Choco Tour Costa Rica — Attraction in San Mateo

Disappointing The only thing our granddaughter requested during her visit of Costa Rica was to go on a chocolate tour. First of all, it was nearly impossible to find. There were no commercial signs to lead us and we ended up having a motorcyclist help us find the location. When the gate did open, we did not see anyone and we were just in someone’s yard. When I confirmed that we were in the right place, our daughter begged for us to leave and to not worry about forfeiting the money that had been paid. I understand that the tour is by reservation only. But state that on a posted sign off the main road and before the entrance so that people can at least find the place. We have lived near the area for years, it should not have been so difficult. Misleading Advertisement The website made It appear that we were going to go to a regular tourist location for a normal chocolate tour. However, it really was just someone’s modest house and yard. It was so modest, our daughter did not drink the samples provided because she didn’t feel confident in the hygiene. Rushed Presentation Chef Alex was very knowledgeable about chocolate. My only criticism of the actual presentation was that it was far too rushed, making it very difficult to understand the presenter. Missed Hands-On Experience One of the main reasons our granddaughter—an experienced baker and cook herself—wanted to go on this tour is that she wanted to experience hands-on candy-making and to make her own chocolate bar. It was disappointing to have a ready-made tiny chocolate square where we were allowed to add a few pieces of decoration. The miniature square melted immediately when we ate it—not because it was so pure, as stated—but because it was not given enough time to harden. Facilities and Standards We had envisioned that there would be several people on the tour, it was just us. The website shows a large demonstration tent, large crowds and staff in attendance. Maybe it had been like this prior to the pandemic? It’s a very modest place with only the owner doing the demo. Also, the water wasn’t working, so there were no functioning restrooms. Poor Value for the Money For the price paid—comparable to other highly-acclaimed chocolate tours in the region—I expected a truly memorable experience. Chef Alex had kindly changed our date of attendance from a Friday to a Saturday, leading us to feel ever more so that this was a large tourist venue. Instead, we all left feeling short-changed and dissatisfied. The lack of a professional venue and a feeling of being unsafe are just...

What a fun and educational tour. We were lucky enough to have Oscar as our lovely tour guide, who was very friendly and informative. He is very knowledgeable, and happy to answer any questions you may have. The tour lasted about an hour and a half or so, and went through the history of chocolate, how it is made, as well as hands on experience of making our own little treats and sampling chocolate drinks previously drank amongst royalty and soldiers. Definitely worth the $25 USD per person.

The tour finishes with you sampling the treats you made earlier, as well as some delicious local chocolate, which is available for purchase, ranging from $4 and $8 USD.

Absolutely fantastic way to spend a few hours - highly recommended! Special thanks to Oscar who made the experience...

My family had an absolutely wonderful time on this tour with our amazing guide Alex!

After being greeted outside by his adorable dogs I already knew the tour was going to be an enjoyable time.

Alex was a very kind and knowledgeable man that seemed very passionate about his dream of turning his place into a forest to table experience.

I really enjoyed hearing the history of the different eras of chocolate then immediately being able to taste what the chocolate would have been like in that time period.

The tour taught me many things about chocolate while being both interactive and entertaining. This experience felt one of a kind and it warmed my heart seeing someone living their dream! Go Alex, the Aldrich family is...