Having contemplated it for a while I decided to take the plunge today and have now booked my first holiday with Just You to Costa Rica and Nicaragua on 9th September.

Have been advised that there are now 9 of us booked so it would be good to hear from anyone else that is going on this trip

Also glad to hear of any tips that anyone has that may have been previously.

Janet

All the best,

Bob

Thanks for pointing me to the where the travel tips are. Doesn't look to be much on CR itself (unless I am not searching correctly) although someone has advised of a website with lots of handy info. I was hoping for a bit more personal info such as what footwear, clothing is best to take and even whether to take case or holdall, etc. Never mind there is still plenty of time....although no doubt will go quickly.

Must admit that I did think about waiting until next year to go but was concerned that it may not go ahead as Solos stopped doing CR this year and JY did not have it in original brochure but hopefully they will continue to travel there in the future and you will not miss out. I will ensure I share travel tips following my holiday to help others.

Hope that wherever you are travelling to this year you have a great time also.

Janet

I went to costa rica last september with JY, you will have a great time. It was very hot but when it rained it really rained so make sure you have a waterproof and maybe a brolly too! If you plan to do the walking excursions on the trails like the hanging bridges take a decent pair of trainers/walking shoes as it was damp muddy terrain (but not too heavy going).

If you have any specific questions, ask away.

P.s id suggest you take small dollar notes with you as not all places would take them, as you recieve your change back in costa rican. I think $20 notes were the biggest they would accept. I used all my big notes to pay for the excursions.

Lucinda

Hi Bob

Thanks for pointing me to the where the travel tips are. Doesn't look to be much on CR itself (unless I am not searching correctly) although someone has advised of a website with lots of handy info. I was hoping for a bit more personal info such as what footwear, clothing is best to take and even whether to take case or holdall, etc. Never mind there is still plenty of time....although no doubt will go quickly.

Must admit that I did think about waiting until next year to go but was concerned that it may not go ahead as Solos stopped doing CR this year and JY did not have it in original brochure but hopefully they will continue to travel there in the future and you will not miss out. I will ensure I share travel tips following my holiday to help others.

Hope that wherever you are travelling to this year you have a great time also.

Janet

I forgot to say take a small torch with you as well, comes in very handy especiall if you go to the watch the turtles in the dark. Also for the volcano take something a little warmer to wear as it was a bit windy and chilly.

Lucinda

Hi Bob

Thanks for pointing me to the where the travel tips are. Doesn't look to be much on CR itself (unless I am not searching correctly) although someone has advised of a website with lots of handy info. I was hoping for a bit more personal info such as what footwear, clothing is best to take and even whether to take case or holdall, etc. Never mind there is still plenty of time....although no doubt will go quickly.

Must admit that I did think about waiting until next year to go but was concerned that it may not go ahead as Solos stopped doing CR this year and JY did not have it in original brochure but hopefully they will continue to travel there in the future and you will not miss out. I will ensure I share travel tips following my holiday to help others.

Hope that wherever you are travelling to this year you have a great time also.

Janet

Thanks very much for responding with this useful info. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the CR holiday and will make good use of all tips you have provided.

One of the main things that I had concerns about prior to booking was that I understand September is peak rain reason. Due to the fact that you were out there same time as I am going I would be grateful if you could provide me with further advice on the following:-

- Did you get reasonable periods when it was hot and sunny? (I was imagining it was going to be constantly raining - hopefully not!)

- Were long trousers and sleeves essential in rainforest areas?

- Were there lots of mosquitos?

- Was there an opportunity to dry clothes if they got wet?

- Did anyone have problems with taking photos due high humidity?

Also on a more general note.....

- Would hard case or softer holdall type be preferable luggage?

- How much money was needed for meals, drinks, etc. each day?

- How did you find the journey, particularly in respect of having to change flights at Madrid?

I hope that you don't mind we asking so many questions but feel that the more I know beforehand the better prepared I can be and it will help put my mind at rest over things as, having now booked it, the nerves are setting in already.

Thanks again

Janet

All the best,

Bob

The date of the tour i did was the 17th sept. I shall answer each question in turn.

Rain - There was one day where it rained most of the day and another couple where it rained for the afternoon. It was quite heavy rain, but the majority of the holiday was hot sunshine ( i came home with a tan - so do take sun lotion!). So a good waterproof (waterproof trousers may also be wise to take) and brolly essential.

I mostly wore shorts and sleeveless t.shirts, even in the forests and wore long sleeves/trousers by evening.

There were mosquitoes, but not that youd really notice. I used insect repellent spray in the evenings and in the forests.

I dont recall anything about drying wet clothes - think i just used the bathrooms to hang stuff up.

There were no camera probs at all (and there were quite a few keen phtographers on my trip).

In terms of a suitcase - the only issue was moving the luggage from the bus to the boats for the journey to tortuguero and back again as it was a fairly steep stone/sandy beach approach to the boats. The men did help the ladies with the moving of luggage though. So i would say as long as it can be handled easily then the option is yours!

I think i roughly spent $20-30 for meals including drinks. It was difficult to get a sandwich so it was often some sort of rice dish. The Tilijari hotel was great value food and tasty, but the Morgans Cove was pricey. Beer was quite cheep. I think a fruit punch was roughly $5. All the included meals were good except our farewell dinner in the Morgans cove. So i would suggest eating elsewhere to the guide if possible. There was a great fish restaurant near this hotel that we went to one evening. The best way to describe it was a fish style nandos! You choose your fish, how you wanted it seasoned/what sauce and then if you wanted it as a pitta, burger etc and then there was a free salad/potato buffet. The lava lounge in Fortuna was also very good.

Journey wise, i was disappointed that the rep did not meet at us at Heathrow. There were a number of us that saw each others tags and stuck together. The rep introduced himself on the first flight to madrid. We all decided to meet once off the plane to wait for the next flight. We all then meet up again at the end on the second flight. I had never done a connecting flight before and found the day very draining, so much so i skipped the included dinner in the hotel for bed! But everyone had their JY luggage tickets on them so you could see who was on your trip. Also you dont have to do anything with your main luggage once checked in at Heathrow - it goes straight through to san jose. Take a few euros if you want a drink/food at madrid though. We were lucky in that the flights were in the same terminal so no need for the 100ml bottle! Check your paperwork though as it may be a different terminal.

Dont worry about the questions - i was a nervous wreck before i went, so anything else let me know.

Also i answered some other peoples questions right after i came back last year in this section of the forum - prob about oct time.

The only other thing id say is the turtle watching one evening at tortuguero was an extra excursion on top of what was offered so have a little extra cash in case! All the excursions were good. I didnt do the culture day, about half the group went and enjoyed it. There were a couple of excursions that clashed at Jaco and there was the added extra of doing zip wiring if you were feeling adventurous! Make sure you have a dip in the ocean at Manuel Antonio park - it was beautiful and you can say you swam in the pacific! (But on this trip you had to carry everything with you for the day so have a sml backpack/ bag to carry stuff).

I think thats everything! Although anything else just ask

Lucinda

:thumbup:

All the best,

Bob

Thanks very much indeed for this further information which has certainly helped answer most of the questions I had in mind and put my mind at rest in most cases.

I am particularly pleased to see that the weather is going to be nowhere near as awful as I was predicting as I do like a tan (although I know there are never any guarantees no matter where you go). I will heed your warning and invest in some waterproof trousers and scout out a lightweight brolly also.

In respect of luggage, packing light is not my strong point, but your info has settled my mind in respect of the type to take. Now I just need to look at how much I pack as need to bear in mind that I may need to handle myself should no other help be available. Don't want things ending up in the water!

Pleased to see that there is a varied choice of food/restaurants. I am not able to eat spicy food which does put me off visiting some places but sounds like it will not be a problem here. As for drinks...although I do like a cocktail I am quite happy with a few beers. especially when it is hot.

I am surprised that the rep did not meet you from the outset at Heathrow. I have not encountered connecting flights before and can understand that it must be draining with having to wait around for the additional time. It is really good to know that you can spot fellow travellers via the luggage tags and will certainly make good use of that in the hope that I will not be waiting around on my own for long. The airport part if probably the one that I still have the most concerns about at this stage.

I really hope that they do the additional turtle excursion again as would be great to see them. I was planning on booking the pre-bookable excursions before going so hope that they do not clash with others that I also want to go on. May try and find out more in that respect from JY prior to booking. I am not good with heights and am really hoping to overcome some of my fears while there in respect of the bridges as really do not want to miss out. As for zip-wiring.....I think maybe a step too far for me.

I am really grateful to you for taking the time to answer my questions and providing me with so much useful info and also for pointing me to the previous info that had been supplied on this forum previously. I am now really looking forward to it .... although September does seem a very long time to wait.

Last couple of questions....

1. Did you need to take malaria tablets and what vaccinations were recommended for this trip? (was Nicagarua included or just CR)?

2. Where are you holidaying this year?

Thanks again for everything. I really do appreciate it.

Janet

Not a problem to answer your questions, its always nice to hear from someone else who has done the trip and can give you some pointers.

I only did costa rica, nicagarua wasnt available. I didnt take malaria tablets, think i might have had one jab but cant remember now! Have a look at fit for travel.

I would really recommend the hanging bridges - they were very sturdy bridges with sides above waist height. They swayed slightly but not really unless somone was really making it move. It really was quite safe, and you dont have to look down, just look out at the fantastic scenary. The bridges that i did - i think we only went over 5 or 6. The rest was walking inbetween them through the forest. I think all the optionals we paid for when we were out there, and werent available to book before. There were one or two in the group that werent allowed to go on some excursions due to medical/ walking difficulties and unfortunately they were a little upset (This was the local guide saying they were not suitable to go). However these excursions were by no means hiking or excessively strenuous just not really appropriate for people with mechanical walking problems.If you book out there the guide can tell you exactly whats what anyway to make sure your comfortable with the excursion.

The only reason id say waterproof trousers is you obviously go on the excursion even if its pouring. We did the river float in the rain and the culture day was also in the rain- so it just depends if you dont mind getting wet!

Your luggage will not end up in the water as the guys running the boats loaded the luggage and im sure there will be some strong men to hand or willing men if nothing else!

If its the same flight time as me (6.30 am ish) it was fairly quiet in the airport and as i say just you labels were easy to spot. Everyone was walking through with someone else. we all sat separately on both planes. So i just kept an eye on the familiar faces and we all met up as we got off each plane. I definitely spoke to the rep while on the first flight - think he was going round looking for the group and he organised us all to meet at the gate in madrid. It will be fine and to be honest the wait wasnt that long ay madrid as we them started queing for the 2nd plane.

As for me im off to china in may, like you hoping the weather will be good! Also doing New england in the fall with travelsphere in oct with family.

Anything else you want to know dont hesitate to ask

Lucinda

The hanging bridges sound great and not as scary as I thought they may be so I am really looking forward to viewing the forest from such a different perspective.

Glad to hear that the rep made himself known while on the plane and I will aim to make contact with him and others that I may be travelling with nearer the time of the trip.

The brochure does state about the need to have good mobility for CR so either this has been an added as a result of the problems your fellow travellers experienced or was something they missed when they booked. I do feel for those that were impacted but am pleased to know that the guides are careful not to allow people to do the trips if they feel they may experience difficulties which could hinder others enjoyment.

China is another trip that is on my list and I am sure that you will have a great time. I have seen a lot of reviews for that (including one that rated the toilets if I remember rightly!) and everyone seems to have thoroughly enjoyed it so I am sure that you will have a great time also. Will look forward to any additional review that you may provide on your return.

I would like to thank you again for all your help and will take this opportunity to wish you excellent holidays in both China and New England as well as others to come. You never know....we may even meet on a future one.

Take care

Janet

All the best,

Bob

Certainly makes sense for them to do that. Must be so disappointing to take a holiday and then not be able to fully participate in everything you planned on doing.

So has the additional info kindly supplied by Lucinda talked you into coming to Costa Rica with me in September (ensuring you do not miss out on this trip) or have you something else booked already?

Janet

This is the reason I want to travel and do all long haul holidays when I am able to do so. I will leave short haul holidays for when I am older and not so fit and able!

Jaya