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ABOUT HOTELS
 In Camino Travel we adapt ourselves to your needs in order to offer you the best lodging options. Through us, you can arrange your reservations and be sure that you will receive quality service, since we constantly evaluate our suppliers and look for new alternatives to offer greater diversity to our clients. Contact us for more information.
Throughout the last years, Costa Rica has experienced an amazing tourism growth. This small country is able to offer a little of everything to the different vacation segments: lodges, jungle lodges, boutique hotels, mayor chain hotels and all-inclusive beach resorts.
Costa Rica is also a country with its own tourism characteristics, thus it is important to take into account some considerations about the special lodging features before traveling:
- Why do we not necessarily use the international classification star system? The international norms in the tourism industry have established the code of 5 stars to identify quality, infrastructure, price and services of all the hotels around the world. In Costa Rica, several hotels offer a first quality service, that in some cases even exceed the 5 star expectations; nevertheless, due to the place where they are located – for instance in secluded places in the jungle, they do not fulfill some internationally established requirements (valet parking and Internet service in each room, among others). For these reasons, we prefer to classify the different hotels, according to their basic characteristics and the type of tourism segment to which they belong.
- The Costa Rican concept for beach vacations: Either you prefer the exotic Caribbean or the sunny Pacific, with dark or white sand beaches, Costa Rica has everything. There are some basic advices that have to be considered when you look for a beach vacation in Costa Rica:
1 – Beach Front Hotels: Costa Rican conservation laws restrict the construction of any building to a certain distance from the beach. These laws assure a “natural” area alongside the coasts. Most beach hotels are a short walking distance from the sea; simply, indicate your preference when reserving and verify the hotel’s description. Do not hope to find hotels right at the beach, but take advantage of the lush vegetation while going to the sea.
2 - Active beach vacations: many areas offer a lot of activities, such as white water rafting, walks, canoeing (kayaking), horseback riding, boat tours, etc. These activities are ideal for the adventurous travelers. Some activities and excursions are best appreciated by families who travel with children and to those who like to stay busy during their vacations.
 3 – Secluded beaches versus crowded beaches:most Costa Ricanbeaches offer wonderful natural landscapes, with small towns, local atmosphere and all the basic services, but normally, this beach style does not correspond to the traditional concept of “beach resort” with active night life and great stores to go shopping. The most active beach places are: Jacó, Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio in the Pacific Coast and Puerto Viejo in the Caribbean Coast.
HOTEL CATEGORIES: In order to offer a more customized concept for your vacation, we recommend you to follow these hotel categories when choosing the different lodging options in Costa Rica, instead of the conventional star classification system.
 Beach Resorts: normally they are big hotels with many facilities: one or several swimming pools, night entertainment, one or several restaurants, rental equipment (such as canoes - kayaks- and boogies), golf courses and tennis courts (not all of them), nursing service (not all of them), room service and rooms with cable television, telephone and hot water showers. Many of them are all-inclusive.
 Bed & Breakfast: they are small hotels with a familiar atmosphere, located mainly in San José and suburban areas. Some of them are restored houses built during the first decades of the XX Century. They have a limited number of rooms (between 5 and 15) and a more personalized service. The facilities and luxuries are restricted due to low prices: usually they do not have a swimming pool.
 Condominiums and villas: this option is one of the favorites for families who travel with children, relatives, groups of friends or people who wish to remain long enough in the same place. They have privacy and a completely equipped villa. When you choose a condominium or villa, it is always important to know how many people are traveling together, how many rooms are required, and the requirements such as type of bed in each room (queen beds, twin beds, etc.).
 Jungle Luxury Lodges: they can be described as first quality hotels in the middle of the forests. These lodges are in excellent conditions, and they offer a great personalized service for their guests and are located in magnificent places within the forest. Some of them are only accessible by small planes and/or boats. Some lodges do not have electricity or hot water, others have small power sources to produce electricity that only work during the night (Please, take these data into consideration if you have a photographic video camera, since it may not be probable to recharge it at the lodge). Their distance and the high standards make them the favorites for nature lovers who enjoy the comfort, even if they are in the middle of the jungle!
 Nature Lodges: with a clear environmental conscience, nature lodges are usually located near the national parks and cloudy, humid or dry forests. They are rustic, simple and, in addition, they favor ecotourism practices, such as electricity and water saving. They are recommended for travelers who enjoy being in direct contact with nature and those who are not bothered to sacrifice some comforts in exchange for the rewarding experience in the jungle, and to know that they are in harmony with the environment.
 Rural Lodging Alternatives: rural tourism is an option for an attractive vacation for those people particularly interested in having an approach with the local culture, although this may mean to travel through bumpy roads and to stay in lodging places with the most basic facilities. The rural properties normally are managed by families or communal associations and are located in places outside the most visited places.
 Small boutique hotels: as their name suggests, boutique hotels are those which have developed their own lodging concept. This special touch is evidenced in the architecture, decoration and all the little details in the hotel. They are ideal for couples and people who enjoy a calm atmosphere.
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