Itinerary Proposals
Papagayo Tours will design custom itineraries based on travelers’ special requests according to their interests, ages, physical conditions, season, and length of stay, preferred accommodation, transportation, and logistics. Once the final itinerary and quote are confirmed, Papagayo Tours will be in charge of making all due reservations. Whilst Papagayo Tours will do its utmost to abide by the original travel plans; it states that based on services available at the time of booking they may result in modifications such as changes in locations visited, hotels used, and the sequence of the itinerary itself.
Because of the popularity of Costa Rica as a destination and high service demand, it is essential to make bookings well in advance to guarantee your preferred hotel choices and services. We recommend making bookings at least 6 months in advance during the High Season which includes Nov 15 to April 16 and July 1 to August 30th. For bookings during the Peak Season (Dec 20 to Jan 5th) and Easter, we strongly recommend making reservations at least 3 months in advance to ensure you get space. Alternatively, Papagayo Tours offers a variety of adventure, family travel, honeymoon, weddings, sports fishing, scuba diving, and nature-oriented itineraries throughout the year based on a minimum of 2 travelers. Please inquire if your request is for a solo traveler as we advise of currently confirmed tours or customize a package considering existing confirmed services to prove the most competitive quote.
Quoted prices are in U.S. Dollars and valid when making the proposal. We recommend confirming your quote and travel plans within 3 days after the final proposal is sent. Should a price change occur or increase, it will be notified to the booking agent as it becomes of our knowledge or at the time of reviewing a modified quote request. Any amendments will be made to a quote as necessary.
Every time the quote is modified or services are changed by you as it becomes a new quote. All quotes have a validity of a maximum of a week (7 days) and are subject to changes depending on the availability of services. Quotes are subject to changes and price revision when:
The confirmation of the quote is received after 7 days after having sent the quote. Services are not available as quoted.
There are changes out of our control that could not have been foreseen at the time of quoting based on the information received or the existing conditions. To reduce the risk of unforeseen costs, it is very useful for us to receive your reservation as much information about the clients, their expectation, special requirements, medical conditions, etc.
To ensure we get the rooms at your preferred hotel choices, it is strongly recommended that a request is made to block the rooms when clients are seriously interested in booking.
Validity of Prices
Papagayo Tours will honor quoted prices when your reservations are received in writing, the availability of all quoted services and rates have been confirmed by suppliers, and you have confirmation from us that your reservations have been confirmed. We strongly recommend that quotes are confirmed within 7 days after they are presented to you.
If the price increase is due to changes in government regulations or any condition which would be unforeseeable to us, we will inform you of such cost. If the booking has not been paid and there is a change in rates or extra costs, these will be paid by you as we have no way to commit our providers to maintain their rates since we have not paid them. For example, when there have been excessive increases in international fuel prices, transport providers and airlines will maintain old prices only if we have already paid them. Catalog and website prices are accurate and available at the time of publication.
Prices do not include internal flight airfares, overland excess luggage transportation (when taking local flights), airport departure taxes, alcoholic drinks, and any other extra unless otherwise stated and specifically noted in your quote.
Papagayo Tours reserves the right to increase and/or adjust prices to reflect changes in land services (landslides, floods, etc.), local airfares, service schedules, fuel price increases, land services, or increases in local taxes.
Making reservations
All new reservations must be sent in writing via e-mail to reservations@costaricain.com indicating the exact itinerary or quote you want to book and noting client names (or at least lead client name) and all the specifications of the client’s requests including Ages, exact travel dates, number of rooms and respective occupancy and the corresponding booking reference number/code from your company.
Any special requirements (e.g. extra beds, A/C, etc.), medical conditions, expectations, or remarks must be indicated at the time of booking. We will not be responsible for situations arising from not having been informed of existing requirements, conditions, or remarks that were not made at the time of booking. Any update made at a later date after your quote has been sent or your reservation is confirmed may result in changes in pricing due to any extra costs required to accommodate your requests. We will pass on all your special requests, medical conditions, and remarks to all suppliers, whilst we will do every effort to accommodate your special requests, we cannot guarantee the availability of services being provided under those conditions. Should a condition be a strict condition of travel, we must be notified when making your quote request and before confirming your booking since cancellation and modification penalties apply.
It is very important that the exact day and time of arrival and flight details are sent when submitting your reservation so we can thoroughly consider your booking and evaluate the logistics including excess luggage transportation. Papagayo Tours will not assume any responsibility for extra costs resulting from services that are required due to flight timings which we could not take into consideration at the time of quoting or processing your booking.
Handling Bookings
To avoid any penalty from the supplier for last-minute cancellations and changes, we require a final and complete rooming list as follows:
Individual Travel (1-9 travelers): No later than 4 weeks before the date of the first service in your confirmed travel plans.
Group Travel (10 and more travelers): A preliminary rooming list updated within 90 days, a second updated one within 60 days, and the final updated one 30 days before the date of arrival.
A final complete rooming list must include: all participant’s full names and a room share, special conditions and requirements (Extra Beds, A/C, Medical, Health, Dietary, Religious, etc.), special requests and remarks, expectations, Passport numbers, nationality, dates of birth, confirmed international arrival and departure flights; And other details that will be useful to take into consideration and which will help us deliver the best possible service.
Should services have changed between the time your quote was sent and your booking is processed, Papagayo Tours will send a confirmation with the respective price update and, there will be 3 days to confirm or cancel the booking without penalties. Cancellation penalties apply for confirmed and/or paid bookings — See our Cancellation Policies section within our Payment Policies.
A quote will be considered a confirmed booking upon receipt of your deposit, full payment or when there is mutual flexibility of payment agreement where a booking travel agent guarantees payment at a later date. This flexibility of payment agreement is a valid contract between Costa Rica In and the booking travel agent when 1) the booking agent indicates that the booking is confirmed and has collected full payment from the client and 2) When Papagayo Tours proceeds to make reservations.
Please provide us with a booking reference number/code from your company.
Changes in Bookings
Some providers may penalize changes to travel plans, flights, and tour dates. Each itinerary is designed considering specific conditions, and seasons and therefore changes may result in extra costs which will be added to the modified and updated quote. All changes made to the itinerary during the client’s arrival will be handled directly by the client and the respective extra costs charged directly to the client.
Operative Policies
It is the responsibility of the booking agent to ensure we receive all flight information, client information, ages, and any special requirements at the time of booking as Indicated in the Booking & Reservation Policies section.
II.PAYMENT POLICIES
Payment Conditions
Papagayo Tours works based on prepayment, and our prices reflect this. Through the years we have established strategic alliances with our providers and privileges when assigning blocking and priority for waiting Lists and Reservations. This is based on our credibility and prepayment policy, allowing us to negotiate special net rates. Maintaining our prepayment policy has provided us with a clear advantage from the reservations and operations standpoint and results in our bookings being favored as our providers value the fact that prepayments allow them to work financially stable, avoid the extra cost in credits and ultimately ensure a quality service is provided which is our paramount goal.
Individual (FIT’s) Bookings: Papagayo Tours considers a F.I.T any party between 1 to 9 travelers (1-4 rooms). For such bookings, an invoice will be sent when a booking is confirmed, and the final payment is due to be credited to our account 30 days before the arrival date. If a reservation is received within 30 days before the arrival date, full payment should be sent as soon as Papagayo Tours confirms the booking request. Certain hotels may require additional ex-temporary deposits to guarantee space, especially during the high season. We will advise you on an individual case basis where such guarantee deposits are required to secure the space and secure your reservations.
Group Bookings: Papagayo Tours considers a group of any party with 10 or more travelers (05 or more rooms). The groups will be confirmed in writing based on the requests made, and a preform invoice will be sent stating the deposit and final payment deadlines. A deposit of 50% of the total amount invoiced is required 60 days before the group’s arrival. The balance should be sent 30 days before the arrival date. In the event of a reservation received within 45 days before the arrival date, full payment should be sent as soon as Papagayo Tours confirms the booking request.
Important notes:
Hotels may require additional deposits to guarantee space, especially during the high season or when there are specific numbers of rooms involved. Papagayo Tours will notify the booking agent should an additional deposit be required.
Hotels can only guarantee reservations upon receiving full payment. Some hotels may cancel any reservations and sell the rooms to another client if they do not have a payment on the specified due date. It is important for us to receive your payment as soon as possible so we can process the respective guarantee payments to hotels and service providers in time and this way we will ensure all reservations will be honored.
If this final installment is not received when due, Papagayo Tours reserves the right to treat the reservation as canceled.
Method of Payment
Our preferred way of receiving payment in order of preference is as follows: The fastest and most efficient way of payment is via wire transfer from your bank of the required amount in U.S. Dollars, plus all bank charges which may be deducted en route, direct to our bank. Tele-transfers should be sent no later than 6 weeks before the tour departure date. Please note that to reduce the cost of the transfer it is advised that you use any of our banker’s representatives in your country.
It is very important that you cover all bank processing fees originated at your end which may be required to get the money from your bank to our account. These costs are not included in our quotes or invoices. Our bank will apply their own fees at this end which we already need to cover. The quoted prices do not include the cost of wiring the funds from your account to our bank’s account.
By Credit Card
Fill out the credit card payment form.
The client’s Credit Card will cover the percentage of the charges involved and credit management costs.
Confirmation of Payment
A copy of the deposit with the client’s invoice or reservation number must be emailed to the Travel Planner in charge of your booking and cc info@papagayotours.com. It is important to follow the above procedure to ensure all deposits for your booking are handled expedited. This way Papagayo Tours knows the deposit has been made, payments can start processing, and we can double-check the payment was adequately sent. Not doing this may result in payment delays and potential issues resulting from hotels canceling services due to a lack of prepayment deposits.
Consolidating Payments
For partners, we regularly work with multiple tours (FITs or regular set departures) being sold and operated each Papagayo Tours strongly suggests consolidating payments monthly. This will allow us to mutually avoid unnecessary bank charges and stress. Our finance department will work out an overall deposit which will request for the 15th of every month to cover all the bookings for the next month. Then, we will send all updated invoices and a balance, whether this is a credit in your favor or a balance due to be paid on the following month’s billing.
III.CANCELLATION POLICIES
Cancellations made by you
We understand how frustrating it is for a traveler to have to cancel their trip due to conditions of force major, in particular in those cases where the trip was planned well in advance. Papagayo Tours also plans these trips accordingly and uses resources and time to reserve various services including lecturers, guides, drivers, extra office staff, tours, transportation, and accommodation. We also must abide by the cancellation and refund policies established by our suppliers. Therefore we adhere to the Cancellation policies outlined below.
With this in mind, we strongly recommend that all our mutual guests’ travelers are advised to purchase fully comprehensive travel insurance. Please refer to the insurance section for details.
A last-minute cancellation of service is a cancellation where a client is unable or decides not to use or participate in a service at their discretion, due to any unforeseen situation or for not having verifying details with Papagayo Tours in advance to their full satisfaction before confirming their booking, and a formal cancellation is received by telephone, e-mail, letter or personal announcement, through a guide or service representative who is made of our knowledge within a time frame where a service cannot be canceled. See our section “Cancellations of Package Tour Arrangements”
A no-show is a case where a client is unable or decides not to use or participate in a service at his own discretion or due to any unforeseen situation, or for not having verifying details with Costa Rica In in advance to their full satisfaction and does not notify us accordingly to cancel the service.
Cancellation fees apply even if a person transfers to another tour or a different start date.
Deposits required to guarantee hotel space or guides may be non-refundable.
Cancellation procedure
All cancellations must be made in writing via email or fax. Please request a written confirmation back from us acknowledging such cancellation. You must expect a reply from one of our reservations executives on the same day. This confirmation will work as your guarantee that we have received the cancellation on that day.
Cancellation costs are calculated based on the date that Papagayo Tours receives the actual cancellation in writing, minus any other guarantee deposit to hotels, local flights, and service providers who are non-refundable based on their own cancellation policies.
Cancellation Terms & Penalties
Papagayo Tours operates under the flexibility principle and will do its utmost to reduce the impact of any cancellation or last-minute changes of travel plans, we are not responsible for non-recoverable expenses incurred by trip members in preparing for a canceled trip, such as non-refundable advance purchase hotels, transfers, tours, etc.; nor for any necessary additional arrangements should the applicant have embarked before the departure date (flights, etc.).
The following refund policies apply for cancellations received after your booking is confirmed and the respective invoice sent:
FIT’s Cancellations received:
With 30 days or more notice before the travel date, you are entitled to a 100% refund, minus a $100 handling fee and any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
Within 29 to 20 days or less notice before travel dates is subject to a 30% penalty. 70% of the total payment will be refunded, minus any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
Within 19 to 11 days before the arrival date, you are subject to a refund of 50% of the total payment, minus any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
Within 10 to 1 day before the arrival date, you are subject to a 100% penalty, and there will be no refund. The same policy applies to reservations canceled last minute or with no-shows.
Group Cancellations received between:
45 days or more before the arrival date, full refund minus $200 handling fee, and any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
44 to 30 days before the arrival date, 50% of the total payment will be refunded, minus any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
29 to 15 days before the arrival date, 25% of the total payment will be refunded, minus any other guarantee deposits and expenses incurred.
14 to 1 day before the arrival date, there will be no refund. Certain hotels and providers may have stricter cancellation and refund policies, which may vary according to each hotel, season, and date and depend on each specific case or circumstance. Each provider’s policies will apply beyond the limit of our own policies, terms, and conditions.
Cancellations made by us and Reimbursements
We reserve the right to cancel any of our regular set departure date tours due to insufficient sign-ups or unavailability of quoted services, bad weather or human manifestations that can put at risk our customer’s safety. If this should happen, a full refund will be given, but Papagayo Tours is not responsible for additional expenses incurred by participants in preparing for the tour.
Reimbursements & Refunds
No refunds, either in part or in full, will be made for unused services or services partially used (air tickets, ground transportation, tours, meals, guiding, accommodation or sightseeing tours not taken, etc.) resulting from last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
Tours cancellations and changes must be made at least 48 hours before the tour, and a service fee will apply; for services acquired less than 24 hours before the tour it will be a full charge in case of no-show or last-minute cancellations.
For travel agents with whom we have a regular flow of bookings, any applicable refunds will be made in the form of credit notes to be applied to future services booked. This avoids additional bank fees, wire transfer charges, and administration costs.
When a refund applies due to cancellations or changes of itineraries with an un-penalized balance, and a cash refund is requested, a U.S. $75.00 fee will be deducted from the corresponding amount to cover emissary bank fees, wire transfer charges, and administration costs. Please note that intermediary and addressee bank wire transfer fees are not contemplated in the above fee. This can take over a month to receive the money back from your account.
