Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

My family of five spent 10 days in Costa Rica at the end of August, 2023. Our trip was planned by Irene (and her team) who lives locally in the region. We were looking for engaging adventure while staying in higher-end hotels that could easily accommodate a setup for a family (villas or adjoining rooms). Our trip was an amazing, wonderful family event that we’ll remember for a lifetime. The overall experience with Irene, from the initial scoping of a potential trip, to the selection of regions and hotels, to the detailed planning of daily activities, and the real-time adjustments during the trip, was top-notch. Our family includes three teenage children, so we were looking for adventure. Irene delivered. My wife has several dietary restrictions, so we needed hotels and restaurants that would accommodate us. Irene delivered. We had heard from several friends that Costa Rica provided the best family vacation their family ever experienced. We now feel exactly the same way.

For those interested in more specifics, please continue to read. We spent 5 days in La Fortuna, residing at the Nayara Tented Camp, in a family tent that easily accommodated the five of us comfortably (no bed sharing for the kids!). The hotel was absolutely magical, and we want to go back. We did a chocolate workshop at Two Little Monkeys, which was a highlight for us, and well worth the drive out of town. Irene organized our excursions to the Hanging Bridges, the zip lines that rip down a mountain and a canyoning tour that had us rappelling down waterfalls. All were amazing, with the rappelling being the family’s collective favorite. We also had a dedicated driver and larger van that accompanied us for our entire chapter in Arenal (hola Jonathan!), which we highly recommend.

We hopped a short flight and spent the last 5 days in the Manuel Antonio region. The hotel, Arenas del Mar, had a fantastic beach and wonderful restaurant. The wildlife was very active, including the white-faced monkeys that were a permanent fixture on the hotel grounds. For adventure, we got to paddle class III and IV rapids and we had a epic day surfing.

Some final random thoughts: The flights in and out of San Jose were easy. The short-hop domestic flights were incredibly convenient and worth the small extra cost vs. driving for 4-5 hours between destinations. I can’t emphasize enough how much we appreciated the dedicated travel van and driver in La Fortuna.

We will partner with Wendy Perrin/Irene Edwards for any future trip to Costa Rica (we will be back). And given the strength of our experience with our Costa Rica adventure, we will certainly turn to Wendy Perrin to help us explore other parts of the world.

Irene did a fantastic job planning our family of 6’s trip to Costa Rica (kids ages 15, 14, 12, 8). Everything was seamless and she was extremely available during our trip, even for a very last-minute travel change on the day of our departure. We wanted adventure mixed with relaxation and that’s exactly what she gave us. We stayed at La Paloma in Drake Bay and I highly recommend (even though the a/c is not reliable). Even my picky-eater 8yo loved the food, and they were so accommodating to the kids. From there we stayed at Arenas Del Mar in Manual Antonio, and that was also amazing. You can’t find a nicer staff anywhere, especially the golf-cart drivers!

Highly recommend Irene and a Costa Rica vacation — I would do it again if there weren’t so many other places in the world to visit.

We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. Arenas Del Mar had an amazing beach. The kids rode their boogie boards for hours each day. Zip lining was very fun! Our 4-year-old smiled down each line. It was very, very hot — over 100 degree heat index — so we swam a lot!! The guide through Manuel Antonio park was well worth it. He showed us bats and hummingbirds and so many things we wouldn’t have seen. We went to an eco-lodge in the Osa Peninsula after Arenas Del Mar, and it was stunning. The toucans and macaws would land on trees next to the pool. There is no air-conditioning there and the beach is not for swimming, unless you can take a 30-minute walk down the hot sand to the tide pools. Our 4-year-old struggled a bit with the hiking component because she would overheat. She still was able to do a bit and the food was amazing at El Remanso Lodge. The service was phenomenal, too. We had a wonderful vacation. I would say once our youngest is 8 we would be able to do everything on the property. 4 felt a little young for El Remanso.

Our first trip to Costa Rica was expertly planned by Irene Edwards. She asked questions about what we liked to do and personal preferences and turned it into a wonderful trip, staying at an eco-lodge in the rain forest on the Osa Peninsula, followed by a relaxing stay at a beautiful beach resort near Manuel Antonio National Park. It was a perfect blend of hiking, nature viewing, and lazy beach days. Our accommodations were exactly what we requested: beautiful views, comfortable beds, and excellent service. We appreciated Irene checking in on occasion to make sure everything was running smoothly. She is responsive, available, and also went above expectations by recovering a lost item from our first night and had it delivered to us at the airport upon departure. We look forward to working with Irene for our next trip to Costa Rica!

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