Real trips, shaped around real families.

“I had at least fourteen Costa Rica tabs open and every itinerary made it sound as if we should see the whole country in one week. The Fieldbook made us start with the kind of trip we actually wanted. Once we chose wildlife and easy adventure as our priorities, it became obvious that La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio were enough. The Planner let us test those two bases against our flight times and transfer day. We are still planning, but I finally feel as though we have a trip instead of a collection of saved links.”

“The best thing the guide did was give us permission to do less. We originally planned La Fortuna, Monteverde and the beach in seven nights. After working through the route and transfer guidance, we dropped Monteverde and stayed longer in the other two places. That was absolutely the right call. We still saw sloths, went on a night walk, visited hot springs and had real beach time, but nobody was packing every other morning. It was not a ready-made itinerary; it helped us build a realistic one for our children.”

“Our teenager wants to surf every day, our younger child cares only about animals, and I wanted at least a little time that felt like a vacation. The family-fit questions stopped us from planning around the loudest person. We chose a beach base with surf access, then added a wildlife-focused base and protected two slower afternoons. I especially liked that the guide asks about energy level and hard no’s, not just a list of activities. Everyone saw something in the plan that belongs to them.”

“I am glad we read the transportation section before booking activities. We had treated the drive from La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio like a quick move and planned a tour that afternoon. The guide made us look at the actual door-to-door time, stops, traffic and the possibility of arriving later than expected. We canceled the tour, left after breakfast and made the transfer day intentionally easy. We arrived before dark, found dinner and the children went straight to the pool. That single change probably prevented the most stressful day of our trip.”

“Weather was the part I found most confusing online because one person says July is rainy and another says it is perfect. The season section explained the green season and the possibility of the July “little summer” without guaranteeing sunshine. We chose morning activities, kept one flexible day in each location and saved a few indoor or weather-friendly options. I now understand that rain does not automatically ruin the trip, but it does change how we should schedule it. That feels much more useful than a simple best-month list.”

“We used the daily plan differently than I expected. Instead of filling every row, we chose one meaningful anchor for most days and left the rest open. On our Arenal day we did a morning wildlife walk and spent the afternoon at the pool. In Manuel Antonio we booked the park but did not add another paid activity. The unplanned pool and snack time ended up being some of our children’s favorite memories. The workbook still kept our confirmations and costs organized, but its biggest value was showing us when the trip was already full enough.”

“Our middle child gets carsick, so transportation could not be an afterthought. The route builder helped us compare a private transfer, a rental car and a domestic flight instead of choosing solely by price. We shortened one road leg, selected an airport that works better with our final beach stay and built in stops. That made the planning feel manageable rather than risky.”

“We were planning for grandparents who walk well but do not want steep paths every day, plus children who wanted zip-lining and animals. The “hard no’s” and energy questions were more helpful than the usual top-ten lists. We chose three bases, alternated active mornings with easier afternoons and avoided a hotel that would have required too many stairs (thank you hotel guide!). Not every activity included all six of us, and the planner made that okay—we could see where the group would split and meet again. The trip felt shared without forcing everyone into the same pace.”

“I assumed we would automatically fly round-trip through San José. The Fieldbook suggested building the route first and then comparing SJO, LIR and an open-jaw option. Once we settled on La Fortuna and the Guanacaste coast, flying into San José and home from Liberia saved us from retracing our route. The international ticket cost a little more, but the Planner showed the difference alongside the extra transfer time and cost. It helped us compare the whole trip rather than just the airfare.”

“At first the workbook looked like more detail than I needed. Once our reservations started arriving, I understood it. We kept flight times, transfers, activity confirmations, lodging costs and backup ideas in one place, and the budget updated as we filled things in. Before each move I could check the next base, transportation and arrival plan without searching through email. I did not use every tab, but the ones we used saved time before and during the trip. My husband, who had not done the research, could also follow the plan.”

“After the Fieldbook helped us choose Manuel Antonio, the hotel list helped us solve the harder question: where six people could actually sleep comfortably. The Costa Verde notes made us look beyond the lowest room rate and compare the casas, bungalows, kitchen options, bed arrangements and number of bathrooms offered at Tulamar. We also understood that the hillside and stairs could be a drawback for my family. Both hotels have this problem but Delia wrote in her notes that Tulamar has golf carts. This is the kind of inside knowledge that may have saved our trip! We are still confirming the exact occupancy directly with the hotels, but we now know which room categories to ask about instead of sending a vague “family room” request.”

“For Playa Hermosa, the comparison between Villa del Sueño and Bosque del Mar was exactly the kind of advice I would ask a friend for. One gave us better value and apartment-style space; the other felt more elevated and put us right on the beach. We chose the first for the longer part of our stay and used the savings for a two-night splurge in La Paz – totally worth it. The hotel guide did not claim one was “best.” It explained what each did well, what to request and what might matter with children, which made the decision much easier.”

“Our family does not want exactly the same thing from a hotel. My husband hopes to play golf, our teenager wants a good beach and our younger child would live in the pool. The Fieldbook helped us identify those priorities, and the hotel guide made Reserva Conchal stand out because it could support all three. The notes also reminded us to compare meal-plan choices, room location and transportation rather than focusing only on the resort photos. We have not booked yet, but our hotel conversation is now about fit and total cost—not which website has the prettiest pictures.”

“I appreciated that the hotel notes were personal without pretending every property would work for every family. The highlights helped us compare views, wildlife, food and atmosphere, but the watch-outs were what made the choices feel trustworthy. We requested a quieter room, confirmed the walking and stair situation, and asked for the bed setup in writing before paying. Both stays suited us, and there were no surprises about what “family-friendly” meant. It felt less like scrolling reviews and more like getting a thoughtful recommendation from someone who had actually been there.”

“Once our route was set, we used the hotel matcher to select both Budget and Elevated rather than forcing ourselves into one category. We filtered by location, separate sleeping space, kitchen access and pool, then compared three properties side by side. That kept us from falling in love with a hotel that could not comfortably fit our family. Delia’s notes added the part a spreadsheet usually misses—the view, the feel of the property, food, wildlife and the questions worth asking. We will still check current ourselves, but our shortlist finally feels personal and practical.”

“My entire family requested a surf vacation. My husband hasn’t surfed since his mid-twenties so I was a little nervous we were biting off more than we can chew. We decided on two surf towns (Tamarindo and Nosara) and I am very happy we had that change mid trip. Even if they were two surf towns they were completely different. Tamarindo was super high energy and Nosara was totally chill. I am not a surfer so I was done after my first lesson but both towns had something for me to do while they were at the beach. I shopped in Tamarindo and took yoga classes in Nosara. The best part of the day was when we all got together for the sunset.”

“We took our adult daughters for a family vacation before our eldest daughter gets married. It was a trip we will never forget. We splurged by staying at Nayara and the Andaz. Delia you were right, Nayara ruins all hotels forever, we never want to stay anywhere else! We will be back!”