Charlie Soto - He Gets our Vote for Best Tour Guide!!!

[scootercruzer]

Sorry this posting took so long, but I still want to share our good fortune from our recent visit to Costa Rica. My wife and I, along with my extended family of 6 other adults had a great time onboard the Coral Princess doing the partial Panama Canal run back in late March. Thanks to other’s recommendations I was able to book a great local guide in Costa Rica. Our group had a wonderful day with Charlie Soto who runs OKeyDokey Tours. I had contacted him via e-mail several weeks before our trip. Since we had a group of 8 he agreed to take us on a private tour for the day.

 

He greeted us at the dock with a warm smile and a sign with our name as scheduled. He had a nice van with air conditioning. We were pleasantly surprised to see Charlie had brought along a dedicated driver. This way Charlie was free to focus all his attention on us without having to worry about driving. He speaks good English and enjoys sharing his love for Costa Rica with his guests.

 

On our way to the Del Monte banana farm we stopped at a roadside stand so Charlie could by us some fresh organic bananas (the best tasting!) and other local fruit. We also stopped along the road to check out some monkeys in the trees. Charlie was constantly pointing out the sights along the way. After an interesting and fun tour of the banana processing site we headed to the Tortuguero Canal for a boat ride. Charlie handles all the arrangements with the boat operators and waits for you to return. He went out of his way to take pictures of us as we prepared to shove off.

 

We stopped at an animal sanctuary and had a blast checking out parrots, sloths, and baby monkeys. Then Charlie took us to a cute beach side restaurant for a great Costa Rican lunch. When we arrived I happen to notice a beach emergency ambulance vehicle parked adjacent to the restaurant. Since I am a Firefighter I always travel with some of my Department shoulder patches and love to swap with others in the Fire Service. Well, when Charlie found out my hobby he went into action! Not only did he get me a Costa Rica rescue patch, he convinced them to give me a fancy uniform shirt! After lunch I posed for a photo with the rescue crew and their truck. But it gets better….

 

We headed back to town and stopped at several scenic lookouts for some photos. Once in town, Charlie surprised us and stopped at the Fire Station. Again he worked his magic and scored yet another uniform shirt for me! What can I say? We had a great day with Charlie and his driver. It was like spending time with your favorite Uncle. He was so accommodating and fun. His true love for his home and his desire to make your tour “the best” can’t be beat.

 

He had us back to the pier plenty early and before sending us on our way he shared some delicious fresh pineapple he had brought along. My silly sister-in-law managed to leave behind her sun hat in the van. She didn’t realize her hat was missing until we were pushing off from the dock. When we got home I sent Charlie an e-mail and sure enough he had the hat. He cheerfully offered to ship it back to us! How’s that for customer service?!?

 

Charlie is the best! If you are looking for a tour guide I highly recommend “OKeyDokey Tours”. You can reach Charlie at okeydokeytours@hotmail.com.

[joeyanddavid]

Scooter..

 

You didnt mention how much Charlie Charges for this wonderful excursion and in which currency did you pay..

 

thanks

[scootercruzer]

JoeyandDavid,

 

 

We spent the entire day with Charlie and his driver touring and learning all about Costa Rica and seeing many beautiful sights. We made many stops through out the day. Our customized day cost $70 per person (for our group of 8, smaller groups may have to pay slightly more) Charlie prefers payment in US cash; however you may be able to make other arrangements in advance.

 

The price of $70 included: 1.) A city tour. 2.) The Tortuguero Canal flora, fauna and wildlife tour - This part of the tour is provided by other operators, who also handle the ships excursions. You go out on a small, covered "mawamba" power boat for about 1.5 hours. 3.) The animal rescue center. 4.) The banana plantations. 5.) The bamboo furniture trade school. 6.) Hilltop hotel with great views. Our lunch at the beautiful seaside restaurant was not included in Charlie’s price. The restaurant accepted US cash, travelers checks or major credit cards.

 

If you check out the cruiseline prices for some of these excursions you will quickly see just how much of a bargain Charlie offers. The best part is he will customize your day to your desires and you have the benefit of a small group vs. large crowds on big buses.

 

The $70 does not include any tips for Charlie our his driver. Our group was so pleased with our service that we bought lunch for Charlie and his driver and left them a nice tip at days end. Even with lunch and tips this was still a bargain compared to cruiseline prices!

[joeyanddavid]

Excellent Scooter,

Thats exactly what i wanted to know.. thanks sounds like i will send him a email feeler and see what he has to say, I know you say he is fluent in English so I will just expain what I want to happen and see if he is willing and second how much.. needless to say lunch would be on us!..;)

 

thanks

 

always

[micruz]

Our family of 4 took a tour with Charlie Soto on April 2nd. We shared the van with another family of 4 that we did not know, but happened to be from our ship and our home state of Michigan. He charged $45 per person for a tour that included the banana plantation and tortuga canal. He was there waiting for us as promised with his air conditioned van and driver. Charlie is a very pleasant and accomodating person. We enjoyed fresh pineapple while driving around. He also went out of his way to spot a monkey in the trees for my my two boys. We really enjoyed our tour with him!

[Sydney Oz]

How much does Charlie charge??

 

Regards

 

Sydney Oz