked out for your referance.
Airport pick up, The one thing that I wouldn't reccommend to others. Worked out fine for me, but my mother couldn't find the person with her name board and she looked for an hour. Finally, got scammed by a taxi driver. In the end, a $30 value, two $15 cab trips, cost $100.
La Sabana Motel / excellant, clean, helpful staff.
City tour was good.
Best of Costa Rica tour, excellant.
Mawamba Lodge, excellant, great guides!!!
Arenal Volcaneo Inn, excellant, the best motel we were in!!!
Thrifty car rental, great, good advice to get 4 by 4.
Mimos Motel, not that great, but considering the days with Easter it wasn't that bad Manual Antonio Park tour, great, good guide.
Canopy tour, they forgot to pick us up, waited in the hot sun for 45 minutes, finally phoned and they sent a taxi, half way thru the tour got caught in a heavy rain and lightening storm, but it was the highlight of the trip for my 80 year old mother and ten year old son!!!!
Damas Island Boat tour, good guide, but not that great, probably wouldn't reccommend to friends, you see one mangrove, you've seen them all and didn't seem likely to see the crocs and monkeys it said we might see.
So, bottom line, great trip and all your advice was excellant. I will definitely reccommend the travel store and specifically you to anybody. And a final thing, the people of CR were great!!! no problems with anybody, but I found the tourists a bit stuck up and unfriendly.
Thanks for all your help Ray.
Stephen Quigley
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28 Mar. 2005
Thanks for Everything. Our trip was Great!
Hi Ray,
just wanted to say thanks for all your help in getting our room in Monteverde
and the van. The van did hold 15 people and since we were only 10, the rental
company took out the back seat so that we had enough room for luggage. The room
in Monteverde was very nice. We usually stay at El Sapa Dorado, but Montana De
Monteverde was just as nice if not nicer. The staff was friendly and food was
good.
We had absolutely no problems with any of the vouchers. Everything you
did was great!! Everyone we traveled with were impressed as well, and I am sure
they will be calling us for your number when they go back. We truly appreciate
everything you did. We will definitely be using you again. We even thought of
calling you when we couldn't get a room on the night of Good Friday! Finally got
one at the Marriott though. Thank you once again, we look forward to doing much
more business with you in the future.
Truly
Jill & Bryan St. G.
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08 Mar. 2005
Hey Ray
Another great trip. Fishing was so so we landed 2 nice sails but had a great time and the conditions were picture perfect. It was great meeting you and I appreciate you taking the time to come by. We are planning to return with a big group in October and I will be in touch with you to coordinate everything. Thanks again for all your help, take care and I will be in touch.
Robbie
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22 Feb. 2005
Hi Ray
We just returned from Costa Rica and had a wonderful time! The arrangements you made for the car and B & B in Monteverde were handled beautifully and the people who worked with us were excellent. I'll be back in touch when we take another trip to CR.
Warm regards,
Warm regards,
Sheila
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22 Feb. 2005
Hi Ray!!
We just got home from another great trip to Costa Rica (I've been there twice before; 1987 and 2003). The hotels and adventure arrangements you made were great!! We were unable to see the top of Arenal due to clouds and she (he?) was not eruptiong, so no hot lava flow either; however, the hotel (Arenal Lodge) is a great choice. Would try earlier to get the Junior Suite next trip. MonteVerde continues to build up with new hotels and tourist traps, but the forest is still great. (First trip in 87, we stayed in pretty rustic accomodations, but it was still worth the visit-- we saw two quetzals!!!!). The Montana needs to buff up their dining area to fit the new sections of the hotel which are very nice. Great view and accomodations in the new sections.
Had reservations at the Flamingo Beach Resort, but they were overbooked and sent us up to the Estela de Fuego above the Flamingo Marina Resort. Had a great room with walkout into the pool. Also had full use of Flamingo Beach Resort facilities, which was a nice touch for use of the beach and their pool. (Stayed there during '87 trip. Wow, what a difference!!!). Trip home uneventful.
As I think I mentioned in earlier discussions, I have a cousin living in the Desamparados suburb which makes it nice as a base.
Will call you for help with next trip to CR. Thanks again for your super help with this last trip!!!!
Don Slingsby
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10 Feb. 2005
Hi Carolina!
I can't believe that we're already back from Costa Rica. I loved it more each day.
I want to thank you for doing such a great job of putting tours and experiences together for us. We really enjoyed every opportunity. The transportation people were all very prompt, usually a little early. All guides were knowledgeable and very helpful. The Pachira Lodge experience was truly memorable. We enjoyed seeing so many different parts of the country as we went from destination to destination in vans or buses.
I will definitely pass your name on to others who are interested in a great vacation in Costa Rica.
I had hoped to meet you, but we really ran out of time. Thanks again.
Sharon Popp
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07 Feb. 2005
Ray,
I just wanted to say thank you for job WELL DONE. The trip was fantastic and the people in Costa Rica are wonderful. You already know the weather was great. Arenal was fun but Manual Antonio was AWESOME.
Thank you again,
R. John Umlauf, Jr.
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31 Jan. 2005
Hi there Ray,
We tried to call you a few times while in Costa Rica but never could make
contact. Sorry about that.
Everything you set up for us was perfect. The hotel in Panama City was a
joy, great room with the pool just 20 feet from our patio. Found the city tour
very interesting, the canal trip made for a long day, but it was worth doing.
The bus to Costa Rica was very nice, new, clean with air, restroom and
English TV. The whole problem with the trip is crossing the borders. I felt like I
was a Jew trying to escape from Germany. It took 4 hours to cross. We just
thought of it as an adventure.
The Hotel Buena Vista was a beautiful place to end the holiday. The Villa
Lapas Hotel is a birder's paradise. Roy really enjoyed the canopy experience,
it was the highlight of the trip. We looked at two marinas and found two
small airports.
Thanks for all your help Ray.
Best regards,
Ruth
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08 Jan. 2005
Ray, our hero!!
!?Que Paso?! y !FELIZ ANOS NUEVOS!
Just wanted to drop a quick line to say thanks to U and Carolina for Ure diligent work on getting us transportation & accommodations at a last minutes notice. Only problem was that we or maybe i should say- i didn't have enough days to really relax & kick back like i wanted to.... just means that we'll have to come back!!
The accommodations were great... and the view from La Colina was excellent.... well worth the stairway to heaven :-) transportation was excellent, as well... totally seamless. WOW, Costa Rica really knows how to host!!
Thanks again,
alfred.
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07 Jan. 2005
Dear Ray,
We six want to thank you for arranging lodging and activities that helped create a hugely successful and memorable vacation. Apartotel La Sabana was gorgeous, clean hotel w/ helpful employees and an outstanding breakfast. It was centrally located whether it be for a walk in the Park, food to eat or bus riding. Nakuti Resort too was another great family place. We enjoyed the food, plenty of it and it always tasted good. The real treasure, however, was the staff. They were incredibly gracious, warm, genuine and helped make our stay most memorable. The rooms were clean and cable TV a nice alternative for when we had too much sun or just plain needed a break especially the kids. The Best of CR was, as you said, a must do and the Aerial Tram, although it was raining, was a slow ride through a rainforest inches from nature that kept us in awe. My son and niece enjoyed their dives and the Pacific Ocean water wonderfully warm. So thank you for your part in our vacation.
Molly and I liked the Guanacaste Province so much we want to buy beach access property. Our ultimate goal is to retire there and if we buy a home or a condo we can rent it and still have a place to stay when we vacation there. We were wondering if you know of anyone who has bought property there close to say, Playa del Coco, and if so do you think he would answer some questions we have on how to proceed w/ our search? We plan to fly to Costa Rica within the next 6 months if we can find something we like that fits our budget and hopefully buy something whether it is a lot or a structure on a lot. If you have a few minutes and could email us about what you know on this subject we would appreciate. We know this a very busy time of the year for you so if it works for you that would be great. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Charlie and Molly Kundinger
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06 Jan. 2005
Hello Ray,
,
We have arrived home after a wonderful visit, adventure and holiday in Costa Rica. Everything went very well. We would like to thank you for all of your assistance with making our holiday very enjoyable. The Apartotel La Sabana accommodation that you recommended in San Jose was just what was needed and the staff was most friendly and helpful. All of our other accommodations worked out very well,also. All of the transportation went exactly as planned including the pick up at the airport. The Interbus service was excellent and the staff very friendly, helpful and safe drivers. Do you have a contact with Interbus via email so that I could let them know how pleased we were with their service?
We had several adventures and would highly recommend the Canopy Tour in Puerto Viejo. It is owned by a family who have 7 sons who all work with the canopy business. The brothers were terrific in showing us the rainforests as well as ensuring a full, exciting and save canopy trip over 26 platforms. Do you know anything about this tour? I didn’t pick up any information on the name of the company. If you are aware of this Canopy Tour would you please let me know their name and a contact? The tour office that we connected with is right in Puerto Viejo across the street from the Grant Hotel. Do you think they might have a website?
All and all it was a terrific visit to Costa Rica thanks to you and the Costa Rica Travel Store. The only thing missing was more time to spend in Costa Rica. I would certainly like to return again in the future. We had some difficulties with our camera and our pictures didn’t turn out very well which was a bit of a bummer –however, I’m trying to find some shots of the places that we were at on the internet.
Thanks again for our great visit to Costa Rica and I will recommend you to anyone wishing to make travel plans for Costa Rica. Have a Great Day!
Lois
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06 Jan. 2005
Happy New Year Ray, hope things are well.
I wanted to thank you very much for helping us on our family vacation and also with the large group that we had. Casa Conde in San Jose was very nice and perfectly located by my grandma's house. Also, the Montana Monteverde was very nice; very rainy over there obviously but nice.
Jessica
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03 Jan. 2005
Dear Ray
As far as a favorite part of the trip.....I don't know. We literally got very lucky, with your help, and had a fabulous trip. The Costa Ricans are so friendly, clean and nice. I could definitely live here...need some help?
The first four days at Playa Hermosa in the Pacific North were perfect with great weather, snorkeling, beach, great food, and just everything. We even got to see a Costa Rican cycle race when we took a back road from San Jose over to the beach.
We took one day and drove up to Santa Rosa National Park, and after 8 miles of a very bad road (I thought it was fun to manuever the ruts) we walked onto the most beautiful beach with no one there (Naranja Beach).
One day was also spent at Playa Ocotal. It is ok, but there is a resort on the hill that we chose to have our Christmas Eve dinner at, and it was not only a beautiful view, but very good food, and elegant.
The drive to Arenal and the Eco-Lodge was beautiful and experiencing the change of weather from very warm at the beach to the still kind of warm, but overcast and windy was wonderful. You are right, we absolutely loved the Eco-Lodge and did wish we had more time there. We would have loved to take a hiking or horse tour through the area, and wanted to explore Lago Cote.
There is a delightful German cafe in Arenal that we loved on our our way to Tabacon Hot Springs. The hot springs were great and we had fun. Unfortunately I lost my prescription sunglasses here! I have sent an email to them, but do not have high hopes of any response. The food was not the best, but I do appreciate all the masses that go through here and they do a good job. I liked the way people of all ages and nationality can mingle and have a great time together.
Since we missed the canopy tour we did find (it's about 3km from Tabacon) the Hanging Bridges, which made up for the tour. It is truly beathtaking and even though it was pouring rain, we just donned the rain ponchos and enjoyed. It was our first glimpse of monkeys. I would strongly recommend this to people and it is well worth the $20/pp.
Onward heading south we had a bit of a challenge with the route, but with two maps going at all times we succeeded and arrived at Hotel La Isla. It is great. It is right on a beautiful, palm lined beach, and we figured at one time it was a very nice resort, but is not utilized to it's fullest now. In fact our business minds were planning on how we would bring it back to it's glory.
There is a mangrove forest lining the property, so we found some old canoes, located some paddles and made a trip on our last morning down the canals. This was beautiful, quiet and very serene. We saw the most monkeys on this outing.
That evening we had a very good dinner at a fantastic Italian restaurant in Quepos.
I hope this is not too much information, but in your business I do know it helps.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful help, and I sincerely hope I can visit again soon. I am also serious about my interest in residing there soon.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
Sandi Bacon
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01 December 2004
Dear Ray,
EVERYTHING was wonderful: I have already recomended your services to all of my friends here in Louisiana, and will continue to do so. We even enjoyed the 6.2 earthquake while spending the evening in Jaco Beach! And of course, Playa Tambor speaks for itself.
I was MOST PLEASED with everything you prepared for us, including the car rental and the canopy tour.
THANKS AGAIN AND I WILL BE BACK!!!!
Jane T.
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22 November 2004
Dear Ray,
When you plan a trip for clients, you really go all out...that earthquake was quite a send-off for Norm and me! Actually, we faired well, but never went back to sleep afterwards, so had no problem getting to the airport with time to spare.
We appreciate the thorough, detailed plans you made for us. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with wonderful people. We really enjoyed our trip, even with all the rain. We also enjoyed getting the chance to meet and visit Patricia and you. Thanks for your time and help. I'll pass your business card on to our travel agent in Reno (Gail Kosach) and will also recommend you to any friends who want to visit Costa Rica.
Shelly
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13 November 2004
Dear Ray,
I thank you so so so much! We appreciate your warmth, professional, effiency.
Thank you again. We will recommend other people to you.
Ping
Dr. Ping Wu
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July 26, 2004
Hi Ray,
We had a wonderful time in costa rica. The hotel cocal is perfect for us
to see the beach and take tour also. Thanks also for accomadating us for 10AM
last Thursday going back to San Jose. My comment only is the driver dropped us
to the airport and we showed him where to drop us off but he said he doesn't go
there. So we get a taxi to the hotel to pura-vida. Pura vida hotel is a
lovely place to stay. Thanks so much. Terry
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July 23, 2004
Hi Ray, hope all is well with you. I just wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU!! for all your effort in making our vacation a wonderful one. It truly was a trip of a lifetime. We had a wonderful time and you have the most beautiful country I have ever been too. We could not have asked for anyone better than Maria and Fernando as our guide and driver. They were most knowledgable about everywhere we went and were a pleasure to be around. I forwarded your name and e-mail to Jeff Dorshkind at Crocodile Bay Lodge and I would hope he will refer you in the future. We will definitely be back to your country and would look forward to you handling the in country travel arrangements. Thanks again for a job very well done.
Alan McKeithen
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Ray,
Thanks for putting our trip together, everything went fine.The fishing trip out of Quepos netted 12 billfish, glad I didn't cancel.
The estuary tour was lackluster, I think the kids expected a little bit more from that experience. You may want to look into another guide service, was not impressive.One of the kids left money and some costa del mar glasses in room C-1 at Coste Verde.See what you can do to get those back. Thanks again for everything.
Russ Robinson
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Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 08:16:44 -0700
Ray,
Can't thank you enough.
We had an awsome time and all accommodations and arrangements were perfect. No snags at all.
Did you plan that weather? Only 1 full day of rain and 1 night!
Good surfing and lots of relaxing beach time.
I had my reservations about Puerto Viejo, but it was very charming and the people were great. I would recomend that area despite the travel warnings.
Thank you again Ray. We will most definately be going back.
Tammy & Jeff Young
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Thursday, February 27, 2003
Carolina of the Travel Store in Escazu set us up with our airline tickets and travel packages. We have used the services of The Travel Store several times in the past and have always been more than pleased with their professionalism and knowledge of our destination.
Ray Beise
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Thursday, February 27, 2003
Patrick and I want to thank you for helping make our holiday so pleasurable. Our trips to Guatemala and Cuba were wonderful! Caty, the proprietor of the Pura Vida, couldn't have been more gracious. Her advice on where to eat and things to do were very helpful plus she allowed us to leave luggage that didn't need to be taken to Cuba and Guatemala.
Costa Rica is beautiful. It is hard to say what area we enjoyed most -
Arenal, Cano Negro, Occotal - Playa De Cocco, Palo Verde, Monteverde or Manual Antonio. All have so much to experience and enjoy. Two highlights for me were the snorkeling at Occotal and the Sky Trek at Monteverde.
Experiencing the different eco systems, climates,wildlife and hiking were great too.
We will recommend your services to anyone who is considering a trip to Costa Rica and its neighboring countries.
Thank you again.
Kathleen and Patrick Kirklin
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1 March 2004
Ray -
Our day trip yesterday was wonderful -- Arnold our tour guide was most
enjoyable.
Thanks,
The Duracinskis
Omaha, NE
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Feb 17, 2004
Hi Ray,
....It has been crazy since I got back!
Thank you so much for arranging everything! All the transporation and reservations at the various hotels were perfect! We ended up taking the Sky Trek tour in Monteverde.....that was pretty scary! But the day was gorgeous! Tabacon and Monteverde experienced the normal rain, but at Monteverde it was rain and wind. El Sapo Dorado mountain suites did not have a heater.....needless to say, we were all bundled up.....It was nice at Tabacon, because you wanted to stay in the hot springs when it was raining....very cool! We were all excited to see sun in Melia Conchal....very nice hotel and wonderful pool, it was a perfect ending to the trip.
My favorite place of all things was the Hotel Grano de Oro.....we all absoultely loved this place.....My cousin and his family met us for dinner there, and it was incredible!
My friends were very much impressed with Costa Rica and plan to come back....and I know I will always go back!
Thanks again for everything....I will recommend you to anyone who plans to go there....I already gave out your information to a couple of people!
Kim
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22 January 2004
Ray;
Now that we have returned, just a quick note.
Everything went very well--seamless.
The coffee plantation tour and lunch was very nice, and they were so generous that because we toured ahead of the other group, and ate lunch earlier, they sent us on in our own taxi to the Grano de Oro, not having us wait for the bus and the other group.
The Grano de Oro was great, and Susan and I could not get over how excellent the food was, and the dining value.
Lava-tours mtn bike ride down Irazu was very good. Very good equipment, and our guide was excellent. They take digital photos of the ride, and email them to you at home, as well as post them to your own temporary web site, and offer to email that link to your friends at home while you are still away. Very nice touch.
The two day rafting/canopy/hike was great also. However, the canopy ziplines are definantly a thrill ride, and not a wildlife viewing experience.
The Karahe hotel, ocean front rooms, was a good location. The rooms are furnished minimally, but comfortable, with good air conditioning. They were very helpful in setting up some extra excursions.
While there, we also took a boat/mangrove tour, and had monkeys coming down to the boat. We also took the butterfly farm and nature walk tours across from the Como si no (?) hotel. We took both of those because until that point we had seen minimal animal life. On that tour we spotted animals including an anteater and a sloth, not to mention the hundreds of butterflys, and other small animal life.
The waverunner tour was nice, with good equipment, though the snorkeling was limited and unimpressive.
We purchased the transfers from the Karahe to the local airport, as they were not part of our voucher package. We ran into a glitch at the local airport, as they only allowed about 30lbs per passenger, and of course we were packing for 8 days. We were not the only ones who did not know ahead of time of the limit. We paid about $28 in weight overage fees. We also almost did not get our luggage to fly with us back to San Jose, because the total weight of luggage for the plane was over limit. They even weighed each person flying to see if there was room for allowance. Ultimately, some of passengers who were not connecting had their luggage held for a later flight and Sansa ultimately agreed to taxi it to their hotels. So we made it to San Jose airport OK.
At the airport there was no one there for our transfer voucher, and the infomation clerk called for me. He was put on hold and told me the distance was only a short walk and it may be faster than waiting for the transfer. So we walked instead...it made sense. I'm thinking the transfer was supposed to be from Karahe to the little airport, instead of at San Jose.
I've included the good and bad just to let you know our experiences so it might help you make recommendations to others--we are definately not complaining. This was a great vacation.
I want to thank you for all your help. I tried to locate your office to stop by and thank you in person, but all I had was the PO box. Susan and I were impressed at how smoothly everything went, not to mention the friendliness of everyone and overall positive experience.
I will be certain to give your name and company to anyone who is considering travel to Central America.
Preston L.
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