Costa Rica Guest Comments: For reservations or more information
Phone 877 853-0538. You can also email us or go to the live chat on our web site.
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August 29, 2010

Hi Betty,

Anne and I just returned to the US after a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. We were on the 8 day/7 night Beach, Volcano and San Jose Adventure Package. It was perfect package for us. We flew into San Jose and were greeted by Jose Caravaca Vargas who drove us to the Villas Sol Hotel and Beach Resort (about 4 hours). He was very knowledgeable about the country and giving us plenty of information that we would need. Jose went over our itinerary with us to make sure we knew where we were supposed to be and which day and what time. As two single women visiting a foreign country Jose made us feel very comfortable.

We stayed at the Villas Sol for five days. It is a nice hotel, all inclusive made it easy because we didn’t have to look for places to eat. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Everyone spoke English which made it easy as our Spanish is not good. The food was allright, pretty simple. We didn’t have hot water for 3 days and we thought because Costa Rica is so eco friendly they didn’t have really hot water. I finally asked the front desk and they said they would fix it in the morning. We were out white water rafting all day and were so happy to get back to the hotel and find that the hot water was fixed. The white water rafting was very exciting and the staff was incredible. The guides are terrific.

We did the _ day Canopy tour. Eric picked up at the hotel and brought us over to the site. It was very exciting. They guides were all very nice. We had one relaxing day on Sunday where we actually spent some time on the beach.

On Monday Jose came back to pick us up for our drive to the Arenal Volcano. It was about a three hour drive. It was a very nice drive again he was very entertaining and made us very comfortable. He stopped at a few places to make so we could shop and use restrooms. He also stopped for wildlife. We arrived at the Volcano Lodge, which is absolutely beautiful, we checked in with no problems. We actually invited Jose to have lunch with us. After lunch Jose told us he would pick us up to go to the Hot Springs. We didn’t realize the hot springs were so private. Jose actually told us what time to go so there would not be a crowd of people and he was right. When we were finished he brought us around to the other side of the Volcano to maybe see some lava. We waited for a couple hours and decided to go and have some dinner.

The next morning we went to the Canyoning and Trekking tour were we repelled down the waterfalls. I have to say, I was extremely nervous, after the first 175 foot repel was done I was ready for more. They guys on this tour were great. Jose met us at the end of that tour brought us back to the hotel so we could clean up and drive to San Jose.

We had no problems with the drive to San Jose, it did start raining again. Jose was very good. He brought us to the hotel and we checked in again no problems. We were happy to find out there was free International phone calling and free internet. Although we could not manage to get the laptop working in the room. They did have free computers to use. Jose waited to make sure everything at the hotel was good. I have to say Jose did go above and beyond. We truly felt so comfortable with him. We really enjoyed having our private driver Jose. Please let Costa Rica Life Outdoor know how much we appreciated Jose.

Thank you for planning this package for us we truly had a great time.

Christine Allard
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August 9, 2010

Dear Bill,
Thanks for accepting my request. Always nice to make friends with fellow divers. Also great to know someone that knows places in Costa Rica that cater to divers.

We have been to Costa Rica twice, one of my favorite places to go, so much to do. Loved the Cloud Forest, we rented a car rather than pay a fortune thru the hotel, street signs were lacking but it made our trip a real adventure!

We always stayed at the Occidental in Papagayo, nice resort but had to charter the dive boat for good diving. Viz was really bad on their regular dive sites. Seems like we went to one island per day.
We dove at Bat Island & Cat Islands.

Such a wonderful experience, got into a school of cow nose rays at Cats, they were everywhere, seemed like hundreds of them! Viz wasn't very good, but much better than where the Occidental normally took us. Also went close to the shore of Bat Island & filmed 3 bulls swimming around us, the surge was really strong but had a super cool dive.
Best regards
Rita Davis
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July 4, 2010
Hi Betty,

Just returned back from Costa Rica. GREAT TRIP!!!! Awesome experience. Wonderful itinerary. Very adventurous and exciting. Beautiful gardens and hotel at Volcano Lodge. Family vacation of a lifetime.
You did an awesome job with the vacation package. We had an awesome family vacation. The Volcano Lodge accommodations were great. We added ATV riding on the free day. ALL the tourist activities you planned for us were spectacular and very professional groups. LOVED IT!

Thank you so much for all your help. Cindy
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June 21, 2010

Letter From Caribbean Adventures/World Dive Adventures

Everyone and I mean everyone in the group thought Bosque del Mar was beautiful

Thanks Betty,

Everyone – I mean everyone in the group thought Basque del Mar was beautiful, the rooms were great and the staff were all fantastic. But the greatest praise was for Rich Coast. In a word, they all said: “We also really want to commend this dive operation. Rich Coast is superb in every respect.”

This group is pretty adventurous and they also told me something that I’ll mentally file for others. “Only problem is no shuttle to town and it is was to far to walk...actually, not much in town anyway.” For less adventurous people, I’ll recommend meal plans.

Diving was pretty much as I described to them from my memory. Strong current, flat seas in Papagayo Bay, low viz (20-40 feet) and lots of fish. Bat Island had some current, very strong surge, better viz (about 40 feet), squadrons of Eagle Rays and six huge Bulls at the edge of visibility (or as Gary said – maybe one bull they saw six times), large Octopuses and lots of other marine life.

Thanks for your efforts in contacting the hotel for a refund. I know it is not automatic but thought to ask anyway. Let me know what the hotel says.

I haven’t spoken to Pete in a couple of weeks but he told me that he might be coming here for mini season. Will you be coming also? Better grab as many as legal in the event the oil comes contaminates this side of FL. Then there will be none of those delicious spiny creatures.

Dennis Holober

Caribbean Adventures/World Dive Adventures
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May 6, 2010
From Martha Scuba, Scuba Network

Martha Scuba: COSTA RICA A WONDERFUL TRIP, ONE OF THE BEST SO FAR, ONE TO REPEAT EVERY YEAR- GREAT FUN, GREAT ADVENTURE, LOTS OF ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY.
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April 7, 2010
Hi again,
I talked to my brother, who’s a diver and went to Costa Rica a few years ago, and my nephew, who took a honeymoon trip about a year ago. Both used your service and recommended you...
Nancy
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March 15, 2010

From Linton Kuchler, who just came back from Costa Rica:

Diane

Pam and I made it back from Costa Rica in good shape.

Flights were very good and without hitch.
Accomodations were very good.
Ground transportation was excellant.
Repelling was way cool and Pam enjoyed it as well. Its nice when the old folks can show the kids up.
Diving was good for a non dive trip.
Weather was good at Playa and raining at Arenal. Rain in a rain forrest; go figure.

Appreciated your services, and will call again.

Lin

Note from Diane, the booking agent.

I sold them the repel trip by saying "I was a bit hesitent but then said to myself "self, if Bill Beard can do it I can do it"" hehe

Diane Thiele
Quest Dive Adventures
945 Wordsworth Dr.
Roswell, GA 30075
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Letter from Juan Carlos Esquivel, January 25, 2010

Dear Betty

As I promise, this is my report.

We did 6 dives with the guys at Rich Coast. Personally, they were fantastic. The diving sites really nice, shallow but perfect for those of us who like diving and taking pictures. The divemasters and instructors that we use during our dives, one from Holand (Chery) and two from Costa Rica (Fernando and Juan Carlos) were really good. Most of our dives (4) were just the three of us, which gave us the opportunity to devide and go at our own pace while taking pictures and not just going fast from point A to B and 45 minutes dive. They allow us to choose, stop as long as we wish and then get out at 400 psi. One of our dives lasted 85 minutes and THIS IS WHAT WE LOVE. My partner told me that this time it was a totally different experience than before when he came.

Regarding the Hotel we had, it was absolutely beautiful and fantastic. Beach front, totally surrounded by trees, monkeys and absolutely new. I personally recommend this Hotel as well. Boutique hotel with lots of good things. Only detail, their wine card is not that extensive, but..... overall, perfect.

Again please let Bill know that once again he has shown how smart he is in choosing who to work with.

My best regards to all.

Juan Carlos Esquivel

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January 18, 2010

Letter from Bert Traux

Betty, I have to tell you that this trip has got to be one of my BEST vacations ever! The resort is wonderful, and the diving spectacular. The water is warm, and today was calm, with visibility around 90 feet! I've signed up for dives tomorrow and probably Monday as well. You might as well look into booking me back here this coming December Too.

Again, thank you. I'm recommending Bill Beard's to all my friends.

Bert
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January 2010

Letter From: Kristy Krueger
Subject: Costa Rica Review with Bill Beard's
"I just wanted to send an email to let you know about our time in Costa Rica.

Villa Sol -
Villa Sol was amazing; we absolutely loved our room and would have loved to stay there longer than one day. Our day at Guachepelin was one of my favorite days. We had three Jose's drive us around while we were in Costa Rica, and they were all so nice and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The Jose that went with us to Guachepelin went above and beyond what we would ever expect. He was very knowledgeable about the land and the culture. He also had clean towels and cold water for us. While we were river tubing he followed us and took some great pictures with our camera. Lunch was very good, and the zip lining and canyoning was so much fun. I really wish we could have had a second full day at Villa Sol to enjoy the beach, pool, and really nice weather.

Volcano Lodge -
The second Jose took us from Villa Sol to Volcano Lodge. He let us stop to take pictures and was also very knowledgeable. His sense of humor made the 4 hour drive seem like 1 hour. We really enjoyed his company. The first full day we were at Volcano Lodge we were supposed to do waterfall repelling, but we skipped this trip because the pick up was at 7 in the morning and we were exhausted from traveling, then an entire day at Guachepelin, and then a full day of driving. We were on our honeymoon and wanted a day of rest. So we just stayed at the hotel and went swimming. We loved Volcano Lodge! The pool area was very nice and the restaurant next to it, Sura, was our restaurant of choice the entire time we were there. We had the same waiter the whole time we were there, Adrian, and he was very professional and made our Volcano Lodge experience exceptional. I have a special diet and Adrian had memorized it after the first time we talked. He recommended meals that Adam and I both enjoyed, and the restaurant was very affordable. Also, Adrian makes a really good drink! All the staff went out of their way in any way they could. I would recommend Volcano Lodge to anyone. We did the ATV tour the second day we were there. That was also a really good time. Juan showed us all around and even took pictures of us while we drove through the river. I would also recommend this tour."
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December 2009.

Betty, Judy and the Bill Beard's Team -

From all of us, THANK YOU! We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and due to your assistance and recommendations everything was flawless. Our guides in Costa Rica (Jose, Christian, and Jeffrey) were professional, knowledgeable, and fantastic. A special thank you to Jose for going above and beyond for us, the trip wouldn't have been the same without him!

All of the activities exceeded our expectations, the hotel and staff were great, and I was really able to kick back and relax knowing that everything was taken care of. I am especially appreciative of your flexibility and assistance with all of our last minute changes and additions.

I will recommend Bill Beard's to everyone I know and will certainly use your services again when I return to Costa Rica.

Best regards,
Lacie Marshall
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August 2009
Letter From Renee Cicchino:
I had the absolute BEST trip to Costa Rica thanks to you and Nadine!! THANK YOU THANK YOU! THANK YOU! See you at Dema!
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Greetings,

My Wife Cathy and I want thank the Bill Beard tour company for making our
April 2009 trip to Costa Rica a memorable one.
We were very pleased with our tour guide Mr. Jose Rojas. Jose's knowledge of
his country's history, nature, and landscape was unexpected and so very
helpful for us. I was also very appreciative of Jose for always being
punctual and his safe driving.
When we come back next year to Costa Rica we will request Jose again.

Thank you, Jerry Valenzuela
Mesa, Arizona
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Good morning,

I recently traveled to Costa Rica with my girlfriend. We used your
company via recommendation to plan our trip and sort us out once we got
there. I would like to take the time to tell you that we had an
absolutely wonderful time and were quite happy with our experience. I
would also like to single out the job done by Jose Rojas. He picked us up
at the airport and drove us to the Arenal area. He then, by our request,
picked us up at Arenal and transported us to Flamingo beach. His
conversation, knowledge, and consideration were a large part of our
comfortable and relaxed stay. He was a friend by the end of the trip.

Thanks again, we will be back.

Cheers,

Brook Bright and Susan Tesar
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Hi Dom,
We're home and dealing with cold weather again. Our trip was wonderful. All the arrangements were perfect, great hotels and wonderful people. The dive shop had some of the most accommodating people we had ever encountered.With Rich's handicap they went out of their way to help him any way they could. The scehdule was perfect also out to dive at 8 back by 12:30 leaving us plenty of time for other things. Since we went out every day they checked with us to make sure they weren't repeating dive sites for us. It was poor visibility which we knew going there at this time of year but did get to see some big stuff including 4 humpback whales that entertained us one morning between dives as we sat on the boat. Volcano area was great too and had one day where the volcano was perfectly clear all day. It only rained on the day of our drive to San Jose. Again great people. All the guides and the people who drove us around were very friendly and chatty so we learned a lot about Costa Rica just listening to them. They said tourism was down a lot this year. Hotels told us they were 50-75% full. Must be tough when this was considered high season.
One thing I don't know if you can help us with or if we should contact Bill Beards directly or just forget about it all together. We were unable to do the ATV Tour on Dec. 31 as Rich was having too many problems with his legs for that afternoon. The people at Arenal Canopy tours were going to contact them and let them know to see if we could be refunded our money. And that was my question if we could be. We did not cancel until the morning of Dec. 31. If you could let us know what you think.
I will be writing a review again for the Undercurrent magazine on the diving. If you want I will put your contact in there again.
We will probably be contacting you for next Dec. also. We liked going away at this time of year. Thinking Bali, Cuba or Hawaii.
Thanks again for everything. Once again it was a tremendous trip.
Kathleen and Rich Rankhorn

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National Geographic Adventure magazine survey of Aventuras Naturales Costa Rica

The editorial staff at National Geographic Adventure magazine is in the process of rating adventure tour operators for our special article on “The Best Adventure Travel Companies,” which will be published on both the website and in an upcoming issue. An important part of our evaluation is getting feedback from previous clients. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to answer all of the questions listed below. Thank you for your time!


Excellent *
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor

I've already commented on the accommodations - they couldn't have been better! With the location - in the middle of a rainforest, with no electricity, we never felt that way! We all felt safe as well. The accommodations MORE than met our expectations. I expected older, rustic. My tour company - middle-man Amazing Adventures and Bill Beard's couldn't have done any better as far as I'm concerned (and by the comments from my group). My kudos go out to Bill Beard's company and their staff as well, They made an itinerary for my group that couldn't have been better. This was a trip of a lifetime and the Pacuare River was only the start of it. THANKS to all!

Our group is mostly scuba divers and we ended up diving in the Guanacaste area - Flamingo Beach area, but we like to go to different places each year - different countries, different cultures. That would be the ONLY reason not to return to Costa Rica and the Pacuare River for awhile. But, it could easily be on our agenda in the future.

But...that being said, my husband and I in the process of organizing another trip with former students of our high school to Costa Rica, starting at the Pacuare River again and the Pacuare Lodge, but this time staying two nights in order to visit the Indian village, and then continue in the country to the Arenal area. Bill Beard's will be preparing our agenda for that as well, and I'm sure it will be with Adverturas Naturales as well. Hopefully, we'll have the same guides and rekindle a friendship we made with them! Side Note: My husband teaches high school science - Wilson High School, West Lawn, PA (AP Biology, Environmental Science and Honors Ecology). I am a secretary in that high school. This part of trip with Adventuras Naturales impressed him so much he wants to share it with students. We take students to Jamaica each year to teach them marine biology in St. Ann's Bay, and our intent is to invite the former Jamaica participants (young adults, now graduated, some in college, some now in the work force) and continue and share their adventure from Jamaica to Costa Rica. We're planning this for June 2009.

THANKS SO MUCH for the opportunity to share our experience with Adventuras Naturales and Bill Beard's by offering this format.

Susie Olson & Doug Dahms
Fleetwood, PA 19522

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Letter From Colonel Dan Williams

Bill

Just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for a great vacation
experience recently in Costa Rica! It was even more than we expected
and flawless from the tours, diving to the hotels.

I really wanted to mention Jose Antonio Rojas by name. He was our guide
for several days after the diving portion of the trip. He went above
and beyond and was very knowledgeable, professional and a great example
of not only your agency but also Costa Rica. He is to be commended and
you should know what a great employee you have in him.

Betty who helped to arrange our tours from Florida also did a super job
and helped to get us just the right combination of activities and rest!
The diving was very good, safe and professional. We have memories to
last a lifetime thanks to you all.

Thank you again and we look forward to our next adventure. Thank you
again for what all of you do.

Sincerely

Colonel Dan Williams
Office of the Secretary of Defense

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Letter From Adam Weinstein

Hi Betty,
Thanks for all the help planning our trip to Costa Rica. We had a blast!
-Adam Weinstein
July 12, 2008

Letter From Mark & Kim Parrott

To whom it may concern:

My husband & I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica that was planned by Bill Beards. Let me start the praise with the wonderful treatment given us first by Bill and Nadine and then by our wonderful guide Jose Rojas.

It was a little daunting being in a different country without knowing the language and not knowing where to go. Being personally picked up by the owners of the company really put us at ease. After our stay at the Grand Papagayo, I knew we were going to be picked up by a guide who would stay with us for the next few days but I had no idea that we would receive such great service.

From the moment we met Jose, he did everything possible to make us feel comfortable. He explained our route and the different regions of the country and took the time to explain plants, animals and history all along the trip. At each location he would be the first at the reception desk to make sure everything was good to go.

I would also like to thank Betty for her suggestions on the places to stay, each new place was better than the one before.

Please forward this to the San Jose office, we would like Jose's boss to know what a valuable employee he has. We could not have asked for a better guide and he is welcome to come visit us in Florida any time so we can return the favor.

Thank you everyone at Bill Beards for making our trip a memorable one.

Mark & Kim Parrott
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Letter From Julie Sifferle
June 23, 2008

Hi,
I wanted to thank you and tell you about what a wonderful time I had last
week in Costa Rica. I was part of Dick and Noreen's group from Normal, IL.
This was one of the best vacations I have ever been on. I think much of
that is due to Jonathon and Max. They were phenomenal!!! They were very welcoming and have such a wealth of knowledge. It would not have been the same trip if we had had different guides. It was a terrific experience and I would recommend your company to anyone.
Thank you very much,
Julie Sifferle
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Letter From The David Hart Family

Betty – I am finally home in Tallahassee now after my trip to Costa Rica and a conference I had to attend in Ft.Lauderdale. I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our vacation. Costa Rica was magnificent!

I really appreciate all the good advice and enthusiasm you shared during the planning phase. The places we stayed and the side adventures we booked were all great!

I also want to say that we could not have had a better guide than Carlos. He took such good care of my family and was such a pleasure to be with. I am missing him as he now seems like part of the family.

Thank you for helping us plan a splendid trip.

David Hart
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Costa Rica Scuba Diving

-or-

I went for a dive trip and wound up with an adventure…

From Zane Frye, Atlantis Divers


As many of you know, I recently went to Costa Rica, having heard so much about the country and its diving possibilities. To say that there are many things to do there is a vast understatement, and I wanted to share some of the experience with you all.

We arrived on Monday, enjoying the view of the country with its beaches and volcanoes from the aircraft. To my surprise, we were personally greeted at the airport by Bill and Nadine Beard of Bill Beard’s Diving Safaris of Costa Rica, the owners of the operation we would be diving with. I’m sure you’ll agree that it is a rare instance that you meet the owners of the dive operation in many resorts, let alone have them take the time to welcome you personally. Little did I know that this was just the tip of the “customer service iceberg” that we would experience with Bill and Nadine.

Bill was the pioneer of scuba diving in Costa Rica, having arrived there in 1970 only to find there weren’t even any scuba tanks in the country. He soon remedied that problem, and has been leading dive expeditions there ever since. He and Nadine have owned and operated several dive shops in the country, and seem to know every dive site, fish and animal by name.

As you can imagine, being a country in Central America, Costa Rica is home to many different species of animals, reptiles, plants and fish. We got our first example of this on the ride to the resort, as we crossed a bridge over a wide, rock strewn river and Bill said “There’s one” and hurriedly parked on the side of the road. We left the vehicle and looked over the side of the bridge to see our first crocodile, sunning himself on the bank of the river. Just downstream we saw several oxen making a crossing from his side of the river to the other. I can’t help but think they were looking over their shoulder, however.

We arrived at our resort, Villas Sol in Playa Hermosa, after a short 30 minute trip. Here Bill and Nadine expedited the check in process for us, and even went to the extent of watching our luggage so we could go have lunch before the restaurant closed for dinner preparation. If you have a moment to visit their site, www.villassol.com, I’m sure you’ll agree that the resort and views are spectacular. Following the premise that you can hear anything if you listen long enough, some of the internet reviews we had read about the resort were less than favorable, and had heightened our anticipation of what we would find. I can only say that if the people who rated the resort poorly didn’t like Villas Sol, I question whether they could ever be pleased with any location. The resort is beautifully kept, with meticulously manicured lawns, two large swimming pools (yes, one with a swim up bar), two large, open air dining areas, a gift shop and market with sundry items at very reasonable prices. Shuttle buses ran constantly to insure that you never have to walk very far.

As we settled in our room, Bill came down to visit and tell us that Nadine had another location for us to examine where they thought we would be more comfortable, if we’d like to see it. Away we went to the villas on the mountainside, overlooking the resort and bay, to a large villa with floor to ceiling windows, a kitchen, living room with dining area and large master suite with a king bed. I was again amazed at the customer service they exhibited, having been left at the front door of the resort by too many other dive operations. Coming as no surprise, I’m sure, we elected to move to the villa.

The next morning we were off to our first dives, having been picked up at the front doorstep following our breakfast by Nadine and Robbie Ahlgren, their close friend and videographer. Let me say here that I was surprised and very pleased to be escorted by Nadine and Robbie. Both were a barrel of fun to be with, along with being very accomplished divers and experts in the sites we visited. Robbie hails from Texas, and although small in stature he’s got a heart and spirit as big as his home state. His skills as a videographer are excellent, some of which can be viewed at www.stage6.com, just do a search for Costa Rica.

The first day we dove Los Meros, which is a rock pinnacle beginning at about 10 feet, and descending to around 70 feet to an old sailboat, which is home to a 200 lb. grouper, a bullseye ray and a wide variety of smaller fish. Water temperature this time of year was around 65, so you may want to be wiser than I and take more than a 3mm suit. Our second site that day was Argentine Point, another rock pinnacle with lots of stingrays, seahorses and smaller fish and depths to 75 – 80 feet.

As with every place you travel to, each dive operation is different. I thought that these were unique in that when you arrived at the shop, they took your gear, transported it to the dive boat which was anchored about 50 yards off shore, and did all the prep work in setting up your tank, weights and having you ready to get in the water. All you had to do was walk down to the water’s edge, get on the pontoon boat and be transferred to the main dive boat. Surface intervals were spent anchored off a beautiful beach in a small cove with plenty of drinks, snacks and fresh fruit served to ward off hunger and thirst. At the end of the day, they put you on the pontoon boat and sent you back to shore while they carried your equipment in, cleaned and secured it for the next day of diving.

We were treated that afternoon by Bill, Nadine and Robbie to a short tour of Playa Cocos, a neighboring town to Playa Hermosa where we went to see Bill’s new boat, a 57’ catamaran that was 30’ in the beam. If this sounds like the mother of all dive boats, you’re right! Space for at least 30 – 40 divers with a sundeck, full galley, on board compressor, two dive ladders and a rear platform that would easily accommodate three to five divers at a time. Bill and Nadine’s intentions with this vessel are unique; a sort of dive tender that would service two pontoon boats to travel to the dive site, but with the mother ship to refill tanks, provide surface interval room for everyone and serve as a floating island for their divers. It seems that they’ve found a boat that’s as big as the service that they provide to their customers.

Dive day two found us traveling with Nadine and Robbie to the Tiberonis and Punta Gorda dive sites. Again, both were rock pinnacles dropping to depths of 70 – 90 feet, and were really a smorgasbord for all you photographers out there. From macro shots of the tiniest creatures to huge stingrays and 6’ moray eels, these sites had something for everyone.

That afternoon we traveled to Kokodrilo Creek for the first land adventure of our trip. We were warmly greeted by our hosts, and then we went down to the river for our boat trip downstream. (Let’s remember that this is the river we crossed on our way from the airport, where we saw the crocodile.) We floated downstream getting a full lesson from the guides on the local wildlife, trees and birds indigenous to the area. We saw bats, monkeys and probably ten different species of waterfowl along the way. As we headed into shore, we were met by the cowboys who had our horses at the ready for our horseback ride through the forest. Whether you like to walk, canter or gallop, this ride will have something for you!

At the end of our ride we dismounted at the Canopy Tour, a zip line ride through the tree tops. Our first line was 400 meters through the tree tops, a screaming trip down into the forest. The tour is nine lengths of such rides, guaranteed to have your heart racing by the time it’s done.

Our adventure ended at the Hotel La Plazuela, where we were served an excellent dinner along with the local beverages. Needless to say, leave your diets behind when you visit this country or you’ll miss another of the many excellent things Costa Rica has to offer.

Thursday we were joined by Bill Beard for a trip to Playa Flamingo and our last two dives. We were heading for Catalina Island, one of Costa Rica’s premier dive sites. Catalina is home to schooling manta, cownose and eagle rays, along with white tip nurse sharks and the occasional turtle. Our first site is known as the Canyon, a 70’ trip through a surging trough cut between the islands by the sea. We descended to the bottom as we entered the canyon, held on to the rock of your choice while the surge rushed against us, then let go to be pushed by the current on a drift dive through the canyon! Along the way we saw rays, morays, guitarfish and many others. We then went to the second site, known as El Elephantes, for the shape of the pinnacle visible above the water and saw more bullseye rays.

Friday found us on the road again with Bill, Nadine and Robbie to Hacienda Guachipelin and another land adventure. Here we visited a working ranch of over 4,000 hectares (about 9600 acres). We mounted our horses and rode through the forest, watching the foresters at work clearing trees with oxen for a reforestation project, much to the voiced disapproval of several different species of monkeys who chattered at them and us from the trees. At the end of our ride lay the adventure; rappelling down the waterfalls leading to the river.

We drew our equipment, received a class in its use, then zip lined down the stream to the first waterfall. Standing on the platform 30 plus feet above the pool at the base of the waterfall, we rappelled down and dropped straight into the pool, climbing back up the side to the platform. We then zip lined down to the second site and rappelled down yet another fall to the Tarzan swing, which swung us out and over the river, back into the waterfall. An all round thrilling experience, not to mention helping you beat the 95 degree weather we had for the entire trip!

Unfortunately, all good things must end. Our final day at Villas Sol was productively spent walking around the resort, which is like a wildlife tour without having to leave the premises. Just strolling along the grounds we saw howler monkeys, various species of birds and plenty of iguanas. We walked along the black sand beach to a favorite local spot, the Piscante Loco which can always be counted on for a great meal and beverages, then collected seashells until we were finally forced to go catch a flight back to reality.

As divers we’ve got so many different choices in places to go and things to see, it is often difficult to narrow down to the perfect one. Even when you’re sure you’ve found it, so often you’re disappointed in one or more particular facets of your trip, be it the hotel, the dive operation or other things. I can recommend without qualification that if you select your next trip to Costa Rica AND you link up with Bill Beard’s Costa Rica Adventures, you won’t be disappointed. Put yourself in Bill and Nadine’s capable hands and relax: You’re in for the adventure of your life!

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Nadine:

We had a lovely trip. I would like to compliment you and your company. Betty did a wonderful job of planning the trip and scheduling great excursions. Your kindness and warmth of spirit were a delightful addition to our trip. Thank you for not only providing an invaluable service, but for adding a personal touch. Our family will remember the vacation and your smile for many years to come.

Merry Christmas and thanks again.

Cori Tanner


WOW!!!

What can I say Vicki but Thank you so very much for helping to coordinate all of our activities. This trip was PHENOMENAL!!

Our biggest concerns were met when our flights were almost on time, our luggage arrived, and Edgar was there to greet us. From there, it just kept getting better.

We got home yesterday at 5:30 am, and working on no sleep did the best we could to put together some of our 482 photo's and videos--the site will take about 2-3 minutes to load, and the presentation is 7 minutes long. There is music that accompanies it--so if at work, turn the volume down.

I will send you some details and reviews after I have a chance to catch my breath.

And who did we spend two days diving with--Bill and Nadine Beard and their two videographers who are preparing the new video for the BB website.

Once we settle back into life in the states, we will be in touch about Curacao for next summer.

Thx for taking all the time over the past months to answer all of my questions and concerns, and for helping to make our first trip to Costa Rica a most memorable one.
We will return--so much more to see and experience while we are still able.

Cheers, martin

Editors Note: The above letter was sent to us from one of our wholesalers, Caradonna Dive Tours with this note below.

From: Vicki Nelson
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 9:09 AM
To: STAFF-CCT
Subject: FW: Bill Beards



This is the 5th passenger this year I booked with Bill Beards that has glowing reports about the trip and their personal service.

To: Vicki Nelson
Subject: Fw: 2007 Costa Rica. PhotoShow

Best regards,

Elisa Johnson

Sales and Marketing Director

Caradonna Dive Adventures/Trip-N-Tour Pacific
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Hi to all,
Just booked our next trip to Costa Rica for Jan 08. Loved it so much and can hardly wait to bring more of my friends
with me. Have referred several others your way and they have ALL LOVED IT! Thanks for providing such a first class
service. It makes my job easier.
Donna Gunn
Ocean Explorers
Edison, NJ
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To Our New Friends In Costa Rica

Both Gordon and I had a wonderful dive trip and thank you so much for
your hospitality. Your service was excellent, and sincere. We will
recommend your dive operation to every divers we met
As I promised, I put some images from the trip in my website. Please
check a link "Underwater/Nature" at www.MinaCassandraKuhn.com. The
images from Costa Rica are #1-10, #13-15, #19, #22 and #23. Since you
are not able to download my pictures from my website, please let me
know if you need any of them. I'd be happy to send you pictures via
e-mail.
Also, thank you again for a Sea & Sea strobe. It will be a nice
reminder of a nice trip and nice people we met.

Thank you again.

Warmest regards.

Mina & Gordon Kuhn
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Betty,

Our trip to Costa Rica for my 50th birthday was a big success. Thanks to Edgar, our tour guide through Bill Beard's Adventure Travel, the 4 of us had a wonderful time. Edgar showed us birds and bats, that we would have never seen, he had the best personality, with a great sense of humor, took pictures for us and even showed me how to use my camera more efficiently. When we return to Costa Rica we will definitely call your company and ask for Edgar. The country was absolutely beautiful and having Edgar as a guide made it even more special. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Sheryl King
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Mr. Bill Beard
Bill Beard' Travel
Costa Rica

Dear Bill:

Our family traveled to Costa Rica at the end of March, 2007 on a trip coordinated by Bill Beard's Travel. We arrived in San Jose where we spent the evening relaxing. The next morning bright and early we were greeted by two well dressed gentlemen by the names of Jose and Jonathan who were to be our guides for the first part of our trip. From the moment we stepped into the van and began our journey, we were extremely impressed with the professionalism displayed by both gentlemen. They were very knowledgable about Costa Rica and kept us well informed throughout our journey. Aside from the professionalism they displayed, Jose and Jonathan were kind, patient and very enjoyable company. We felt safe and secure and from the very beginning we felt as if we had been friends for a long time. We enjoyed the time we spent with Jose and Jonathan and our children wanted them to join us on each and every adventure and were disappointed when they could not. We would like to thank you very much for assigning Jose and Jonathan to be our guides. Thanks to them, and Bill Beard's, it was one of the best vacations we have ever had. We would love to some day return to Costa Rica and continue our adventure with Jose and Jonathan. We have recommended Bill Beard's and, in particular, Jonathan and Jose, to all of our friends and will continue to do so.

At the end of our vacation, we were greeted by another very kind gentlemen by the name of Carlos. Carlos was our driver from the Paradisus to the airport on our last day. Carlos made the ride to the airport a very pleasant experience. Although we only spent a short time with Carlos, he immediately felt like a friend. We feel very fortunate that we had the opportunity to meet him.

Below is a picture that we took at the Volcano Lodge, together with a thank you letter we wrote to Jonathan and Jose.

Thank you again for everything. We will definintely be back.

Please feel free to post the letter of commendation on your website, however, please do not post the photograph for the safety of our children. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Jim and Trish Hollawell
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Dear Bill and Nadine:
Thanks for your response to my letter. In our excitement to commend our tour guides, Jose and Jonathan, having just spent four days with them, we unfortunately neglected to mention your sales employee, Rich, who graciously handled all of our travel arrangements to Costa Rica. It was quite a challenge for Rich as we did not contact him until two weeks prior to our anticipated travel date, being the week of Easter. Rich was determined to see that the vacation was organized to our specifications having to hurdle many obstacles of last minute planning. We would like extend our sincerest thanks to Rich for taking our one hundred telephone calls per day and contacting every airline on the planet to make sure that we were able to go on the dates planned. We must also commend Rich for taking the time to listen to what kind of family we were and recommending the activities and accommodations that he thought would best suit us. He could not have judged us better. We loved every bit of the trip from the activities to the accommodations and have Rich to thank for that.

Kudos to your organization!

Sincerely,

Jim and Trish Hollawell and Family
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Dear Betty:
Great trip. Everything worked. The last two hotels and Jose Rosa (sp?) were wonderful.
Thank you so much for all of your help.

Dan Garlen
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Dear Betty,

Thank you so much for a wonderful vacation! This was our first trip to Costa Rica but it most definitely will not be our last.

We booked our stay at the Villa Sol Feb 23- March 3, 2007 to celebrate Bob's 55th birthday. He was beyond excited when he landed a very large rooster fish the day before we left. When we got home and started showing the picture to friends and family we realized what a catch it really was. Unfortunately the boat did not have a scale but we know it was close to or might have possibly be the world record for rooster fish.

Bob Flugrad & Linda Kershaw
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My recent Bill Beard vacation

Hi: I traveled to Costa Rica with my friends from Feb 10 through the 17th. Our guide was Fabio and our driver, Max.


Although it has been about a month since I went to Costa Rica, I just wanted to send an email letting you know what wonderful representatives Fabio and Max are for Costa Rica and especially Bill Beards. They both were great guides and helped to make our vacation both safe and exciting. It was wonderful to have someone else do all the organizing and driving. I'm not sure we would have ever gotten to Monteverde without Max's excellent driving skills.

Again, thanks to both Fabio and Max for providing excellent service and for allowing us to see Costa Rica from their perspectives.

I will recommend Bill Beard to everyone. Thanks again.

Wendie Shawaluk
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Dear Cheryl.
Please share this message with Bill Beard Associates.
Thank you for one of the very best vacations I have ever experienced. The travel and tour arrangements were diligently planned, extremely well organized and ingenuously carried out with our 2 guides, Fabio and Jose. Both of them were outstanding and went above and beyond what I think would be expected of a guide. They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable, both with very pleasant dispostions. Each day brought a new eagerness to do everything possible to make our trip enjoyable and comfortable.

I would strongly recommend them as excellent guides for any tour of Costa Rica, based on the exquisite service and guidance that we received.

When I return (and I WILL) I will request one or both of them for guides. If all of your Bill Beard employees are as skilled and pleasant as these two individuals, your company should be A-One all the way...

Costa Rica has so much to offer: its rainforest environment with beauty, ecology, and diversity of animal and plant species; and its culture and people with warm, peaceful and loving hearts--all of which brings me home to my deepest self..

Thank you --to all of you who had a part in making this such a memorable vacation for me. I will never be able to top this year's birthday celebration. The surprise birthday cake was so special. Thank you for that, too.


With gratitude.
Maggie Wilmore
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Letter From Dave Stealey Blue Marble Divers,

Dear Bobbi Jo

I want to thank you, Earl, your divemasters and boat drives for taking such good care of our group. I especially enjoyed it, they left me along and treated me like an experienced dive professional. A very hard thing to find these days, especially right out of the chute. We all like the hands off approach and help when it was needed or asked for!!

Because I wasn't rushed and constantly followed, I got some really nice photos. I don't know what you use in any advertising, other than on-line, but I would certainly be willing to let you used them for my name credit only if you wanted. Let me know and I'll send some low res jpegs for you to review. If any are to your liking then we can make arrangements to get high quality jpegs or tiffs to you.

I don't know if Jose has anything to do with your operation, but he too

did everything he could to make sure everyone was taken care of and had a good time. All in all it was one of our best trips in awhile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, thanks for every thing.


Dave Stealey, Blue Marble Divers

Editor's Note: Jose is a naturalist guide/driver for Bill Beard's
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Note From Rolf Huber

Just a note to thank everyone, especially Bettina for the greatdiving. My open water card came in the mail yesterday.Thanks and see you again.

Rolf Huber
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Letter From Betty Moore to our agent, also named Betty.
HI Betty,
We had a fantastic time in Costa Rica. You did a great job planning our trip. I can't give enough praise for our driver Fabio, he was wonderful and very helpful when Jerry wasn't feeling well. Carlos & Fabio took him to a Doctor while I was on the canopy tour...........that was awesome!!! Thankfully Jerry managed to recover for the white water rafting trip. That was a blast! You made excellent choices selecting our hotels. Villa Lapas was very different from the others, but very nice and relaxing. Really liked the church. We did the Sky Way walk with a guide. Fabio went with us, and believe it or not he found more birds than our guide. He did that our entire trip, we even saw a two-toed Sloth and a three-toed Sloth. He made our trip very enjoyable. We won't hesitate to recommend Bill Beard's Tours to our friends. We had a great time.
Thanks again.
Betty Moore
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Letter From Bob Hayes:

Betty,

Thanks again for all the help with our trip. (And for putting up with all my phone calls.) The trip went well for all, divers and non-divers alike. Driver and Guide were terrific and made the trip run smoothly, (They should be given hazardous duty pay for putting up with my group) The only snag, which wasn't because of you or us, was the fact that Delta had canceled the morning flight to Atlanta and consequently was severely overbooked on our flight in the afternoon. Our flight was delayed 3 hours and we were going to miss our connecting flight and would have been stuck in Atlanta until the next morning. I asked Delta if I could get on another airline would they give us vouchers and they agreed. (I freed up 12 seats for them) I booked the group on a nonstop flight to New York on Taca Air. We left 31/2 hours later than we were scheduled and got into New York's JFK airport only 25 minutes later than our scheduled flights. I highly recommend Taca as an alternative to Delta. They ran a good airline and they are nonstop.

I found out that our driver, Fabio, who drove us three years ago, was also a bird watcher, He was a great help and we did some bird watching together. I came back with 63 birds that I saw for the first time. In addition, on one of the diving days, I chose to take a few of the non-divers on a nature boat ride on the Palo Verde River. We all enjoyed the trip. I'm going to try to get some bird watchers to go back with me to Costa Rica. (Gotta have Fabio.) Let you know if I can get a small group together.


Thanks again,
Bob Hayes
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Letter From The Ouye Family

Hi Bill,
Costa Rica was everything we had hoped for and we have so many wonderful memories of our trip. Your staff was great and I felt like they were our safety net in case we had any questions. I think for those people who are not used to winging it in a foreign country your staff is a must. As you know we have done a lot of traveling and had to work with our language dictionaries just to give the cab driver directions. On a trip in Greece, we asked the cab driver to take us to the marketplace then wondered why it cost 12.00 over and 18.00 for another driver to get us back to our hotel? In Japan, we must have tipped too much, because once we got out of the museum we visited, our same cab driver was waiting to take us to the next place, and he stayed with us all day. We didn't know if he took a personal liking to us, or just thought we tipped well? So it was a treat to just get in the van and go, knowing we could trust our guides to give us the best experience. Everyone had their favorite parts of the trip. Dennis said his favorite part was the rafting, and mine was Tabacon. When I was having my massage and the rain started as if on que, I felt I was in heaven. The perfect setting, the beautiful flowers, the hot springs, and of course the relaxing massage. Of course zip lining was awesome, and different than anything I have tried before. We were happy that all the guys caught at least one big rooster fish. The kids were amazed after diving at monkey head rock, with all the fish around there we didn't catch any tuna. Thanks for everything,
Jody Ouye & The Ouye Family
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Letter from Jack & Gigi Hall

Dear Bill,
We have been all over the world and this trip has topped them all. The package we purchased was a great value. The accommodations were above expectations and the dive operation was great. The food has been super. The factor that made the difference between this trip and others was the human factor. Carlos was a very safe driver and we always felt in good hands. He is a very personable fellow and we enjoyed the tours we made with him. Larry was so knowledgeable about all things Costa Rican. We never had a question he couldn’t answer. Without Larry the trip would have been just another trip, but he educated us on many subjects, flora, fauna, politics, history, birds, animals, etc. I could go on and on but it will suffice to say he made the difference between a good trip and a great trip. We will always remember how beautiful Costa Rica is and how wonderful the people are. Pura Vida!
Jack & Gigi Hall, Flower Mound Texas
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Letter from Jim White...

Hi Bobbie Jo,
We had a great time! It was nice to meet you and everyone at Diving Safaris. Bettina was fantastic...we could not have had a better instructor for our Advanced Open Water Course...she was patient with us and very deliberate in her instruction. She even took time to ask questions and understand Kathy's concerns and fears about diving for the first time in the ocean (since all of our open water dives have been in lakes, no oceans in Phoenix). We want to dive with you again (we'll be back to C.R. in February) and we hope that Battina can be assigned to us again...she took care of us well.
Take care,
Jim White
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Letter from Rachel Davis

Hi Bobbi Jo & Earl,
Well we had a good rest of our Costa Rica visit and I remembered to send you this picture for my PADI card. My name is Rachel Davis and you can send it to my address in Alaska. Thank you. We had a great time diving with you and Alvero was a very good instructor. Take care and hope to dive with you again some day soon.
Rachel
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Letter from Kevin Guiles

Dear Bill,
This trip was one of the best planned, well laid out, that I have been on. I was worried about the long drives but Larry is so knowledgeable about so many things, that there wasn’t a boring moment on any of the road trips. Carlos was a pleasure to have as our driver and traveling companion. All the people we dealt with throughout our “adventures” were pleasant and professional. Keep up the good work! Pura Vida!
Kevin Guiles
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Letter from Matt Pator
Bill Beard’s put together an excellent crew to take care of us during our stay in Costa Rica. Carlos, our driver, always had a big smile and was very hospitable to all. Larry, our guide, seemed to be very knowledgeable about every aspect of Costa Rica and he was a real pleasure to be with all the time. There is nothing bad I can say about this entire trip. Everything we did was like a new and thrilling adventure. The food was plentiful and delicious. Our accommodations were peaceful and cozy. If I had known that Costa Rica was going to be this much fun I would have come sooner, and I cannot wait to come back.
Matt Pator
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Letter from Tim & Becky Barrett

Dear Bill,Larry and Carlos were fantastic guides. Our excursions were well planned, exciting and each gave us a taste of the wonderful country and people of Costa Rica. We would recommend them for a tour to anyone. They went out of their way to show the flora and fauna and made sure that everyone saw everything. Their experience and knowledge is vast and comprehensive. For my first trip to Costa Rica and Becky’s second, it is full of memories for life as well as friendships. Muchas Gracias.
Tim & Becky Barrett Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
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Letter from Deanna Chiddix
Dear Betty,I wanted to let you know that our trip to Costa Rica was fantastic. Our guide Stephen Weston was amazing. His knowledge of the areas we visited regarding the flora, fauna, animals, people and history was more than you could or would expect. We all returned with a greater appreciation of Costa Rica because of his knowledge. On every one of the tours, the Los Inocentes, canopy and rafting we had great people there to make sure we all had the best time. Our accommodations were all nice also. The peak of Arenal Volcano was clear most all the time for the two days we were there. There is a newer restaurant across the street from the Hotel Irazu that we tried called La Gallera, it served Latin American food and we would all recommend it. Thank you for making me look good to my customers. I look forward to doing another trip with Bill Beard’s. Deanna Scuba Den, Colorado
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Letter from Bruce Stewart

Hi Bill,I just wanted to say thanks again for the great time in Costa Rica last week! Within our group, we have e-mailed a number of cool pictures back and forth and all agreed it was one of the best if not the best trip we have taken! Thanks again for the adventure and we really enjoyed meeting you and Nadine too!

Sincerely,

Bruce Stewart
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