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Hey again daB!
The minimum ten-day requirement applies for all tours and activities that we offer discounts for, unfortunately.
Which exact combined tour were you looking at and for which timeslot?
Until soon!
,Hello daB!
This is a tough call (and a common dilemma), choosing between the Springs Resort and the Tabacon Resort. Lots of factors come into play, especially the dates you plan to visit. Since travel is at an all-time low due to the pandemic, and June is part of the low season, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get some quiet time at either place. The Springs Resort is “resort-y” (as you note) in some areas but offers remote, intimate spaces too, especially if you visit the Lagoons (as opposed to the hot springs up by the main building) or the hot springs at the resort’s on-site adventure center, Club Rio. At Tabacon, the draw is the natural river. It, too, has some intimate spaces spread out along the riverbed.
To help you decide on one over the other, perhaps our reviews of each will help. Here are links to our reviews of both properties:
Tabacon Hot Springs Review: https://costaricatravelblog.com/tabacon-hot-springs/
Springs Resort Hot Springs Review: https://costaricatravelblog.com/springs-resort-hot-springs/Pura vida! 🙂
,Hey Kim!
It does include complimentary transportation to/from the Arenal Springs Resort (not to be confused with The Springs Resort & Spa, which is a different hotel entirely), assuming you’re talking about the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour that runs from La Fortuna/Arenal. To confirm, that’s this tour: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-la-fortuna-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
We do offer discounts for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour that runs from destinations in Guanacaste (along the northern Pacific coast), which wouldn’t include transport to/from the Arenal Springs Resort since its a La Fortuna/Arenal hotel.
If any readers are interested in experiencing Rio Celeste and the Tenorio Volcano National Park from the Guanacaste region, please see the discounts below:
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Tamarindo: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-tamarindo-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Playa Conchal: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-playa-conchal-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Playa Flamingo: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-playa-flamingo-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Playas del Coco: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-playas-del-coco-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Playa Hermosa: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-playa-hermosa-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Discount for the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour run from Papagayo: https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/rio-celeste-and-tenorio-volcano-national-park-tour-adult-from-papagayo-operated-by-desafio-adventure-company/
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hello Janette!
They do! While day tour discounts (i.e., those you’ll see on our Pura Vida! eh? Inc. website) are obtained by submitting an order through our website, discounts for other items (hotels, shuttles, car rentals, etc.) are available on our blog, the Costa Rica Travel Blog. Here’s a link to the specific page on our blog where you can find them: https://costaricatravelblog.com/free-costa-rica-discount-codes/
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hey again daB!
I just reread your original question and realized that you may have meant for the “22” to be June 22nd, not an abbreviation of 2022. In other words, you may be interested in the hot springs pass for either June 20th, June 21st, or June 22nd. Is that correct? If so, we can try to make that happen. Please see my note in the response above about the minimum amount of time we need to process an order. I should also note that our discounts are not retroactive, so if you happen to already have a reservation for the hot springs pass through the Springs Resort (or another company) directly, unfortunately, we won’t be able to help. If you don’t, though, please go ahead and place an order for the discount through our website and we’ll be more than glad to assist you! 🙂
Until soon!
,Hey daB!
Thanks so much for your comment and for your interest in our Springs Resort Hot Springs Pass discount.
Quick question… did you mean to write 2022? If this is correct, then, unfortunately, we can’t book the Springs Resort Hot Springs Pass that far in the future because (according to the resort’s reservations staff) the owner hasn’t yet decided if the pass is going to be available for purchase beyond the current season, which ends on December 17th, 2021.
If you meant to write 2021, and you’re asking because our website is currently only accepting requests for discounts beginning July 1st, then, yes, we should be able to make this work! The absolute latest that we’re able to process discounts, though, is 10 days prior to the requested tour date, which would be tomorrow (June 10th) if the date you wish to request the discount for is June 20th (of this year). If you’d like to secure the discount for June 20th 2021, please submit an order for it through our website by tomorrow at the latest.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hello Beth!
Thank you so much for your patience with us! 🙂 About your itinerary…
That’s a very busy day! To begin, technically everything is feasible, but I think you’ll find that it’s very rushed, especially the tours of either Arenal 1968 or the national park in the morning, and the La Fortuna Waterfall in the afternoon.
If you’re looking to tour a place in the morning (before your tour at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges), you can certainly tour Arenal 1968 or either of the 2 sectors of the Arenal Volcano National Park, but ideally it would be best to have more than 1.5 hours to explore whichever you pick. The same would be by comment about visiting the La Fortuna Waterfall during the afternoon. Though it’s possible to visit the waterfall in 1 hour, you’d only have time to hike down (quickly), take some photos, and hike back up (quickly), leaving little time to enjoy the waterfall itself, swim (if you wish to do so), and visit the property’s on-site orchid garden.
One quick question… whereabouts do you plan to stay the night after AOL? I saw your note about staying somewhere else outside of town. Depending on where you’ll be staying the night you plan to visit the hot springs, I may have another idea of something else that could work.
For pick-up times for the hot springs pass, these are often flexible, depending on the tour operator’s vehicle/driver availability. We can usually make a request for an earlier pick-up without problem, (such as 4:30pm), if this would be preferred (in order to arrive at EcoTermales for 5:00pm). Similarly, we can also request a pick-up at 5:00pm if you want more time to finish an afternoon activity.
As for whether visiting Arenal 1968 or either/both sectors of the national park are worth it, this depends entirely on what you’re looking to get out of the experience. Some travelers I’ve communicated with think all three provide boring experiences. Several others love the challenging hike at Arenal 1968 (especially the climbs over lava rocks), as well as the fantastic bird-watching opportunities at the national park (especially within the Arenal Peninsula sector). If you’re looking to get something specific out of a visit to either site, feel free to let me know and I can get back to you about whether any/all sites offer it. 🙂
One last thought… if you opt not to tour Arenal 1968 or the national park in the morning, but you have some time to kill before your tour at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, you may want to check out the trails on-site at AOL. They have tons, including one to the Danta Waterfall, that may interest you. You can read more about the trails at the Arenal Observatory Lodge here: https://costaricatravelblog.com/arenal-observatory-lodge-trails/
Pura vida!
,Hello again Susanna!
I just realized that when you resubmitted your book receipt to me today, you selected a new/different username than the username you noted with the first receipt submission (which was sent to me last Wednesday). To confirm, since I had created the DIY Costa Rica account for you a few days ago, the username I used to create the account was the first/original username you selected (i.e., the username you submitted to me with the first receipt copy), not the new/second username you submitted to me today.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hello Susanna!
Thank you for your message and for letting us know! I can confirm that I received the copy of your book receipt sent on Wednesday and that I had responded the same day with 2 separate emails. Sometimes our messages end up in junk mail folders (since we email many people each day, some email providers think our messages are spam), so it’s possible you didn’t receive them. I just went ahead and re-issued the emails, so hopefully they arrive successfully this time! If for some reason they don’t, just let me know and I can try sending them to you a different way.
For tours to/from the area you plan to stay, you’re doing everything right. At the moment, we only have discounts for the 3 tours you’re currently able to see on our website (i.e., the Tenorio River Rafting Tour, the Tenorio River Safari Float Tour, and the Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour). This doesn’t mean that there are only 3 experiences you can have to/from the RIU, it’s just that these are the only experiences we currently offer discounts for in that area of the country.
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hello Ryan!
Great question! At the moment we only offer the Lost Canyon Canyoning Tour that begins/ends in La Fortuna. This is because it’s usually the least expensive option overall for travelers.
To confirm, the original cost of the Lost Canyon Canyoning Tour (to/from La Fortuna) is $99/person, however, with our discount of $17/person applied, the tour operator’s cost becomes $82/person. Since we don’t offer a discount for the Lost Canyon Canyoning Tour taken from San Jose to La Fortuna (the tour operator’s price for this experience is $159/person), the original tour cost applies. This results in a cost difference of $77/person. If you’re able to travel between San Jose and La Fortuna for less than $77/person, which is possible using shuttle services, the most economical option would be to travel direct to La Fortuna and experience the tour from there, assuming your travel itinerary will allow it. 🙂
Pura vida!
,Hey Alex!
Thank you so much for your inquiry! 🙂
Since you’re looking for the tour(s) to experience over the next couple of days, unfortunately we won’t be able to provide you with discounts for any because, due to tour operator policies and heavy demand for our discounts at this time of year, we require a minimum of 7 days’ notice to process discount requests. 🙁 This being said, I can certainly steer you in the right direction in regards to who provides the tours that start in Monteverde and finish in La Fortuna: Desafio Adventure Company. They should be able to help you with last-minute tour reservation requests, though their original tour rates will apply.
For tours that can begin in Monteverde and end in La Fortuna, here are the specific tours we were referring to in the blog post you read titled “Costa Rica Tour Transportation: How To Use Tours To Travel Between Destinations” https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-tour-transportation/
Horseback Riding Tour: https://www.desafiocostarica.com/transports-details/Monteverde-to-La-Fortuna–Horseback-Riding-along-Lake-Arenal
Mountain Biking Tour: https://www.desafiocostarica.com/transports-details/Monteverde-Mountain-Biking-Rugged-Trail-to-Arenal-Volcano-
Stand-Up Paddle Tour: https://www.desafiocostarica.com/transports-details/Monteverde-Stand-Up-Paddle-Lake-Crossing-to-La-Fortuna-
Kayak Tour: https://www.desafiocostarica.com/transports-details/Monteverde-Kayak-Lake-Crossing-to-La-Fortuna
Mountain Biking and Stand-Up Paddle Tour Combo: https://www.desafiocostarica.com/transports-details/Monteverde-COMBO-Pedal-and-Paddle-Lake-Crossing-to-La-Fortuna
For additional information about ways to travel between Monteverde and La Fortuna, you may be interested in reading our related blog post Best Ways To Travel Between La Fortuna And Monteverde (Or Vice Versa): https://costaricatravelblog.com/travel-from-arenal-la-fortuna-to-monteverde/
Pura vida!
,Hello Carolyn!
Thank you so much for your interest in our Springs Resort Hot Springs Pass discount! 🙂
Unfortunately, the reason why you’re not able to order the discount through our website (assuming you tried to do that and are contacting us through this forum because the order wouldn’t go through) is because, due to tour operator policies and heavy demand for our discounts at this time of year, we require a minimum of 7 days’ notice to process discount requests. I’m so sorry that we’re not able to accept last-minute requests for our discounts and that we won’t be able to help you out with this particular request. 🙁
Of course, if you plan to be in Costa Rica for a while and are interested in our discounts for items to be experienced later on during your trip, do not hesitate to contact us again as we’d be more than happy to help you secure them.
Pura vida!
,Hello Sharon!
Great question! In general, official taxis in La Fortuna operate between the hours of 6:00am and 10:00pm. Like in other cities around Costa Rica, the official taxis in La Fortuna are red in color. To help distinguish them from other red vehicles, including unofficial taxis that happen to use red cars, look for the yellow triangle on the door that displays the taxi’s code. The photo gallery at the top of our related blog post here https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-transportation/ shows an image of what the triangle/code on taxis looks like. Though Uber’s presence is growing in Costa Rica, we recommend sticking with licensed official taxis.
One quick question… is there a particular reason you’re planning on staying in El Castillo? I ask only because if you’re planning to be active (it sounds like you plan to participate in a few tours), and if you won’t have a rental car to drive yourselves between El Castillo and town (or wherever you wish to go), transportation fees through taxis and/or tour operators will add up quickly. In case you’re interested in further reading on this topic, here’s a link to one of our related blog posts that should provide you with some new and helpful information: https://costaricatravelblog.com/costa-rica-tour-transportation-hotel-pick-ups-drop-offs/
Pura vida! 🙂
,Hello Dave!
Excellent questions! 🙂
To start with the Monteverde area, as botanists and photographers, you picked a great destination to visit. Fortunately, you don’t need a guide for most daytime visits to Monteverde-area reserves/preserves, so you can certainly save money by touring each yourself. Exceptions to this general rule include early morning bird-watching tours and night tours, both of which require a guide for safety reasons and because they award access to reserves/preserves outside of normal operating hours.
Examples of some reserves/preserves in the Monteverde area other than the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve include the Santa Elena Biological Reserve, Reserva Curi-Cancha, Valle Escondido, Bajo del Tigre (a public sector of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest), Santuario Ecologico, and Aguti Monteverde. Entrance fees apply to all, however, and they usually run about $15 per adult. If you’re looking to save money on the cost of entrance fees, you could consider staying overnight at one or more of them. Some reserves/preserves offer accommodations on-site and award overnight guests with free access to the local trails.
For Corcovado, this is an entirely different story. There have been several changes to Corcovado National Park operations over the past few years and visits nowadays are strictly regulated. Not only do you need a tour guide to explore the park, if you plan to visit for more than one day, you need to book in advance a mini park package (which is typically quite costly) that includes transportation to and from the park, a room at the Sirena ranger station, and meals (you’re not allowed to bring your own food). It is not possible to visit this national park on a whim and without a tour guide, and night tours are not permitted.
For footwear, be sure to bring closed-toe footwear as some attractions won’t allow visitors to enter with Keen-type hiking sandals that have slits that expose parts of the feet. Though dangerous encounters aren’t common, Costa Rica is home to several poisonous species, so it’s best to bring shoes and long pants that fully cover your feet, ankles, and legs. In addition, the reserves/preserves are full of brush, vines, and tree branches, so it’s good to have a reliable set of hiking shoes/boots that you’ll feel study and comfortable walking in.
Pura vida!
,Hello Beth!
Thanks so much for checking in with us about transportation to/from the Arenal Observatory Lodge! Unfortunately, most tour operators in La Fortuna charge extra to provide transportation to and/or from the Arenal Observatory Lodge given the hotel’s distance from town. If you’re interested in our discount for the EcoTermales Hot Springs Pass with Lunch or Dinner described here https://puravidaeh.ca/discounts/ecotermales-hot-springs-lunch-or-dinner-adult-from-la-fortuna-operated-by-ecotermales-hot-springs/ and you’d like to add transportation to or from the Arenal Observatory Lodge, the tour operator will charge an extra fee of $20 each way (per group, not per person). Alternatively, transportation to/from downtown La Fortuna and hotels considered to be “La Fortuna hotels” (in general, hotels that fall between downtown La Fortuna and the Tabacon Resort) is free. If you’ll have access to a rental car, you can also drive yourselves to/from the EcoTermales Hot Springs if you’d prefer.
As a side note, if you’re interested in learning more about the EcoTermales Hot Springs, don’t miss our related blog post: https://costaricatravelblog.com/ecotermales-hot-springs/
Pura vida! 🙂
