Author:
Jennifer
[ Edit | View ]
|
Date Posted: 12:13:22 07/22/03 Tue
I did the week-long new Angel's surf camp that's a sub-branch of GISC. More or less the same instructors, just a different housing sight, with a bit of a different focus.
Overall, a very good experience. Very memorable. Almost a perfect trip altogether. I would do it again.
I can definitely see where you might have had a bad experience. My first few days were incredibly unorganized. And I told them I was leaving. Then they became much more organized, though with the burst of spontenaity (from lack of planning) that really made the trip great.
They have the potential to be a REALLY GOOD surf camp. But I think they've been living in Costa Rica for too long and don't have the consistency, organization, and consumer-awareness that Americans expect. Sydney, Australia very much had the same problem. This doesn't make them a bad camp--like I said, I had a great time--but it does open the door for really bad experiences. They do seem to be working on that.
They now have a personal driver, Johnny, who is incredibly nice and reliable. He also drives a really nice, air-conditioned jeep. He'll bend over backwards to help you. A group of girls had an 8am flight, and so they thought they'd have to stay the night before in San Jose, which they didn't want to do because it's boring and expensive compared to Dominical. Johnny volunteered to drive them up at 3am the morning of the plane flight! Now that's dedication.
And Stephanie, ex-i-banker, is now their acting manager. She's pretty on top of things. Thank god they finally put an overachiever into that position.
Jason, the owner, is very pre-occupied with his young son, but he means the best. And when he's totally focused on you, he'll get things done. You just have to tell him to FOCUS.
The surf instructors, Matt and Sean, are the best instructors I've met yet. They are very good with explaining the basics, figuring out what you do wrong on each attempt, and staying with you. On the other hand, they do sometimes get caught up in enjoying surfing the waves for themselves and forget about you. Once again, you have to remind them to focus.
The "extra" activities are nothing special, and I doubt they'll become worth my time any time in the future. If you want a good horseback ride, try Finca Valmy tours in Manuel Antonio (the best I've had out of New Zealand, Australia, and the southern US). If you want a good zip line, try Monteverde. If you want a good massage, go to a real spa--Sea Glass Spa in Manuel Antonio is great.
What I do like about GISC that you can't get anywhere else: The town--incredibly friendly with a hippie, laid back, eccentric feel. Similar to Austin, TX. The people--you will meet the most interesting people here in concentrated form. EVERYONE has a story. You just have to ask. Jazzy's River House--GISC will take you if you ask. It's only open on Wednesday night, where they do a full 3 course dinner with drinks. Roca Verde--a surprisingly fun disco on Saturday night. Drinks are cheap, and the men surprisingly gentlemen-like, not at all like the sleazy feel of many Houston clubs. Almost wholesome, if you can call a disco that. The surprises--you have to prompt them. Jason took me to this beautiful waterfall that only the locals know about. We climbed to the top and jumped off the rope swing. Very cool. Eugene has a puma (rescue and release program) that he keeps in the mountain. We took the puma out of the cage and had lunch provided for us by a local family from their trout farm. Fresh fried trout and fresh squeezed blackberry juice. It doesn't get any better than that.
Hope this helps!
|
Feedback: 