Enchanting 7-Day Costa Rica Family Vacation

Our Zicasso travel company was fantastic. They planned an exceptional trip for our multi-generational family, ages 7 to 74. We visited three main areas of Costa Rica: Arenal (La Fortuna), the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast.

The activities were thoughtfully curated to appeal to all of us, regardless of age, and included nature preserve tours, hanging bridges tours, cloud forest tours, river wildlife safaris, and estuary tours with incredible naturalists. Our coffee and cacao farm tour was terrific and very interactive, and we made our own chocolate bonbons. And the ziplining was so much fun, even in a tropical storm downpour.

Our lodging was outstanding and provided pools for afternoon breaks and swimming for the grandchildren. And every transfer between locations and adventures went off without a hitch.

The travel company was so attentive to our needs and questions before and during the travel. They were available 24/7 while on the trip and were excellent at adjusting things as unseasonable storms caused some changes. We felt like we were in excellent hands.

Our drivers and guides were so knowledgeable, attentive, and kind. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They know what they are doing, their service is top-notch, and their subcontractors were excellent. My goal was for us to experience the rainforest and see birds and animals, and we did.

The greatest testimonials are from the grandchildren, ages 7-12. I asked them to keep a journal of our adventures. They could write or illustrate their entries. I never had to beg them to make their entry journals (I couldn't believe it!). Every night, they enthusiastically recorded their impressions with colorful drawings and statements.

This Costa Rica experience is something they, and we, will remember forever. I'm grateful to the travel company for making it happen. And grateful to Zicasso for connecting us to another tremendous travel company.

Zicasso’s travel company provided an excellent experience for our trip. Prior to the trip, they provided descriptions of what to bring and how to deal with every step of the trip, e.g., normal ranges for tips, packing lists for clothes, currency use, etc. The descriptions were very clear about how to meet our transportation and guides. Every step of our trip occurred on time, as scheduled. The guides they selected were experienced, with excellent English communication abilities.

Our guide in Monteverde was clearly the dean of the guide community. Other guides would ask him questions when we encountered them. He used his experience with bird sounds and other animal hints to allow us to watch two quetzals building a nest, taking turns with one quetzal on lookout while the other dug out a hole in a tree. We learned that it was very unusual to even see one quetzal at all, let alone two for an extended period. Our guide in the Arenal volcano area was also extremely knowledgeable about the plants and animals. We enjoyed getting to know them, as well as the driver who took us from Monteverde to Tamarindo.

The selection of guided tours and related events gave us a varied look at the many different things that Costa Rica has to offer in the northern part of the country. Working with the travel company on our itinerary gave us what we were looking for. It also allowed us to fly in and out of Liberia airport, which minimized our travel on the ground. During the course of our visit, we were in touch with a representative of the travel company on numerous occasions. He provided restaurant recommendations when we wanted to venture outside of the hotel. They were excellent. He also assisted in our determining proper tipping for particular legs of the trip.

The roads of Costa Rica can be challenging, especially at night, but our guides and drivers were very safe and skilled in dealing with the roads. The travel company used some of its people, but also engaged some who were independent. Their choices were very good and always on time. It was clear they are a well-run operation that knows how to support the traveler at every step of the vacation. Thank you for offering this travel company to us. It was our first experience with Zicasso. We were quite pleased and will definitely think of you for future trips.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. Zicasso’s travel specialist was responsive to what we wanted to do and adjusted our trip to fit our budget. He included our interests and took the research out of it for us. We asked him to plan on a tight time crunch of less than a month and he made it with ease.

Costa Rica had so much to do and he kept us active, which we wanted. I appreciated how the travel company had a travel app for all of our itineraries and tickets, as well as an emergency contact to make adjustments during the trip. We used this several times to book things we discovered during the trip and it was a breeze.

Our favorite adventures from our trip were ziplining, the river tour, and the waterfall in La Fortuna. We also enjoyed animal tours, which says a lot, as I'm not an animal fan, but the adventure was wonderful and felt very safe. I would consider the Monte Verde night tour next time.

We enjoyed our resort in Manuel Antonio and the beach at Manuel Antonio. The view was incredible.

Our whole tour flowed seamlessly and Costa Rica was beautiful and full of adventures. We'd happily return and use the travel company.

The coffee and chocolate tour in Don Juan was wonderful. Additionally, all of our hotels were great. I'd highly recommend this experience.

Mike and I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for our unforgettable two-week adventure in Costa Rica. The trip was amazing and exceeded our expectations. We were spoiled by the private transfers and private tours. All of the tour guides were professional and very informative. We enjoyed all of the selected hotels, with the lodge in Monteverde being our favorite. The hotel had a great happy hour with a variety of drinks and was within walking distance of Santa Elena. We liked having daily breakfast included and loved all of the fresh fruits, especially the cantaloupe and watermelon.

We appreciated your attention to detail and expert recommendations for the variety of tours and guides. We enjoyed the float trips and had a wonderful tour of the mangroves in Manuel Antonio. Our time in Monteverde included a rainy day hiking the hanging bridges and ziplining for the first time. I am glad we added the vanilla tour to our agenda in Manuel Antonio.   

Thank you so much for making this trip special and stress-free. Please let your staff know that we appreciated all of their hard work. The WhatsApp gateway was great once we figured out how to use the app. It allowed us to communicate with the team to update us on schedule changes or other information. We will definitely recommend your services to our family and friends, and ook forward to visiting Costa Rica in the future.

Our trip to Costa Rica was absolutely incredible! As a family of five visiting the country for the first time, we weren't sure what to expect, but Zicasso's travel agent planned every detail perfectly.

The itinerary struck the ideal balance between relaxation and adventure. We explored three regions of the country, each offering its own unique scenery, activities, and experiences. From exciting outdoor adventures to peaceful time spent enjoying Costa Rica's natural beauty, the trip never felt rushed, while still allowing us to see so much.

Everything from the accommodations to the transportation and daily activities was thoughtfully arranged, making the entire experience stress-free and enjoyable. We couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Costa Rica and would highly recommend this travel agent to anyone looking for a well-planned, unforgettable vacation.

My husband and I had an amazing vacation in Costa Rica. It is a pure paradise. Beautiful sights, wonderful tours, great food, and so much to see and do.

Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team were great at planning our vacation. They took the time to listen to our needs and delivered a wonderful plan for us. They were there to help us with minor changes we had to make during our trip. They were attentive and helpful.