Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

This was a great trip which we had planned for ages as a bucket list item. We wanted to concentrate on birds and the trip that KimKim planned (Yuliana) met all our wishlist items. We were happy to let Yuliana plan the route and do all the heavy lifting on the hotel bookings, car rental and many guided walks. We added a couple of our own once we knew a bit more about where we were and had familiarised ourselves with the various areas we travelled to.
We covered a lot of ground in 17 days and experienced a variety of climates, scenery and birdlife. It was great - Costa Rica is an easy country to get around, the people are friendly and the birds of course are amazing.
One thing to note is that hotel rooms do not have kettles (some had a coffee machine, others had nothing at all) so a travelling kettle is a good idea. Best guides: Christian at La Selva; Kendall at Curi Cancha and Dylan at Manual Antonio. Their knowledge is amazing. We loved it all.

Hotel Reviews

Dreams Lodge Monteverde

Santa Elena

It's a basic B&B

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had cold water shower

The Falls at Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio

We enjoyed staying here the room was lovely

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very nice staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heliconias Nature Inn

Peñas Blancas

Sorry but this was not our favourite. Room was dark, few powerpoints, no bedside lights, WC horrible. There were nicer rooms but ours was not one. Restaurant overpriced and bad food. Also it's too far from La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Good for first night

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Natural Caño Negro Lodge

we really enjoyed this hotel, lovely surroundings, friendly staff, good restaurant and bar, nice big room and shower in a natural and exotic setting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Have to drive along a bumpy dirt road to get here

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

This was not a 'birdwatching' tour but was OK. Our fellow guests were a strange lot and not very friendly. But we did see a quetzal so that was cool. It was quite crowded.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Early Birdwatching Tour at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

One of the best trips - Kendall was amazing. Took us outside the reserve to see toucanets - brilliant. Lots of people but we saw lots of things thanks to him. He would have liked to start earlier and I think it would be good if he could have contacted us directly.

Quality of Experience

Kendall

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Nature Walk at Danaus Ecological Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was OK , butterfly enclosure a highlight. Not many birds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos friendly and helpful

Birdwatching at Arenal Mundo Aventura Natural Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was good after a rather scary drive to the park in the dark. Ronald very knowledgeable and pleasant. Nice selection of birds and good breakfast afterwards - appreciated after missing breakfast at the hotel

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Bird Watching Tour

Caño Negro

This was good and we saw loads. Minor problem was others on the boat had no binoculars so it slowed everything down. 2 good guides and nice lunch afterwards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Birdwatching Tour at Boca Tapada

Boca Tapada

Good guide for early morning walk after downpour Christian 2. Best part about BT was the feeders which brought loads of birds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Birdwatching Tour at La Selva Biological Station

Sarapiquí

Our first bird tour, very good. Loads of birds. Christian very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Night Walk at Tirimbina Rainforest Center

Sarapiquí

The link sent us to the wrong place; we eventually got there but it was pouring with rain. The bridge was very scary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She knew her stuff

The trip was greAT. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HELPING US PLAN IT AND FOR BEING ACCOMODATING WITH OUR CHANGE REQUESTS.
May I make a few suggestions for your next clients visiting Costa Rica, all concerning the activities.
1) The kayaking in Mangroves was great, however I did not bring my kayaking gloves as it was stated that we would have a fun pedal/paddle kayak. This was not the case- no pedaling.
2) On the waterfall hike you should specify closed toe water shoes. I could not swim close to the waterfall bc of the many rocks. I was barely able to swim in the water downstream due to the rocks.
3) We were a 5 minute walk to the Manuel Antonio National Park for the last 4 days, but we did not know that you had to reserve a ticket for the park days prior to our desired entrance day. We were unable to secure entrance.
Thanks again,
Linda
P.S. Sorry for the typos and all caps where present

KimKim did an excellent job with our trip itinerary and we had a terrific time exploring three beautiful places in Costa Rica. Every driver and tour guide arrived on time (even early) which is pretty phenomenal, and it was refreshing to find that each driver and tour guide was so very proud of their country. The drivers discussed sites, landmarks and pointed out interesting things during the drives. We enjoyed Marvin from the airport to Arenal, Roy to Rio Celeste (our favorite), Alex to the Gulf of Papagayo. and Joshua to the airport. These men were very nice, patient, and simply terrific drivers, and made us feel like friends.

All in all, we had a great itinerary and enjoyed all of our resorts and activities, smoothly moving from one location and activity to the next. KimKim's procedure of allowing you to adjust the itinerary they put together to your liking was a nice touch. Communications were excellent!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Staying at this resort was a nice way to end out trip. We enjoyed the beach, the pool, the bar (happy hour!) and the restaurant. We were able to walk down the beach one night to a local restaurant where we heard live music during our dinner. The monkeys playing in the trees around the pool was a nice touch! The included breakfast was great, food was tasty and service great.

Authenticity & Character

Pretty nice well-maintained grounds. Room had a nice sitting area and deck.

Location

Had a nice beach and lounge chairs to use. Trees all around up from the water added shade which was nessessary.

Staff

Staff was attentive and nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

This 4-star resort was spectacular! Our cabin was absolutely beautiful. It was big and spacious with a private deck and outdoor shower! We greatly enjoyed brewing coffee and enjoying it on the patio each morning. Patio is covered so let it rain! The resort grounds are so nice, with paths and walking trails! We took hikes on the well-marked resort trails from our room down to the blue river and through the rain forest. Around the hotel were all kinds of birds and animals, we spotted Coatis and even an Agouti, so cool. We greatly enjoyed the beautiful pool and we hung out some at the swim up bar. The restaurant was terrific and the service staff were superb throughout! Our only caveat with this resort is that if you don't have a rental car, it's not easy to leave it to explore the surrounding area on your own (no Ubers or taxi's are around we were told). Of course we got picked up twice for our tour/hikes.

Authenticity & Character

Love the cabins/rooms. And the grounds were impeccably cared for.

Location

Just a gorgeous spot, nice in sun or rain! Can walk down to see the blue river in a few spots.

Staff

Every staff member we interacted with was professional, nice, and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are gorgeous, from deck, to sitting areas, to beds, to bathroom and shower, to outdoor shower.

Arenal Paraíso Resort, Spa & Hot Springs

La Fortuna

This resort is pretty. We had our own cabin which was very quiet and nice overall. We greatly enjoyed the hot springs, grounds, pool, and pool bar. We liked the fact that we could eat by the pool after visiting the hot springs instead of having to go to the restaurant. The included breakfast was fantastic, lots of options. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We note that the cabin we had could use a little TLC, especially the bathroom. Also, the resort did have a water issue the 2nd night and we were without water for several hours.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the grounds, just note that the cabins may need a little care.

Location

Nice spot. Was easy for our drivers to pick up and drop off.

Staff

Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Sailing and Snorkeling Adventure

Costa Rica

We had a lovely time riding the 40 foot sailboat, with drinks on the way to snorkeling (lots of cool fish to see), and snacks and drinks on the way back. The crew was terrific and attentive, the views from the boat were superb.

Quality of Experience

Was a nice snorkeling spot, excellent sailing experience, good drinks and snacks!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Staff was friendly and super attentive.

Transport

They did an awesome job getting us to and from the boat safely.

Introduction to the Gulf of Papagayo

Gulf of Papagayo

We enjoyed the beach, the pool, the bar (Happy Hour!) and the restaurant. We were able to walk down the beach one night to a local restaurant where we had live music to our dinner. The monkeys playing in the trees around the pool was a nice touch!

Quality of Experience

Happy hour, nice beach with lounge chairs, easy to walk beach and to other restaurants.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drivers on time and excellent. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Transport

Alex was nice, full of information and a good driver.

Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Private Hike

Bijagua / Rio Celeste

This hike was conducted by Oscar who was a nice guy, very knowledgeable (told us so many facts about the area and blue river) and guided us well. We saw snakes, then the blue river, the spectacular waterfall, and then the joining of the two rivers that cause the water to be blue. Oscar explained everything in great detail. On our hike back out of the park, we had a Tapir sighting!

Quality of Experience

A nice hike, great guide, and beautiful views!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and friendly!

Transport

Right on time, quick ride.

Tapir Valley Nature Reserve Night Walk

Bijagua / Rio Celeste

This hike/walk is right through the rain forest at night, some of the footing was slippery and muddy, but the boots and headlamps they provided were a great help. We saw lots of frogs, snakes, spiders, and birds. Then our guide Anthony got word that there was a Tapir nearby so we hightailed it to go see it. That was fabulous! The funny thing was, on the way back to the Hideaway we also saw a Tapir on the side of the road, which our driver slowed for us to view.

Quality of Experience

Guide was excellent and it was cool to be in the forest at night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

On time, nice people, excellent guide!

Transport

On time and easy. On the way back, driver spotted a juvenile Tapir on the road and stopped so we could see it and grab some photos!

Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved our guide Roy, he was so nice and shared his amazing knowledge and took his time to tell us all about the Volcanic area, animals, plants, and interesting things. The hike was a highlight of our time in Arenal and we greatly enjoyed it. It was a beautiful day and the views we encountered were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Just a beautiful day for a nice hike with a great guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roy picked us up at the resort and was our hike guide. He was terrific!

Transport

Roy had a nice vehicle and pointed out many things during our drive. He was early too!

I appreciated that the questions I posted were answered by Olman in a detailed and clear manner.

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Well, it's a Hilton. So nice to see carpeting!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

The views of this hotel are amazing! The hotel, I would rate as 3 stars. The showers are nice, the corner room again with an amazing view. The previous two hotels had friendly, accomodating staff, so we expected the same. Unfortunately, we found the staff to be indifferent, though we were friendly towards them. We thought they did the minimal, answered questions quickly without much feeling, and didn't seem to want to be there. I think this is more of a reflection on management. The dinner took two hours, as the server seemed preoccupied. The swimming pool was nice.

Authenticity & Character

Renovate the rooms.

Location

The view was amazing as previously stated.

Staff

See comments above. Wondering if there is a morale issue.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renovate the rooms.

Hotel Belmar

Monteverde

This was rated as a 4 star hotel, though the simple accommodations (no TV, room needing more modern renovations) would rate is more like a 3.5 star hotel. The complimentary breakfast was great, the dinner was fair. The staff was accommodating and mostly friendly. The grounds were very pretty, though the green lake did not look swimmable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Fortuna

The hot springs in the back of the hotel were amazing. Lots of fun and the resort makes it very convenient to hop in a resort shuttle to travel to the springs, which is a very short ride away. The room is nice, though hotel renovations are needed. The restaurants for dinner at Ave and Tucanes were great. The complimentary breakfast was fair, wishing there was more variety.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Finally! I got to see the white-faced monkeys. I also saw bats, a snake, iguanas, and birds. This was more exciting as I finally can see a lot more animals without squinting all the time. This tour is why I came to Costa Rica, and it did not disappoint.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

My husband's high point was the ziplining. This is the second time I ziplined, and I felt much safer because we are harnassed to the cables after landing. The tour guide gave me the harness used by workers when I shared my health history, which made me feel more secure. I think the photos were on the expensive side though.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

This was fun even if it was raining. The tour guide was very informative, the group only consisted of six people, and the animals were motionless mainly, which made them easier to spot and photograph.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

I think we wanted more activity other than sitting on a boat and squinting up at trees. There weren't enough animals to make it exciting enough for us, and perhaps we aren't great bird watchers. The monkeys were fun! But soooooo far away!

Quality of Experience

Food

Loved loved loved the chocolate.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was very detailed oriented and provided good information about the animals.

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

A nice, professional and friendly tour guide gave us the volcano's history. I appreciated her enthusiasm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Casado was yummy. This was the best casado of the whole trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Randall was superb with planning from beginning to end, answering every question all along the way!

Couldn't have asked for a better family trip to Costa Rica, and so grateful for all the help, responsiveness, and attention from Serendipity Adventures. Elena really helped narrow down our itinerary providing multiple updates based on our specific needs accounting for two couples, three seniors (66, 69, 77) and one person with mobility issues.

Our accommodations were perfect, and exceptionally nice facilities. The activities were the perfect balance of seeing a lot and not overdoing it for the older couple.

Our favorite guide was Roy who was with us for the arenal volcano hike and Arenal Hanging Bridges tour over two days. Such a resource of knowledge, passion, attention, and friendliness! All guides were excellent and the parks were all great to visit exceeding expectations.

Adrián was also very helpful during the trip getting back to me very quickly and willing to check on last minute adjustments and requests.

Hoping to be able to enjoy Corcovado next time around and will certainly work with Serendipity Adventures again and recommend them to anyone traveling to gorgeous Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

We had a great time in Costa Rica. The zip lining/hanging bridges and the white water rafting were amazing activities. If you go, expect long drives to go anywhere on hard gravel roads, that part wasn't fun.

The Arenal Manoa hotel near at Arenal/ LaFortuna was a delightful hidden gem. The grounds and facilities were immaculate and we felt like we were in a tropical paradise. Nice breakfast selection with a variety of foods. The staff was very friendly and professional. We had a sloth in a tree behind our room, enjoyed toucans while soaking in the hot springs, enjoyed pizza at the pool, and our hike to Arenal in El Silencio was rewarding with numerous birds and a couple trees with white faced monkeys. Spotted 4 red Macaws as we were checking out of our room.

We also enjoyed the Sibu Boutique hotel in Monteverde. Great staff, conveniently located. Had access to the facilities at a sister hotel, Poco a Poco. Nice menu selection at the onsite restaurant. Cloud forest tour with Treetopia was great!

Favorite activity while in Tamarindo was the Panache Catamaran sunset cruise. Very friendly, personable and professional crew (especially Gabriel). Snacks and open bar drinks were an added bonus with a nice selection of foods.

Was pleased with all transfers and pickups at each location. Timely and professional!!

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Garden Inn Guanacaste Airport

Liberia

We liked the convenience to the airport and nice selection on the restaurant menu.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham

Tamarindo

Enjoyed the location, staff very accommodating but the rooms could stand some upgrades. Transfers to downtown were good.

Authenticity & Character

Rooms need to be updated

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sibū Boutique Hotel

Puntarenas

Delightful room, conveniently located, super staff, nice setting with immaculately maintained grounds, and a very nice restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Access to everything in the area plus access to facilities at sister hotel Poco a Poco.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

A true tropical paradise with immaculate grounds, hot springs, pool and restaurants. Super staff, great ambiance at La Saca Restaurant. Pizza by the pool was excellent. Will stay there again if we return to Arenal/LaFortuna!

Authenticity & Character

The tropical plants, trees, flowers, entire grounds

Location

Quiet with a great view of the volcano. Tropical paradise!

Staff

Friendly, professional and accommodating!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Catamaran Sailing Excursion

Costa Rica

First rate! Great captain (Gabriel) and crew!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram & Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

Great guide! Excellent English! Very knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Trail Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Felt a big suburban and too commercial

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide very knowledgeable and used his scope to zoom in on birds and monkeys. He took pictures through his scope with our cell phones. Hike to the volcano was a little bit taxing in stretches but the guide and fellow hikers let us catch our breath and take our time

Quality of Experience

The guide was very good!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Each step of our trip was flawless! While traveling in a foreign country, KimKim made sure that everything was in place for us, from transit to/from the airport, to the delivery and pickup of our auto rental, to the hotels and activities! I would recommend KimKim to friends and family.

Hotel Reviews

Crowne Plaza San Jose La Sabana by IHG

San José

Very helpful staff and good location for restaurants, park, and museums. Good ending for our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nammbú Beachfront Bungalows

Sámara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just a quick 5-minute walk down to the beach. Glorious view of the ocean from the pool/bar area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Eco Arenal

Fortuna

Great location and wonderful staff! One way to improve the room would be to provide indirect and/or lamp lighting. There was only overhead lighting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The balcony opened up to a view of Arenal Volcano---very cool!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sleep Inn Hotel Paseo Las Damas

San José

Good place for us to start our trip. The restaurant made a good sandwich.

Activity Review

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

Lots of fun and very educational! Our guide, Jorge, was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jorge was wonderful!

Transport

Super communication.

Hotel Reviews

Nayara Springs - Adults Only

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So available and friendly and helpful every minute of our stay.

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the overall most amazing places I have ever stayed.

Hotel Belmar

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A little rushed by guide that day.

Transport

Mocha Tour: Chocolate & Coffee

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Transport

Private Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private San Jose Walking Tour

San José

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of our guides and drivers were on time and did a great job of driving in a very mountainous country with narrow roads. Our guide to our visit to the cloud forest was very informative. We booked an optional night tour through our hotel. It was also excellent. You might consider adding that to your itineraries.
Our guide through the rain forest seemed to be in a hurry. This was a once in a lifetime visit for us. I would have liked to hear more about the flora surrounding us. All of our other guides had a lot to say about what we were seeing.

Hotel Review

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Excellent accommodations centrally located. Good food but expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide was in a hurry and really did not have much to say. I loved the rain forest walk. What a magical place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mocha Tour: Chocolate & Coffee

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fun place. Caesar was a great presenter. He made it fun with his energy and command of the subject.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

We found this to be disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driving and promptness was fine.

Transport

Rafts were uncomfortable for anyone with back issues.

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very informative.

Transport

Private San Jose Walking Tour

San José

The guide was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It is with great pleasure that I am writing this review. The service we received from KimKim and from Elena in Costa Rica was superb. Our family went to Costa Rica to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Every place we went we were greeted with decorations and treats, organized I imagine by Elena. We were 11 people. Transportation was on time and comfortable. Freddie our driver who took us to and from Monteverde, was great. Our guides were informative. Andres, also known as “Sosio” in Manuel Antonio was patient kind and fun. We had an extraordinary time on the catamaran. I would greatly recommend doing that. Above all, I would say that every interaction with Elena was pleasant, helpful, productive and timely.
We wish all of you great success. You deserve it!

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

Even in the rain, the hot spring pools were gorgeous.

Authenticity & Character

Vegetation and birds added to our experience.

Location

Staff

From porters to front desk to restaurant staff, all were attentive and pleasant, embodying “ours vida.”

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

The hotel was beautifully situated, designed and maintained!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It has panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean

Staff

Pleasant and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything.

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

We saw very little in the way of animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

There were communications issues about arranging drivers.

Transport

As above.

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Our guide showed us a variety of animals that we would never have spotted, with lots of information about each animal and its habits.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Andres, was personable and knowledgeable, sharing information and locations with other guides.

Transport

Worked smoothly.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Our guide was wonderful. We had children with us and the guide made it especially fun for them! The chocolate was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

The boat was clean. The crew were wonderful. We saw whales. What could be better?

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was punctual and easy.

All of the guides were excellent. We especially liked the Sloth tour in La Fortuna because it turned out to be a private tour and the tour guide (I can’t remember her name) was able to take pictures with my phone through her telescope.

In Puerto Viejo, we enjoyed meeting Andres for the BriBri tour, which was the best of the trip hands down. Amazing family and culture. Shout out to Nelson, our friendly driver!

This is the first time we've taken a trip that was pre-arranged with a trip specialist and it went amazingly well. Everything was taken care of for us, from transfers to hotels and outings. It was great to not have to worry about arranging that ourselves. All transfers and trips went smoothly and we didn't have to worry about trying to contact anyone for no shows. We really enjoyed our outings, especially our riverboat experience on the Rio frio with Canoa Aventura And our guide. Jorge. Jorge was amazingly knowledgeable about the local wildlife and made our wildlife excursion very enjoyable and educational. We got to see sloths and monkeys and an amazing variety of bird life.
All in all our trip was stress-free for the most part and very enjoyable. We will definitely consider Kim Kim for future trips.

We wanted a trip focusing on "birds in Costa Rica", and we were pleased at what a wonderful itinerary we had. First hotel: We loved Hotel Bougainvillea - it is clear that this is a birders paradise in San Jose. It is far from the city center, but the gardens were fantastic. The hotel is a bit old fashioned, but the service was great. Lovely restaurant with an excellent breakfast. We loved stopping at the La Paz waterfalls. Amazing hummingbirds, very educational, and the hikes were fantastic!!! Next we stayed at Lomas de Volcan. This might have been my favorite of the places we stayed in terms of the actual room and amenities. Comfortable individual "cabin" - very modern bathroom, fantastic restaurant and bar, and a great location. I would gladly stay there again. My husband really enjoyed the thermal pools, and the restaurant was "traditional" food and just fine. We loved visiting Arenal Observatory Lodge - and saw lots of birds. It was super rainy, but we got a nice hike in. We next stayed at Natural Lodge Cana Negro. We loved this place - the owner and family were awesome, the staff were very interactive and helpful, and it was a fantastic place to birdwatch. The guide who took us out on the river was very knowledgeable, which made it quite exciting. The restaurant at the lodge is quite good. I will recommend everyone visiting Costa Rica and interested in rain forest and flora and fauna should take the time to get up to this part of Costa Rica. We also loved the Cloud Forest Lodge. We were literally in a cloud the entire time. It was wet and windy, but being able to see Curi Cancha and Monteverde reserves was AWESOME. It gives one a great understanding of "rain forest"! Our guide, David, at Curi Cancha was absolutely one of the best. He was enthusiastic, and we saw a lot of birds because of his knowledge of the area. While we didn't see any birds in Monteverde reserve, we did get a real "rain forest" experience.

While Hotel Villa Caletas was fine, an Italianate hotel in Costa Rica seemed a bit odd. It also had a million steps, and we had to ask to have our room changed. There was no way the two of could manage all those stairs multiple times/day. It has a great view and the restaurant is fine. Our guide into Carara National Park was our only real disappointment. She really knew nothing about birds, although she did know her plants. The only birds we identified was through interacting the guides helping other people. I suggest you not use her again for a birding trip.

Esquinas Rainforest Lodge was an experience! The cabins are rustic, just screens, and it was rather hot and rainy, but nevertheless we loved visiting this part of Costa Rica. The staff here was great. I think we also appreciated the variety in the places we stayed, which on top of the amazing diversity of flora and fauna in Costa Rica made this trip amazing!!

Our final stay was at Savegre National Reserve Hotel. This is a great place. We loved our room, and we had another amazing guide - absolutely the best. We went out twice with him! He has so much local knowledge. It was inspiring.

Altogether, we had an amazing trip - and we ended up seeing 190 new species of birds, including scarlet macaws and the resplendent quetzal. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in wildlife, birds, and getting to see different aspects of Costa Rica. Olman did a great job of putting this together, although I wouldn't go back to Hotel Villa Caletas and Carara National Park.

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

This is a Hilton, and Hiltons have a certain level of dependability. It is located downtown, so it nicely placed if you want to go to the gold museum or the central market. Our room was on the small side. The bed was very comfortable, and the bathroom fixtures modern. You have to valet park your car, which was $27. This quite a hefty charge. You are also a bit of drive from the San Jose airport, so give yourself plenty of time to get there.

Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa

Páramo

This is the place to go if you are interested in seeing a resplendent quetzal. The guide the hotel arranged was stellar!! The room was spacious, and including a porch where you could look out over the gardens or the stream that runs nearby. The bathrooms were very modern, and the place was modern and comfortable. The breakfast here was excellent, but we did not have the best of luck with having supper there.

Esquinas Rainforest Lodge

Golfito

This part of Costa Rica is hot and humid. You are in essentially a cabin with only screens. The showerhead actually heats the water for your shower. The place lost power during a torrential rainstorm - so no shower that day. However, the beds were comfortable, and the meals (you really have to eat here) were very good. They used local fruits to make pitchers of juice they served at the meals. I found this quite fun. The staff is great, and our bird-watching guide was excellent.

Hotel Villa Caletas

Tárcoles

This is a fine hotel in an Italianate style. The staff were excellent and very helpful. Our room was comfortable, and the place has a lot of old-fashioned charm. My only complaint is that there are a lot of stairs. If you have any mobility issues, this is NOT the place for you. They were kind enough to change our room, because to get to our original room was quite a trek up and down multiple stair cases. From the restaurant area, you have a great view looking out over the Pacific Ocean, and watching the sunset from there was amazing.

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

This may be the most famous rain forest area of Costa Rica. It is well known because it is amazing. We drove up through the clouds to get here. While it was windy and rainy while we were there, it did not keep us from heading to Curi Cancha and Monteverde Reserves. The guide the hotel arranged was fantastic. I don't think you can understand a rain forest until you hiked through one! This lodge is perfectly positioned to visit both these reserves. Our room was quite spacious, the bed very comfortable, and the bathroom modern. The restaurant is good, and they do a very nice breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Natural Caño Negro Lodge

I think people don't often head up this way on a visit to Costa Rica, but it is a mistake. This area is fantastic, and the National Cano Nego Lodge is great!! The staff was sensational, and the food at their restaurant quite good. Great bartenders too!! The owners are quite gracious. They arranged our birding trip down the river, and it was excellent. They have a bird feeding station that you can look out on while eating breakfast or other meal, and it makes it all the more fun! The Refugio de Vida Silvestre Cano Negro is amazing, and it is definitely worth heading up to this region. The beds are very comfortable, and the bathroom was modern! I highly recommend this lodge as well as visiting this part of Costa Rica. The roads in are a bit rough, so be prepared to bounce around a bit.

Authenticity & Character

The owners are amazing, and the staff very helpful and knowledgeable.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

The location of this hotel near Arenal Volcano is fantastic. We had our own little "house", and it was well furnished. The bathrooms were modern, and the property beautifully landscaped and maintained. The restaurant here is excellent, but they have a nice bar with original cocktails. Their breakfast is first-rate. They had many hot and cold options, including an omelet station and waffle maker. The location is great if you are interested in the area around Arenal National Park. We had a flat tire, and the staff was amazingly helpful in putting in enough air and then recommending a great place to get the tire fixed in the nearby town. I highly recommend this lovely hotel. There is a great view of Arenal Volano when it is not socked in by clouds!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bougainvillea San José

Heredia

This is a lovely hotel away from the center of San Jose. There gardens are fantastic. If you are a birdwatcher, this is the place to stay, as the gardens attract many local birds. The rooms are comfortable, and the restaurant and bar were good. The owner must love rocks, because the lobby has many cases of rocks collected from all over Costa Rica. It was quite interesting.

Authenticity & Character

This is a slightly older hotel, but full of charm. The gardens are wonderful, and the beds comfortable, and the bathrooms are modern.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Early Birdwatching Walk

La Gamba

We had a great guide, and the area is really diverse biologically. It is quite worth visiting this part of Costa Rica!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Quetzal Safari Quest

San Gerardo de Dota

Our quetzal quest was successful, plus there are so many other places to birdwatcher. We went out with our sensational guide twice - amazing!! What a beautiful place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Carara National Park Guided Tour

Costa Rica

The park is not worth the visit. It is a transitional forest, and we saw very few birds or wildlife. Plus the cicadas were so loud and there were so many of them it was kind of gross.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Birdwatching Tour at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

By far, the best birding experience in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful place, with a number of different habitats. Our guide David was fantastic! We were even lucky enough to see a resplendent quetzal! This is a "DON"T MISS THIS" type of place!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Bird Watching Tour

Caño Negro

This is a fantastic area to bird. Our lodge provided us with a great guide, and we went down the river seeing iguanas in trees, caiman, and a fantastic assortment of birds. FANTASTIC!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was quite excellent.

Transport

Our trip to Costa Rica was very enjoyable. Before we discuss the trip, we must
acknowledge how helpful Gustavo was in planning where we went and where we
stayed as well as the excursions that we went on and as it turned out, what he
recommended was just right for us. Also, he was very responsive to any questions and
as I will explain later he and his team were especially responsive during our trip.
Our first stop was in La Fortuna with the Arenal Volcano in the background. As it turned
out our transfer from the airport took much longer than planned because of the unusual
traffic that we had leaving San Jose but the private driver made it his mission to get us
to our hotel, Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs, in time for our tour that started at 4:45 PM.
We arrived at 4:35 PM. There was a mix-up in our reservation, but the hotel manager
told us not to worry that we would have a room, and we should go on our excursion. I
texted to Gustavo and KimKim and told them of the problem. Before we returned from
our excursion, I received a message back from Gustavo, apologizing for any confusion
and let us know that they had upgraded our room to a suite since our original junior
suite was not available. By the way, the suite was fantastic. We recommend this place
to stay. The grounds are beautiful, the staff were very pleasant and accommodating,
and the restaurant both for breakfast and dinner was excellent.
The tours in La Fortuna were Nocturnal Frog Excursion & Traditional Costa Rican
Dinner, Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float Experience, and the Sloth Discovery Walk. The
first excursion took place on a family run farm and after our walk around we were
served a nice dinner. On the walk we saw several very colorful frogs and the special
sighting was a sloth up a tree and she was nursing a baby. The second was a very
pleasant slow drifting raft experience. We saw many birds, a crocodile, and a Cayman.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us a lot about the flora and the history of
the area and the river. Here also just before our boat ride we saw a sloth up a tree. On
the third tour, we saw sloths as we were supposed to. The one note is that it was a good
thing we obeyed the recommendation of bringing raincoats because even though it was
the dry season, it rained, although not the whole time. It didn’t bother the sloths and
ended up not affecting us much either. We saw both two and three toed sloths. Actually,
as we learned they were really two and three fingered sloths because all sloths have
three toes on their back feet. We recommend all three of these excursions.
On day 3 we had a private transfer to Monteverde. This included a driver who took us to
the boat, a private boat ride on Lake Arenal, and then another private driver to our hotel
the Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco. The afternoon we arrived we took a stroll down and up to
the town of Santa Elena. There were many nice shops there that had many local wares
and crafts: where we did a good amount of purchasing. The reason that I said down and
up is that essentially the town was on another mountain and we had to go down to the
valley to then go up to get to the two block, downtown. The walk was, actually, not bad

for us Septuagenarians but the remarkable fact is the wind was blowing at 40 miles per
hour with gusts up to 60 mile per hour or so. There also was a cold spell, so we had our
winter coats on and we almost flew down the mountain as the wind seemed to want to
pick us up and take us for a ride. The town was quaint and the people there, as were all
of the people in Costa Rica that we encountered, were really very nice and helpful.
On the next morning, the cold wave that made the entire northern part of the western
hemisphere was alive and well in Monteverde and the winds did not die down either.
The locals remarked about how it is never that cold. Our scheduled excursion that
morning was to take a 1.5-mile walk covering several long hanging bridges. We opted
out of that trip. We did walk around a path that is attached to the Hotel Poca a Poca
which was fun and relaxing and the trees helped block out the winds. The hotel has lots
of nice areas where you can walk and where you can sit and relax. One caveat about
the hotel. As we mentioned, it was very cold, supposedly it broke a local record, and
the hotel rooms only had air conditioners. We were able to score an electric heater from
the few that the hotel had for the second night. We enjoyed the heat that night.
In the afternoon the winds started decreasing and our tour was the Coffee, Chocolate &
Sugar Cane Experience at Don Juan farm where they grow all three of these
commodities. The guide that we had on the tour was not only very knowledgeable but
was a lot of fun. There were several hands on experiences from shelling a ripe coffee
bean and observing how slimy they are before being dried, taking a cocoa bean and
tasting it and not being so enthralled by it, to tasting the coffee that was made fresh
from beans, and making some sugar by grinding sugar canes which one of us was part
of the grinding process using the old hand cranked machine. We learned a lot about all
three including how to judge which is better and which is not.
The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and then took another private drive to
Manuel Antonio. On this drive we took several stops to look at birds, and spider
monkeys, and we stopped at alligator bridge where we took a pleasant walk on the
bridge. Once we were out of the mountains, the weather was pleasant. While that drive
was long, it was pleasant both by the accommodations in the vehicle and the views that
we had. One thing I haven’t mentioned previously, is that all but one of our transfers had
WIFI. We arrived late in the afternoon at the Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge.
The Si Como No is situated on the outskirts of the national park and has beautiful
scenery all around. Our room had, as we were told, the highest view and it was
spectacular and certainly worth all of the steps to get up to it. We also had our own
personal jacuzzi. We sat on the porch and viewed the Pacific and multiple birds
including a magnificent red macaw. Some of these birds even decided to use our railing
when we were inside and we even had a spider monkey give us a show out there.

There were two restaurants. We had breakfast and one lunch on the one near the pool
and dinners at the main restaurant. All our meals were very good.
We had a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park Nature Hike through the park with our
guide was not disappointing. We learned a lot about the history and the flora and had
the opportunity to see several sloths, monkeys, snakes, many beautiful birds, and we
even saw a porcupine. We spent a little time at the beach which had very soft sand and
essentially no waves in the ocean. In the afternoon we went across the street to a
butterfly garden that had a restaurant in it. We sat eating a sandwich and having a
coffee with butterflies flying around us. It was amazingly relaxing. Just what we needed
near the end of our time in Costa Rica. The next morning, we went on a Mangrove
Boat Tour. Again, we saw many birds and learned about the history of that area. The
special part of this tour is that the guide brought some bananas, and we went to the
shore and suddenly, we had a family of capuchin monkeys all around with some coming
on the boat. Both my wife and I had the pleasure of having one sit on our head.
Thankfully, I had a hat on.
We had another private transfer back to San Jose where we stayed the night at the
Grano de Oro Hotel. This was a nice modernized old hotel that was very comfortable.
We ate at the restaurant which had good food and a nice old San Jose atmosphere.
The next morning, we had our private transfer to the airport for our flight back home.
We had a great time in Costa Rica and recommend this itinerary to everyone. However,
we could not have had this wonderful adventure without the planning and support of
Gustavo and the whole KimKim team. Also, as we mentioned, while we were on the trip
when we needed them, they responded quickly and took care of the issue. Thank you,
Gustavo, Kate, and everyone at KimKim.

Serendipity did a fantastic job organising our trip in Costa Rica- plenty of planning discussion on the hotels, schedule and wildlife experiences.. Elena and Nancy were extremely helpful and had lots of useful suggestions to make sure we had plenty of bird watching, nature tours, and visits to Guayabo monument and Turrialba volcano. The trip was amazing and we had great fun managing to dodge between the rain showers even in Tortuguera which provided excellent photographic opportunities on the boats to get close to wildlife, including sloths! Adrian was on hand via the WhatsApp link and was extremely helpful in suggesting additional trips and making sure our pick-ups went to plan. All accommodation was spot on - clean, spacious with great restaurants - lots of rice and beans! All our guides were really knowledgeable and highly motivated. All in all a wonderful holiday, thank you KimKim and Serendipity!

Hotel Reviews

Rancho Naturalista

Cartago

A wonderful place for bird watching and knowledgeable guides ! Meals at set times on shared tables, so plenty of opportunity to talk with other guests

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Turire

Turrialba

Wonderful hotel full of character and with fabulous gardens. Huge room and great service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel

Puerto Viejo

Fabulous jungle setting, restaurant and beach across the road but very easy access.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to get access to Cahuita and Manzanillo parks. Try Nenas restaurant close by for rice and beans!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tortuga Lodge & Gardens

Tortuguero

Superb room overlooking the river, excellent food and great guides (Manuel and Bernardo). Fantastic boat trips getting close to wildlife.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Close to airport and welcoming, frequent shuttle. Special Valentine's breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Birding at Rancho Naturalista

Turrialba

Thoroughly enjoyed the bird watching- from the early morning feeding of the birds in the garden to the walk around the estate.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabian was an excellent guide - spotted lots of birds we would have missed.

Transport

Archaeological Tour of Guayabo National Monument

Turrialba

Interesting - you do need a guide to understand the history and what remains of the structures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Roseta was especially enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the archaeology and birds. Sergio was a great and safe driver and took us to an authentic Soda cafe for lunch.

Transport

Private Hike Turrialba Volcano

Costa Rica

Once the cloud cleared (luckily) great views and an interesting hike around the side of the volcano seeing the dead forest and new agriculture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cahuita National Park Excursion + Group Snorkeling

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

The Park was good and the guide excellent - saw 10 sloths and 2 snakes but relatively few birds, great path by the sea. Part of the track was closed due to wet weather. Our snorkeling was cancelled due to poor visibility following turbulent sea.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Boat Excursion Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Boat trips allowed you to get close to wildlife and great opportunities for photography

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you to the entire KimKim team for making our trip run so smoothly. They took care of us from the second we reached out until we touched down back home. Will absolutely be using them again in the future ❤️

Our guide Marino was amazing. He added so many details that we would have walked right by. He was flexible to our needs.

Activity Review

Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Weather was very bad which hampered the experience.

Please thank your whole team, US and Costa Rica, for taking such good care of our group of four when we had car trouble. Everything about the trip was FANTASTIC. Our favorites by far were the Manuel Antonio National Park tour and the Selvatura Hanging Bridges. The hotels were fabulous, esp. Issimo Suites, in the treetops! We plan to use KimKim for every trip out of the country! Thank you again!