Would you like to enjoy Costa Rica with children? Here are my recommendations for an incredibly memorable trip to Costa Rica using Groupon.

I turned 40. Why do people feel like turning 40 is the beginning of the end? We do. I think women tend to take it harder then men. I guess it is the thought that you are nearly halfway through your life. Maybe it is just a number, but I swear as the number approached me I did feel old for the first time in my life.

My thought was to plan a trip in order to look forward to turning 40. Instead of dreading the inevitable, why not have a memorable trip to look forward to where I could not wait for January to get here? The plan worked. I was so involved in planning this trip and looking forward to the day we left that the thought of turning 40 turned from dread to excitement.

January seems to be an awful time to plan a birthday trip. Most places are frigid in January. For someone who absolutely loaths the cold, going skiing or where it was snowing was not something that I would look forward to. The number one criteria for planning this birthday trip was to find a warm travel destination. Number 2 was to plan a trip somewhere we had never been before.

Visiting Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a rain forest, therefore there are recommended times of the year to travel where you will not spend the entire trip in a raincoat and where the views of the incredible scenery are not obscured by the weather. January happens to be a recommended time to travel. How exciting! According the U.S. News and World Report, “The best time to visit Costa Rica is from mid-December to April (the dry season). This peak tourist season boasts plenty of sunshine making it an ideal time for exploring rainforests and lounging on beaches. ”

Costa Rica With Kids

Why Costa Rica? It fulfilled my first two criteria. “In the thick forests of the Caribbean Sea coast and Northern Plains, expect high humidity and temperatures ranging between the 70s and high 80s year-round. Conversely, in the North Pacific, prepare for lower humidity levels, but temperatures that often soar into the 90s during Costa Rica’s dry months” (U.S. News and World Report Costa Rica Travel Guide) We also had never traveled to Costa Rica. Other reasons to go were because of the amount of things to do. I also wanted my son to go with us on this trip. My 40th birthday would not be as memorable without him with us. This country has a plethora of amazing things to do with kids.

Costa Rican Travel Company and Tour

Because we were traveling to a foreign country, I wanted to make sure we chose a travel company where we could book not only tours but also the transportation to and from tours. I had read where there were no real street signs in Costa Rica. Travelers described obtaining directions to locations given by locals where they were told only to “go down the road and when you run out of road, turn right”. Renting a car may be something other families do, but my family is not adventurous enough to get lost and find our way back in a foreign country.

Upon searching for travel companies, I came across a deal on Groupon. Groupon??!!! I had booked hotels and things to do through Groupon but never a trip and never a trip outside of the U.S. Would this be a mistake? I was very apprehensive about choosing to do so, however when I looked up the tour companies’ name in TripAdvisor the ratings were 5 stars. The company was EcoTerra Costa Rica and the trip’s description seemed absolutely perfect. The trip included hotel accommodations, some meals, and all tours and transportation to tours. The trip would include a stop in the La Fortuna area and then the Jaco Beach area of the country.

At the time I am writing this post, Groupon is still offering this tour package. Check it out:

https://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-ecoterra-37

EcoTerra Costa Rica Tour Package

The vacation package we chose was:
Arenal Volcano & Jacó Beach All Inclusive

There was an option for the all inclusive package. This included:

• Lodging at Casa Luna Hotel & Spa (3 Nights)
• Lodging Best Western Jacó Beach Resort All Inclusive (2 Nights)
• 5 Breakfast (Day 2,3,4,5 & 6), 2 Lunch (Day 4 & 5), 3 Dinner (Day 2,4 & 5)
• Ground Transportation from Airport to Casa Luna Hotel & Spa (La Fortuna)
• Ground Transportation from La Fortuna to Jacó Beach
• Ground Transportation from Jacó to San José (Airport)
• Tour of Zip Line over tropical rainforest
• Tour of Arenal Volcano Expedition & Natural History Walk
• Entrance to Arenal Paradise Hot Springs
• Transportation to all mentioned activities
• Bilingual naturalist guide on tours
• Free 24 hours Wi-Fi Public Areas

Currently the price is: $1249 per person via their website. The deal via Groupon was significantly less! The all inclusive option cost a bit more. Any additional tours you wished to book, would also be an additional fee. The trip did not include airfare. JetBlue had a direct flight from Orlando to Costa Rica. At the time we took the trip, this was about $350 per person. Because of the flight options, we stayed in a hotel in San Jose on the first night and the tour started the next day. The tour company picked us up at the hotel instead of the airport and provided the transportation to La Fortuna.

In Part 2, I will detail our experiences on this amazing, once in a lifetime trip!

Let me know your thoughts by commenting below! I would love to hear from you. Do you have any experiences with tour companies in Costa Rica?

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