Costco Costa Rica Package advice

[cbo111]

Anybody use Costco to book vacation package travel to Costa Rica. We are in the initial planning stage for Nov 2019?

 

[Souschef]

We did a tour with Caravan, who have been doing Costa Rica tours for years.
Below is the trip story of our tour.

 

[OldShooter]

We always use in-country travel arrangers on the theory that they are there to help us during the trip where someone in the US is not.

When we were there we arranged a private tour with Andy Goodling of https://www.vacationscostarica.com/ Everything was top notch. They even had a airport rep that met us before we got to customs and immigration and just whizzed us through the "Diplomatic" lane.

Our guide was Rudy Zamora. He was fantastic. You can Google him for more info.

We prefer working with small travel companies because we get personal service, but we were referred to Andy's large agency by friends. To our surprise and pleasure, dealing with Andy was just like dealing with a small operation. We talked on the telephone and exchanged emails for several days, modifying itineraries and changing hotels until we had exactly what we wanted.

 

[Sunset]

We have only booked a cruise via Costco as it was cheaper for the same Carnival cruise than anyone else could do, once you count in the OBC, and the Costco Cash Card.

Let us know what you end up doing.

 

[ckelly78z]

Watch out for the Pterodactyls flying around from Jurrasic park.

 

[travelover]

I found it pretty easy to just rent a car (truck) there and make my own hotel arrangements. You can hire local guides just by asking. Costa Rica is quite a safe and advanced country.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I found it pretty easy to just rent a car (truck) there and make my own hotel arrangements. You can hire local guides just by asking. Costa Rica is quite a safe and advanced country.

I have always heard its dangerous to drive in Costa Rica. In fact my aunt (who is from there) says she doesn't drive there. Did you have any interesting experiences driving in CR and how long were you there?

 

[travelover]

I have always heard its dangerous to drive in Costa Rica. In fact my aunt (who is from there) says she doesn't drive there. Did you have any interesting experiences driving in CR and how long were you there?

I was there for a couple of weeks. Danger is relative* - I'm from Detroit. Most driving is at 45 mph or less. Roads can be bad, which is why I rented a truck. The most driving grief was from a couple of cops who said we were speeding. I think we settled the whole thing for about $5.


* I recall being at a National Park and overhearing a British woman asking a ranger if she was in danger given that so many Americans had guns - so it is all a matter of perspective.

 

[mn54]

We did a tour with Caravan, who have been doing Costa Rica tours for years.
Below is the trip story of our tour.

we also used caravan. It was about 7 years ago. They have changed the tour a little since then, but i would highly recommend them.

 

[Scuba]

I have always heard its dangerous to drive in Costa Rica. In fact my aunt (who is from there) says she doesn't drive there. Did you have any interesting experiences driving in CR and how long were you there?

I drove all over Costa Rica in 1995. Had lots of adventures but no significant problems. Wouldn’t hesitate to drive there again.

 

[Sunset]

I drove all over Costa Rica in 1995. Had lots of adventures but no significant problems. Wouldn’t hesitate to drive there again.

Just from my reading, of 8 different websites (including the scary State dept), it seems things might have changed a lot in 24 years, especially in Limon , and other large cities. Out in the country side, it's not much of an issue for crime.

 

[Scuba]

Just from my reading, of 8 different websites (including the scary State dept), it seems things might have changed a lot in 24 years, especially in Limon , and other large cities. Out in the country side, it's not much of an issue for crime.

As others have said, it’s all a matter of perspective. I live outside if Los Angeles, and if I’m not afraid to drive and live here, I can handle Costa Rica. I imagine many foreigners perceive most major cities in the US as scary, crime-ridden places where people carrying automatic weapons is commonplace.

 

[brett]

We have been to Costa Rica twice. Six weeks and two weeks respectively. We found it easy to tour on our own and find accommodation.

We rented cars both times. Roads are OK but you need to be very careful at night. We never had any issues.

I think it depends on how flexible you are with independent/spontaneous travel. We found it a very easy country to visit and to travel independently.

 

[WestUniversity]

We stayed in the Guanacaste region a few years ago and loved it. We went to beautiful beaches and rainforests, had great food and met a lot of wonderful people. Would go again without hesitation...

 

[brett]

The first time we went we had a car for six weeks. A month in a condo in Cocao Beach (Guanacaste) with trips to Arenal, various beach areas on the coast. Then two weeks of travel down to the area south of Jaco. Fabulous beaches, lots of surfers.

Second time, two years ago, we took a bus from David, Panama to San Jose, rented a car, and spent one week on the Nicoya Peninsula (Samara area). Then drove up to Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste to meet friends and then down to San Jose airport to return the car and fly home.

Driving was not an issue. We have done a fair amount of it.

What we did notice was that prices had increased over three years. Food, restaurants, and accommodation. We travel independently. Typically we only book a few days in advance.

 

[HFWR]

Have not used Costco for, nor have I been to, Costa Rica, but we did use Costco for Italy, and had an excellent experience overall.