Key to Costa Rica Travel Planning Service
Confused by the plethora of information on the web? Would you like to talk to someone who has been everywhere you want to go, and can help you narrow down your choices? Talk to Beatrice Blake, author of The New Key to Costa Rica. Beatrice lived in Costa Rica for 13 years, and has been writing and updating The New Key for 24 years.
Benefits of a consultation:
- Get off the tourist trail
- Save time and money
- Get a realistic view of how many places you can visit in the time you have
- Learn what to watch out for
- Find out about current road conditions
- Learn when you need to rent a car and when you don't
- Learn when it is best to fly
- Find the places that meet your dreams and your interests, as well as those of your travel companions
- If you go to two or more community-based destinations, ACTUAR will make all your reservations for you
- Find out more..
Comments from satisfied travelers:
"Thanks for planning a trip that exceeded all my expectations. Our guide was an outstanding human being, naturalist, driver and teacher, who make our experience in Costa Rica so very special. My family was just crazy about him and we were very sad to say goodbye. We all fell in love with Costa Rica, the people the land, the wildlife, and the food,. The lodges and the activities that you recommeded were all just perfect. It really was my dream vacation. Thanks again for all of your help." Roy Preefer, August 2006
"Once again, thanks a million for helping us arrange this beautiful trip. We appreciated your commitment and responsiveness in designing the tour. Besides providing "value for money', it added a human touch that we valued a lot." Antonello and Patrizia Bacci, July 2006
"We relied on your book and the advice you gave us in our phone consultation in planning the trip, and the results were fabulous. We had a great time and many adventures thanks to your terrific advice. Without fail, your descriptions with incredibly accurate. We had a vacation that we will always remember, and your guide and advice was a big part of it." Peter Barnett. August 2005
"I believe your modest consultation fee may have saved us thousands of dollars AND will be giving us a much more realistic picture of living in Costa Rica." Meg Grahamme, August 2005
"Just wanted to let you know that the language school you recommended was just perfect for the whole family. We learned a lot and the kids were very comfortable with the entire experience." Andrea, August 2005
"Fabulous! Fabulous! Thank you so much for helping me decide where to go with my family in Costa Rica!
You listened carefully to our preferences ... and then made suggestions that hit the mark with room to spare. Los Campesinos was a real adventure for us (wife, two children, ages 9 and 7) ... we felt fortunate to see a bit of Costa Rica that few see ... the people were wonderful, the location on the ridge was superb, the accommodation and food were just right for the setting ... great! The other locations you suggested were also wonderful. No doubt about it, your service was more than worth it to us in every way - indeed, it helped set the framework for our once in a lifetime (hopefully not!) trip to Costa Rica." --Peter Mansfield, June 2004
 | Other internet travel planning services only list the businesses that advertise with them. As a guidebook author, I try to remain unbiased and recommend the services that I think will be right for each client. The way I make a living is to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date information I can, based on your needs and desires and those of your traveling companions. |
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| I charge $60/hour ($15 per quarter hour) for personalized travel planning advice. Consultations usually take from 30 to 90 minutes. |
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| A consultation can often save you much more than you pay me, because I can direct you to inexpensive lodgings and transportation, as well as saving you the confusion of trying to make plans in a place you've never been. |
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| My advice can help you avoid delays and hassles you might not know about otherwise. |
To set up an appointment:
- Write Beatrice Blake: beatrice@keytocostarica.com. Tell me what you'd like to talk about, and suggest some times that you are free for a phone consultation. Please let me know how you heard about my services, and please mention Costa Rica in the subject of your post.
- When we agree on a time by e-mail, call me at the number I provide. When you have found out all you need to know, you send a check for the amount of time we spent talking ($60/hour, $15 per quarter hour).
- If your itinerary includes at least two community-based destinations, I will work with ACTUAR, the travel agency for community-based-ecotourism, to make all your reservations for you In addition, if you decide to book with ACTUAR, your consultation fee will be deducted from your total bill.
- If you don't do an ACTUAR itinerary, you can make reservations yourself, or I can refer you to a travel agency which will work with you. For help with flight reservations, see www.earthroutes.net