Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

Overall our trip was a fabulous experience. We had some wonderful interactions with local people, some fantastic accommodation and the National Parks were some of the best I have ever seen.

Highlights: Tortegeuro eco lodge (guide Oliver was funny, informative and well organised). The lodge was in an
incredible location and the wildlife was amazing
La Fortuna thermal pools and walk to the volcano (also a great guide with very good local knowledge)
Horseback ride Tamarindo through the forest and on to the beach was lovely and the beaches were beautiful
Zip lining and Cloud Forest walk Monte Verde (incredible being above and amongst the rainforest canopy).
Manuel Antonia national park walk (guide Roy was brilliant and the wildlife was incredible)
Corocavardo national park walk (again amazing flora and fauna and wildlife)

Disappointments: Whale and dolphin watching when there were no whales or dolphins and were never going to be at
the time of year. (would have like to see the famous waterfall near here instead if we were going to be
in Domincal)
Snorkeling from Tamarindo pretty much nonexistent
Danaus park night walk ( saw one frog and the guide was on his phone most of the time)
Snorkel at Cano Island the guide took amazing underwater videos of the sharks and turtles and
promised to send on whatsap but never did

Some really big issues were the lack of information on our itinerary. We often found that we didn't have any information about what we were doing, time frames for trips and what exactly was included in the day.

The hire car company Mapache was dreadful: we were given a very old front wheel drive tiny vehicle when we had booked a 4 wheel drive larger vehicle and on several occasions this vehicle was dangerous and inadequate for our trip. We were told to leave the vehicle full of petrol at the drop off and spot and when we arrived on empty there were no petrol stations for 25K so we had to hand fill our car from plastic drums and only out of the kindness of a local was this possible. Also we were not given any maps and the car had no navigation system so we took a lot of wrong turns.

We would definitely recommend Costa Rica as a fun, fabulous travel destination. Our trip covered a lot a beautiful areas and we found the local people helpful and interesting. Self drive was easy and gerat to be able to stop wherever we wanted.

A wonderful family trip of a lifetime! Veronica was incredibly knowledgeable and customized our trip perfectly for our family of 7: four boys ages 17-27 and a girlfriend. We didn’t need her help while there because everything was great, but she was completely available if needed. Highlights included horseback riding, zip-lining, the waterfall hike, a cooking class, a night hike, and a catamaran cruise. The people were lovely, and the guides always on time and so kind and helpful, including the one who was waiting for us in the middle of the night with a smile and cooler of drinks after an 8-hr flight delay. I would definitely use KimKim for future trips and Veronica if I return to Costa Rica.

This was my family’s first time working with a travel agent and it was definitely worth it. Our trip went very smoothly, allowing everybody to relax and enjoy more. Olman, our travel agent, was very patient with us in the planning process and booked accommodations and excursions that the whole family ended up enjoying. We probably would not have booked so many excursions or explored the country as much if we didn’t work with a travel agent who knows the country well and was able to give us the best experience.

The Emanuel Antonio Nation Park Tour led by Roy (Estelle Tours) was fantastic. Roy was personable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

The whole trip was wonderful.

Wonderful trip, Olman found us the best guides for all our experiences. Mariso who was our guide on the volcano walk was fantastic. All the children gave him a “20 out of 10” and still talk of how much they learned from him. Transport provided was always on time and very curtious.
I will use KimKim again and recommend them to everyone

Hotel Review

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Excellent service, food and location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Extreme Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Great guides, understanding the needs of children and made it a fantastic experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Helpful and fun. Everything felt very safe

Transport

San José - Arenal - Visit to La Paz Waterfall & Gardens

Costa Rica

Amazing animals, butterfly pavillon was like being in another world. Waterfalls were incredible. Lunch fantastic

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Mauricio was exceptional. Best guide ever. Wonderful with children and kept them entertained the entire time. Educational and fun!

Quality of Experience

Mauricio best guide ever

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gave us plenty of time, stopped for bird sightings

Transport

AMAZING !! is the one word to express our trip to Costa Rica. We just returned from one of the most memorable trips we've taken in years - my wife and 2 kids (19 and 14 yrs).
And it all started with KimKim and Gustavo. I have never used a travel agency for any vacation before -- and after this trip, I'm already recommending my family and friends - this is the way to book your travel.
The team at KimKim was very knowledgeable, and i'll have to say very patient with all the changes i'd made in our itinerary over the couple weeks of planning. The trip from the start of the pickup at the Airport, with our private transfer from San Jose Airport to Arenal - was very professional, the car was very clean, and the overall trip felt very safe and comfortable.
We spent 8 nights, with 3 in Arenal, 3 in Monteverde, and 1 in San Jose. We loved both Arenal and Monteverde - completely jam-packed the 1st half of every day with activities -- well, you have to do that with young boys ;-).
We did Canyoning and White Water rafting with the Defasio team - and none of us had done either activity previously. The Defasio team was great - they picked us up at the hotel. took absolute care in the safety of the activities, without sacrificing the fun !!! we had great local food - delicious. On the White Water rafting activity, we had fresh fruit as part of our activity, lovely fruit along with all the amazing sights all around. We were a group of 6 on the raft. Lots of fun!!
We did the guided tour at the La Fortuna Waterfalls - and our guide was great !! he was very knowledgeable and patiently let us stroll around and took all the wonderful pictures for memories and we were swimming there with the fishes ;-). The water was great !!
In Montevede, we did the Zip Line - wow - amazing fun -- the team at SkyAdventures was super. They were so much fun !! And again our ride back from Monteverde to San Jose was comfortable in a nice clean vehicle and our driver was very courteous and safe driver - which is important given the roads ;-).
Our 1 day in San Jose was ok. Maybe because we were so pumped with action, a rest day did not align with our mindset. However, our resort in San Jose made up for the lack of activity there - we stayed at the Marriott Hacienda - an absolutely lovely property.

And KimKim helped us manage all of this via their planning site - i could always quickly get to my itinerary and the daily details. Looking to have KimKim help us with our next vacation.
Note, we did not book everything via KimKim; they had the flexibility for us to book directly with a hotel if we wanted - which i thought was quite helpful.

Activity Reviews

Lost Canyon Waterfalls & Rappelling Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was amazing !! We had never done Canyoning - like rappeling - but I'd not done that either. Everyone in the family loved this activity. I would definitely recommend it to anyone active.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was so much fun !! My 14-year-old son said this was the best activity for our entire trip -- and we did a lot of activities. We had never done White Water Rafting before -- so this was a true highlight. The team at Defasio was awesome - very professional, safety oriented and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

This was such a lovely waterfall -- the sights are just amazing !! We also did swim in the bottom of the falls -- and next to the falls there is a smaller area where the water is more suitable to swim - we were literally swimming with the fish it was so clear.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

The falls were so majestic - and the hike down was pretty easy - although some folks took time climbing back up -- We also did swim in the bottom of the falls -- and next to the falls, there is a smaller area where the water is more suitable to swim - we were literally swimming with the fish it was so clear. At one time we did see a Toucan so that was a bonus ;-).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eight family members traveled to Costa Rica with three generations ranging in age from 5 to 70. Brittany and Jessica helped us craft a terrific itinerary, We spent four wonderful nights at Hotel Arenal Springs. The hot springs were enjoyed by the adults and the kids loved having lunch at the swim-up bar. The food was tasty and reasonably priced at all the restaurants and the breakfast buffet was plentiful with many options to choose from.

The grounds at Xandari Resort were stunning. We enjoyed the hike to the waterfalls on-site and stumbled upon a bamboo grove that was spectacular. Food was excellent, but a bit more expensive. Spa services were enjoyed by yhe adults.

Tours were great. At Hanging Bridges the naturalist Helen from Jacomar Tours spotted wildlife that we would never have found on our own. She was exceptional. She placed her camera up to her scope so even the youngest in our family could get a close-up view when they could reach the scope itself. We were thrilled to see her again for our Sloth and Bird Walk.

Our Rainforest Chocolate Tour was both educational and entertaining. And the samples were delicious.

The LaPaz Waterfall Park was a wonderful way to see Costa Rican animals up close and the waterfalls were stunning, with fewer steps than the la Fortuna waterfall!

The younger adults in our group were daring enough to zipline through the tree canopy at Arenal Adventures. Those that chose not to, were able to watch them leave from the first platform which was an unexpected surprise. The staff there were numerous and appeared to be very well trained which helped to quell any fears about the experience.

However, the best service received from KimKim was unexpected. Two of our family members had flights cancelled and did not arrive in San Jose until two days later at 1am. With one email from us, Adam was able to communicate updates to RideCR. The driver monitored the flight, met them at the airport and safely drove them to the hotel in Arenal. A foggy ride that took 3 hours! It was comforting to know they were in good hands.

Despite the heat, humidity and rain we created memories that will last a lifetime.

Activity Reviews

Private: Arenal Volcano & 1968 Reserve Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

We booked this tour to learn more about the volcano's eruption, but it was more rigorous than we expected. Due to the heat, and fatigue from other activities, we chose the one-hour walk which was easy, but not very interesting. To get the full benefit from this activity one must be an in-shape, frequent hiker.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pointed out animal and gave details about fauna we did not know. She 'airdropped' photos that she took through her scope that were amazing.

Transport

I enjoy interacting with everyone I met.

Hotel Reviews

Crowne Plaza San José La Sabana

San José

Very clean, comfortable and the hotel staff were nice. I really appreciated th e wait staff and the chef at the hotel restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern, clean with welcoming luxuries and amenities

Location

I had a second floor room, during my first stay. I felt it was too close to the busy road below. Also too close to a bar or restaurant, were loud music was playing, throughout the evening. My second stay, we’re my room was located on the seventh floor, was terrific, there I slept very well and uninterrupted.

Staff

Friendly, engaging and supportive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Modern, very well kept and extremely comfortable

Azania Bungalows

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Very nice being in a bungalow. Comfortable and I enjoyed the hammock on the porch

Authenticity & Character

The bungalow

Location

Close to the beautiful Caribbean ocean

Staff

Accommodating, friendly enough

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bungalow experience

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

I enjoyed my stay here

Authenticity & Character

Grounds, proximity to the ocean. Beautiful swimming pools

Location

Being in Antonio Manuel by the Pacific Ocean was exceptionally nice!

Staff

Friendly and accommodating enough

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Country Inn

La Fortuna

Very quaint and authentic

Authenticity & Character

It was nice

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano - Unique Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Trip

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was a nice boat ride

Quality of Experience

I would have preferred to have gone on the kayak trip.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were nice

Transport

Very informative of our surroundings during the trip

Snorkeling & Hiking in Cahuita National Park

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Excellent time here. The whole day was fun, exciting and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was a great guy!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

I thought Puerto Viejo was interesting but far to busy with car an motorcycle traffic on such a narrow main road.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The top three activities for me were the Hanging Bridges, the rafting, and the afternoon on the catamaran. Thanks for suggesting such great excursions.

We started out with Sergio and he was amazing. He was very responsive and helped us plan an amazing trip for a very diverse group - we had vegans in the group and we also had some elderly people, including my dad who had mobility challenges. He also helped select restaurants. We were celebrating a life event and Serendipity scheduled an amazing private dinner at La Divina Comida in San Jose. I could not have been happier with the restaurant and private room. It exceeded our expectations. Sergio laid the framework for managing this diverse group. Charlotte wasn’t as responsive as Sergio (I would have liked her to respond to messages more quickly) but the transition was pretty smooth overall.

Our guide was Willy. He was outstanding. He was incredibly friendly and flexible. He handled our diverse group so well and the trip was really seamless. At times serendipity brought in additional guides to allow the group to enjoy activities despite some mobility challenges. Our favorite activities were the hanging bridges, the raft tour, the catamaran cruise and horseback riding. The only constructive feedback I have is to not do the lava hike in Arenal on the same day as the hanging bridges. We ended up shifting toe La Fortuna Waterfall hike to another day because we were exhausted after the hanging bridges and lava hike - and ran out of time. There’s no way we could have handled all 3 activities on the same day.

We would definitely recommend Serendipity and would work with them again.

Hotel Reviews

Grano de Oro Hotel

San José

This hotel was so beautiful. It feels like a classic hotel from the turn of the 20th century. The rooms are lovely, included breakfast wonderful and staff friendly. We absolutely loved the gardens outside with the covered walkways. We even enjoyed the jacuzzi on the roof one evening!

Authenticity & Character

The old world feel and friendly boutique service makes this hotel stand out.

Location

Staff

Staff was friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were charming. The restaurant was beautiful.

Baldi Hot Springs Resort, Hotel & Spa

Fortuna

We loved the hot springs. We had a nice room On the fourth floor but the first floor rooms my relatives had weren’t as nice. The hotel was very stingy with towels and the shower had no water pressure. It took forever to bathe and the water was never warm. If you lost your room key (a plastic card), they charged $10. Toiletries were cheap. The food at breakfast was decent but we ate dinner in the restaurant one night and it wasn’t great. I wouldn’t stay at this hotel again.

Authenticity & Character

The hot springs were awesome! Our room was great but room quality is uneven.

Location

The location was fine. It wasn’t in the middle of town but wasn’t far either.

Staff

Staff was friendly but the hotel rules were not. They were very stingy with towels.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds weren’t that comfortable, the showers had no water pressure and were never hot enough and the toiletries were cheap. It felt like we were roughing it.

The Westin Golf Resort and Spa, Playa Conchal

Playa Conchal

We loved this all Inclusive! The rooms are lovely and the grounds are beautiful with lots of wildlife. We enjoyed the pool and beach and we thought the food was pretty good. We would consider returning to this resort.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was attentive and friendly and went the extra mile

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable beds, nice toiletries and excellent water pressure in the shower!

Activity Reviews

Museum of the Jewish Community of Costa Rica

San José

This isn’t for everyone but we loved it! We really enjoyed the artifacts documenting the journey of the founders of the Jewish community from Poland to San Jose and the tour of the synagogue.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jade Museum Tour

San José

The carvings are interesting to see, but the experience is similar to other museums I have been too. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Museo de Oro in Bogota

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Willy was great

Transport

Explore Barrio Amon with your Dedicated Guide

San José

We loved this! I learned a lot about the history of Costa Rica and enjoyed seeing the old part of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

This was a very interesting experience. Our tour guide was great and we loved learning about chocolate and coffee making. We preferred the Chocolate part of the experience because the coffee grown at this location isn’t actually the coffee sold or tasted during the tour. The best coffee is grown at higher elevations. It’s also quite hot and there are lots of mosquitos!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great!

Transport

Private: Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

This raft safari was another highlight of our trip. We loved seeing howler monkeys and white faced capuchins and other wildlife. We also loved the picnic our guides set up on an overturned raft with fresh watermelon, pineapple and Costa Rican candies.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ella's Bat Mitzvah Ceremony

San José

Sloth Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was a lot of fun to “hunt” for sloths in La Fortuna and see them in their natural habitat. We had a specialty guide for this tour and he taught us a lot about sloths and was great at spotting them!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano Visit

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hanging bridges was possibly our favorite activity of the trip. Warning: the bridges are a bit scary. But the views are incredible. We saw lots of wildlife - spider monkeys, pit vipers, and lots of birds. The lush rain forest is classic Costa Rica. We thought the lava hike of Arenal Volcano was challenging - a tough activity to do after the hanging bridges. The views were pretty but the path was tough for our group. We ended up shifting the La Fortuna waterfall to the next day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Costa Rica

We loved the cloud forest and wished we had more time there! We saw lots of wildlife including a quetzal, three wattled bellbird, capuchins, and agouti. The trail was walkable and the views great. I wish we had more time in Monteverde.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were able to get a golf cart for my parents so they could enjoy the trail too!

Transport

Horseback Riding Beach Tour

Playa Conchal

We loved the horseback ride on the beach. The sights were beautiful. The beaches were practically empty and the guides took great photos. However, I had to knock off a star because we had a horrific experience getting back to the resort. We were driven around for almost an hour only in a crowded van to return to the horseback riding place. The driver then refused to drive us back to the resort and we had to beg to get taken back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides were great but the driver was rude and unprofessional.

Transport

Private Sunset Catamaran Sailing Tour

Costa Rica

This cruise was spectacular. The food and drinks were good and plentiful, the catamaran clean and beautiful, the swimming cove pristine. We saw whales and dolphins, a double rainbow and beautiful sunset. This was a magical end to our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Serendipity Adventures (Sergio and Charlotte) were amazing! Building the custom itinerary to match our specific needs, and being available during the trip for questions and assistance.

The KimKim platform is excellent and super helpful during the planning stage, but there are a few things that can be improved during the trip itself when we wanted to look up our next destination and plan details:
1) accessing the trip details requires an active internet connection, which isn't always available.
2) There's no way to access the plan details directly, it requires several clicks and is quite annoying!
3) Especially for longer trips (ours was 24 days), because each time you have to load the trip details from scratch it's a pain to scroll through the itinerary to get to right place, it would be nice if the page opened on the current date :)
4) A dedicated app, or integration with another app (like TripIt) would be a super valuable feature!

This trip was planned pretty well! The tours were great, as were the guides and transport. We had a wonderful time. Gustavo was great at helping me customize a trio perfect for our tour.

A special shout-out to our white water rafting tour guides- Roberto, Eduardo. They were wonderful! As we’re the canyoning guides as well.

The only thing I would mention is the hours were not planned perfectly. Some days we had too much time to kill and wasted some hours we could have had filled. Maybe in the future, Kim Kim can provide better hour to hour information. But overall we had a fantastic time and a lot of fun. I would recommend any friend to use this service in the future!

Activity Reviews

Whitewater Rafting on the Pacuare River

Costa Rica

Wonderful guides and had an absolute blast! I just wish the times were more clear but had a wonderful time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The zip lines were amazing! Hanging bridge tour was a bit boring though

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lost Canyon Waterfalls & Rappelling Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Volunteer Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Farm Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was seem less as it pertains to the travel arrangements and punctuality of all of the transportation vans that were provided to us. All of the drivers were courteous and Proffesional.
We had many memorable moments. The hike to the volcano was beautiful and our guide Mariano was excellent. He was funny and engaging. He gave us many tips as to what to do and what to be careful of.
The River excursion was also memorable. Stopping and taking a break was fun while Mariano provided us with cut Pineapple and other fruit.
The beach at Manuel Antonio state park was amazing. The water was warm and had many places to take wonderful photo opportunities.
All in all it was a memorable trip. We will come back again and use Kim Kim as our service provider.

Activity Review

Canopy Zip Lining Tour, bridges, and Fauna Exihibitions at Selvatura

Monteverde

Super fun activity for all ages. The views are amazing. The ride was thrilling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Olman was very informative and always available to answer our questions. Each part of the trip took place without any issues and the itinerary was great. Our guide for the Arenal Volcano Park hike, Mauricio, through Amazilia was AMAZING! He knows so much and the children learned many things about the plants, wild life, and history of the area. Fun was had by all!

Hotel Review

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

San José - Arenal - Visit to La Paz Waterfall & Gardens

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide for the Arenal volcano hike, Mauricio, through Amazonia, was AMAZING! He knows so much and the children learned many things about the plants, wild life, and history of the area. He was patient and took the time to show all of us the different plants and how they can be used in everyday life. He was really great and we highly recommend getting him for the guided tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mauricio was Amazing and the driver was great!

Transport

Arenal Volcano Extreme Zipline

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most amazing vacation trip to Costa Rica in June 2023. Our trip coordinators, Jessica and Brittany did an amazing job. Our family trip was originally planned for 2022. However, something came up and we were not able travel. Brittany helped to coordinate with the hotels, activity exclusions, & our transportation to postpone for 2023. Jessica came onboard & took over from Brittany. We stayed in Arenal/La Fortuna in the mountains at a very cool resort called Lavas Tacotal. Their villas were absolutely beautiful, tucked away in LA Fortuna mountains. It felt like we had paid a million bucks for our stay. This place was so amazing my kids loved it so much. We toured the La Fortuna waterfall, visited Baldi hot spring & spa resort; was so amazing. Transferred to Monteverde, we toured the sugar, cocoa & coffee farm. My kids did zip lining, we did trim cars, walking on the hanging bridge; which we were told is the longest hanging bridge. We went hiking, visited Montrverde orchid garden which houses about 460 majority of Costa Rica's native species. Then we transferred to Antonio Manuel were we took a yacht & went snorkeling. I would highly recommend anyone to book a Costa Rican vacation, it's such a beautiful country. Our iternary was packed with super fun activities which we planned then kimkim coordinated so well. We had private air conditioned transportation: various pickups & drop-off for our activities, including airport. The whole trip was well planned by kimkim. I will definitely use them from now moving forward for any international vacations. We loved everything about Costa Rica! Anybody trying to figure out their next vacation, I would recommend to consider Costa Rica and please use kimkim, you won't regret it. One advice if you consider Costa Rica, plan your exclusions through an agency like kimkim before you go. Because if you deceive on what to do when you are there; it will cost you alot more. Goodluck on your vacation. Onto our next vacation!

I will definitely use Kim Kim again for our next trip. Communication, options, convenience and reliability were spot on.

Hotel Reviews

Tifakara Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna

Best shower, best location, the best!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Lodge & Gardens

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grano de Oro Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide David was knowledgeable and fun! We had scheduled a more advanced white water experience, but my husband hurt his neck and working through Kim Kim we were able to adjust to an easier journey. We reallly appreciated that.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Buffet Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

We

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every guide and every driver was timely, friendly and knowledgeable. Carlos, in Monteverde was particularly outstanding. Our rainy season your was filled with activities for every member of the family. Weather never interfered. The hotels were very good and with everyone locations and staff.

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica. It was great to work with KimKim on the planning and execution of this trip. We visited 4 regions and stayed at 4 resorts so the logistics were significant. The resorts we stayed in were terrific. Loved the hot springs at Los Lagos. We stayed in the villa at Los Lagos and there was plenty of room for the 9 of us. We greatly enjoyed the white water rafting. Our guides were awesome! The experience was a ton of fun for kids and adults. The river was clean and the food was very good for a lunch buffet.

Mariano was out guide through the rain forest and he was so knowledgeable. The lunch location was beautiful as it was at the base of the volcano with a terrific view, although the service was the slowest we experienced on the trip. The hike down to the La Fortuna waterfall was no joke. We are all fairly fit and able to do it but I think you need to make sure you forewarn people of how strenuous both up and down are. But how worth it!!! That was quite the experience.

The boat ride to Monte Verde was simple and had it not been foggy we would have had great volcano views. You also need to warn people that they need to be physically able to carry luggage long distances as we had to carry our luggage from the boat to the bus which was parked quite a distance away. The ride to Monteverde was very picturesque. El Establo was a terrific resort. We loved the pool area every afternoon during the rain. You have to get used to the fact that you are basically in a tree house while staying there but the views when the clouds cleared were awesome. Breakfast was delicious as well. Our zipline experience was top notch. Lots of fun and lunch after was nice.

The trip from Monteverde was a long one but we enjoyed the view. The biggest negative I have is that we were forced to stop at a seafood spot that was 10 minutes from our resort. We were in the van for 4 hours and I had asked to stop in Jaco or somewhere closer before we left. I was told the other place would be better but it is insane to be in the car for 4 hours and stop 10 minutes from the resort. The food was not very good. In fact my husband and 2 sons did not order and I did not eat my salad. You cant even get a beer there after a 4 hour car ride. This was the only time I felt frustrated that we were being taken advantage of because there must be some kind of kick back for someone otherwise I have no idea why we were taken to this place.

Los Altos and Manuel Antonio were our favorite. The penthouse was amazing. Views were breathtaking. The resort was so nice as were all of the workers. Our guide in manuel antonio was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Highly recommend him. We loved our kayak tour also although it was very physical with having to paddle against the current. The guides were terrific.

I would suggest limiting some of the back to back to back excursions. We were not able to do the cooking class - I honestly cannot imagine if we had tried after that long ride. We also canceled the catamaran because it literally takes people to the same spot we had been on in the kayaks. I would make sure you let people know so they can pick another option or at least are aware it will be the same excursion. Also it looks like there was a larger speed boat that was rentable and would have fit our group. That boat allowed for jet skis, tubing, snorkeling etc and would have been something our group would definitely have been interested in.

The food and the people were wonderful. Costa Rica is a truly beautiful country. We appreciate all of the help and support we received from KimKim during our planning and traveling. I would definitely recommend KimKim to friends and family!

It took some time to shorten this review because we had such a great experience, from the initial planning with Gustavo through the entire trip itself. Never having had help like we did with kimkim I was a little nervous but they exceeded all my expectations in every way and we're so grateful for their meticulous organization, planning, attention and responsiveness. My family of five spent 8 days in Costa Rica, spending 2-3 nights in three different areas and it all went so smoothly. I would have been fine with some hiccups but there were none. Drivers were so friendly, on time, transportation was new and clean, hotels were exactly as described and expected, adventures were perfect selections for our family. And the guides all along the way were a highlight. We did Horseback Riding at the Base of Arenal Volcano, which ended up being in a crazy storm, but one of the most memorable activities of the trip. In Monteverde we did Sky Adventures: Tram, Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges. Roy who took us on the bridges was a delight! He was so knowledgeable and pointed out things we never would have seen on our own. All the ziplining guides, too many names to recall, were awesome! So funny and we knew we were safe with them. We also did the Don Juan Chocolate & Night Hike Experience. Our guide Alex was fantastic, sharing lots of information and displayed dogged determination to find interesting things to show us in the dark. At our last stop, Manuel Antonio, we did a day at the National Park and on our last full day we did the Full Day Waterfall Adventure with Paddle 9. Ken, Andres, Elliott and driver Cumi (sp?), thanks for an exhilarating day of facing our fears and pushing our limits! Hotels, restaurant recommendations, activities, transfers, all perfect! My immense and sincere gratitude to Gustavo at kimkim who took care of us every step of the way and to Jessica who came in to help once we booked. I would recommend kimkim to anyone and would definitely use them again for future travel!

Bryan and his team were great. They made planning our Costa Rica trip easy and fun. When we were there all of our guides, and transportation were on time, very nice and professional and very knowledgeable of the towns we were staying in. The adventures we booked were so much fun and run by reputable companies.
When we had questions we messaged the kimkim team and someone responded very quickly with an answer. Using this company literally took all of the stress out of traveling with a 2 families and kids.
We will definitely use this company again to help with our next adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Buena Vista Chic Hotel

Alajuela

Perfect location on our last day to get us close to the airport for traveling home. The restaurant staff was the best and bent over backwards to have food options for picky kids.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

The hot springs were amazing and the kids loved the slides. The pizza at the restaurant was amazing and the swim up bar was fun. I would recommend this place for sure!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The location was amazing and the pool area and bar were fun, although the pool needed a few repairs. The staff and van drivers were very nice and at your door as soon as you called for a shuttle. The restaurant food was pretty good and the views from every location was stunning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Altos Resort

Manuel Antonio

Wow. This was our favorite hotel by far while we were in Costa Rica. Location, views, food, access to walk to some local restaurants, shops and bars was the best. The rooms were very nice and the view of the ocean from the balcony was superb. Location of hotel restaurant and pool was spectacular and monkeys visiting periodically was the icing on the cake! Would 1000% stay there again and recommend to friends and family!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Children's Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

We had rain and thunder and had to turn back and leave after 10 mins….. this was no fault of anyone obviously…..just Mother Nature and bad luck

Scuba Diving Manuel Antonio

Costa Rica

The visibility was very bad and one of the guides was not very experienced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

We were in Costa Rica for 12 days and did many adventures. This rafting adventure was the absolute favorite of all 5 of our kids!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

The waterfall was seriously unbelievable and so amazing that we could get in and swim. This was one of my favorite experiences while we were in Costa Rica.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

This was so much fun and full of adventure. All of the kids ranging from 9-15 years old loved it. The staff was great and made everyone feel safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica

Our guide was amazing and very passionate about the wildlife in the park. We got to see sloths, monkeys, lizards, butterflies, spiders, dragon flies, hummingbirds, crabs, grasshoppers……… The beautiful beach at the end of the guided tour was wonderful and the icing on the cake.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling Adventure

Manuel Antonio

This was fun but the kayak was no joke and a lot of work. We definitely felt like we had accomplished a great work out when we were back on shore. The snorkeling was pretty good for this time of year. The food for lunch was good and one of our favorite chicken and rice dishes we had in Costa Rica.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sport Fishing Inshore

Manuel Antonio

Deep sea fishing is always one of those experiences that is unpredictable. We staff and captain was great and the views from the boat were very nice. We went out for a half day and only caught 3 fish. So it was an expensive boat ride but we made the best of it. The rooster fish that we caught was huge and put up one hell of a fight, so that was our highlight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport