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Client Comments
Gaialink Tours and Costa Rica : A Trip Report Leslie bmcwilliams - 08:11am Feb 14, 2003 EST In August there was a message about a great canopy tour through Gaialink Tours (www.gaialinktours.com). I contacted the company and began talking with one of the owners, Ezra, who convinced me not only to take their tour, but to stay at their lodge in the rain forest and to let him plan our entire trip. We just returned from one of the most fantastic trips we have ever had. CR was incredibly beautiful, the people friendly, the wildlife unbelievable and the costs very reasonable. Gaialink did a great job. From meeting us in San Jose until we arrived back at the airport one week later they provided top notch service. Everything was taken care of for us so that we never had to even think about where to go next. Every day we had tours which included white water rafting, Poaz volcano, Poaz waterfall, canopy tour outside of Quepos, 2 days at the lodge in the rain forest with a private hot mineral spring, the canopy tour, and exploring around Manual Antonion state park. Our hotels, tours, transportation, and most of our meals were provided for less than $1450 for two of us! We are already planning our trip for next year.
Hi Joe, I have been to Costa Rica three times. The Last year I went for the third time and Gailink Tours provided my family the best service I have ever received. I went to RioSparaiso 3 in one tour; horseback riding thru the forest It was unbelieable, thermal water and the canopy tour it was a memorable experience. I also went to the Tortugero Rain forest and Monteverde (spectacular). Joe, Gailink do all the arrangments for you and will have the red carpet for you upon arrival and thru your entire stay. I am planning to go back again on November with some friends and Gailink is planning my vacations again.
We just returned from Costa Rica on Feb 27th. I had gaialink travel and Ralph set up our whole tour. He let us pick what we wanted to do and where to stay. We had transportation and great guides. I highly recommend Riosparaiso! If you can't contact Ralph it may be that he is in Costa Rica off and on. He is easier to contact via email.
I want to add another glowing report on Ralph and Gaialink Tours. He arranged the major part of our recent 16 day tour visiting 5 places, and all the accomdations, tours, and transfers were perfect. I recommend him without reservation.
I can also recommend GaiaLink Tours. I used them last year and are planning another trip to beautiful Costa Rica in July. If you go to Manuel Antonio, check out their awesome hot mineral springs and Canopy Rainforest Adventure Flight. I will AGAIN!! Like other comments mentioned, their personal tracking of your tour was impressive and punctuality too.
My wife and I have just returned from a 10 day trip to Costa Rica . All of our in-country transportation, hotel and tour arrangements were handled by Ralph and his staff at GaiaLink Tours. They were fantastic and exceeded our expectations!! The in-country staff rep assigned to us was Rosy, and she called us several times during our visit just to make sure everything was ok and on track; that was very helpful and comforting. I solicited itinerary advice and cost bids from three in-country travel agencies, including GaiaLink Tours, and GaiaLink shined in the manner in which they responded to us. Ralph was very responsive to all our questions. When we go back, we will definitely use GaiaLink!
Hi Gaby, I used Gaialink tours the last two times I went to Costa Rica and they were great. I check Frommers from time to time because I'm always looking to get new info for my next trip, and any time I see a question about Gaialink, I try to answer it if I have time because I'm really greatful for the wonderful job they do everytime I use them. In answer to your question, they exclusively offer a tour that includes horseback riding, hotmineral springs and an amazing ride through the trees on their canopy flight zip lines. This all takes place at Riosparaiso, an amazing mountain some distance outside of Quepos. I highly recomend that you pay a visit to Riosparaiso on your trip. You also should consider spending the night at the lodge up there. Its a real adventure. If you go during the full moon, you're in for the experience of a lifetime as they offer the canopy flight under the light of the moon. Check out their website for more info, www.gaialinktours.com. Enjoy your trip to CR. You're gonna have a blast whatever you do.
I just want to reaffirm all the positive things written about Gaialink Tours. They put together the logistics for our visit last October and were FLAWLESS. We had visited CR before, so we basically told them where we wanted to stay and when, when we wanted a tour and when not, and they took care of everything - drivers, lodging, etc. All for a price equal to or less than it would have cost me to do it myself. I can't say enough nice things about them.
Thanks for the thumbs up, Deborah. Ralph from Gaialink tours has put together a fantastic itinerary for us for travel in July. We can't wait! Allison
I just got back from Costa Rica and used Gaialink Tours, they were great. We did Osa, Manuel Antonio, Arenal and Monteverde. Had a blast, saw plenty of wildlife and loved the sound of the howlers ( congos as they call them) at sundown. I had a BIG toucan fly about 4 feet above my head while on horseback at Riosparaiso Biological Reserve. The white sand beaches at Manuel Antonio were also great. Arenal was awesome as so was the peacefulness of Monteverde. Walking down the beach at sunrise at Osa and watch the sloths and the monkeys and all other wildlife was spiritually renewing. What a wonderful tour and great price. Thank you Gaialink Tours.
Just got back from Costa Rica , and want to add another 3 cheers for Ralph, Rocio and Gaialink Tours. It was my third trip to CR and my first with them. Will definitely use them on my next trip.
We spent eight days in Costa Rica with a bunch of thirteen senior high students. Gaia delivered all of what was promised. This wasn't echo-turism folks. It was olympic tourism. You have to be in shape. Gaia guides where very professional and everything was according to schedule. Plenty of food, adventure,fun and very educated, well mannered and warm people.
Sandra, I have used GaiaLink before and they are great. Go to http://www.gaialinktours.com/Form.htm. They will treat you right, always punctual and reliable. Most of all, they follow up during the tour making sure all is going well. I like that personal touch. Fill out the form and they do the quote.
Hi all, I concur with the posters above. We returned 2 days ago from a two week trip arranged by Ralph at Gaialinktours.com. Using this tour company was a pleasant and easy experience. I'd use them again in a heartbeat! Allison
If you haven't made any decisions, let me assure you that Gaialink offers you a memorable, hasslefree, and assured visit to Costa Rica . We've used their service and can't think of anything that could have been done better.
Hi Ralph, Just a follow-up to our recent visit to your beautiful country! My wife and I had an absolutely wonderful vacation, thanks to you and your staff. With the minor exception of one cancelled tour, everything went according to schedule. The transportation arrangements were great; all drivers picked us up right on schedule. We were especially impressed with their driving skills, courtesy and friendliness. The tour to the rain forest and aerial tram was outstanding! The guide we had (Alan) was truly an expert on the flora and fauna of the rainforest. Despite the downpour of rain we encountered throughout our visit to the rain forest, our hats, raincoats and good boots kept us dry and comfortable. Likewise, the guided tour bus ride to Tabacon Hot Springs was very pleasant and informative. While the hot springs struck us as a little too commercial, we enjoyed the hot soak. Our two days at Hotel Montana de Fuego were also great. We were fortunate to see Arenal erupt clearly at night several times, which was a real highlight for both of us. The Greyline bus ride from La Fortuna to Sugar Beach was rough but enjoyable. Sugar Beach Hotel was quite restful and enjoyable; we really had the hotel and beach to ourselves as the hotel only had 5-10 guests total while we were there. We enjoyed the mangrove kayak trip but were not impressed with Tamarindo-very dusty, dirty and smelly. We were glad that we were up at Sugar Beach . The flight back to San Jose was fun and uneventful, and your driver was there to meet us. While we were sorry to learn that the afternoon Café Britt tour was cancelled, we were pleased that we were able to take a city tour instead. We were most impressed with Roc "Rosy"; she cared enough about our visit that she called us several times to check and make sure everything was on track and going well. She is a wonderful representative of your country, with her pleasant, cheerful and caring attitude; muy amable!! Overall, we were very impressed with all the Ticos we met and with your beautiful country. In closing, many, many thanks to you and your staff for a job well done! You exceeded our expectations and we look forward to making a return trip in the future (with your help of course!). I don't know if you check the Frommers website, but from time to time I've seen nice comments from other travelers about GaiaLink, and I plan to add ours in praise of your outstanding service. Sincerely, Hi Ralph, I am back from a fantastic trip to your country. Everything went well. The drivers and guides were all very nice and punctual. Rocio called me several times to make sure that everything was okay with me. I was fortunate to see the volcano erupt and viewed it from the lookout, from the hot sprinsg and from my porch at the volcano lodge. I met new friends everyday and even exchanged addresses with a few of them. The canopy tour was totally awesome along with the river rafting. The rain did not cause anything to be cancelled. It rained very hard the day we did the horse-back riding, and when we reached the entrance to the waterfall they closed it for safety reasons. They also said that the falls were not visible. Our group decided to wait around and we lucked out. The sun came out, and they let us hike down to the falls. That same afternoon the volcano began erupting while were were on the tour, and it continued into the night. I also loved the Tobaccan Hot Springs, and will definitely take my family there when we return to CR. I now know how to stay and eat cheaper and will use this info when all 5 of us go next summer. I did not like staying at the Vida Tropical. They tried to give me a dank, damp, musty room at the back at the property with no tv. I do not even think that it had a window. The water from the rain was even on the rug and a pool formed on the floor. It is a shed that is not attached to the rest of the house. I told the guy that I could not saty in there with no tv and behind the building. It looked like a prison, and somewhere that I would not even pay $10 to stay at. He moved me upstairs and this room was better. This is not my kind of hotel accomodation. I however and made friends with the assistant to the owner, and several guests. I loved the Clara de Luna, the Volcan Lodge (their rooms aand breakfast selection was very good) and the Hotel Quality Colon. I did not particulary like the Hotel Colina. It was not near to any Sodas and I had to walk up and down a steep hill to get to it if I walked to the bus stop. Their food was too expensive for me, and the breakfast was not that good. Also there were no phones in the room and my husband could not easily reach me. He had to call several times before he could speak to me, and they had to bring the phone to my room. I personally prefer to be in a central location. I would have preferred to stay in Quepos. The folks at Clara de Luna were friendly and helpful. They treated us like family rather than guests. In addition, I could very easily walk up the hill to the town to get my meals or fruits. My favorite fruit was mamong (excuse my spelling). It is the red spikey fruit with the white fleshy inside. I ate at least 2-3 bags! Costa Rica is very similar to Guyana. I saw alot of similar foods, fruits, flowers, plants, bird, animals etc. I was glad that I decided to do the rafting and canopy tour. These were very enjoyable. I could have skipped the last tour to the Manuel antonio Park, because at that point I had seen it all and am not that much of a nature person. In any case the tour to the park was the only one, where I was the only person! I got the guide to myself, and he allowed me to stop and swim at the beach in the park. This was good becasue the day before when I went to the beach I could not swim because I had not one to watch my stuff. However, the guide watched my stuff and I was able to swim. This tour was the most boring for me, only because I had seen everything (monkeys, birsd, sloth etc) almost each day. Plus, it is much cheaper to just go to the park own my own and swim and look for the animals etc. All in all, I had a great time. I will go back to take my family someday soon. Thanks for all of your help. I was glad that I decided to use your company. I NEVER felt lonely! Best Regards, Sandra. Ralph, Hi Ralph, Our trip was beyond our expectations! Thanks for all of your assistance. Allison Ralph What can we say. The trip was amazing. Sorry that I have not gotten in touch sooner. As soon as I got in, work just took over as I had a major hearing on Friday. Then I ended up getting sick-just too run down and I have been in bed almost all weekend-what a great 4th of July!!!! Costa Rica and the trip exceeded our expectations. On behalf of all of us, your attention to detail and the guides were fantastic. Truly, it was an amazing trip. No Jaguars but that will have to wait for another day. Lots of snakes though!!! I will send you some of the photos. All the hotels were excellent-great choices. Everyone really accomodated us and it was not crowded at all. Lets plan on talking soon. Thanks again for everything. Paul Ralph, Just wanted to let you know that the trip was great. Liked every place we stayed except the Heliconia where we had no hot water in two of the rooms. Tabacon, Le Bergerac and Capitan Suizo were all wonderful. We especially liked our driver Willie who was delightful. I'd be happy to recommend your services. Thanks for all. Helen Lankenau Hi Ralph, We had a great trip and thoroughly enjoyed Costa Rica. Thank you so much for all of you hard work! I can't wait to return. Please let me know if you need anything else. Thanks again, Julie. Hi Ralph, Ralphie: I have been meaning to send you a report on our trip but things have been too hectic getting back to our regular lives. If I don't force myself to do it now, I will probably never get around to doing it. I just want to start off by saying how terrific your company and your employees are. You put together a first-rate trip with no serious glitches at a very reasonable price. Hopefully, I will get around to posting a trip report on the Frommer's site in the near future and I will be sure to mention your wonderful service. We loved Costa Rica and can't wait to go back. Everything went smoothly getting to San Jose and then getting through customs. Alex and the woman whose name I forget were there to greet us and took us to the Cafetel. I am really glad that we stayed there our first night. The hotel was basic but very comfortable and in a beautiful location. The owners and their staff were also very friendly and helpful. I would recommend to people that they stay there rather than in San Jose for their first night because it is a completely different setting than the Grano de Oro and it gives you a head-start on the trip to Arenal. The Montana del Feugo was very nice and the staff was very accommodating. It again was fairly basic but comfortable and has a terrific view of the volcano. Despite all the horror stories, I thought the trip to Monteverde was very interesting. There were some delays but I think they were caused by one of the vehicles breaking down on the way to pick up passengers from the boats so it really wasn't anyone's fault. The Hellaconia was terrific and the staff was wonderful. Our suites were unbelievable but so was the wind at the top of the building. However, once you got used to it everything was great. Everything went smoothly in Monteverde except for there not being a guide for us at the Sky Walk. I have no idea what the problem was but we still did the walk without the guide so it wasn't that big a deal. The Sky Trek zip line was incredible and all of us highly recommend it. We had a good driver to Manuel Antonio and the drive again was very scenic and interesting. I would highly recommend that people visiting Costa Rica not rent a car and have their transportation arranged like we did. It's just not worth the hassle and the cabs are very cheap. Manuel Antonio was gorgeous. The company that did the tour of the park and the 5-in-1 trip was teriific and I would highly recommend out guide Paul Gansalves (sp?). It was the consensus of our group that the 5-in-1 was probably the single best thing we did on the whole trip. Next time we will spend a night in the lodge. Mario, Maria and the rest of the people couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming. My only criticism of Manuel Antonio was the Costa Verde. The hotel itself is nice and the rooms were fine but we found the staff completely indifferent. They weren't rude but it just seemed like they really didn't want to be bothered. I would definitely pick another place next time. Alex was right on time and got us back safely to San Jose. We loved the Grano de Oro. Their dining room was full the first night so they recommended the Machu Pichu nearby which was great. We ate dinner on our last night at the Grano de Oro and the dinner was wonderful with very good service. We highly recommend this hotel. Most of us also enjoyed the rafting, although we did tip at the beginning of the very first rapid so I had the dubious pleasure of going through a Class IV rapid in the water. Bobbi also got trapped under the boat for a few seconds so she didn't really have that great a time. However, the rest of us really enjoyed the experience and would be ready to do it again. The rafting company was also very professional so again I would highly recommend their services. My only other observation about the trip is that we did too much within the period of time that we alloted to ourselves. We loved all the activities and wouldn't have skipped any of them but it was the consensus of the group that we should have added a day in each location where we didn't have any planned activities. Otherwise, we wouldn't have done anything any differently in terms of the itinerary. That's about it. I hope some of my comments are helpful. Thanks again for putting together such a wonderful trip and we can't wait to come back and use your services again. Best wishes, John Whisenhunt Dear Ralph, Dear Ralph, Ralph, Many, many thanks to you and your staff for arranging our recent trip! Despite a few snafu's, we had a terrific time and always felt very secure knowing you staff was there for us. A special thank you to Rosio for her daily calls and her special attentions. We were very impressed that she sent Alex all the way to Quepos just to check on Suzanne when she wasn't feeling well. The activities you planned were very interesting and we loved the fact that our groups were small and we had lots of personal attention. I was especially impressed with the 5 and 1 rioSPAraiso tour. Since I was on my own for this, I was especially appreciative of our guides and the company of Claire and Brett, other Gaialink tourists we had met earlier in the week. I found the whole day totally thrilling and was impressed with the guides' knowledge and skills. After seeing all the more commercial canopy tours available in other areas, I found this tour to be much more eco-friendly and natural and it was just what I was hoping for. Despite the fact that I was the oldest on the mountain by perhaps 30 years, I felt totally safe without being patronized and that meant a lot to me. Again, thank you for all your help and attention to detail. You can be sure I will recommend your company to friends and family!! Sincerely, Audrey Just wanted to tell you what a wonderful time we had in Costa Rica. You Hey Ralph, I just wanted to let you know that we had a great time in Costa Rica last week. Everything (the transportation, hotels, and tours) went very smoothly, and we really enjoyed ourselves. In particular, we had a great time with Maurilio on both the RioSparasio and Isla Damas mangrove trip. He was really good! And we also had a nice time with Alejandro, who took us from La Fortuna over to the Costa Verde. Thanks for everything! Barbara Hey Ralph!!! We miss you!!!!! We can't thank you enough for all your hard work over the past year. You made the trip!!! You WERE the trip!! People are still telling us how fabulous everything was and we could not have done any of it without you. (Everyone thought the 5 in 1 was the best!!!) Everything from accomodations, to tours, to your suggestions and itineraries were top notch. We were also so happy you could join us at the wedding. Thank you so very much for the bottle of champagne!! We were so surprised!!!! How thoughtful!! We hope the rest of your trip was successful and that you made it back comfortably. We would like to write a letter for you to use as a reference if you use them. We would also like to thank you some more!!! Hope you are well!! Ralph, Thank you and Rocio for the excellent service. I have never had the attention to detail as your company provided and the service especially over the weekends and nights which you worked. Everything was great. You seemed to get the pulse of what we wanted perfectly. Absolutely no complaints. Your have my recommendation to all future travellers. Just FYI. Adventuras Naturales was the rafting company to go with for your future bookings. The bungalows were great, the service excellent and we weren't rushed through the rapids like the other company seemed to . Can't say enough good about them. For single guys in thirties travelling, Manuel Antonio might not be the place unless fishing is their gig. It was a bit sleepy and unless you were gay, ninety or nineteen not much social life. Costa Verde is beginning to show wear though the pools were fabulous with the views. I actually thought the rooms in Los Lagos much nicer on the inside. Thanks much, Doug Holmes Ralph-- |
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Tel: 506.2431.2939 | Cell: 506.8390.5865 | Fax:
506.2431.2932 | Address: San Antonio De Belen, Heredia, Apdo 678-4005, Costa Rica ®GaiaLink Tours 2006- 2009 |
