Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the original Costa Rica Travel Blog (established in 2007), created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine’s sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves’ Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand.

Nikki’s extensive knowledge and 17 years of Costa Rica travel and tourism experience can help you navigate the following Costa Rica topics:

Itinerary-building • Destinations • Beaches (blue-flag beaches, popular beaches, off-the-beaten-path beaches) • Travel/tourism seasons • Things to do (guided tours, unguided activities, popular activities, off-the-beaten-path activities, attractions, child-friendly options, entrance fees, etc.) • Transportation (shuttle services, private transfer services, car rentals, driving routes, road conditions, etc.) • Accommodations (hotels, hostels, lodges, resorts, etc.) • Foods and dining opportunities (meals, restaurants, etc.) • Culture (traditions, holidays, etiquette, Spanish, etc.) • Wildlife, wildlife-spotting opportunities, and ecosystems • Spending money and saving money • Safety and anxiety concerns • Sustainability and responsible (green) travel • LGBTQ travel • Volunteer opportunities and travel philanthropy • Packing

Here’s a look at some (yes, only some!) of the Costa Rica sights and attractions that Nikki has experienced with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky:

Ready to connect with Nikki?

Do you want Nikki to answer your Costa Rica trip-planning questions or help you formulate an efficient travel itinerary for your Costa Rica trip? Nikki offers two types of paid consulting services: 60-Minute Online Live Chat (Typing) Appointments (the current season rate is $65 USD) and 2-Email/Voice Message Appointments (the current season rate is $95 USD). Both service types require an appointment (see the bottom of this page for a description of each appointment type), which can be scheduled immediately below. Please take note:

• Appointments can be scheduled up to one month in advance. (If you need to place an appointment for a date that’s longer than one month from today, please email Nikki your desired appointment date.)
• Appointment times are listed in Eastern Standard Time/EST/ET (currently two hours ahead of Costa Rica time/CST). If you’re located in a different time zone, please account for the time difference when recording the time of day that you book.
• Nikki helps travelers build their own vacations to Costa Rica. She does this by answering travelers’ questions and helping them formulate time- and cost-efficient trip itineraries. Nikki does not provide hotel or transportation service booking services; travelers are responsible for inquiring about availability and placing reservations for their chosen itinerary items directly with Costa Rican hotels and transportation service providers.

Appointment Payment

Payment is collected confidentially through PayPal. (You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a payment; PayPal can accept payment by credit card.) Payment is due in advance, at least two days before the scheduled appointment date. (See the Appointment Refunds section further down this page for information about cancelations and refunds.) PayPal payment links are provided below. The name you’ll see on the payment page is Pura Vida! eh? Incorporated, which is Nikki’s corporation.

Learn about each appointment type

The two types of appointments that Nikki offers are described below.

Online Live Chat Appointments

Online Live Chat Appointments provide an opportunity to chat privately with Nikki (via typing, not over the telephone or video chat) so you can get answers to your Costa Rica travel-related questions. This service type can be booked in 60-minute blocks ($65 USD), and is ideal for travelers who like the immediate back-and-forth communication that live chat services provide. With this option, you’ll meet Nikki on this webpage (no account or login required) at our scheduled appointment time and Nikki will devote 60 minutes of her time to assisting you/your family.

Included with a 60-Minute Online Live Chat (Typing) Appointment with Nikki:

• A full hour to ask Nikki questions of your choosing that pertain to Costa Rica travel
• Nikki’s responses to your questions
• a copy of the chat transcript, and, if applicable, a brief follow-up email from Nikki containing a list of resources that either provides explanations that weren’t mentioned during the chat and/or links to businesses or services discussed during the chat.

Email/Voice Message Appointments

Email/Voice Message Appointments invite Nikki to answer your Costa Rica travel-related questions via email. This service type can be booked in 2-Email/Voice Message blocks ($95 USD). With this option, you’ll send Nikki either an email or a voice message prior to the appointment time (at least two days before the appointment date) that contains all of your questions, and Nikki will use the dedicated appointment time to formulate a lengthy email response. (If you wish to communicate via voice message, you can record your message to Nikki using a Voice Recorder app on your phone, then email the recorded audio file to Nikki at findme@nikkisolano.com) There is no need for you to be available during the scheduled appointment time; the appointment is simply for Nikki to carve out time during her day to devote to answering your questions. She will email you before the end of the scheduled appointment time. So, if you book a 9:00-10:00am timeslot, you can expect to receive Nikki’s email before 10:00am. Also provided with this option is one follow-up email from Nikki. After you review Nikki’s initial email, if you have additional questions or want Nikki to clarify anything she addressed in her first email, you can reply with a second written or voice message, and she’ll respond with the information you need.

Included with a 2-Email/Voice Message Appointment with Nikki:

• A lengthy email response from Nikki that provides thorough answers to your questions, recommendations, and additional resources, such as links to applicable businesses or services.
• A follow-up email from Nikki to answer additional questions or clarify responses provided in the initial email.

Choosing Between Online Live Chat Appointments and Email/Voice Message Appointments

Online live chat appointments provide an opportunity to correspond (via typing) with Nikki in live time. They work best when travelers have already started planning their trip to Costa Rica and have a list of questions that can be answered with relatively short answers (e.g., How long does it take to travel from A to B?, Which tour is better: C or D?, and If you were looking for E, would you visit F or G?), allowing for a rapid-fire Q&A session.

Email/voice message appointments are the better option if you need general Costa Rica trip-planning help, such as itinerary-building advice, or if you have a lot of questions about Costa Rica, especially if you’re a first-time visitor who is just starting to plan your trip. Broad questions like How many days should I spend in Costa Rica?, How should I order A, B, and C destinations on my trip itinerary?, and How should I schedule D, E, and F activities? typically require lengthy responses, which are better answered over email.

Best Practices and Money-Saving Tips

The more information you can provide Nikki with prior to the scheduled appointment time, the more efficient Nikki’s work will be. Although it isn’t required to send Nikki any or all of the details listed below, providing as many of these (and other) details as possible can significantly reduce the amount of time and/or the number of emails that it will take for Nikki to help you, lowering the amount you’ll pay for her service:

• The number of people in your travel group and their ages at the time of travel
• Your vacation start and end dates (if already known) or the approximate time of year when you’d like to travel (if your travel dates are not yet known)
• Your arrival and departure airports as well as your arrival and departure times (if already known)
• Any particular destinations (i.e., cities, towns, communities) or regions (i.e., the Pacific coast, the Caribbean coast) that you already know you want to visit
• Any particular activities, tours, or attractions that you already know you want to experience
• Any preferences you have regarding the types of transportation services (i.e., shared shuttle services, private transfer services, rental cars, etc.) that you’d like to use to move around Costa Rica
• Any specific accommodations or types of accommodations that you’d like to stay at
• Any specific ecosystems that you’d like to explore or wildlife species that you’d love to see
• If you prefer popular locales or places off the beaten path
• If there is a specific climate, vibe/atmosphere, or cultural experience that you want to immerse yourself in
• Any other must-haves
• Any particular fears, experiences, or things that you’d ideally like to avoid
• Any specific requests, modifications, or limitations, such as dietary intolerances, mobility impairments, or health issues

Appointment Cancelations

If you need to cancel your appointment, please do so no later than 48 hours prior to the appointment time. Full refunds are provided for prepaid services if 48 hours’ notice of cancelation is provided. There are no refunds for cancelations made within 48 hours of the appointment time or no-shows. Under exceptional circumstances, appointments canceled within 48 hours of the appointment time can be moved to a new date and time without penalty provided the new date and time are within 14 days of the original appointment. To cancel an appointment, simply click on the “click here to cancel a confirmed appointment” link in the appointment confirmation email you received after booking.

What clients are saying about Nikki’s consultation service

Thank you Nikki! We really appreciated your time and guidance. All of the information is very helpful. – client R.L.

Hello Nikki. Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciated all of your help. We are all looking forward to an awesome trip and you had so much to do with that… All the very best!! – client D.M.

Thank you so much for all your help in building our itinerary and making suggestions on the various things to do. We are so excited for our trip. I appreciate your services greatly! They have been invaluable in helping us plan our trip. – client E.C.

Wow Nikki, this is amazing and very comprehensive. I greatly appreciate your input and recommendaitons. – client M.B.

Such great info, Nikki! Amazing support. Thank you. – client V.M.

Nikki, thank you VERY much, this has been so helpful!! – client R.F.

Thank you so much! I was starting to get trip planning burn out and I appreciate all of your help so much! – client C.C.

Hi Nikki, This has all been super helpful! Also by the way, very impressive that you turned your love for this country into a business! You’re newsletters, DIY info and blogs are very well done. – client D.P.

Thank you again for your help. It was lovely meeting you and I’m so glad that we were able to connect! – client E.B.

This is fabulous! – client C.H.

THis has been extremely helpful! Thanks for focusing me in. – client L.G.

It was a pleasure speaking with you. – client B.G.

You’re the best. Thank you so much, I’m so glad I found you. – client J.T.

This is so fantastic, thank you!! – client J.R.

This chat was super helpful! Thanks again! – client T.C.

Nikki, that’s fantastic information. I really appreciate all the effort you’ve made to send this. – client. M.D.

Thank you so much for all the great information Nikki. So glad I found your service. – client E.B.