Family Vacations & Tours

"The Zicasso travel company was great! Thank you to all the people involved for making our vacation enjoyable!"

Costa Rica was an interesting country and Manuel Antonio had a lot to offer. We booked late (August) for a vacation for 11 (including our five grandchildren aged 11 to 16). Zicasso's travel agent came through with many connections for housing and activities. She was quick to respond to questions and always very pleasant. You could tell she loved Costa Rica and knew the country. She was detailed, until she wasn't. We were disappointed that the final schedule had many pick-up errors, as well as miscommunications. It felt as though she had passed the work off to someone else. 

Although it had been mentioned in previous reviews that a sloth lived in the tree above our pool at our villa, we never saw one. Everyone did enjoy interacting with the friendly monkeys and birds. Instead of swimming, the patio became a gathering spot for the forest animals. 

The consensus was that our private catamaran tour was our favorite, even though it rained during most of our trip. The crew was very hospitable, always on the lookout for our safety, and professional. They prepped food as we watched and it was extremely delicious! Our grandkids loved swimming off the boat, jumping into the water, and sitting on the netting as we sailed. 

We also enjoyed the private ATV tour (in spite of smelly, wet helmets). The staff, snack, and lunch were excellent, and the excursion was exciting. The staff were attentive to our safety. Unfortunately, two ATVs "died" during our trip. 

Our final outing was a rainforest waterfall excursion. We feel this was a "last-minute" fill-in for our scheduled tour. We were picked up in a vehicle that was too small for our group and we scrunched 13 people into a van that seated 11. The tour guide was pleasant and guided us to various waterfall sights, but there was little talk or explanation during the trip. The fresh pineapple was delicious and the favorite stop was at Window Beach, where everyone enjoyed jumping the warm waves of the Pacific. Communication was lacking as we never knew how long we had at each stop. The food back at the business was just okay. 

The villa was very nice and had some beautiful features. It was nice to have private bathrooms in the bedrooms, but we should have been alerted that we needed to bring our own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. We've never traveled anywhere that required us to do so and purchasing six of each at any of their stores was extremely pricey. It could have easily been handled with a "heads-up" mention. Also, the foosball table handle was broken, as was the dishwasher. It took a day for us to get enough towels for our needs since housekeeping didn't leave enough out. We lost time communicating with our host due to internet connections.

Manuel Antonio is an expensive town. There were many nice restaurants and one-of-a-kind, "homemade" shops, and the locals were very welcoming and accommodating. 

Hilly, windy, narrow roads made it nearly impossible to get around without a car. So, as a result, parking was difficult as well.

"Our Zicasso travel agent assisted my wife and me on a wonderful trip of a lifetime. All we had to do was enjoy ourselves."

I highly recommend booking with Zicasso's travel company! From the moment we started planning our vacation, the whole team was patient with my many questions and ensured my mom and I had the trip of a lifetime. Our travel specialist was always so kind and made every effort to personalize our itinerary with a great mix of exploring the outdoors while embracing the local culture. Even when my sister, who was supposed to come with us, had to cancel last minute, our agent and the team worked diligently to adjust our hotel rooms and other bookings, taking a huge weight of stress off our shoulders.

I would also like to thank our driver (a fabulous storyteller), who was with us through most of our trip. Not only was he a great person to talk to, but he always made sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. It was truly a pleasure to meet him! 

Overall, thank you for the greatest trip. We can’t wait to come back!

"Our trip to Athens and three islands was simply amazing. The vacation was a great mix of relaxation and activities."

It was a transcendent experience. Planning with Zicasso's travel agent was a joy. The accommodations were first class, the experiences were first rate, and the food was fabulous. The only thing I would change which was a big thing was 4 3/4 of our 11 day trip being devoted to Victoria Falls. It was the only reason I don’t give it a 5. In Zimbabwe, we weren’t allotted enough to keep us interested in that we like to go go go when we travel. What we did could have been accomplished in two days and we could have had another day on safari.