Tachiz Travel (www.tachiztravel.com) highly recommended for your Costa Rican trip

Apr 03, 2013, 8:39 AM  on  Trip Advisor

This is a strongly positive recommendation for Alex and the fine work he does at Tachiz Travel based on an 9 day independent tour that was arranged for myself and three friends in March, 2013. I am a long time traveler, have visited over 70 countries and been all over the world. In that time I have only taken three guided tours and rarely used a travel agent as I usually do my travel plans on my own and travel independently. I am incredibly fussy about getting the travel experience I want. For this trip I did contact ten travel agents in Costa Rica, and based on their replies it was an easy decision to select Alex at Tachiz Travel. I was totally satisfied and very pleased with both Alex and Tachiz Travel. Alex was very responsive to my needs and requirements, prompt in communication and email replies, and patient with my questions and determination to set up what I wanted to make the best trip possible. All four of us travelers were extremely happy with the trip. By the way Alex was most amenable to my comments, criticisms, and complaints which I sent to him after our return, and I know he will take them into account when making bookings in the future.

Just a note that I left individual reviews on Trip Advisor for most of the places I mention below, so you might check them out as well.

Also, we spent two nights at each place.

We started by meeting up in San Jose...my friends flying in from Tempe, AZ and my travel partner and I flying in from Potrero Beach where we were spending the winter. Alex arranged to have each couple met at the airport by a car and driver and taken to the Hotel Presidente where we stayed in junior suites. The rooms were spacious and clean, and quiet once the street vendors went home for the night. The location was great. The breakfast was average. I had stayed at the Holiday Inn on a previous visit and though the rooms weren't as nice as the Presidente (but still very nice), I would probably stay at the Holiday Inn the next time as the hotel had more floors and thus better views of the surrounding mountains...and the upper floors meant less street noise. We visited the National Theater (a must!) and the Gold Museum and several other places. A perfect place to eat is Rincon de Argentina...just like an old European restaurant with great food and ambience. Cafe Mundo is a great place for lunch. Based on our experience I would absolutely avoid the Tin Jo for sure.

We then headed to Tortuguero National Park...a must for any visit to Costa Rica...and stayed at the Mawamba Lodge which Alex recommended because our first choice wasn't available. Turns out this place was even better that what I had requested (a place I had stayed three years before) and I can recommend the Mawamba highly...and Alex got us upgrades to private cabins which were clean, large, and came with a hammock on the porch to watch the river traffic. The food was better than the other place...and had great gardens, too. The tours and guide were outstanding. Thanks, Alex!

After that we were driven in a small van (at our request, though driving ourselves in a rental car would have been no problem at all) to the Arenal area to stay at the Mountain Paradise. Unfortunately, despite lovely gardens and a waterfall shower to die for, the rooms were musty and the service was not up to our standards, and there were few volcano views due to the landscaping. I have reported this to Alex and suggested he use the place I stayed three years before, Arenal Springs Resort, as an infinitely better alternative, though it wasn't available when we tried to book it for this trip. My friends went zip lining and enjoyed it greatly. We all loved the Tabacon Springs Spa...an outstanding buffet lunch...and the pools and gardens were like a slice of Eden

We were then driven to the border, ushered across, and met up with our driver in Nicaragua who took us for a tasty lunch on our way to Granada, Nicaragua...the old colonial captial, This was a highlight of the trip for all of us. We stayed at the Hotel Plaza Colon, which was very special. Our rooms had large balconies (the size of a room) and overlooked the main plaza and cathedral. The pool was beautiful and never crowded, and we had the best breakfasts of the trip right at the pool. We had a driver and guide for our time here, visited the volcano and peered inside the crater, and saw two volcanic lakes, all with incredible views. We toured the city, went to a large crafts market with at least 50 vendors and probably more...and the best prices around... and took a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua to small islands with large, beautiful homes. We walked around the city, took a horse and carriage tour, and had some good meals as there are lots of nice restaurants, too.

Then back to the border and into Costa Rica where we picked up our rental car and then drove to Potrero beach where two of us were staying for the winter. Lots of incredible beaches in Costa RIca and places to just hang out and chill after your tour...and so many other places to visit all around the country...and tons of activities and sites to visit if you've more time and like to be active.

Again, I can't recommend Alex and Tachiz Travel more highly and will certainly have them arrange my next tour when I return to Costa Rica in the next year or two.