About the Costa Rica Quest Tour by G Adventures
Have you booked or are you thinking of booking the Costa Rica Quest tour by G Adventures? Here’s a review to help your decision-making and give you additional insights about your trip!
All information valid as of December 2025, unless otherwise indicated, and -no- I was not furnished to write this review.
Bottom-Line Up Front
The Costa Rica Quest by G Adventures is an excellent option for anyone looking for a balanced, week-long itinerary in Costa Rica which affords the flexibility to choose day tours and activities. While the Chief Experience Officer, transportation, and included activities are of the high quality you’d expect from G Adventures, their choice of hotels for this itinerary occasionally fell short of the advertised “Standard” service level, and thus the tour may not be a great option for those requiring that level of accommodation.
Tour Booking Information & Itinerary
Why I Booked the Costa Rica Quest Tour
Xxxx.
My Booking Experience with G Adventures
Xxxx.
Notable Itinerary Differences
Xxxx.
Booking of Day Tours
Xxxx.
The Tour
A Day-by-Day Breakdown
I’m not going to go into tremendous detail .
Day Zero - Arrival Into San José: Xxxx. San José
Day One - Transfer to La Fortuna, Mi Cafecito Tour, Optional Evening Activity: Xxxx.
Day Two - Sightseeing in La Fortuna: Xxxx.
Day Three - Transfer to Monteverde and Evening Wildlife Walk: Xxxx.
Day Four - Sightseeing in Monteverde: Xxxx.
Day Five - Transfer to Quepos, Optional Evening Activities: Xxxx.
Day Six - Sightseeing in Quepos, Morning Tour of Manuel Antonio National Park, Optional Afternoon Activities: Xxxx.
Day Seven - Return to San José: Xxxx.
Day Eight - Departure Day: Xxxx.
Finding this review helpful?
Consider a follow on Instagram.
Now back to the review!
Hotels
We stayed at four hotels during the Costa Rica Quest tour - three were as advertised on the G Adventures itinerary page, and one (Wide Mouth Frog in Quepos) was not. For better or worse, some of the hotel selections for this trip really fell short of expectations and was -in my opinion- the most negative part of the tour.
I am basing my judgements here on two factors:
The trip was advertised as having a “Standard” service class, which G Adventures defines as, “Comfortable tourist-class accommodations with character,” and,
That the single cost of a single supplement ($599) implies that each hotel should be “worth” $74 per night.
I will try and focus my criticisms on variables within G Adventures’ ability to control (proximity to restaurants, for example), or sub-par or even unacceptable conditions within the hotels themselves. Naturally, I will try and point out those areas where hotels excelled.
Hotel Soluxe El Sesteo, San José: Hotel El Sesteo serves as your arrival and departure hotel in San José. Unfortunately -by a long mile- this hotel is the weakness of the entire Costa Rica Quest tour and this hotel makes for an absolutely abysmal first impression of not only Costa Rica, but of G Adventures itself for first-time travelers.
Before I get into the many failings of the hotel itself, I need to talk about the hotel’s location. This hotel is on the south side of San José, which is the opposite side of the city from the international airport. Normally this wouldn’t matter to me, but -considering this hotel is used exclusively as an arrival and departure point- I would think there’d be a more convenient neighborhood to choose. During my airport transfer, we dropped off clients for other G Adventures tours whose hotels were on the north side of the city (such as the Radisson), so I know -as a company- they have established contacts in these neighborhoods.
As for the hotel itself - where to start?
The staff of the hotel (which doubles as a Chinese restaurant) live in some of the rooms and make an incredible amount of noise until all hours of the night.
The security guard -an essential member of the team considering the generally unsafe nature of San José- tucked himself into a camera blindspot and watched videos on his phone with earphones on during the night.
The smoke detectors were removed from both rooms I stayed in, and at least one had no doubt been smoked in at one point.
Co-travelers reported their rooms not cleaned prior to arrival.
Co-travelers reported the front-of-house giving keys to already-occupied rooms, probably the most unsafe thing a hotel can do.
Again, using G Adventures’ definition as a barometer, I can see an argument that the rooms were “comfortable” but they were certainly quite worn out.
Since I’m trying to be a better person, I’ll say that the only upside of the hotel is the nice patio area, although you are unlikely to have any time to use it.
Although it wasn’t necessary during my trip, it is worth noting the rooms do not have air condition. This does increase the overall noise in the rooms since you must sleep with the windows open.
I’ll this simple: this hotel isn’t suitable for an 18-to-Thirtysomethings tour, never-the-less a Standard service tour. If hotel comfort and safety are paramount for you, I cannot recommend the Costa Rica Quest tour for you so long as G Adventures continues to use this hotel. G Adventures: stop using this hotel.
Hotel Eco Arenal, La Fortuna: Xxxx.
Hotel Historias Lodge, Monteverde: Xxxx.
Wide Mouth Frog, Quepos: Xxxx.
Food and Drink
It is a long trip, so I’ll try my best to cover everything succinctly. Generally speaking, the food you’ll be provided (all breakfasts, and all dinners outside Istanbul) is excellent, of high-quality, and fairly diverse. The choices Tamer made for lunch stops were also excellent and reasonably priced. I don’t often speak about comments made by others in their reviews on other websites, but one review from a previous traveler criticized the number of “rest stop” lunches on their tour. I found this accusation to be completely unfounded (although I recognize the possibility of Fez Travel having taken this critique to heart), unless you consider two lunches at a gas station canteen two-too-many. Here’s a quick breakdown (included meals italicized):
Day One: Dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.
Day Two: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul; lunch on-the-go in Istanbul; dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.
Day Three: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul; lunch at the Shell gas station canteen, Gelibolu; buffet dinner at the MD Barbaros Hotel, Çanakkale.
Day Four: Breakfast buffet at the MD Barbaros Hotel, Çanakkale; lunch at Kervan Pide, Bergama; fixed dinner at Marvista Restaurant, Kuşadası.
Day Five: Breakfast buffet at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel, Kuşadası; lunch at Cici Şirince Mutfağı, Şirince; fixed dinner at Marvista Restaurant, Kuşadası.
Day Six: Breakfast buffet at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel, Kuşadası; lunch at Kismet Pide, Nazilli; buffet dinner at the Adempira Hotel, Pamukkale.
Day Seven: Breakfast buffet at the Adempira Hotel, Pamakkule; lunch at Mevlevi Sofrası, Konya; fixed dinner at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı.
Day Eight: Breakfast buffet at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı; lunch at a Cappadocia Shell station; fixed dinner at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı.
Day Nine: Breakfast buffet at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, Ayvalı; lunch at the Belisırma River Restaurant, Belisırma; dinner at the Istanbul restaurant of your choice.
Day Ten: Breakfast buffet at the Nidya Galataport Hotel, Istanbul.
Some really quick notes about these restaurants: All of the included breakfast buffets were of exceptionally high quality (the breakfast buffet at the Adempira notwithstanding, because I chose not to eat it) and featured a variety of bread, cheese, hot dishes, and often made-to-order eggs. Top tip: at the Ilayda Avantgarde Hotel buffet, use the fancy coffee machine on the far right.
The Gelibolu Shell station lunch was actually a very delicious and hygienic hot order line - if the eggplant is available, I definitely recommend it. As for the Cappadocia Shell station lunch, we just grabbed sandwiches, chips / crisps, and drinks for the most part.
As for the fixed dinners, the two at Marvista Restaurant were four generously-sized courses (ask about the crème caramel), while the two at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel were four more moderately-sized but equal quality meals. Both restaurants were excellent.
Kervan Pide and Kismet Pide both specialize in, well, pide so definitely consider ordering that or a kebab platter to mix it up; these are both smaller meals, but since they are sandwiched between two larger included meals, I don’t think you’ll mind. Cici Şirince Mutfağı features many Turkish lunch staples; I had a kebab sandwich which was just enough lunch for me. Mevlevi Sofrası is excellent, I recommend saving room in the morning to try both a lamb dish and the okra soup. Lastly, the Belisırma River Restaurant features Turkish lunch staples, many of which are cooked in their giant open brick oven.
Most of the restaurants had bar service with dinner, although -as mentioned- the staff never came around at the Adempira Hotel. As far as I can recall, only the Nidya Galataport and the Gamirasu Cave Hotel had accessible stand-alone bars that were open. If you want a drink in Kuşadası, I recommend walking across the street to one of the stands set up along the sea promenade.
Transportation
This is a driving itinerary, and even if you opt to take the flight from Cappadocia back to Istanbul you are going to be spending an incredible amount of time in the tour vehicle. Our vehicle was a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 170 Extended with fifteen seats. Only about half of these were filled during our trip, which I only bring up as I am certain my experience with the vehicle would be dramatically different if each bucket had a butt in it.
The seat comfort and legroom were both quite good. There are a couple of wheel well “hump” seats near the back, but the majority of the bulge was intelligently nested underneath a seat and, thus, wasn’t much of an inconvenience. Thankfully, all the windows all had curtains.
The vehicle featured very strong and very reliable WiFi, which was much appreciated. There were no power outlets, as far as I could tell, so please consider bringing a battery pack if your devices are prone to draining.
The luggage storage was adequate in the rear of the vehicle, but I anticipate it becoming a bit tight if each seat were filled up.
The van had a small refrigerator which had available bottles of water inside. A nice touch!
As mentioned previously, the vehicle had a minor mechanical issue part-way through our journey but our driver, Cengiz, was quick to have the matter remedied and it imperceptibly affected our journey.
The Drivers
Cengiz was an excellent driver throughout the entire trip. He also had an incredibly positive attitude and always had a smile on his face. Despite speaking limited English, he was more than happy to small-talk with the guests which helped him feel more connected to the tour experience.
We were always on-time wherever we went and I always felt in good hands. His handling of the Sprinter’s mechanical issue was also excellent.
The Chief Experience Officer
Tamer was a superb guide who filled every moment from sun up to sun down with making our experience the best and most informative experience it could be. In particular, I want to highlight his handling of a medical situation encountered by a traveler during the trip. I won’t go into details for reasons that should be obvious, but Tamer made sure every facet of that situation was coordinated while simultaneously not interrupting the tour program for the remainder of the guests. Lastly, I want to highlight Tamer’s expert knowledge on particularly historical and cultural topics - his previous experience as an educator definitely shined through.
Logistical Considerations
What to Pack, Including Camera Equipment
I think the packing list provided by Encounters Travel, in my case, and by Fez Travel generally covered the requirements of this trip. There are no special considerations about this trip which require specialized equipment or clothing. If you’re the type who is inclined, certainly consider leaving extra space for gifts and goodies as there are quite a few shopping opportunities on this itinerary. Lastly, fair warning there are no great places to have clothing laundered along the way, so you’re going to have to pack a full trip’s worth of clothing.
The only two things I can think of off the top which I would encourage you to bring with you are a small roll of toilet paper (since you may need to use a toilet that doesn’t have an adequate supply) and a battery bank for charging devices in the van.
Breakdown of Additional Costs
I did my best to annotate my costs throughout this trip, although I’m certain I missed a few things here-and-there. This list does not include expenses such as tips or souvenirs. Here is a breakdown to help you budget:
Day One - Arrival: 135 TYR coffee at airport; 110 TYR lunch kebab in Istanbul; 315 TYR dinner in Galataport.
Day Two - Istanbul: 10 TYR for simit in Istanbul; 50 USD Bosphorus Cruise; 550 TYR dinner in Galataport.
Day Three - Gallipoli: 100 TYR at gas station; 385 TYR lunch; 50 TYR coffee on ferry.
Day Four - Troy and Pergamon: 70 TYR morning coffee; 280 TYR lunch; 200 TYR beer with dinner.
Day Five - Ephesus: 235 TYR lunch.
Day Six - Pamukkale: 200 TYR lunch.
Day Seven - Konya: 300 TYR lunch; 50 TYR coffee.
Day Eight - Cappadocia: 110 TYR gas station lunch.
Day Nine - Ihlara Valley: 300 TYR lunch; 165 USD flight from Kayseri to Istanbul.
Day Ten - Departure: No expenses.
I’ll also elaborate on the costs associated with the major shop stops we made on our trek: the carpet weaving store, the leather goods store, the jewelry store, and the pottery studio. The carpet weaving store has a wide range of prices, but I think at a minimum you’d find yourself spending at least 200 USD, and perhaps anywhere up to a couple thousand USD if you wanted a full-room rug. The leather goods store primarily specialized in jackets, which ran from at least 200 USD to upwards of 700 USD. I didn’t really pay much attention at the prices in the jewelry store, but the prices seemed to be in line with what you’d expect them to be. Lastly, the pottery studio had small pieces for as low as 30 USD, with larger pieces upwards of several hundred. I only bring this up to say again: if you anticipate purchases at any of these stores, please bring a Visa card instead of cash.
The Tough Questions
What Did You Like Most About the Tour?
I think the itinerary is as jam-packed as it could possibly for a tour of this length, and I think the pacing was quite good. Tamer provided an incredible amount of detail and context to those sites we visited -particularly the historical sites- and Tamer and Cengiz structured the stops and comfort breaks in such a way that it made our 1,000+ mile / 1,600+ kilometer driving adventure go by rather quickly and effortlessly. While I may not have 100% agreed with all the stops we made on this itinerary (more on that to follow), it was unrealistic to think any trip was going to, and I think the stops we did make catered to the tastes and interests of as wide a variety of travelers as they could.
What Should Fez Travel Improve About This Trip?
There are two things I’d certainly improve about this tour: one is pretty significant (and if you’ve made it this far in this review, you know what it is already), and one is a strong recommendation. Do not let these critiques take away from the fact that this was an excellent tour and these criticisms shouldn’t come back on Tamer or Cengiz - these comments are for the management and organizers of this tour within Fez Travel.
First: as I’ve mentioned, please reconsider use of the Adempira Hotel until you’ve had a conversation with management about the health-and-safety issues I encountered there. I won’t rehash them in total (you can read about it above), but -to stress again- the fire suppression system not functioning is a real problem that needs addressing.
The second matter (again, this is a strong recommendation vice a complaint) concerns the last night’s hotel location. I recognize Fez Travel probably has a strong relationship with the Nidya Galataport Hotel and probably receives a discount on volume for accommodating their travelers there. That said, departing Istanbul Airport at 9PM to trek across Istanbul 45-minutes to Galataport just to return to the same airport in the morning makes little-to-no sense. There are plenty of excellent hotels in close proximity of Istanbul Airport (Villa Siesta comes to mind) which would obviate the need to make an additional round-trip journey into the city. I recognize there may be people who opt to extend their vacation by doing additional sightseeing in Istanbul, but I think there should be an option for an airport hotel stay for those who don’t wish to return to downtown.
But What About the Shop Stops?
If I had it my way, the trip would have had fewer or maybe even no shop stops - that is, the stops at the carpet shop, the leather goods shop, the jewelry shop, and the pottery shop. For better or worse, these stops ate into time I could have spent exploring new sights or sights more thoroughly. I'd trade the carpet shop for a visit to the nearby House of the Virgin Mary or more time in Şirince, the leather goods store for more time in Pamukkale, and the jewelry / pottery shops for more time seeing Cappadocia’s landscapes. Normally, yes, I would have thrown this category into the “What Should Fez Travel Improve About This Trip?” category above, but since my tour companions seemed to enjoy these stops and collectively bought goods at each of them, and since I plan on exploring Turkey at some point in my life in greater depth, I’ll give it a pass this time.
I want to make clear, however, that my opinion on such stops is and always will be negative: while I can order goods from these stores from the comfort of my home and have them shipped directly to me door whenever I please, I cannot just wake up one morning and, say, decide I want to visit the Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia that day. And before you play the “cultural experience” card, in this case I’d say the pottery studio has the right to make that argument, maybe even the carpet shop, but the leather goods shop and the jewelry shop need to be called out for what they are: cash grabs.
If You Organized This Itinerary, What Would You Change?
To be clear, these aren’t criticisms of the tour, these are just changes I’d make to align the tour more closely with my personal taste. In no particular order:
While I realize ANZAC Cove is the star of the show, some time at Cape Helles in Gallipoli would have really rounded-out my understanding of that campaign more completely.
As mentioned, I would have liked the opportunity to have visited the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. I would have also loved some extra time in Şirince to do some wine tasting by stopping at the Artemis Temple first so we weren’t on as strict of a “schedule” needing to stop at the temple before sundown.
I probably would add a few extra photo stops in Cappadocia, with Love Valley and Pasabag as essentials and Rose Valley and Red Valley high up on the wish list.
… And, yes, probably put the kibosh on the shop stops.
Why You’d Want to Book the Costa Rica Quest Tour
Xxxx.
Why You Would Not Want to Book the Costa Rica Quest Tour
Xxxx.
I’ll certainly update this page if I think of anything else to add, but that’s about it for now. If you have any specific questions, or if you have been on the Magic Carpet Tour with Fez Travel or the Anatolian Adventure Tour with Encounters Travel and have more feedback, please reach out to us at hdhuntphoto@gmail.com or drop a comment below!
