Relaxing on Easter Island

Welcome to Easter Island

As we may be having some lazy days in Easter Island. Thought a quick summary of our time since Canada. So far Easter Island looks good and the hotel is perfect a little out of the centre so very quiet with a small pool and great breakfasts.

Whether you're an avid adventurer or someone who simply enjoys serene landscapes, combining relaxation with exploration will create an unforgettable holiday. It’s essential to find a tour that matches your pace, so let’s dive into the different options!

A Quick Comparison

After a week of chilling in Playa Del Carmen we had our tour of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. This was through Intrepid.

The highlights included:

The Mayan Sites of Caracol, Tikal and Chichen Itza. I think my favourite was Caracol as so empty and we could climb up the temples rather than looking from below or climbing up wooden stairs next to them

We also loved Caye Caulker, San Juan including the homestay with Intrepid and Antigua. Karen's favourite activity was snorkelling off Caye Caulker.

Another thing which made this tour was the group. It was 10 really great people plus us! Despite the age difference and starting from 23, they were incredibly inclusive. Even getting us to join in their daft drinking games. Some really impressive people who despite various travelling or exciting lives jobs never talked about themselves too much.

I think the downsides here were:

Although we knew the trip was basic a couple of the hotels such as PDC were a bit too basic. We also felt the style of guide was great as a group leader but didn't provide much local knowledge.

Our next trip was on our own where the hotel and travel had been booked for us. This covered Panama and Costa Rica. It was arranged by Best Holiday Destination Costa Rica.

Highlights here included;

Panama City both Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo.

The wild life in Costa Rica.

Also a couple of really good hotels and the sunsets at Manuel Antonio.

I think the main con, was the initial communication. It did improve and the guy in France apologised and kept us updated after a poor start. However we were always a bit on edge if connections would arrive and later in the holiday a bus did go to the wrong hotel to meet us.

The last of our travel trilogy was South America a trip by G Adventures more expensive than Intrepid and this was noticeable in the hotel quality. This trip covered Peru, Chile and Bolivia.

For highlights must start with Juber our guide. His energy, patience and knowledge were amazing.

Other top parts were the places covered Machu Pichu, what a place for Christmas Day, Salt Flats, desert as well as several of the cities.

New Year's Eve in Sucre at the start of Bolivia celebrating 200 years of independence.

The food of Peru.

Totally amazing landscapes.

Finally getting Matthew on a horse.

Another group of amazing travellers and slightly older, this time the youngest was 31. While we have now done Intrepid and G Adventures we think Intrepid was a better for group involvement G came out top for the guide and better accommodation. We would recommend group travel and may look at this again for ourselves later in our trip (and beyond if we have any cash left).