Customer Reviews

Costa Rica - A Traveler's Guide

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Wow, I can't believe the passions that this video has aroused in

my fellow travelers here on Amazon.com. I bought and watched

this video out of curiousity and because I have been to Costa

Rica and Central America many times.

1) OK, parts of the video is shameless promotion of a few

expensive hotels and spas but that in itself is not so bad.

It is just that so much was left out. They left out some

other expensive hotels particularly in the Quepos area that

would put the ones in the video to shame because they are

much more beautiful, elegant and worth more for your money.

2) The film quality of the video itself is very good and even

beautiful in the parts where the lovely hostess is not

prancing around a few select hotels and spas. 30 more

minutes of nature and this video would have been 4 stars.

3) If you have never been to Costa Rica you will see some of it

in this video and it looks great, unfortunately there is not

much variety. The hostess herself tells you in the last few

minutes of the video that she is sad that her 2 weeks in

Costa Rica have come to an end. Well, there you go! Two weeks

of very fast, albeit decent camera work is what you get.

4) Buy the used video version and maybe you won't feel so bad

about the price and the lack of depth and variety. Remember,

up-to-date videos about Costa Rica and Central America in

general are rare. Even the 2005 Globetrekker video did not

do such a great job on presenting Costa Rica and especially

did a poor presentation on Nicaragua.

Good luck on your travels in beautiful Costa Rica. It is not to

be missed and it is getting more and more expensive every minute!! Don't forget beautiful but forgotten Nicaragua !

You won't be disappointed!! Pura Vida !!

I am so disappointed that there isn't more on DVD about this neat country. We wanted to learn more about the country as a whole; people, different provinces and areas, the economy, etc. What we got was a host who is about ten minutes old, lounging in expensive resort spas and looking at rain forests and waterfalls. And I'm sorry guys, but she is NOT amazing. We kept waiting for the informative stuff to come, but it never happened. We are not backpackers, looking for $15 a night places, nor are we interested in spending as much as possible in a trendy European resort. (From that perspective, it DID feel like a promo for these resorts. Period.) We wanted to see more diverse everything, including common sense hotels, transportation, etc. If you are interested in learning more about Costa Rica, buy the books, not this video. If you're over twenty five years old, you'll be disappointed, I promise you.

Wow, what mixed reviews!! The BAD first: For a movie that was less than 60 minutes, it was too heavy on seeing the inside of a few posh resorts and the people who own them. Also, too much of the pretty host posing in her various bathing suits in front of her mirror, in the pool, by the falls, in the fountain, in the dining room, on the massage table, on a lounger......

The GOOD: Some nice shots of the scenery as seen from the resorts, a quick glimpse of the volcano, a great boat ride mangrove tour, some quick glimpses of local towns from the car, a fishing trip, a cute sloth, a little shopping, dancing in nightclub, and nice waterfalls. I feel that I have to buy another video to see Costa Rica, the people, the land, the towns, and what to expect if I go there and can't afford the posh resort.

Having a mother from Costa Rica, I found that this documentary really espressed the true realism of what makes Costa Rica so unique. It truely is a magical experience to travel to this country. I myself learned of several hidden places this exquisite country had to offer that I did not know of myself. It is well worth buying the DVD. Waiting for a second volume to come out. Hurry !

I have to disagree with the positive reviews of the DVD written here. In fact, I purchased this Costa Rica Traveler's Guide because everyone was so enthusiastic. It was just terrible. My friend and I are going in April, and are trying to figure out what to do and see. This was nothing more than an extended informercial - segments discussing very specific hotels, resorts, and tours. It just seemed like everyone had paid to have thier places shown..! No discussion of the regions, the options, the choices. Just an uncomfortable, terrible actress shilling for the producer's friend's resorts. Save your money and just tivo 'Costa Rica' and watch the Travel Channel.

A really great video and plenty of rainforest shots, natural beauty, deep sea fishing, costa rican animals, (including a rare glimpse of a sloth in the day time!) I love horses so I'm looking forward to the horse back mountain tour as featured in the video when I go to Costa Rica in the Summer.

After all the tours and adventure it's great to see such elegant and stylish boutiques and kind, generous locals. Unfortunetly too many Americans still see Costa Rica as a Central American wilderness and only to be touched with a surf board and wearing the designer dreadlocks. The contrast couldn't be different, Costa Rica has entered the new millenium, finally kicking off its scruffy backpacker image and dope smoking hippies.

I found this travel guide on Costa Rica very interesting and different from all the other stereotyped travel videos out there. This really is a great video, the film work is incredible and the host is truly gorgeous!

I was expecting the usual hippy, backpacker guide to costa rica and what I got was National Geographic film work, rainforests, natural wildlife and animals, truly outstanding (quality) hotels and breathtaking views of the beautiful countryside.

If you're expecting a hippy guide to Costa Rica then this isn't for you, this is aimed at the more open minded, true hearted traveller.

One of my favorite scenes was the mango swamp tour, think "apocalypse now" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and you won't be disapointed.

As a frequent visitor to Costa Rica I was impressed with the choice of hotels reviewed in this video. If you are interested in getting a foreglimpse of some of the best places to stay and dine, as well as hooking up with the country's best tour guides and deep sea fishing charters, I would say this video is for you. Rooms at the hotels recommended are still cheap by U.S. standards, so they represent great value to the U.S. visitor, and a steal for Europeans. Ditto restaurants.

On the other hand, if you are a backpacker looking for $15 a night room at a hostel, I would not recommend this video, nor would I recommend it if you are in search of an "Endless Summer" surf video. The coverage of national parks such as Monteverde, Damas Estuary and MA is good, but I would suggest if you are looking for a National Geographic nature video, that's what you should buy. This video truly is a Traveler's Guide for the upscale traveler.

Rachel Gibson, Palm Beach, Fla.

This video should just be sold to people who are using "Travel Sophisticate" (the sponsor of this DVD) for tours and are interested in finding out about the hotels and the tours they offer. The DVD is very limited and is purely an advertisement for the hotels they offer.

The video spends most of the time INSIDE hotels...and whenever the host is NOT in the hotel, she's on a tour organized by the hotels...and even then, the sightseeing is only 10-15% of the "movie".

It's all an advertisement and is a waste of money, not to mention time.

For those who really want to see Costa Rica and find out more about the people, the culture, different national parks, the party life in different towns, the beach life, etc., this video is NOT FOR US.

All it does is show you a few hotels in a FEW places in Costa Rica who I'm sure is linked to "Travel Sophisticate". It spends a LOT OF TIME zooming in on vases and paintings in hotel rooms, and the host sitting in spas. Oh, and they zoom in on the food they serve in the hotels. And oh, they interview hotel owners. Ooooh, big f-n deal.

Most people who want to go to Costa Rica want adventure and to see the country for its natural beauty, as well as to find out about the culture and the people and the nightlife.

It can't be said enough times that this video is a waste of money. It's such a rip-off!!!! It should just be sold to those who are 60years old and over and are just in Costa Rica to hang out in hotels. And they're not even the better hotels in costa rica!

DON'T BUY IT! WASTE OF MONEY.

ok, well i guess ill list the positives first: The film is only 52 minutes long, and there's monkeys - that's about it. Anything else that may be somewhat entertaining/educational is due to the country itself, not the way it was shot. That annoying thing blocking the camera is the host, who also provides a pointless narration. About 20 minutes is wasted watching her eat something, blocking a nice sunset, or trying to pull off a personality. Another half hour is spent listening to ex-american hotel/resort owners babbling about the posh sense of style of their establishments.

Once you get past the out-of-place host, shaky camera, infommercials, and tons of filler, there is some nice "stock footage". If you plan on taking a trip there, this will probably not help you in any way. Buy the books.