Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

Beautiful resort with lush greenery and epic view of the Arenal Volcano from the resort room. Staff was amazing and very friendly and always willing to help. I wish we had more english language channels for the TV and the hotel had shuttle services to the downtown area..

Location of this hotel is great, but everything else was just average.

Beautiful landscapes, comfortable stay, room was very nicely prepared for the stay

Really nice hotel, located out of town (walkable) with gardens full of colourful noisy birds, their own farm, their own micro-brewery and great food. Cocktails at happy hour, admiring the views was a highlight!

Well located for the market and old quarter. Good breakfast

In the middle of the rain forest with Sloth, monkeys and other wild animals around the grounds. Very nice breakfasts, efficient transfers along the waterways to/from the meeting point and well versed local guides taking us out on canoe/boat. Although the rooms around the gardens do not have aircon, the tranquility and ambience of the hotel gardens easily made up for that !

The hotel is luxurious and the on-site hot thermal springs are amazing both night and day. Lots of animals to observe around the grounds. The only downside is the cost of F&B. All the hotel cafes and restaurants were expensive, with little choice under $30 for a main course (plus sides/starters/deserts drinks) -so a family of four were spending $200 every night . However, food was excelllent and breakfast was fabulous and included of course.

Amazing hotel which felt like we were in the rain forest with monkeys, sloth, iguanas all around the grounds. We had a Vista Room with views of the sea and bay and forest.

Efficient transport to the meeting point at the docks. However, the organisors moved our pick forward from 6.45am to 6am and as first pick up, we were on the bus for 50 minutes before we even left the City and the roads were then busy for the first half hour. We were picked up at the dock by Mwamber Lodge boats and enjoyed an amazing trip down the estuary right to our hotel, passing monkeys and birds along the river bank. I would give this part of the journey 5 stars!

We saw so much wildlife ! We went on various canoe, kayak and boat tours to spot wild animals and colourful birds

Difficult to review as it was wet and cloudy but our guide was enthusiastic and engaging

Saw many sloths. The guide ensured we saw them through telescopes as they are often up high in the trees

13 Zip lines within and above the cloud forest, the final one being 1KM long. Great fun.

Good sightings of monkeys, deer, birds, sloths and finished with swim at the beach.

The room was so spacious, modern and clean. We overlooked the parking and the registration so that wasn't ideal, but the overall property was so lovely, it didn't matter. The lodge is tucked up in the mountains and has several paths to hike. The restaurant has beautiful views and delicious food. Saw a lot of birds and some other wildlife. Very relaxing stay in the cloud forest.

Food and service were great. We did not have a very nice room though. There was no privacy as the room was right above the restaurant. The door was a big sliding glass door and anyone walking by can see into the room. So we had to keep the curtains closed. There was only a tiny window so there was minimal light with the curtains closed. The bathroom could use an update. There are other more private rooms that would have been much nicer.

Great views of Arenal volcano. The pool area is nice. Easy walk to some tasty restaurants. Breakfast buffet was nice. The room was clean.

This was really fun. Our guide, Karla, from Toucanes tours was so funny and friendly! The food we helped cook was delicious and I am inspired to try making the dish at home. My son enjoyed cooking as well. It was just my son and I so we got all the attention.

The walk was just ok. Nice views and learned a bit about the rain forest. The real highlight is the zip lining of course.

Not much to see here. Could have done without this.

So much fun and the guides are terrific. Great for kids. The rapids are fun but not super scary. The class 2 section is gorgeous.

Fun learning about coffee and chocolate. Good for kids. We did the night walk as well and it was fun searching for wildlife.

You definitely need a guide to see the animals. Don't expect a relaxing time though until you get to the beach. We were running from one place to the next trying to spot the birds and other wildlife. Our guide was very good at making opportunities for use to see animals, but there are so many guides and groups it feels like a competition. We saw a mother and baby sloth very close up which was awesome. The beach is lovely. Despite the crowds, this is definitely a must see place.

The people here were really great. They made us feel welcome. I think we just had some bad luck with the room. The room was beautiful and much bigger than we expected. The major problem we had was that the air conditioning did not work in one of the bedrooms and it was really hot. We reported the problem, but it was not fixed. The food was mixed from day to day. We tend not to be picky eaters, but some of the dishes on the buffets were good, others not so much. On the flip side, the views of the volcano were amazing. The grounds were filled with beautiful plants and wildlife. It was a pleasure waking up and getting outside. To be honest, I think part of the problem was that we booked so late and there were limited options for our stay when we booked.

Pretty standard (quite nice) Radisson. We were only here overnight before heading to the airport early in the morning. Again, great staff.

Great place for our whole family. The food was amazing. The rooms were small, but comfortable (but, frankly, we spent very little time in our rooms). Views from the balcony of the room was amazing for ocean views and the sunset. The pools and amenities were great. We spend a good deal of time in the pools, played giant-sized chess, walked on the beach in the moonlight, and had a great time. The food was AMAZING. On our first day, we were limited to the "snack bar," which has burgers, hot dogs, nachos and other fast food. That was ok. But the breakfast and the other meals were fantastic. The only issue we ran into is there was some kind of miscommunication between their reservation specialist (with whom our travel agent, Priscila worked with) and the front desk staff. We were supposed to have an early check-in as we were arriving around 11 am. The young front staff knew nothing about it and said we had to wait until 3pm. Eventually, one of staff who helps with baggage and greets guests - who was older and had worked there for a while - intervened on our behalf and helped get us into a room after a bit. He was helping at the same time Priscila was on the phone with the reservation people. That was a minor set-back, but I wanted to include it because is just showed how often we ran into people who wanted to help and how awesome Priscila was.

First, the people who work here are AMAZING. Some of the nicest people we met in Costa Rica (and that says a lot because EVERYONE was nice!). The place was absolutely beautiful, the breakfast was delicious, the rooms were remarkably spacious, and the front desk staff were always there to help with all aspects of our visit. This would be the kind of place I could imagine staying for an entire week. Just outstanding all the way around. On top of that, the front lobby is an art gallery featuring original works by local artists. Several people even bought paintings while we were there and the front desk staff walked them though the whole process of having the paintings shipped back to their homes. If you are planning on visiting the Manuel Antonio area, seriously consider staying there!

Wonderful! My only suggestion is to either schedule the hanging bridge tour and zip lines as the ONLY activity for the day or plan them on separate days. We did not have enough time to do the hanging bridge guided walk because we had to get back to our hotel to meet up for our afternoon hike to Arenal.

Fantastic guide and great walk. The guide provided such great context and history of the volcano and the hike was invigorating and well-paced.

Our driver was amazing! There was not much else about this part of the trip other than the fact that there was some miscommunication about our reservations (no fault of our travel agent, it was an issue with internal communication at the hotel)

One of the coolest things we did on our trip. Amazing tour guide and boat captain. We got to swim in the bioluminescent algae and learned so much about the region and the science of the bioluminescence.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel this part of our trip. We were looking forward to this so much! But, we tried to pack in too much. We were exhausted from our previous activities and travel, so decided to spend the day in the pools at the resort. Please don't see the three stars as reflective of the experience, since we did not go on the trip. This review form just requires that I put in a rating before I can continue.

Another "don't miss" experience. We saw squirrel monkeys, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, crocodiles, cool spiders and snakes, sloths (one mother with her baby!), and so much more. Our guide was amazing. He also helped us take cell phone pictures through his spotter scope - and we got some great shots! The hike ends with about 30 minutes free time to swim at the beach before heading back. I would have LOVED to spend more time swimming here, because it's so beautiful. But, its just the right amount of time to refresh and get ready for the hike back.

We're home!

AMAZING! The best parts were the hot-springs tubs piped directly into your hotel room, the gorgeous breakfast, volcano views and many hot and cool pools. 10/10 would live here if I could!

Great views and tasty food. Restaurant is small and wait staff are not accustomed to small kids.

We loved Juan Carols and Gonzalo sooooo much, we wanted to take them everywhere with us! My daughter was holding Gonzalo's hand and he was showing her all the birds. What a heavenly day!

SOOOO much fun! I cant even being to count the number of animals we saw.

Lots of great information! Yeri is clearly very highly educated!!! We all learned sooo much from her and the boat trip was very relaxing.

We saw some awesome animals! Jesus showed is so many things - my son's favorite was the click beetles, but we also saw a 2-toed sloth, palm viper and kinkajou.

FUN! Great wildlife guide Alex on the hanging bridges, and the fellas that did the ziplines were all so great and fun and very hard-working!

The hubby caught a 90lb yellowfin tuna and a large dorado, my mom and son smaller tuna. My husband had such a great time he wanted to go fishing again the next day!

First class service and accommodations, with unbelievably helpful and professional staff. Nothing but smiles all day every day and a willingness to make the vacation and hotel stay comfortable and wonderful. The hotel is beautiful, secluded, exclusive and enormous (when also considering the club rio aspect). The pools and hot springs are incredible as is the children’s game room and niceties like a helpful essentials type store and free laundry accommodations. The food wasn’t what we hoped for - it was not terrible by any means - but just not up to the expectations given the VERY high price. The sushi was good and the restaurant down near club rio activities was quite good but that’s about it. The morning buffet was very mediocre and we made sure to leave the hotel for breakfast after trying it twice. The hotel pizza and non sushi dinner options were not enjoyable either. Again, not horrendous just not what we’d expect given all the other incredible aspects of the hotel and the cost of course. We will certainly return, we just know we will mostly eat downtown in La Fortuna. Otherwise, absolutely wonderful in every way

short nights stay for an early flight. clean, comfortable, not much for food options in the area unless you are a fan of Denny's

Nice, clean, friendly. In the main area so not close to the beach. Small sized rooms for two queen beds. Nice pool.

Big rooms, clean, nice garden area to hang in. Bobby the Lodge Lab was awesome. Friendly staff. If it had a view I would give it a 5

LOUD. Motorcycles all day and late into the night echo throughout the town. Nice staff, room was basic but fine. The restaurant staff downstairs , Balcon Arenal, was great.

A beach worth visiting. The far beach was closed.

Hugo was a good guide. Knowledgable. Great views. Not sure if you need a guide for this one other than to make the day plug and play.

Staff made the experience safe and fun. The groups height anxieties went away. Beautiful canyon and a great way to see a sliver of the interior country.

Otto was a fun guide. He sings and teaches you to dance. Incredible viewpoint of the volcano.

Very cool hike. Unique. Take the horses.

Alex was awesome. Super thoughtful guy and a real student of the forest.

Park is not very big and is crowded in March. The monkeys were out, saw sloths, tucan. Beach is beautiful. The guide Jose found stuff to talk about and keep us entertained.

Fun ecosystem to explore. Hugo was really good. Authentic experience.

Great hotel, but poor location

the stuff in this hotel must have been trained by the ritz carlton or 4 seasons. they are amazing.

good spot if travelling in costa rica and need to spend a night on the way in or out.

really beautiful place. not the cheapest thing I've ever done but they work hard to make sure everything is perfect.

Cathy was really great, if they offered other meals we would have done more.

really great experience with an excellent guide.

its a moderate hike, really beautiful place. I would repeat. Guide was knowledgeable but did not seem interested in us or anything else.

beautiful and romantic experience.

really great guide,

Very disappointed, other than the location it was tired, our room had a window too high to see out of. Very dark and gloomy

Lovely location, very comfortable room, good food and the trips with memorable. We had to rely on the hotel for drinking water and think this may have been the initial cause of tummy issues.

Lovely location and pools.

Good location, the room did not have a balcony and was close to the road

Great location and views to the beach with a balcony The bedding and linen was tired and everything was minimalistic with no soap or shampoo provided.

Good journey, we enjoyed the view of the banana plantation. Lots of information and background to Costa Rica

Great guide and lovely views of wild life

Disappointing, unable to get close to the volcano, very busy path. Guide was informative and knowledgeable. The Spa was very busy.

Very interesting and informative. The walk was very atmospheric.

Self guided interesting walk and views.

Really enjoyed it

The private guide was excellent the walk was enjoyable, lots of wildlife and information

Very busy rather disappointing, it was sold as a walk needing walking boots, it was more of an amble.

Absolutely amazing! The buffet was wonderful. Rooms were clean. Beds and pillows were too hard for my liking. Food was delicious. Beautiful volcano views. Seen a lot of wildlife, including a sloth on our resort.

Hotel was a little dated and not as well taken care of as the first 2 hotels we stayed at. Beds and pillows were comfortable. Too hot to enjoy the roof top patio. The resort was laid out a little funky. Not enough staff to take care of things the way I expected. Nice place, but not exceptional. I did like that we had a 2 bedroom villa.

I did not like hotel. It was clean but no outdoor spaces to enjoy. Food was subpar compared to other hotels we stayed at. No privacy when using bathroom or shower from other guests in my room.

This was amazing. Our guide was knowledgeable. The hike was more difficult than expected. Very hard for my mom.

This was one of our best experiences!!! Wildlife was amazing. Our guide was beyond amazing!! I would do this again with our guide! Surpassed every expectation!!!

I would not choose this again. We did not see wildlife.

Loved this activity!!!

Great location! Great breakfast! The staff was very nice too. The room was beautiful too.

WOW! This was a lovely place. The hot springs on the resort were wonderful.

Great resort. The hotel was clean and close to the ocean. The beach was lovely too.

Mariano was wonderful. The private tour was a treasure! I would recommend spending the money for a private tour.

Mariano was great! We loved his tour and he was always showing us animals and pointing out things for us to see.

The sail trip was very nice! The water was clear and guides were friendly. We were lucky- there was only 1 other couple on the boat.

Location was amazing. Best beach.

Wonderful people. Excellent meal.

Did not see many animals

Fabulous. Many animals. Too short. Should be st least 2 hours.

Nothing exceptional. Too many hours to get there. Terrible guide who spoke bad English.

Amazing scenery

The view from the hotel was spectacular. However the plumbing was poor. The toilet was clogged daily. The Internet was like in a cruise.

Absolutely gorgeous location and a great resort for kids! Everything about this place was HUGE from the rooms, to the property, the beautiful volcano that dominated the entire landscape. Out of the 3 places we stayed in Costa Rica, this was the favorite of my kids, and I felt completely safe letting them roam around without me glued to their sides. Our room (129) was right across from the top of the slide into the pool, so my kids were in heaven. Our room itself was enormous, with a big bathroom and great beds. The property is extensive with beautiful walking paths with plenty of activities to do directly from the resort. The hot springs and float-up bar were the best after an afternoon of hiking and horseback riding. The breakfast buffet was a fantastic mix of local and traditional breakfast foods, so there was something for everyone and the prices for on-site food options were quite reasonably priced for a resort restaurant. Only a mile or so from the center of La Fortuna, it was easy to visit town and all the excellent eateries and local restaurants. This resort will be first on our list when we return next year.

This hotel is split into 2 main parts so if you do book here, make sure that you get a room on the ocean side of the resort, so you do not have to cross the busy road to access the restaurant and beach. From the balcony of our room, we could see the beach and could also view the on-site restaurant and pool. My kids were absolutely in love with the resort pet cat, which was really friendly, and my daughter would have taken home had we let her. There was also many other animals that were right on the resort grounds (capuchin monkeys, lizards, agouti, toucans, etc.)-- so much so that we didn't think it was necessary to go on a nature walk through the reserve park, as all the same animals were right on our resort. The only downside to this resort was the prices of the items on the on-site restaurant menu--They were shockingly high, so we made an effort to eat at other local restaurants. Shout out to the Magic Bus, a local eatery right off the beach that we ate at twice, it was that good.

Our guide, Warner, made this activity for us. He was a fantastic source of local wildlife knowledge and was able to help tow my son back to the dock when he was too tired to paddle. It bears noting that the majority of the time on this excursion is spent in the kayak. The snorkeling was great, with lots of fish and sea-life to see, but the time in the water could have been longer. In addition to the kayak/snorkeling, the included lunch was fantastic. Typical fare, the chicken, rice, beans, and soursop juice was great, but what was really amazing was the dessert of warm pineapple al a mode with caramel drizzle. It was de-lish and an excellent way to end the excursion.

Horseback riding up the mountains is a unique way to appreciate the surrounding countryside. The horses were well taken care of and were used to people. Our guide, Esteban, was fantastic and clearly cared about the horses in his charge. He was knowledgeable about the area and very personable. In addition to the horseback riding was the waterfall itself. Down 500 steps into a river gorge, the climb down and then back up is pretty strenuous, but it was truly magical to be able to swim in the river and feel the spray from the water hitting the rocks.

We had originally just booked this for the zip lining and hanging bridges, but ended up adding on the sloth rescue, which really was a great decision. Zip-lining was a fantastic, outside the box adventure, that couldn't have been more exhilarating. The guides that were at each platform made safety their number 1 priority, so even though we were several hundred feet in the air at times, I felt completely safe for both myself and my kids (12 & 13). The hanging bridges were a nice walk throughout the park. We did not join a guided tour, and just walked at our own pace. The sloth rescue/rehabilitation unit was phenomenal! It was amazing to be able to view and learn about these animals and the rehabilitation process of the park. In all, we spent about 5-6 hours completing the zip line course, the hanging bridges walk, the sloth habitat tour, and having a light lunch at the onsite restaurant. It makes for a full afternoon, so great for those looking for several activities in a single place.

This hike was nice, but nothing special. It was neat to learn about the prior volcanic eruptions that impacted the area, and while it is the closest you can get to the volcano, this was a pretty strenuous uphill hike for a mediocre photo op.

Perfect stop by the airport. It was exactly as you would expect and super new and fresh.

This is a real little paradise in the jungle with direct view of the volcano. Wildlife all over the resort. Amazing breakfast.

More monkeys than people!!! Fantastic

We can’t say enough about the guides. They were exceptional. We did class 4 rapids

This was a real standout experience! Very well organized with very skilled guides. I was very nervous and they made me feel very safe and helped me build my confidence. I’m so glad I did this.

We learned so much! Loved the tour of the gardens. A little less cooking then I was hoping for but overall it was a great learning experience

Beautiful large boat with excellent service.

We felt very safe. Beautiful tree canopy.

Such a lovely day! Great guide, wonderful horses. The falls was beautiful

Such a wonderful guide! So well informed.

So many animals!!!! Simply amazing. The guide was brilliant. You must have a guide for this walk.