Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

The trip was perfectly calibrated for our family of four. Every guide we had in Monteverde, fortuna, and Tamarindo was excellent. Kimkim beautifully facilitated a minor adjustment we needed. We’ll be back!

This was my first experience with kimkim and overall everything was great!To start, the communication with Yuliana was smooth, complete and efficient.
Both properties were excellent: Naturalista Reserva was very comfortable, the food excellent, and the staff extremely accomodating and friendly.
Taylor at Naturalista, although quite young, was an excellent guide. I think in one day I was able to photograph over 40 bird species!
Sagreve, in San Gerardo de Dota, was truly high end, being luxurious without being pretentious.
My guide Melvin, quite experienced, was responsible for me seeing and photographing Quetzales for the first time!
In additon, his range of knowlege was over the top!
I can't forget the drivers: all 4 were quite friendly, courteous, and above all, on time.
All in all my experience in fantastic!

So thrilled with our trip exerience with KimKim and Serendity Tours in Costa Rica. We chose to go with KimKim as we had a multigenerational family travel experience planned during the high season. The team was terrific in helping us find many different tour options, given our late decision to travel, that would meet each family member's unique needs. We did adventure activities, wildlife activites and cultral activites - all in the same trip. They arranged tours and transportation so that it was as stress free as possible for my husband and I. Once we got to Costa Rica we had daily support for each day's events. They advised what to bring and wear, who would be transporting us and if meals /food would be included. When one of our experiences went late, I was able to communicate with our local contact, Wilman, in the moment to move back the evening experience tour and travel. Knowing that I had a local contact that was available to support me as needed during the trip was very comforting and helped me reassure both the older and younger generations.

Bryan helped us craft an amazing Costa Rican vacation. He really listened and worked with us to create a wonderful trip that met our budget guidelines for our family of 5. We took multiple excursions and they were all top notch- really enjoyable.

The communication we had before and during our trip was prompt and thorough. This greatly
put our minds at ease that any questions we had would be answered in a timely fashion and helped us prepare and enjoy our trip.

Our local contact once we arrived was Willmen and he was fantastic! Once we were in Costa Rica, all communication was easily had through What's App. Willmen was always a text away and it was very much appreciated.

Other standouts included our driver for 2 portions of the trip, Alex. Such a fountain of knowledge, kind and a great driver. Alex worked diligently to alert us to any points of interest such as plants and wildlife and it was very interesting.

We will definitely use KimKim again to plan future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Conde Beach Front Hotel

Playa Hermosa

Great location for day trips, great food, friendly staff. The direct access to the beach was really nice. The beds were on the small side but comfortable. The grounds are pretty and well maintained . Overall the vibe was "quiet" which was what we were looking for. A very nice place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

Lots of woodwork throughout the resort which we loved. Really good pour over coffee made in front of you

Location

Close to excursions and the airport

Staff

Very friendly and pleasant

Cleanliness & Comfort

Always dry towels available, no obvious signs of garbage lying around

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Beautiful grounds, great food, friendly restaurant staff. Our room was close to the main buildings so we could walk back and forth which we liked, otherwise there was a reliable shuttle to take you around. Our room was comfortable with GREAT blankets, but there was obvious water damage on the wall under the air conditioner and a chunk of wall missing by the dresser. Not a deal breaker but unattractive. Our Springs experience was just okay. Lots of kids in inner tubes and float devices, empty drink cups stacked everywhere, and very strict towel staff who refused to change out our towels one day because "they aren't that wet". This was frustrating because we tried to dry our towels in the room the day before and after admitting defeat that they would remain damp, wanted to trade them in for some legitimately dry towels. Overall we enjoyed most of our stay here and the convenience of the location for sightseeing in the area, but would likely stay at a different resort in the future.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful flowers, cool birds . You really feel like you are in the rainforest

Location

Close to town and the excursions we took

Staff

Restaurant staff were friendly and pleasant

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pretty bathroom, nice extra blankets

Activity Reviews

Catamaran Sailing Adventure with Barbecue

Costa Rica

A great day on the water! The boat was very large and almost too crowded in my opinion. Beautiful views, decent snorkeling. Lunch was okay but served very late (well after 3pm). Overall the day was much longer than anticipated and we were brought to sure in the dark (no lights on the powerboat that brought us to shore). That was a bit unsettling but we made it back just fine.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful views- boat days are always fun days for us

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

I was fully expecting to not like this day but it was our favorite of the week! Wild ride on the water followed by a great lunch and unexpected lesson on how to squeeze juice out of sugar cane. Great day for our family of 5 adults!

Quality of Experience

Very experienced and fun to be around. Spot on directions on how to manage the ride and stay safe.

Food

Authentic and delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Safari Cruise

Costa Rica

This tour included lunch which was authentic and amazing. The boat tour was okay. We saw birds, bats and crocodiles. For the last 1/2 hour or so, the guides were chatting with themselves instead of us so not sure if they missed pointing things out to us or not. We were on the water for maybe 1.5 hours? Unfortunately it was nothing special.

Quality of Experience

Was shorter than what I thought it would be, not a lot of wildlife to see

Food

Authentic and delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Seemed disinterested in us towards the end of the ride, chatting amongst themselves

Transport

Driver was great but roads super bumpy

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very fun zipline with a great sky walk adventure! The only reason for 4 stars was that our Zipline portion didn't start until 1.5 hours after arriving (due to long lines?) and we missed our initial sky walk time. We were easily accommodated and attended a later Sky Walk which we enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

We liked the day it just lasted longer than we thought it would.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent and knowledgeable guides.

Transport

Easy pick up and drop off. Driver was exactly where he said he would be.

Our family recently returned from an incredible vacation to Costa Rica, and we owe much of its success to the outstanding planning and support from Bryan and Wilman. From start to finish, they helped craft a seamless and unforgettable experience tailored perfectly to our interests.

The itinerary they designed struck the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, and cultural immersion. Highlights included:
- Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar Cane Tour: A fascinating hands-on experience at North Fields Coffee that gave us insight into Costa Rican culture and farm-to-cup coffee production.

- Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk: Walking high above the rainforest was breathtaking, and the guide’s knowledge of the local flora and fauna made it even more enriching.

- Rainforest Hike in Manuel Antonio National Park: The stunning biodiversity, pristine beaches, and wildlife spotting made this one of the most memorable experiences of our trip.

Throughout the planning process, Bryan and Wilman were incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented.

They ensured every aspect of our trip—from the rental car to hotel bookings and tours—went off without a hitch. Their personalized recommendations truly made our vacation extraordinary.

If you're planning a trip to Costa Rica, I wholeheartedly recommend their services. Bryan and Wilman made the entire process effortless and allowed us to enjoy Costa Rica’s beauty to the fullest.

Thank you both for helping us create lasting memories!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Gorgeous property and very unique accommodations

Authenticity & Character

Truly embraced the local feel of being in the jungle.

Location

Easy to find and close to many restaurants and the beach

Staff

Didn't interact much with the staff, but the front desk folks were very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice large rooms with space to hang out too.

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Beautiful property and grounds. The thermal experience was wonderful to have right on site. Loved having breakfast each morning and watching all the birds.

Authenticity & Character

Grounds were beautifully landscaped and made you feel you were walking through the rainforest

Location

Easy to get to and very close to town.

Staff

Front desk folks were very nice and remembered us each time we came to the lobby

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable rooms

Activity Reviews

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Andres was incredible. He was so knowledgeable and didn't rush us through the park. He really took the time to share things with us and helped with taking some amazing photos. He seemed to know all the other guides and loved how everyone seemed to work together to make it the best experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Was a bit challenging with returning to the hotel. Had to have cab take us back and it took a while to get it through the organization.

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

Wonderful boating experience and the views of the coast are incredible, but don't expect to have a great snorkeling experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Wildlife Night Walk in Sukia Park

Manuel Antonio

Our guide had an incredible ability to find creatures in the dark. So worth doing this type of walk in the forest.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Farm Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

The young lady that was our guide was very engaging and did an amazing job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide was very knowledgeable and enjoyable to talk with.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Big Arenal Mundo Aventura Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

Once in a lifetime experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truly spectacular! The excursions were perfectly timed—early to mid morning, which helped beat any crowds, and left plenty of free time. All the drivers picked up on time, were very friendly, and provided very comfortable transportation. Please forgive spelling of names…Rondo and Sandie were great driver/ guide for our kayak and snorkeling adventure. Very good equipment. We felt lucky to have Srvianni as our guide for the white water rafting on the Sarapequi River. Beautiful! Weather was perfect. River was running with Class 3 and 2 rapids-just enough for a thrill, but still in control. Mariano was wonderful at the hanging bridges. We had a connection from his time in the states in the 1970s where he spent time in Madison, WI, where I went to college. Pas was very knowledgeable at the butterfly garden. Lovely. And our guide at the coffee/chocolate plantation was very funny and engaging (I didn’t catch his name). That visit was a surprise-really enjoyed learning about the coffee and chocolate making process—highly recommend it. Everything was very thoughtfully planned. Well done! Our trip exceeded our expectations!

From Beginning to End Everything was great. I normally plan all of my trips but this time around I was short on time an focused on other priorities. Olman &his staff were patient with me and made sure I and my family's needs were met. All the drivers and staff we met were great, informative and welcoming of us. Our family had a grand ol time and would definitely return to Costa Rica. Thank you for all of your patience, help and knowledge for this trip.
Until the Next one.. :)

Had a great time! Zip lining, canyoning, and hiking were all top notch in LaFortuna. Had a much better view of sloths in Arenal than on the Sloth tour, but we had bad weather during the tour, so no fault to that organization. Don Rufino was tasty, but by far our most over-priced meal of the whole trip. The boat ride from Arenal was nice but I felt it was presented as a way to avoid a long, bumpy shuttle ride. We still had a long, bumpy ride in a van after the boat. We added a coffee tour on our own in Monteverde since our cloud forest hike ended an hour earlier than expected. The forest guide was very informative, but it felt rushed; I would’ve preferred more time to hike and explore the forest on our own at the end of the tour. Treehouse restaurant was the best dining experience. Decent prices on the food and drinks, cool pics with the tree, and the live music was phenomenal. The transfer to Tamarindo was long as expected, but took 2hrs longer than expected. We also stopped twice for 20min breaks. Added 40min unnecessarily. 10min bathroom and snack breaks make more sense. I don’t want to waste vacation time in a roadside gift shop. It was wise not to book anything for that afternoon with the slow drive. Also great was the hotel dining at El Jardin del Eden. Breakfast and dinner half-board was perfect. Huge breakfast spread and gourmet dinner options. No need to waste money outside restaurants. All 3 hotels were great. I would recommend all 3 as long as the people you are booking are capable of the hikes. Lomas was a decent uphill walk from pool/restaurant up to the room, but there’s a golf cart on site if needed. Helped a lot when it rained. Ficus was a grueling hike up from St. Elena. Golf cart on property was good, but back from town was rough. Even Jardin had a long walk from the beach, but it was a flat path. Probably the best part of the entire trip aside from food and stays was the catamaran sunset experience in Tamarindo. Olman and Graciela were both very helpful before and during the trip to help with reservations and transfers.

All of the transfers worked out seamlessly. We loved all of our guided tours and excursions with only one exception, which is impressive. Kim Kim was great to work with and had good ideas for things to do. We had only 8 days for our trip, but we were able to do so much and the planning made that possible. Would highly recommend working with Kim Kim!

Hotel Review

Hotel Eco Arenal

Fortuna

Affordable hotel with very nice breakfast and very comfortable beds. Beautiful grounds. Restaurant within walking distance. Easy to get to town via car/Uber/taxi. Friendly and helpful hotel staff. Cleanliness was average. The toilet are was not closed off from the room, only had a 3/4 door, making privacy a challenge. Showers were fine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

away from the bustle of town in a beautiful setting by a river, lots of wildlife

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

cleaner walls and bathrooms. install full doors to give toilet area more privacy.

Activity Reviews

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Everything about this experience was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & EcoTermales Hot Springs Visit with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was difficult to execute well because it was 2 very different activities merged into one. We were unable to complete the volcano hike because of extreme rain and lightning. We started the hike, but only proceeded to get drenched and muddy before turning around to go back to the bus. The rain made it impossible to even see anything beyond the path below our feet. The guide told the agency we canceled the tour, although the elements (lightening) made it unsafe to continue the hike. The guide was not proactive about guiding for this trip - he was basically an escort. We then sat in traffic in our wet clothes on the bus before arriving at the hot springs resort, only to learn that we couldn't enter the facility until our previously scheduled arrival time. We waited in the lobby there for 30 minutes. Would not recommend these 2 tours together. I'm sure the volcano hike is amazing though! The hot springs were incredible. Highly recommend those to everyone. Food buffet was great there too.

Quality of Experience

Amazing hot springs resort. Less amazing hike experience.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self-Guided Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

incredible swim in the waterfall. did not matter that there were many people present - it was still so magical.

Quality of Experience

Semi-Private Surf Lessons at Tamarindo Beach

Tamarindo

The guides were so nice and we had a great time. The surf shop was excellent. Highly recommend them.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guides and all the staff - so friendly and helpful

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Rafting Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide and trip were stellar. Would highly recommend this activity to anyone.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a memorable trip to Costa Rica, and I would like to thank Kim Kim for putting the itinerary together and making all the required bookings. Olman was fantastic and super responsive to all our questions. Everyone we interacted with, including the drivers and guides, was terrific. I highly recommend Kim Kim to anyone planning a vacation.

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Rainforest Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River Class II & III

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Doka Coffee Plantations, Poás Volcano & La Paz Waterfall Gardens

San José

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Costa Rica was outstanding. From our accommodations, activities, and transportation, Serendipity Adventures was the local specialist who helped plan, organize and manage our trip. They made sure everything ran smoothly (Wilman, Bryan, and Nancy).
We loved our activities of hiking Arenal volcano, seeing the waterfall, ziplining and hanging bridges, night walks, seeing the animals, a coffee/chocolate/sugar cane tour (that we added last minute--and there was a lot of help coordinating our transportation and timing), nature walks at the beach, etc. Wilman and Bryan also gave us many recommendations for restaurants and other activities when we had some free time.

Hotel Review

Arenal Paraíso Resort, Spa & Hot Springs

La Fortuna

This hotel had nice views of the volcano. And we enjoyed the thermal pools. However, we did run out of hot water for showers several times (there were 3 of us in a room). It was located about 10-15 minutes from town and restaurants.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Loved that we had 2 guides for our group of 12. And they made sure that all of us saw the animals and were satisfied before moving on. It was an interesting walk on the path, spotting all kinds of interesting wildlife, including sloths (with babies), monkeys, birds, lizards, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Cloud Forest Night Walk

Monteverde

Of all of the activities we did while in Costa Rica, this one ranked last on our list. It had just rained prior to us starting the night walk, so that may have affected the wildlife, but I was underwhelmed with what we found. Our guide was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable, so that made the walk interesting.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Mariano was our guide and was very patient with our group of 12 taking photos and having fun. Seeing the volcano closer was very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alex was awesome...he provided a lot of information.

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The ziplining had spectacular views of the volcano and the lake. And you went 45+ mph on the zips...super exhilarating. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Positives - good set of activities, although I wish we had done the volcano hike instead of the nature walk in arenal as we had already done the nature hike in monterverde. Doing it twice made no sense. Other than that rest of the activities were fun.

Negatives - where I stay matters a LOT. 2/4 hotels were disappointing in a 10 day stay. That is about 5 days in total of not having good lodging which was a real turn off. No running water at times and on top of that hotel tried to swindle us for a mandatory new years meal at an outrageous cost. Sales should have checked into all this and been upfront with us but Greg in service came to our rescue and got us out of the meal. Thank you for that. I would have hoped that kimkim would have partially reimbursed us for the hotel stay in arenal as it was lousy but they did not offer to do so. They did promise to reimburse us for the cost of the new year meal which was a relief. Again, we should have not been charged for it. 1500 or so for three nights at a below mediocre hotel just doesn’t feel right. When you are paying a hefty amount for a vacation you want the best. You don’t want to be blind sided. And I wouldn't say it was the best. Greg did come to our rescue and did his absolute best. Thank god for that else this would have sucked.

Hotel Reviews

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Very outdated, had a weird smell, cleanliness clearly not up to par but location wise convenient to town. Definitely could be updated as from the outside it has a very welcoming presence.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Floor had hair and next day even never bothered to clean the floor. I still was kind enough to leave a tip.

Capitán Suizo Beachfront Boutique Hotel

Tamarindo

Lovely hotel with very convenient location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Sketchy area but great hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mountain Paradise

Fortuna

This isn’t a 4 star hotel, not even 3. Water in both the bathrooms would suddenly stop running. At some point in the night the water just shut down for a couple of hours which was awful. Found worms in the bathrooms. Bugs bit us. We left as soon as our excursions were over. Couldn’t wait get out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved the meal and the waterfall. Nature hike was a repeat and way too long. Could have done the volcano hike and cooking class at the farm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Not so great buffet. Allow people to get their own meals and not include in price of outing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Disclosure: My wife did most of the planning interactions with the KimKim team. The bottom line for me is that KimKim put together an itinerary for our Costa Rica trip with minimal guidance in a short amount of time that met our schedule requirements and resulted in a very memorable and enjoyable family experience. They were responsive before and during our travel with very short response times. Every item on our itinerary was described accurately, and most importantly, went off on time with no unpleasant surprises.

We had much less time available to plan this trip compared to other vacations we have taken in the recent past, and KimKim was able to provide a reliable solution for us this time. I would consider them again for planning trips to unfamiliar places, or if we are unable to spend enough time planning our own adventures.

Activity Reviews

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our family can rarely agree on anything, but we all agreed that this was our favorite adventure in Costa Rica. Even though it never stopped raining, we all enjoyed the excitement and scenery of the river environment. Our guide kept us safe but made sure we got an exciting ride. One of our children was having a panic attack as we were getting geared up, but was smiling by the time we cleared the first rapids.

Quality of Experience

The scenery was amazing and we got to see a lot of wildlife on the river. We don’t have any previous rafting experience, but we found it to be very exciting.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide did a really good job of communicating with us so we knew what to do and when to do it, which was important to us as novice white water rafters. He really kept us together and functioning well in somewhat challenging conditions. He made us feel safe while providing an exciting experience for our family, which included my 86-year old dad.

Transport

Warm, clean bus was a great place to store gear safely while on the river

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

I really didn’t know if I would like zip lining because I do not love heights, but this was truly a special experience. Not surprisingly, we went on a very rainy day, but the first zip lines at the top of the mountain felt like flying into nothingness…we went right through the clouds. Lower on the mountain, one of the last zip lines passes through a tunnel of rain forest trees. We felt safe throughout our experience.

Quality of Experience

Tamarindo Mangrove & Estuary Boat Tour

Costa Rica

This was our first time seeing a mangrove habitat, so we did not really know what to expect. We saw a wide range of wildlife: fish, birds, crocodiles, and monkeys. One thing that made it a truly unique experience is that it rained harder than I have ever seen the sky rain. I did not know that rain could look, sound, and feel like that until this tour.

Quality of Experience

We were lucky to see and hear the howler monkeys in the forest. Our guide also provided a fresh pineapple snack, which was nice.

Tamarindo Turtle Nesting Tour (Seasonal)

Costa Rica

The first thing to know is that there really are no guarantees that you are going to see a turtle on this experience. We sat on the beach in the dark at our first site while our guide searched up and down the beach for nesting turtles. Some member of our group seemed unhappy about this part of the trip, but we didn’t mind (probably because it did not rain on us). We had to relocate quickly to a second site that required an 800 meter hike down a muddy road to a remote beach because our guide had heard about a nesting turtles from another guide. However, our effort and patience were rewarded when we got to see one large turtle in the act of concealing her nest, which we were truly lucky to witness.

Quality of Experience

Just know that you might not get to see a turtle at all. We got lucky. We enjoyed passing time on the beach at night in the dark, but not everyone did.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides worked so hard to find a nesting turtles for us to see, and to help our group quickly and safely relocate to a different beach in the dark. They were in constant communication with other guides. Our guide also helped secure a ride back to the bus for my senior dad who had trouble walking in the dark on the rough road.

Transport

Lucky 13 Sunset Cruise

Costa Rica

The crew took care of everything. They made sure we were safe and comfortable throughout, and fed us really well. Cocktails on the boat at sunset was also really nice. The snorkeling was not great because of the murky water, but our guide still managed to find wildlife to show us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Discovery Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Before this trip to Costa Rica, I had never experienced tropical rain forest first hand, so I was lucky to experience it throughout our vacation. However, walking through the forest at night is truly a special experience. We were fortunate to see both two and three-toed sloths as well as a variety of frogs, insects, and birds.

Quality of Experience

We got lucky: we saw plenty of sloths, but there are no guarantees

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were so friendly, and helped us capture amazing wildlife photographs. They had amazing eyes and spotted tiny animals in the dark.

Transport

Lake Bass Fishing in Arenal

Arenal/La Fortuna

I had a fun day on Lake Arenal with my guide, Salomon. He taught me about different techniques to target two species of fish - machaca and rainbow bass - along the shores of the lake.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Salomon introduced me to a bait casting lures on and below the surface and had me casting in tight quarters with accuracy by the end of the morning.

Transport

The boat was comfortable and able to put me in position to target fish close to trees, downed branches, weeds, etc.

Kayaking on Lake Arenal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Viktor was an extremely knowledgeable guide for our kayak tour educating us about the plants and animals (big and small) found along the shores of Lake Arenal. Water Sports Arenal ran a tight ship and really made the entire process smooth and efficient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our interaction with Olman from the very beginning has been great. He was very helpful in helping us put together the trip and his suggestions were also great. He made sure we were able to fit in all the things we wanted to see and do. The communication was also awesome and we received timely information and updates as our dates came closer.
From the time we landed - to the moment they saw us off , everything worked like clockwork and all the people and guides we met were amazing.
We had a great time and would recommend you all to everyone we know.
Thanks so much for making our trip so good.

Overall we had a fair/good time. But let me break it down.

Great: all the guides and drivers were awesome. We always felt safe. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable. There was always good updates from serendipity.
The best excursions were the night hike in Monteverde the day hike in Manuel Antonio, horseback riding on the beach, and the ATV that we insisted on for the last day, and the zip lines.
Good: each hotel had something good but honestly they were all subpar at best. There were much nicer hotels via Travelocity etc that would have had better value.
Fair: a lot of the guided trips were redundant. Example the hanging bridge tour in monteverde was terrible. We were also lead to believe that the La Fortuna hotel would have access to the hot springs; it did not.
We also expected more help in restaurants; we got little help here.
Bad: we still have not received our refund. And that refund should be more. Every time we got picked up we were asked if we were 5 people. Obviously, someone did not update the drivers and we paid for more than 4 people.
Also the hotel rooms were big enough for 4 people yet you never changed them. I said I would keep the 2 rooms if we had to, or I would apply that credit to upgrade the hotels. This never happened.

Before we booked there was so much communication back and forth. But after the communication was much less. Including us still waiting for the refund.
I’m expecting a bigger refund than what was promised. If not then I will likely consider another travel agency for future vacations.

Hotel Reviews

Sunset Del Mar Resort

Esterillos Este

This place is a “tail of two cities.” Let’s start with the good: the actual hotel rooms are beautiful. They must have been recently updated. The manager Roberto is fabulous and you can tell he really cares. The rest of the staff tries really hard but it’s obvious they are very understaffed. The bad: with the exception of the rooms, the place is a bit of a “sh… hole””. The owner is absent and it shows. This place has so much potential and I hope It reaches that potential. It needs paint and landscaping, and better amenities. The pool furniture is a tetanus shot away from dangerous. The beach is public but the hotel doesn’t really have any chairs or umbrellas etc. It’s so close to being a hidden gem; but unless the owner shows up or someone with deep pockets comes and invests in the property; it will eventually fail.

Authenticity & Character

See my written review

Location

It’s near nothing. But if you love isolation then it will be ok.

Staff

So nice and they work hard.

Cleanliness & Comfort

5 for the rooms; 1 for the grounds.

Hotel Villabosque

Manuel Antonio, Quepos

This hotel is a 2 minute walk to Manuel Antonio National park. The hotel also feels very authentic. Almost like a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, the bedrooms are small and old. And the breakfast is meh. It’s a small walk to the beach, but because it’s so close to the national park entrance, the beach here is very crowded. The staff is fabulous. I also Loved the monkeys running all over the premises. The pool is not good. You will need a car or taxi for most restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

There is a certain charm here. I wish the rooms were nicer.

Location

4 star for proximity to national park; 2 stars for not near most restaurants.

Staff

Nicest staff we met along our journey.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean yea, comfort no.

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The rooms are pretty good. They have a minimalist feel with very large windows to look into the cloud forest. The hotel is close enough to the center of town but the hotel and town have very large hills. So if you can’t manage the hills you will need help or a car. The rest of the hotel is dated. There is no air conditioning at all. We were there in December so it was manageable but if it was warmer; it would have been awful. The breakfast buffet was good.

Authenticity & Character

It’s old and dated

Location

Near town

Staff

Staff is nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC or fans would be helpful

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Grounds are very nice and you feel like you are in the jungle. The rooms are very old and filled with bugs. If your expectations are that of an old camp lodge then you will be ok. The pool area was nice and the restaurant was decent. The staff was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Horseback Riding on Esterillos Este Beach

Costa Rica

The horses don’t run or maybe it would have been a 5. Make sure to go near sunset. Pacific sunsets while horseback riding thru the water is a slice of heaven.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Introduction to Esterillos

Esterillos Este

There is no introduction. Honestly, you are better off going up about another 30 minutes toward Jaco.

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

This was pretty good. Lots of fun. Drinking and BBQ.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

These guides just know where to look. This is an easy hike to as most of the trails are paved. Know that no food is allowed in the park and the one snack bar has a line of almost 45 minutes. This was our best view of the sloths.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

TreeTram & Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

The hanging bridges would have been great but we honestly did the one in La Fortuna 2 days before. This was a waste of time and old and needs updating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was knowledge but there was very little animals to see.

Transport

Private Cloud Forest Night Walk

Monteverde

Wow! Incredible. Our guide was amazing. Your hair will stand up on your neck as you walk with flashlights past venomous snakes and spiders.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andy was knowledgeable and fun.

Transport

Private Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

We didn’t see as much animals but our guide was so knowledgeable about the plants. The waterfall is literally 500 stairs down and then up. Be ready to make that hike!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was awesome. The lunch was great too.

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Who doesn’t like chocolate and coffee. We made our own chocolate and drank as much coffee and hot chocolate as we liked.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Amazing and so much fun. The zip lines and the guided walk were fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide knew were the snakes were and the monkeys too.

Transport

Our trip to Costa Rica was perfectly planned, around what we initially wanted to do. Every tour operator was waiting for us to go, and we never had to lift a finger or think of what to do next, no hiccups or problems, just pure efficiency. Thank you to Serendipity who were the local agents , especially to Wilman who was great in communication over WhatsApp and kept checking in every few days or whenever we’d check into a new place.

Everything was great - thank you!

It is hard to put this amazing trio into words ! It is always a bit worrying planning a trip to a new destination , not knowing different locations , “ things to do” and of course the logistics of making this all happen. KimKim planned a perfect trip for our family of 12 ranging in ages from 15-82! Our days were filled with adventures including hiking , kayaking , zip lining, hanging bridges , exploring nature and wildlife, enjoying sunsets and the warm ocean. Everything was planned so perfectly. Serendipity guides and drivers were FANTASTIC ! They were always prompt , waited patiently for us as we often took longer on our daily adventures , never rushed us , went above and beyond in retrieving an item left behind at a hotel and driving it to us 3 hours away !!!! Their guides were knowledgeable, humorous and patient. One driver spotted 4 different sloths along our drive and pulled over every time for us to take pictures ! Kim Kim and Serendipity was so responsive to any of our needs. Their drivers even drove us to the grocery store so we could buy an anniversary cake , then to a restaurant that was recommended and spoke with the staff to arrange to have the cake brought out at the end of the meal as a big surprise. We made so many memories on this trip and to have 12 people happy over 10 days and EVERYTHING run so smoothly was priceless !!! Thank you !!!

Hotel Review

Arenal Paraíso Resort, Spa & Hot Springs

La Fortuna

The all you can eat breakfast was incredible!!! We loved the warm spring hot tubs !!

Location

Activity Reviews

Ocean Kayaking Adventure

Manuel Antonio

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We paddled a double kayak across the ocean ( it was a long way :) and then snorkeled or relaxed on the beach before paddling back. It was such a beautiful experience. Everyone made it from ages 15-82 !!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

This guided tour eas like going on a tree sure hunt without having to hunt ! The guides found / spotted all these amazing animals and insects big and small and we viewed them through their telescopes ! They even took pictures with our phone through their lens of the telescope so we have amazing pictures ! The guides found was so enthusiastic when animals were spotted and that enthusiasm transmitted right to us.

Quality of Experience

O

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The bad news is I can never go zip lining anywhere else because I just experienced the BEST and MOST AMAZING ZIPLING ever !!! Anyone who is going to Cosya Rico has to zip line here ! There were 11 in our group and I loved how we were able to stay together and watch everyone in our group take off and land. The staff was incredible , they handled all the equipment, all you had to do was enjoy the ride !!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fun and humorous ! Good looking too

Transport

I had no idea where to begin for this trip, but our teams from kimkim and Serendipity Adventures had us covered! Elena, Nancy and Wilman helped plan and coordinate things I didn’t even know I wanted to do. They gave us itinerary options so we could choose what was best for us. They were available for questions and even checked in regularly on our trip. They did an amazing job and we had the best adventures!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Eco Arenal

Fortuna

This hotel was in a private garden setting. The room had everything you need. The staff was very nice and the breakfast buffet was delicious. It was very close to La Fortuna, but quiet enough to be relaxing. The grounds were kept well and the pool area was clean and inviting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tabulia Tree

Manuel Antonio

The hotel room was very basic but we were not spending much time there. The gardens were beautiful. The wildlife while eating our meals kept us entertained! The pool was clean and enjoyable. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed our time there.

Authenticity & Character

The layout of the rooms within the gardens.

Location

Very pretty setting.

Staff

The staff were friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very basic with limited supplies. Even the toilet paper was portioned out.

Activity Reviews

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

I’ve never done this before, but it was exhilarating! Our guide was experienced and gave great instructions. He also made it so much fun with his humor and enthusiasm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Momo was the best!

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was pouring most of this trip, but our guide, Chris, made it work. We had an amazing experience and learned so much. Don’t skip this!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

This was a lot of fun and it was all due to the staffs’ attitude. It was rainy and people were glum, but they got everyone up and going. The food was good, too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Don’t skip this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bryan, with Serendipity Adventures, did a fantastic job of arranging a ten day 60th anniversary celebration for my family of twelve. We flew in anda out of San Jose, then spent a couple of days in La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio. Serendipity arranged all activities and transportation at each location. All Serendipity folks were personble and punctual, but we remember Minor, Manarino, and especially Alex who went out of their way to provide extra assistance whenever needed. The favorite activity was the zip linning at La Fortuna, but all twelve agreed that they enjoyed every activity, even though the others were not quite as exciting as the zip linning.

Just came back from a fantastic vacation in Costa Rica that Randall, our agent from KimKim, booked for us. All the hotel checkins and excursions went seamlessly smooth.

La Fortuna - we stayed at the Montañad de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa. Nice rooms but probably wouldn’t recommend as to the paths to our bungalow were not lit and it was easy to trip along the way. The “thermal” pools are warmer at my home. We did the Arenal lava hike and that was good although we never did see the top of Arenal due to daily cloud cover. Baldi Hot Springs were fantastic as was the cano negro boat tour.
Our next stop was in Monteverde where we stayed at Poco a Poco. Loved this hotel and highly recommend it. Hanging bridges were great as was the zip lining. Really enjoyed the coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour.
Our last stop was in Tamarindo and we stayed at the Wyndham. Very nice hotel although they would run out of clean towels (both in room as well as pool). Did a catamaran snorkel tour through Marlin Del Rey. Snorkeling was poor due to all the rain but the unlimited drinks and food were really good.

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham

Tamarindo

The Wyndham had a great location with a nice view over the city and beach. However, they routinely ran out of towels, both for rooms and the beach. At times, the rooms weren't serviced even after requesting housekeeping.

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco in Monteverde was a quaint hotel with great service. The staff were lovely, making the stay highly recommendable.

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa had very nice rooms, but I was surprised by the lack of lighting on the paths, making it difficult to walk at night. The thermal pools were also not as warm as I expected. The garden was beautiful though, and the facility itself was lovely.

Activity Reviews

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

The Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience was a delightful and educational tour. It was fascinating to see the process and try various samples. Walking through the plantations and learning about these products was a wonderful and tasty experience.

Monteverde - Hanging Bridges Guided Hike & Zip-lining tour

Monteverde

The Hanging Bridges Guided Hike was a wonderful experience. Although I didn't do the zip-lining due to my knee, I exchanged my ticket for the Sloth tour, which I really enjoyed. The park was well-maintained, and there were plenty of activities available for everyone.