Costa Rica Vacation Plans Made Easy
Costa Rica Vacation Planning
Before you begin planning a vacation in Costa Rica you really should consider a few things. I have been in over 600 vacation lodging accommodations in this country and because I book with them daily, I know the owners, their wives, kids and even their dogs in many cases. If I have a travel related problem with their establishment they say, call me directly if you need to. Now your there on your Costa Rica vacation that you booked by internet and you have a problem. Who will you talk to or call, the manager? You are vacationing in a place that you’ve never stayed at before and probably won’t again. The truth is that you’re really just a number, standing there on vacation and arguing with a guy that makes $500 per month. Truthfully you could have booked that vacation package with me for the same price, but you didn’t. All vendors pay a commission to travel agencies for booking with them regularly, but you don’t save anything by doing it yourself. Preparing a Costa Rica vacation package for you is easy because I live here and know the country, but it doesn’t make sense when you’re the one traveling to a foreign place and trying to be an expert on it by internet. Find a good vacation planner in Costa Rica and let them help you.
Planning a Costa Rica Vacation with an in Country Travel Agency
Do not use a vacation planner in “Tim Buck Two”. Here is where you need to be smart, so think about this example; you live in California but you want to take a vacation to Costa Rica right? Then why would you go down to your local vacation company? Yes I know, Mrs. So & So has been here before and she knows the country, WRONG! Vacation planners like her call me everyday to help them plan your Costa Rica vacation because they don’t live here, I do! Then they take my price and mark it up so that now you’re paying 20% more than you have to. Be smart and find a reputable company in Costa Rica to plan your vacation for you. Any “In Country” travel agency that helps you plan your Costa Rica vacation should be able to meet the following requirements for you if they are a reputable company:
(1) They should be able to offer you the same price for a Costa Rica vacation package services as if you were booking everything directly online yourself.
(2) You should have a feeling of assurance when you talk with them that they are experts at planning a vacation in Costa Rica due to their own personal travel knowledge of the country.
(3) During the process of arranging your vacation package they should offer you at least three choices to pick from for everything that they talk to you about. They should show you the good and bad angles of each and in the end you should make the final decision not them.
(4) As you travel to your vacation in Costa Rica, you should have confidence that their office will be available day or night along with weekends to help you if you need it while you’re on vacation. Try calling them after hours during your planning process not when your there.
Booking a Costa Rica Vacation Package
There are many reasons to choose a vacation package in Costa Rica. I always tell tourist to think like this; Costa Rica vacation packages are built from the most requested services, then they are put in the order that they should be done in and lastly they are discounted. A vacation package takes all of the thinking out of the planning stage and it saves you money. Another reason for using a vacation package is if you’re planning to visit secluded or remote areas. I have personally seen travelers with totally wasted an entire vacation because they tried booking a remote area themselves. Any Costa Rica vacation package that’s built for a remote area will include vendors from that area that are very difficult to reach by retail customers that don’t speak Spanish. The last thing is that by booking a pre-built vacation package you will know exactly what your cost are because everything is included in the price.
Costa Rica Vacation Rental Advise
Buyers beware if you’re considering a vacation rental in Costa Rica right now. Due to a lot of overbuilding in 2007 and 2008, many developers have not been able to sell all of their units. So, to pay the bank they have now turned these units into what they call a vacation rental. The problem is that right now the market is flooded with many websites promoting a lot of Costa Rica vacation rental condos that are not true vacation rentals. Although by pictures they may look close to the sans, many of these so called vacation rental units are actually located on back streets, far from the beach or in back alley ways. Photos can be very deceiving and they only show you what they want you to see. This ongoing movement has caused a cloud over the “true” Costa Rica vacation rental units. So, my advice is that if you’re looking for a vacation rental in Costa Rica is that you seek a qualified vacation rental agency that can assist you in finding the perfect rental unit to make your vacation a complete success.