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Frequently Asked Questions |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
| Well, here it is.... I guess every site eventually has one, and this is ours. But, you won't find an index. The questions and answers are interwoven through the fabric of these "comments and questions" that were asked of us on the reservation form. Some of these inquiries were responded to in a manner consistent with someone living in the tropics with too much time on their hands! We hope you enjoy the banter.... |
arrival_date: possible nov or jan
departure_date:
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
could you please tell apprx the cost of fuel
food and other things that one may need to know when traveling to costa
rica. My husband and I are hoping to come for 2 weeks and would like to know how much of a budget we would need on our travel there. Thank you ever so much hope to hear from you soon.
My dear Amanda: You pose a very difficult question but I'll try to
answer it. You can estimate what it costs for lodging by comparing the price of hotel rooms on our web site. They range from $40.00 a night to $500.00 a night. [Presidential suite] The cost of food depends I'm afraid on how much you choose to eat and what you choose to eat, either a two inch thick sirloin steak [$25.00] or just rice and beans. [$2.50] You can travel by bus, [it’s very cheap] or you can rent a Toyota Prado at $720.00 a week. If you can afford a Prado the cost of fuel is beside the point. You could even take a walking tour armed with just a robe, sandals, a staff and a wooden begging bowl, [I wouldn't recommend it] or travel in a limousine while drinking champagne. It of course depends on what you want to spend. Kind Regards. Murray
Dear Murray,
You have such a great sense of humor and I love it. We do not plan to
beg for food nor do we plan to go by limo. I was just wondering about the
average cost of things. We have traveled a lot and it is a big range of
prices, lifestyles etc. We are an adventurest couple and like to explore
and do things that some tourist would not even try. The car rentals are
very reasonable, do they have motorcycles or scooters there. I have read
a lot of complimentary letters about your establishment and I am truly
looking forward to coming. However our recently travel in September I hurt my knee snorkeling which has resulted in surgery, therefore we must wait until I am able to at least walk. Is the water and food safe to have for tourist?
What airport would we first fly into from Canada? How much would the
short flight to the island cost? How far from there is it to your establishment? Are there local markets there and is it a safe country to travel around through? Thank you for returning my email we sometimes can ask some crazy questions I know, but I guess that is why we have the reputation of living in igloos and are called crazy canucks. Hope to here from you soon, thanks again. Mandy
Amanda: If it's of any re-assurance I am also a Canadian, although
I would never tell anyone except under torture. I am so glad to see that you are actually reading some of the pages of our web site. Our web master labored long hours to try to put as much pertinent information as possible on the pages. To answer each and every question of every person who responds to our site is a long and time consuming process that we have tried to avoid.
Travel agents probably know this better than I. Perhaps we haven't been
successful. Is the water safe to drink in Costa Rica? In general, yes,
much safer than in Mexico. I can’t speak for all of Costa Rica but I can categorically state that the water is safe to drink in Mal Pais. It comes from an underground stream in the park. I have been drinking it for more than eight years and have suffered no ill effect. Do they have motorcycles or schooters for rent in Mal Pais? Yes. Even quadracycles. But be forewarned. Any vechile driven on the beach is frowned upon. Leatherback turtles come to the beach at night to lay their eggs. My wife and I can easily identify with the baby turtles. After all, who would want to listen to the roar of a quadracycle when you're in your nest trying to sleep? Bear in mind that Costa Rica is not Puerto Rico. [ I wonder what the president of Costa Rica would say about that ] The island you referred to is not an island but a peninsula. You can fly to the Nicoya Peninsula from the international airport in San Jose. When you get to Tambor, Mal Pais is a ninety-minute drive away. The flight costs $60.00 one way. [ See our "Getting Here" page on the web site for more information] Is Costa Rica a safe country to travel in? Yes, as long as you aren't wearing all of your gold jewelry or flashing those worthless Canadian dollars. By the way, I had someone from Norway ask me if the houses had carpets. Carpets! At ten degrees north of the equator who needs carpets? Of course I replied yes. If he ever does arrive we're going to make sure he has a small throw rug beside his bed so when he wakes up he won't panic. We do everything we can to satisfy our clients. Most of the time we're successful. Sometimes we're not. My wife and I drove to Costa Rica from Los Angeles more than eight years ago. We passed through several war zones along the way. When we got to Costa Rica it was like being welcomed by a friend. I love the country but I still can’t guarantee that you would be entirely safe in every part of the country. But no matter where you happen to be, isn't safety a matter of being alert, and sometimes, luck. I hope I've been able to answer a few more of your questions. Kind Regards. Murray
Dearest Murray,
Thank you for taking the time for all the answers you have given me. That is
so kind of you we feel that we would at least need 2 weeks to enjoy
ourselves. Therefor we would be looking for something in and around Jan
14, 2002. Could I ask one finally question can Canadian money be
exchanged there for your currency and what is the exchange rate? You seem
like such a friendly and outgoing person that it would seem a sham to stay
at one of the local resorts and not experience the beauty and joy that you
and your wife have. Once our holiday time is concrete through our employees I will email you with the particulars.... Hopefully we don't get lost...thanks again Murray and all the best to you and your wife...Mandy
No Mandy. Don’t bring Canadian dollars. All of the restaurants and hotels in Costa Rica will change American dollars for you, but not Canadian. Murray
COMMENHTS OR QUESTIONS:
Hola!
I'm not exactly sure when we will be arriving in Mal Pias. But, we will probably be staying for two to three nights. Please let me know what you have available.
If we stay at your hotel, are there any activities our girlfriend can do while we are surfing? Nature walks, snorkling, etc.?
Also, please email me any maps of the area and directions from San Jose and Tamarindo (we will be arriving by rental car).
Thanks!
Jason
Jason: There are rooms currently available, so when you know your arrival date please send me another reservation form with the correct date. Your girlfriend can snorkel, take nature walks, etc. See the pages called "Pictures" on our web site. They show some of the activities. For a map, see our "Getting Here" page. Kind Regards. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
please note that we are a travel agency and we would like to know your availability and rates. best regards
cristiana
Christina: The availability of the room of course depends on when you want the room. The rates for the hotels are posted on the web site. [I assume you want a discount] Kind Regards. Murray
www.costasrica-beachrentals.com
ranchos_requested: cheapest available that will hold 4 guys (no kitchen)
number_of_guests: 4
arrival_date: jan
departure_date: not sure
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
hi dude, wed like some more info on your hotel, food prices, cost of living for the entire week. too.. please email me back thanks
Dude..How can I possibly answer that question? Your cost of living for the entire week will depend on what you want to spend. Perhaps you should consider buying a hammock at the Army and Navy Surplus and bringing it with you. If you could find two trees fifteen feet apart your cost of living would be next to nil. You might even be able to survive on coconuts and bananas, provide someone doesn’t run you off their land with a machete. Kind Regards. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
Could you please tell me to what extent your lodge
is accessible to someone in a wheelchair? I am very interested in staying
at your hotel. My main concern is that there may be an excess of stairs,
and narrow doorways ... Please let me know!
thank you ,
Clare
Clare: Costa Rica doesn’t provide as much wheelchair access as the U.S. I would recommend the Tropico Latino. The bungalows are all on ground level and you would have no difficulty making your way to the restaurant and pool, which are both overlooking the beach. Let me know when you want to come and I’d be happy to book a bungalow for you. Kind Regards. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
need plane and car rental info
Duane: See our "Getting Here" page on the web site. We also have a rental car page. The link is on the blue index bar to the left after you click on houses from the home page. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
We had requested the Elena House but it was booked for the time we needed --could you please check availability of Almendro House for the above dates? If this is not avail either could you find something on beachfront that is comprable for these dates?
Paulina: Sorry but the Almendro House is already booked. I'm waiting for a deposit to arrive. If it doesn't in the next 7 days the house will be
available. The Barrigonia House is also available but they stipulate no
children. How old are your children? The house has two double beds. Murray
Murray
Our children are 5 years old and 3 years old. Well behaved. Let us know if
they would accept them.
Thanks-
Paulina
Paulina: I called them and they said no. I was hoping I could
convince them otherwise. I'm sorry. Perhaps if they had children they would
think otherwise. We have two houses on our web site that stipulates no
children and there isn't anything I can do about it. Each to his own. Why
don't we wait 7 more days and if the deposit doesn't arrive on the
Almendro House then we can rent it to you. Murray
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS:
Dear Murray
Can we reserve this house with a credit card via the phone? Also how
will you confirm this reservation once we pay?
Thanx, Sundie
Sundie: We can accept a credit card for some of the hotels but not for the
houses. When we receive the deposit for a house we confirm by e-mail. In Costa Rica a credit card will not be honored for payment unless there is a
signature on the credit card voucher. Most of the Hotels e-mail a credit card authorization form that is returned by fax. It states on the form that even though the person has not signed the origional voucher they accept the terms and conditions of the reservation. Some banks in Costa Rica will accept this for payment, other's won't. For houses we refund 70% of the deposit if there is a cancellation more than 3 months prior to the date of the reservation. The deposit is non-refundable if the reservation is cancelled less than 3 months, unless the time is re-rented. Costa Rica is very strict regarding payment by credit card. We are in favor of it. If you book a hotel you can of course pay by credit card when you check out because you're signing the origional credit card voucher. We are not set up to do the same for the houses as they are individually owned. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask. Kind Regards. Murray
Dear Murray
Once again thank you for your prompt response. Our only reservation now is
doing a money transfer to a bank in another country, arriving there only to
find out the house, the company is non-existant. I don't mean to insult you.
It is just some nervousness about doing business completely on line. Your
web site appears legit, your responses appear legit. Is there any way our
reservations can be amended? I can do a money transfer tomorrow. Would that be for $830 dollars for the nights I have giving you with the $30 transfer fee? Thanx once again, Sundie
Sundie: I have you noted on the spread sheet as wanting the Almendro house from March 8th through the 17th, departing on the morning of the 18th for a total of 10 nights. The Almendro house rents for $100.00 a night. If the dates are correct that's $1000.00 plus a $30.00 Costa Rica Transfer fee. Sometimes I wish the houses did not exist. My wife and I came to Costa Rica 8 years ago from California in order to retire. We build two houses, the Almendro and the Arboles, with plans to live in one and rent the other. With the help of a very talented web master, we created a web site for that purpose, www.costarica-beachrentals.com, and it became so successful that other people in the area owning houses asked to be part of it. And then came the hotels. And then the real estate. So now I spend more hours a day answering requests for reservations than I care to, instead of sitting on the deck watching the sunset with a drink in my hand. The intent with creating the web site was to show how much we loved Mal Pais, as much as it was to rent our one house. [ see the page titled " Mal Pais - The Place ] We then created a page called "Guest Comments", which are unsolicited responses from people who have rented the houses. I understand your hesitation of doing a money transfer to a foreign country. And about the Internet. There are a lot of scams out there but we are not one of them. It would be nice not having to deal with the Internet but it's the way of the future and I don't see how it can be avoided. I guess you have to trust your instinct and at the same time use caution. Before I came here I wouldn't have sent money to a foreign country, especially Central America. Nevertheless, people do. All of the houses and hotels we list on our web site have already been booked for December and January and we are still getting 4 to 5 requests a day. [ At present, 8,000 people a month visit our web site] That’s not bad for a site that only represents an area with a permanent population of approximately 500 people. We must be doing something right. We would love for you to come and visit. If you have any further questions or doubts please feel free to send me another e-mail. I'll hold the house for you a few more days. Kind Regards. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com e-mail at www.crrental@racsa.co.cr
Hi Murray
I transferred $900 plus $40 fee to the bank and account #s you gave me.
I took a copy of the email you sent with me to the bank. It was sent
yesterday. It was nice to talk to you. I may have questions in the future about what we need to bring to make our trip to Mal Pais more enjoyable. I hope you won't mind answering them for me as we get closer to our vacation. We will work on reserving a vehicle soon. Should we make
reservations with Sunsa Air now if we decide to fly to Tambor? Thanx
for your time and patience, Sundie
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly"
Sundie: What a wonderful saying to attach to an e-mail. I hope we will become good friends. If I were you I would book a flight on Sansa as soon as possible, and a rental car, and then rest assured that all will be well. You can always cancel if your plans change. We look forward to seeing you in Mal Pais. Murray
www.costarica-beachrentals.com
comments_or_questions:
number
_of_guests: 12, possibly more.
Edward: I'm terribly sorry but all the hotels and houses that we list in Mal Pais have been booked for the dates you requested and I don't know of any
other hotel in the area that still has rooms. Murray
murray thank you for your reply. its amazing how popular it's become
since we were all there for the new year 2000. Can you recommend another area near malpais that would accommodate us all. We’ll be at least 12. thanks again, eddie.
Edward: I am going to send your request to TangoMar, a small beautiful
resort not far from Mal Pais. The manager/owner Inge, will be in touch with you shortly. Perhaps they can help you. Murray
murray,
thank you for your help. i hope to experience your accommodations in the
near future. you have been a gracious host to many friends who have visited
costa rica.
all the best,
edward, NYC