Advance price concert tickets may be purchased by calling (843) 444-5774.  Full price tickets will also be available at the door one hour prior to each event.

 

 

Education and Outreach

 The Master Chorale provides community service throughout the year with free outreach concerts in retirement communities and appearances at civic functions, including the community Christmas Tree lighting, Easter Sunrise services and the South Carolina Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. These venues help to elevate the visibility of cultural activities available on the Grand Strand.  Education and exposure to the arts are an invaluable asset in building and maintaining a level of excellence expected in our tourism environment.

 

 CAROLINA MASTER CHORALE

CONCERT TOUR OF COSTA RICA

July 17 - 25, 2010


Day 1: Depart Myrtle Beach on a regularly scheduled airline flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Enjoy a movie or read onboard as you wing your way south. A few short hours later you will be a worldaway in tropical Costa Rica. Clear Customs and Immigration and enter the Arrivals Hall where a BEST Tour Escort will meet you and direct you to your coach. Although you will find many places that will accept your US dollars, you might want to exchange dollars for some Costa Rican Colones before leaving the airport. Then, luggage loaded, you will transfer to your San José hotel. Settle into your room in this exquisite hotel, and then enjoy dinner with your group at the hotel.

Overnight: Hotel Amon Plaza (http://www.hotelamonplaza.com/index.php)

Day 2: Wake early and enjoy a luxurious breakfast, complete with rich Costa Rican coffee. Then check out and drive north into the central area of Costa Rica to Monteverde. The Monteverde Cloud forest straddles the continental divide at an altitude of 4600 feet. The drive will take about four hours and is near the end you will be on dirt roads. Getting to a remote area is not easy, but it is worth the effort. The Monteverde Cloud Forest has one of the highest levels of plant and animal diversity found in the Americas, with more than 100 species of mammals, over 400 species of birds including 30 kinds of hummingbirds, tens of thousands of insect species (over 5000 species of moths) and 2,500 species of plants (420 kinds of orchids)! Arrive in the early afternoon and check in at your hotel, situated right next to the Monteverde Reserve. Enjoy dinner at the hotel and then travel to nearby church to present a concert.

Overnight: Trapp Family Lodge (http://www.trappfamilylodgecr.com/)

Day 3: Because you are virtually on the equator, the days and nights here are almost the same length year round. Sunrise is about 5.30am and sunset is around 5.30pm. Awake to the sun and enjoy a delightful tropic breakfast at your hotel. Then we will depart for nearby Selvatura Park(http://www.selvatura.com): Located inside the Cloud Forest (it is called a cloud forest, not a rain forest because of its elevation), the tour guides will take you through one of the two canopy courses each with more than of the 12 cables, 19 platforms, Tarzan Swing along the way, and a total of more than 1.5 miles of total cable length on each course. The tour lasts 2.5 and 3 hours. For those whose inclinations are less ambitious, there are many alternatives to consider. There are the Cloud Top walkways, where you can stroll through the treetops at your own pace. There are the Butterfly Gardens and the Hummingbird Gardens, which allow for excellent opportunities to see many varieties of these beautiful creatures in their native habitats. Return to the hotel and enjoy some free time. The hotel has many diverse activities that you can book for an additional fee. Or just wander the lushly vegetated grounds. Dinner at the hotel in the evening.

Overnight: Trapp Family Lodge

Day 4: Savor yet another wonderful breakfast, and then check out and board your coach as you head toward Arenal, home to the Arenal Volcano, which like Kilawea in Hawaii, has been slowly, but beautifully erupting for years. You will drive north through the city of Tilaran and then around the northern tip of beautiful Lake Arenal and finally south along the lake’s eastern coast until we arrive at your hotel, the magnificent Hotel Arenal Paraiso. Your hotel will offer many wonderful activities, not the least of which is sitting in one of their 14 thermal spring pool and enjoying the beauty of the volcano at night. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: at Hotel Arenal Paraìso (http://www.arenalparaiso.com/)

Day 5: After breakfast this morning, you will enjoy a free day to explore this great region, or
have a spa day, if you wish. There are many things to do. There are horseback rides to the Arenal Volcano, jeep and boat tours, cave tours, safari rides, hikes to the volcano, rafting and more. Do as much or as little as you like. In the evening, present a concert at a local church or school.

Overnight: Hotel Arenal Paraìso

Day 6: Breathe in the clean and fresh air and enjoy breakfast in this little patch of paradise. Then check out and load the coach. This morning we return to San Josè, stopping en route at the Rainforest Aerial Tram Tour, where you can float through the rainforest canopy in a gondola with a few friends and an expert guide. Be sure to bring your camera! You’ll recognize your hotel as you arrive back at the Hotel Amon Plaza. Dinner in the hotel this evening.

Overnight: Hotel Amon Plaza

Day 7: Sleep in a bit this morning, if you wish. This morning is free for your leisure. Then in the afternoon we’ll enjoy a tour of San Jose and then take in the Butterfly Farm, where you can move among a world of exotic butterflies. In the evening, present a concert at a major San Jose concert venue, perhaps a shared concert with a local choir. Farewell banquet.

Overnight: Hotel Amon Plaza

Day 8: Following breakfast, this day is free for individual tours and excursions. There are lots to choose from: Drive to the seaport city of Puntarenas and board a catamaran to cruise among the islands of the Gulf of Nicoya, disembarking for snorkeling, scuba or sunbathing on the white sands beaches. Or take a tour of the La Paz Waterfall Park which has extensive butterflies, as well. Perhaps you would like glide through the canals and lakes of Tortuguero National Park and observe the wildlife at a restful pace. There are so many tours to choose among, that deciding will be the hardest thing part of the day! The cost of most of these tours is included in your tour package (there are supplements for a few tours). Return to your hotel after your day’s adventure and have dinner on your own.

Overnight: Hotel Amon Plaza

Day 9: Your final morning of the tour. Savor breakfast and then check out of the hotel and travel to the airport. Bid your hosts farewell and board your flight home. The flight home is not so long, but it will give you plenty of time to remember the wonderful events of the preceding days. The sights and sounds and the people. Memories for a lifetime.


Included in your Carolina Master Chorale Tour to Costa Rica 2010:
• Nine days and eight nights lodging in 3-4 star hotel accommodations, based on double occupancy (single occupancy is available with payment of a single supplement fee)
• Services of a Full-time bilingual Tour Escort.
• All ground transportation by deluxe motor-coach and professional driver in Costa Rica as required by the itinerary.
• Breakfast daily and five dinners.
• Admission to: Selvatura Park, the Rainforest Aerial Tram Tour, The Butterfly Farm, and an all-day individual tour chosen from a variety of selections, including:
o Calypso Island Cruise
o La Paz Waterfall Park
o Tortuguero National Park
o Starpoints Big Party ATV Tour
o And several others. (All of the tours listed are included, others may require payment of a small supplemental fee)
• Guided Coach Tour of San Jose.
• Set up and promotion of all concerts. (Concerts cannot be verified prior to tour acceptance and group registration.)
• Sightseeing in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Selvatura Park, Lake Arenal, Arenal Volcano area, Monteverde, Tilaran, San Jose, and more.


Price:
• $1471 per person, Land-Only, based on a minimum of 38 paying travelers.
Airfare can be added when it becomes available, approximately 330 days prior to you return date. Airfare can be purchased through Best Concert Tours or from your own sources. If purchased through Best Concert Tours, the price will include one free airline ticket (to match the one free land package.) As of February 2009, based on published rates for July 2009, we estimate the cost of round trip airfare from Myrtle Beach, SC to San Jose, Costa Rica will be around $400-$500. Actual airfares cannot be quoted until the prices are published approximately 330 days prior to your return date, and there can be no guarantee of those rates until they are published.


Payment Schedule and invoicing details:
Best Concert Tours is flexible regarding the details of your payment plan and will work with you to set this up to your satisfaction, within the confines of certain restrictions. Typically and payment plan includes a deposit (a portion of this will be non-refundable, unless we cancel the tour) and equal monthly payments. The final payment is always left open and is variable in order to account for misc. charges that individuals may incur, such as air deviations fees, single room supplements, possible airfare tax adjustments, etc. That final payment may be higher or lower than the previous monthly payments. Best Concert Tours can invoice your tour members individually each month.   We will enter into a contract with each person (or family) and they will each be responsible for their payments.

This tour was researched, planned and arranged by BEST CONCERT TOURS and the itinerary is subject to change up until definite travel plans are confirmed by the CMC.