Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

I really enjoyed Kim Kim! Everything was set up perfectly for us and all the hikes we did had really great guides who were knowledgeable of the area!

The only thing I would suggest it to request a hotel with a pool in Monte Verde if possible! Hotel Fikus was really nice, but we were told a lot of hotels do not have pools do it it being “cold” for them up there. For us Canadians it was still so hot! We had also requested this prior to the trip being planned.

If this happens to you, contact Pico Pico hotel and use their pool for the day with any spa treatment! We got massages and they were incredible!

I had an overall great experience and we will be using Kim Kim again for this September in Iceland!

Brittany’s recommendations were spot on! She was such a huge help and knew Costa Rica so well that we experienced the best.

Hotel Reviews

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

Wonderful hotel in the heart of the city. Fabulous restaurants all with in walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Issimo Suites Boutique Hotel & Spa—Adults Only

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fabulous view

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fabulous experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & EcoTermales Hot Springs Visit

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fabulous hike!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Treetopia Zip Lines

Monteverde

One of the most fabulous experiences I have ever done!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chocolate & Night Hike Experience

Monteverde

Wonder hike with a fabulous guide! Experiencing the rain Forrest at night was truly magical.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fabulous hike with an outstanding guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Damas Island Kayaking

Manuel Antonio

Loved our knowledgeable guide who pointed out wonderful wildlife allow our journey!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip was perfect. Costa Rica was absolutely breathtaking.

I will never plan another vacation alone!! I heard about KimKim through a friend and was blown away by how easy it was to make our birthday trip to Costa Rica a reality. Olman provided excellent recommendations, was super responsive, and booked us the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. When one of our hotels needed to be changed, not only did Olman call and email me, but he upgraded our room at the new hotel and also gave us free passes to an eco-spa. All for the “inconvenience” of moving to a different hotel - which ended up being exactly what we were looking for. From having our rental car dropped off at our hotel, to zip lining and white water rafting, to delicious meals at every turn, to gorgeous sunsets, to howler monkeys chattering the night way - we could not have asked for a more perfect celebratory vacation.
Thank you to Olman and the entire KimKim team for making our trip so memorable - you will definitely be hearing from us again.

A huge thank you to Sergio and the KimKim team. Although not all hotels met our standards we could tell there was a lot of care and planning that went into choosing the tours/guides and transfers as everything was pretty seamless. For a first big trip with the kids it was important to have local insight and someone on standby to help us even while we were traveling in the event we needed to change something on the fly. This type of service was invaluable. Thank you !

Hotel Reviews

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Great property! They take a lot of care in the up keep of the grounds and assisting you with the local surroundings. Breakfast was so so but overall great experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal

La Fortuna

Fantastic property. Would have loved to stay here longer as they are a semi all inclusive resort and pur guide had us booked on a tour outside the resort for an entire day. Definitely need 3-4 days here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Lodge & Gardens

Monteverde

Although beautiful grounds it is not so family friendly with noise able to be heard throughout hallways and rooms along with no bar fridge or tv. Restaurant is too fancy for us so struggled with eating while here. Otherwise rooms are clean and modern, grounds are beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Great hotel close to the airport. Staff are great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge

Manuel Antonio

Hotel is really dated, not so great as the room we had looked out over a dead tree and roof with bird poo. The room doors have frosted glass letting light in all night long. No tv again making it hard for the kids at night and the pool is more for small kids so they didn’t use it either. The online pictures make the resort look amazing but it was quite disappointing to arrive here after staying at the previous locations including Arenal Springs. The restaurants are not great and we got sick from the food here. The only saving grace was the experiences we took in while staying here, otherwise we would stay somewhere else given the option.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Would have loved to have the Volcano hike as a separate day as we did not get to do it due to it being at the end and hottest part of the day and we had alreadybeen going for 6 hours. The hanging bridges are super busy but a great experience with the guide and driver. Pointed out and explained a lot of things we would have never seen on our own. Had a great snack prepared for us. The waterfall was also beautiful but very crowded. View of the volcano was great but we did not get to do the hike which was disappointing as it is what we wanted to do the most.

Quality of Experience

Food

The lunch restaurant was not somewhere we would ever eat.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy the Thermal Hotsprings at your hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great variety and number of hot springs, beautiful views and scenery

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Great adventure, the guides were extremely personable and helpful. We did the ziplining and given an option to either repel or freefall off the final platform. The bridges have beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk

Monteverde

Great informational tour! We learned how coffee was produced and how chocolate is grown, and sampled 2 different recipes. The guide was great in including everyone in the group. We ended this tour on a nightwalk with scorpions, kinkajou, sloths, spiders and a lot of exploration. Great experience and my kids loved the educational parts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

Highlight of our trip! The guide was truly the best at what he does! We saw more animals, insects etc than all the previous tours in the trip. The beaches in the park are truly spectacular and if done again I would make sure we were prepared for a longer stay at the beach at the end of the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

Fantastic guides. Made us feel comfortable even though we are not great swimmers. We saw tropical schools of fish, manta rays, sharks, puffer fish and more!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent trip planning and execution by KimKim. Adam and Jessica communicated effectively and organized all elements of the trip with superb professionalism and responsiveness. Once in Costa Rica, the tour guides were all very well informed and knowledgeable across all locations with transfers, volcano hikes, ocean kayaks and nature tours. Brittany was also of superb help in accommodating last minute modifications. Kudos to the KimKim team we had a great experience and would engage them all over again.

This was our first time using kimkim, and it worked out well. The trip was wonderful, and the activities and accommodations set up fit our family well based on our initial requests. Yuliana did a great job answering our questions and getting everything set up for us, and we just showed up and enjoyed everything!

Hotel Reviews

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

We really liked this hotel; the setting was amazing, with a view of Arenal out our window and wildlife all around, especially birds. The included breakfast buffet was delicious, with many options, and the staff was all friendly and took great care of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was excellent, the only downside was walkability to other locations, but it was easy to get transportation.

Staff

All of the staff were wonderful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Great location near the beach and with great views out over the ocean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Great location for our early flight out the next morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Birdwatching at Arenal Mundo Aventura Natural Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a great morning looking at birds with our guide. This trip isn't a hard-core birding experience and is meant for a mixed group of birdwatchers, but we knew that ahead of time, and the guide pointed out many great birds and knew places to stop for specific species that they had pre-prepared. The guides had extra binoculars for anyone who didn't have them along.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

We enjoyed this experience! Getting to see the wildlife from the water gave a whole different view and we saw some animals up close that would have been hard otherwise, including two types of owls. The food at the end was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The van driver and the river guides were all great! The folks who prepared the food at the end were also awesome!

Transport

Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hike portion was really great, our guide knew birds well and helped us find several that we were interested in. We could have spent all day on the hanging bridges looking at birds!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

This guided hike was so crowded that it wasn't our favorite. Our guide was excellent and knowledgeable about the wildlife and the park. The main trouble we had was that at every place along the trail where something was interesting to look at, there was a crowd of people and several guides, which made it hard to get in to take a look. With all of the people talking loudly, it was often hard to hear our guide to know what we were looking for up in the trees or off in the jungle. It seemed like there was a lot less wildlife than, especially birds, than there would normally be due to the sheer number and volume of the people as well. The main path is wide, which allowed the crowds to pass each other, but further on the trails get narrower, and the number of people walking along them made it hard to stop and look at any wildlife without people jostling by or asking to pass.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great trip!
KimKim did a great job in setting us up with a trip we didn't have to think much about, it was all taken care of for us.

Wow! What an amazing trip our family had in Costa Rica! I want to first thank Jean Carlo for providing us with the best itinerary. We wanted to have an adventurous week and he delivered beyond our expectations! He was always available for suggestions and answered all our questions and concerns immediately. He stayed in touch with us from day 1 up until we landed at home. JC you exceeded our expectations! Well done my friend! Now, let's talk about Costa Rica! I have never experienced a trip like this with so many moving parts in just a weeks time! I was amazed to say the least, how everyone involved was so extremely organized! It was very impressive to say the least! Not one leg of our trip was late, delayed, or canceled. We hopped around to a different town every 2 days and it was amazing how well organized everyone was. From vans, buses, boats & more vans! Well Done! All the hotel staff, drivers, restaurant staff was so pleasant, accommodating and nice! Some of the worlds nicest people in Costa Rica! Shout out to Gabriel at La Senda. We felt like his family in just 2 days! Another shout out to Diego at Leyenda Hotel! You also did amazing job at making us feel at home and catering to all our meals! He even suggested the kitchen would prepare our fish from the fishing trip for us for dinner! And man, did the all kitchen/restaurant staff at Leyenda Hotel produce! We had the best Mahi dinner to date! Also, let's not forget the spa at Leyenda, Oblivion. You treated us to the best start of our day for a mother/daughter spa experience while the boys fished. Thank you Lawlin (excuse spelling). She was the best! And to the fishing Charter crew, you were awesome! Thanks to William who got us to back to the airport. Even though we didn't want to leave! Another fun part of the trip was white water rafting! A huge shout out to the crew and staff at Whitewater on Pacuare River from Arenal/La Fortuna. Grailin (oops spelling) you all were the best! Thanks to 💯 Aventura Nature Park for a thrilling canopy/zip lining experience! What a thrill!!!! And the hikes for our nighttime walk and day hike to hanging bridges in Monteverde, cloud forest . We ended our trip at Leyenda Hotel and visited one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! What an amazing 2 days at Carillo beach. How pristine and beautiful! Thank you everyone that made our week so special and I apologize for not mentioning everyone's name! We loved visiting the countryside of Costa Rica! It was so clean and beautiful with the nicest people! You truly live by your words- Pura Vida! We are so blessed to have experienced it with you! Pura Vida!! The Wulf Family, NC

Hotel Reviews

Leyenda Boutique Hotel and Spa

Hojancha Guanacaste

Thank you for an amazing stay at your beautiful hotel! Such a special place! The grounds were beautiful! Shout out to Diego, restaurant staff & Lawlin, at the spa! You and the hotel staff are amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Thank you for an amazing stay! The hotel staff is amazing!! What a beautiful place and awesome views of the volcano!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

Thank you for an amazing stay! You have a very special place! Thank you Gabriel for making us feel like family! You and all the staff were amazing! Pura Vida!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Rafting Trip on the Río Pacuare

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing at Samara

Sámara

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim’s team was fantastic. Great communication, prompt responses. The team helped our group plan some tours in Costa Rica, no question would use their services again. Thanks Kimkim team.

We had the best trip ever! Everyone was so nice. The attention to detail was amazing. I highly recommend Team KimKim. Their communication and accessibility was on point. We could have never organized the adventure that we had, without them. They were so organized with every excursion, driver, event, and anything else that you wanted to do. Truly an amazing experience.

Hotel Reviews

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Leyenda Boutique Hotel and Spa

Hojancha Guanacaste

This place was amazing! Diego was the best. We went deep see fishing and brought back Mahi Mahi filets and the prepared us cerviche for appetizer, phenomenal garlic butter filets for my wife and I, and fried fish fingers for my kids. It was phenomenal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

This place is the best!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Rafting Trip on the Río Pacuare

Arenal/La Fortuna

Phenomenal trip. Perfect rapids and a ton of fun for the whole family

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing at Samara

Sámara

Great time. Reeled in some monsters!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I started with Alberto and he helped me plan an amazing trip that was the right balance of activities and down time. While on the tour, Jean Carlo, took care of me. He helped me when there were little hiccups along the way. It was great to be able to contact him when a problem arose. He was able to smooth things out and make whatever issue that came up go away. He was great!

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Amazing resort with friendly and helpful staff. Loved the setting, and the private patio garden area. The room was spacious and clean. The restaurant was great. It has wonderful food and a beautiful setting. There are lots of activities at the resort and wonderful walking paths in a quiet setting. I would definitely stay there again

Authenticity & Character

I loved all of the bird sightings at the property. The resort has a tropical garden setting, but is surrounded by forest.

Location

The resort was back away from the road and it was quiet, but a short taxi ride would tak you into town.

Staff

They were all so nice and went out of their way to be helpful. Many of them took the time to learn my name and my preferences

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was very clean and well maintained

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The hotel is beautiful and in a beautiful setting. My room was in one of the buildings at the top of the hill, so I had an amazing view. From the reception up to my room is a steep climb about a mile long, so the property is not really walkable, but they do have a shuttle service that will take you anywhere you want to go on the property. I found the room itself to be beautiful, but there was only one chair in the room. It could have used a second chair and a small table. Also, the walls between the rooms are very thin and I could hear everything that went on in the next room, even quiet conversations. I used ear plugs to help me sleep.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful view from my balcony.

Location

Seemed to be close to the sights I wanted to visit

Staff

Staff was a little hit and miss. There were some that were friendly and helpful and some who were not.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The resort and my room were very clean, but there was a noise issue with the room

Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge

Manuel Antonio

Loved everything about this resort! My room was fantastic. It had a little seating area where I could sit and relax after my activities of the day. My view of the ocean was just awesome. Can’t say enough nice things about the resteraunt. The staff was always friendly and helpful. The location was great and I could walk to little stores close by.

Authenticity & Character

The place had a tropical setting and feel.

Location

The resort is part of a wild life refuge and there were amazing animals to be seen at the resort, including monkeys, iguanas, and birds.

Staff

The staff was great, very knowledgeable and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole place was clean and well maintained.

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

This was a good place to stay as you were making the transition in or out of the country. It was a perfect place for me to stay for one night when my vacation ended and needed to catch an airplane the next day.

Authenticity & Character

Exactly what I would expect from a Raddison hotel

Location

Close to the airport with an airport shuttle service

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean and well maintained.

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Beautiful setting and amazing wildlife viewing.

Quality of Experience

The hike itself was great, but my guide made it even more special!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were both very knowledgeable and planned the perfect level of activity for me.

Transport

My driver would see something and make a point of stopping so I could get a picture

Birdwatching tour by the Arenal Lake

Arenal/La Fortuna

My guide was so knowledgeable. I really learned a lot from him.

Quality of Experience

Very knowledgeable guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very helpful

Transport

Good clean and comfortable vehicle

Visit Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

It is a beautiful setting and the restaurant was good. I found the water in most of the “hot spring” pools to be on the cool side.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding in the Cloud Forest

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Birdwatching Tour in Monteverde (5:00 am)

Monteverde

Loved the tour.

Quality of Experience

Very knowledgeable and helpful guide..

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Loved learning about chocolate, coffee and sugar cane in Costa Rica. The tour guide was just great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Costa Rica

Awesome experience. The variety of the animals from white tail deer to bats, just great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mangrove Boat Tour

Manuel Antonio

This was a fun relaxing tour. We saw a lot on the gentle boat ride through the mangroves to the sea.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The moment we decided in November 2022 that Costa Rica was going to be our honeymoon adventure vacation set for March 2023, I set out to create an itinerary that would be a blend of natural, cultural, and heart-pumping experiences that would fit our time and budget considerations. Since this would be our first visit to Costa Rica I sought the expertise from a couple of tour agencies which included kimkim. At kimkim we were introduced to Bryan, a specialist on his home country of Costa Rica. Before, during, and now, a few days returned from the trip, it's clear that planning with Bryan through kimkim was the best thing to happen for us in creating our getaway.

From the jump, Bryan listened to our ideas, asked all the right questions, made wonderful recommendations, provided incredibly prompt and personal responses to our itinerary requests and considerations, and within a short amount of time put together a personalized, 11-day, self-drive, "we can't wait to go," Guanacaste adventure.

Pura vida! We can say it now, each and every check-in along the way was flawless and anticipated by the receptionist; from car rental pick up and drop off, to each of the 4 hotels we stayed, and all 10 tours we booked.

The accommodations that fit our budget and were available at time of booking included Hacienda Guachipelin in Ricon de la Vieja; Volcano Lodge in Arenal; Fondavela in Monteverde, and Golden Palms Papagayo.

Below is a listing of the notable, day by day highlights*, raves*, and faves* of our 11-day Costa Rica adventure:

After touching down in Liberia we picked up our rental car and dined next door at *La Choza de Laurel

Rincon de la Vieja:
*Hacienda Guachipelin breakfast buffet and dining area
*Hike to Las Pailas and Oropendola Falls with guide *Johnny
*Hacienda Guachipelin tubing the Rio Negro with guides
*Hacienda Guachipelin room and balcony

*Rio Celeste self-hike

Arenal:
*Volcano Lodge flora and fauna
*Volcano Lodge private hot tub and view of Arenal Volcano
*Variety of birds gathering at "banana breakfast buffet" at Surá Restaurant
*Volcano Lodge grounds yoga pavilion, out door workout area, and pool
*The welcoming energy of the entire receptionist staff of Volcano Lodge
*Robert at Surá Restuarant
*La Fortuna Waterfall hike with guide *Kenneth (Arenal Star), sighted 3 toucan species, Deivar providing fresh fruits
*Sloth family viewed at Volcano Lodge parking area
*Ecotermales Hotsprings with buffet dinner
*Arenal 1968 hike w/ *Kenneth, anteater encounter, Pablo providing fresh fruits
*Great cups of coffee on Don Juan’s Coffee and Chocolate tour
*Dinner at Pollo Fortuneño in the city of La Fortuna, *Marlon offering great service

Monteverde:
*Santuario Ecologico visit and hike
*Night Walk: Children’s Eternal Forest with guide *Marvin
*Fondavela Hotel perimeter walk
*Selvatura Park: Canopy tour with *zipline guides, hanging bridges, sloth and butterfly tour. Great lunch and best cup of coffee of the entire trip.

*Palo Verde National Park Boat tour with guide, *Ulysses and Capt. Miguel.
*Great lunch served at Hacienda El Viejo

Papagayo:
*Golden Palms Papagayo resort: receptionist *Angie; comfortable room, lovely pool; easy access to Playa Buena; great rocky beach walk around point
*Kuna Vela morning “sail” and snorkel in Culebra Bay with *Capt. Israel and *First mate Andres.
*Lunch and dinner at Hacienda Blu Beach near Golden Palms
*Lunch at Eco Camping Papagayo

*Suzuki Vitara 4x4, Sport Mode setting, total miles driven about 340

We wanted to plan a memorable family vacation to Costa Rica, but felt daunted by the task. We decided to use KimKim and were connected with Fio who helped turn our ideas of areas we wanted to see and things we wanted to do, into a manageable itinerary.

Some of the highlights were the guided tour at Manuel Antonio National Park with our guide, Socio (with Endemic Bird tours). We ended up being the only family on his tour so we had a very personalized experience. His knowledge and ability to spot wildlife in the jungle was extraordinary. We also enjoyed our hotel Costa Verde - we had wonderful ocean views from our balcony and saw toucans and macaws, as well as monkeys and sloths. The room was nice and the grounds were enjoyable - beautiful views from the Anaconda restaurant for breakfast. We also enjoyed evening dining experiences at Cafe Milagro and Claro Que Si. Wonderful food and atmosphere in both.

We were glad to have a rental 4x4 vehicle for the trip - which made it easier to see more areas and definitely needed 4x4 as the roads were not easy in many of the out of the way places like Monteverde.

We enjoyed zip lining in Monteverde at Selvatura Park, but unfortunately we had our first attempt at doing so canceled due to lightning. So one thing we learned is to plan activities for the morning hours to avoid potential rain and maybe storms in the afternoon. The morning weather mostly seemed to be predictably clearer than the afternoon. Selvatura let us reschedule our zip lining tour for the next morning, so we were able to squeeze it in before leaving for Arenal Volvano the next day - and we thoroughly enjoyed the zip line experience so it was worth it to squeeze it in. We enjoyed our hotel - Fondo Vela (again we were glad for the 4x4 as it was tough to get there). It was beautiful, peaceful and the rooms were very nice. We also enjoyed St Elena and Taco Taco restaurant there. We wished we had more time to spend there as it was a very beautiful area with just the right amount of tourist action (didn't feel over touristy).

Our hotel in La Fortuna was nice - it was right off the main road through Fortuna so it was a little underwhelming location wise....but the grounds were pretty and they had a nicely maintained pool and we at at Puira, the adjacent restaurant which was very good. It'd a nice view of the volcano. Fortuna is very touristy feeling - more so than Monteverde and St Elena - but we still enjoyed it. Put your guide Kenneth and driver Roy were fantastic for our La Fortuna waterfall guided hike and the hanging bridges (again we were wishing that we'd had these activities scheduled in the morning as it down poured through out our hanging bridges tour (we consequently didn't see much and we were soaked thru), but it was interesting to be in the middle of the rainforest in the middle of torrential rain so our guides helped us make the best of it. We also thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate and coffee tour while in Fortuna at Don Juan (our guide Yen was very knowledgeable and it was a great tour). We also did our own hike at Arenal Volcano National Park (nice views and easy hiking, pricey entrance fee though for our family of four). Lake Arenal is really pretty and we were once again grateful for the car as we took our time as we drive toward Bijagua, and stopped a few places along the drive around the lake. Unfortunately our son left his iPad at the hotel (Arenal History Inn) in La Fortuna so we had to make the drive twice to go back and get it (I messaged Fio and Nancy thru KimKim and they very wonderfully made the connection with the hotel management to help us get the iPad back from the hotel room he had stayed in). They definitely went above and beyond to assist and it was comforting to feel that they had our backs if something came up that we needed some help with.

Bijagua was very peaceful and felt very authentic- not very touristy. Our tour guide, Freddie, on our Rio Celeste hike was also very skilled at locating animals and spotting things in the jungle including some varieties of beautiful birds and a tapir! We all noted that many of these hikes can be done without guides, but the guides do offer a significant benefit to seeing all sorts of wild creatures and have so much knowledge to offer so it really was worth it to go with guides. We loved our bed and breakfast accommodations in Bijagua - Sueno Rio Celeste (the owners - Marci and Bryant were so hospitable and kind - they recently purchased the Inn but had many valuable suggestions for us including a visit to a jaguar sanctuary about 30 min drive away). If they hadn't told me they'd only been there less than a year, I never would've guessed with how seamlessly they ran the B&B and the wonderful wealth of knowledge they had to share about the area. The grounds are gorgeous - I did yoga and qigong on their newly built yoga deck and was surrounded by monkeys and birds and lovely jungle views. It was so peaceful and another place we wished we had more time.

Our last full day in Costa Rica we spent driving to and exploring Tamarindo - it was very busy and lots of beach/surfer action and tourists. We are at Ocean right on the beach which was nice. Our hotel and overall experience of Tamarindo was underwhelming- our hotel Pasatiempo was just okay - the pool area was nice and the beds were comfortable, but there was bass thumping and music from adjacent bars into the very early hours - lots of partying and tourists which is what some want, but it's not our scene so we were left underwhelmed by Tamarindo. We did thoroughly enjoy our Turtle Night Viewing Tour with Reynolds and Bernie. They drove us to the National Park/protected beach at sunset and filled us with an exceptional amount of information about turtles in our way there. This was our absolute favorite part activity/tour in Costa Rica - they guided us on the dark beach with red lights only and we witnessed baby turtles hatching and several turtles coming out of the water in various stages of digging and prepping their nests for laying eggs. We even saw one turtle laying eggs. It was amazing and a must do activity (but it seemed that having a knowledgeable guide was essential - Bernie and Reynolds seemed to know much more than many of the other guides and so our experience was better - we were the only group to see the turtle lay eggs - the others had all left before this occurred...we felt very fortunate to have Bernie and Reynolds as our guides). Our turtle experience is something none of us will ever forget! Pura Vida!

Overall our trip was fantastic and it was very helpful to use KimKim and have Fio and Nancy's assistance. It was a memorable trip for sure and we appreciated the hassle free planning and organization from Fio.

We experienced a 6 day 5 night holiday with Olman's planning. It was perfect. All transports were perfect. Most were private. The ones that werent were small group. We did not pack light because of extension of cruise at the end. The transport across Arenal lake was a bit of a effort lugging suitcases across muddy embankment but the lake approach to Arenal was fabulous and the first view of volcanoe was truly special. Recommend packing light! We had asked for nature and animals and we got to see all. The hotel choices were all perfect. Thankyou to all who made this trip memoriable. A slight change in itinery was adjusted and we were well taken care of. Advised to check emails last and first thing of the day in case adjustments have been made by the company and an earlier pickup than scheduled has been planned. Would recommend KimKim travel. We have travelled extensively and we were very impressed.

Hotel Reviews

Buena Vista Chic Hotel

Alajuela

Beautiful authentic hotel close to airport but in the hills looking over san Jose. Room was lovely!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Close to restaurants and small mall. Beautiful grounds comfortable rooms. Traffic noise in early morning but because of Monteverde's hilly geography it was hard to avoid.

Authenticity & Character

Nice wood. Clean and comfortable.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Our room was at the top of the hill facing the mountsin. Lots of wildlife right outside our door. Staff were so kind. Bathroim a bit dated but bed was comfortable and clean. Has it's own hotsprings.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Need a car or rely on cabs to go to other restaurants.

Staff

My cleaning lady was so helpful. She found me a needle and thread to sew my back pack.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

The ziplines were top notch. Quite an exelerating experience. Need to be somewhat fit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The team was very accommodating. We were traveling with our adult children and two grandchildren under three. They helped us know what was suitable for the various interests and abilities. When we requested a last minute change they were able to do that or without any issues. Travel provided by the Three Monkeys was exceptional and drivers accommodated extra stops when asked. We were able to get groceries on the way to our villas from the airport! I would highly recommend using this site to plan a trip to Costa Rica.

Randall with Kim Kim was great. Everything went splendidly! All the guides were great! One in particular was Rebecca from Canoe Adventura on our Cano Negro river trip

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hike & Baldi Hot Springs & Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano - Unique Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Trip

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Waterfalls & River Swimming in La Fortuna

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Twilight Hike in the Cloud Forest

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges at Selvatura Park

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience (English Tour)

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

We recently traveled to Costa Rico with the the help of Kim-Kim. It was ‘nothing short of exceptional’. Sergio, our local contact, had the perfect suggestions based on our objectives. The accommodations were excellent, transports ( all 6 of them) were safe and never one minute late. The tour guides chosen for us were exceptional, knowledgeable and reliable. The logistics team, provided by Charlotte and Nancy, were tremendous. Throughout the entire process, all questions were answered promptly and not one detail was overlooked. In the future, we will use Kim-Kim for all of our travel needs.

Hotel Review

Bosque del Cabo Rain Forest Lodge

Puerto Jimenez

Paradise. Absolutely beautiful spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The accommodations, staff and food were exceptional. We will go back!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

The coffee and chocolate tour was interesting and fascinating. The guide was exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

B

Transport

Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

A beautiful place in the planet. Our guide was exceptional and without her, we wouldn’t have seen a thing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ni

Transport

We were skeptical at first, but We absolutely loved our experience using kimkim. I couldn't ask for a better specialist than Veronica to plan our Costa Rica adventure. She understood exactly what we were looking for, planned the ideal trip, and made herself available for phone calls and messages at all times.

We traveled with our 3-Year-Old. She loved the trip and especially the nature hikes and spotting wildlife and birds. The food was incredible. Nothing fancy but everything is so fresh, and a lot of attention is paid to preparation regardless of where you eat from Soda’s to the 4-star hotels. My wife is a vegetarian and she had plenty of options to choose from.

All our pickups were timely and all we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves. Transportation between our destinations of La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio were seamless.

I highly recommend Kim Kim; it made my life and trip so much easier!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sloth Tour (Sloth Territory)

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience (English Tour)

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning our trip with KimKim was easy from start to finish. I just let them know dates, desires of the family and a budget, and they did the rest!

Everything happened when and as planned. When there were little issues (the rental car was booked to be returned to the wrong location ) - they were immediately corrected with follow up emails to ensure that everything went well. I never had to wait longer than a day to reach anyone for non-urgent matters while on vacation, and we didn't have to contact them for any emergencies because there weren't any!

We started at Playa Hermosa, following a simple private transfer from the airport. Our stay at the Bosque Del Mar was great. We had a large ocean view room with a separate bedroom and large balcony. The food on site (additional) was relatively expensive but delicious, but the service was good and it was very quiet at night (except for the occasional howler monkey!). The kids loved the pool, the beach, and the full-size pool table in the lounge, where we enjoyed the 2-for-1 daily happy hour and great views from the second floor.

We went SCUBA diving for 3 days, leaving from Playas del Coco (15-minute drive from the hotel). We found the service at Deep Blue Diving to be quite good for a PADI-certified site. The equipment was maintained (few minor air leaks in the rental BCD's) and the dive masters and the boat captains were attentive and safe, including extra safety equipment and plenty of food and water on-board. Everything was on time with no delays. The dive sites had about 20-30 feet visibility with very calm surface conditions (minimal wind each day) and a great variety of underwater life.

While we were diving, our children stayed with their own local Serendipity guide, Juan Carlos. They loved hanging out with him especially because his family was in the area and he offered to bring his kids with him to play! He took them to the pools at the hotels and mini golfing! They also explored the local tide polls and raced hermit crabs on the beach. He kept them feed, sun-screened and very happy. He also chauffeured us around to diving and dinners as needed.

We were then delivered a rental car to our hotel (a new Toyota Rav4), which was a great car to have for the rest of our trip. The agent delivering the car noted that the drop-off location was for a different airport than our itinerary but this was quickly corrected. We drove to the Hacienda El Viejo, where we had a good lunch of local cuisine and then went on a private river boat excursion in the Palo Verde National Park. Our guide seemed a bit more interested in talking with the boat captain than with us during the exploration but we did see alligators, a Jesus Christ lizard, a variety of monkeys and many birds. When we got back to the hacienda our guide asked us to give him a ride home. While that was a bit unexpected it's understandable given the distance from the remote park to his home and that it was in-line with our next destination. We were happy to help, too, since the rural roads were not paved and some routes shown on Google Maps were closed or weren't the standard local way to navigate. As we drove him to a drop-off point to catch a bus he pointed out additional wildlife from the car that we wouldn't have otherwise known to look for.

Our final destination was the Arenal Manoa Hotel and Hot Springs. The switch from a relatively dry and sunny oceanside into a humid rainforest, and the many twisting mountain roads, made for an interesting 3-hour drive. Our room at the Manoa was beautifully appointed and situated at the back of the resort, surrounded by dense trees, flowers, and many, many birds. The room was large and was kept very clean throughout our stay; the maid even left little treats and towel sculptures for the kids each day. Our room was close to the restaurant and the regular pool, though a bit of a walk to the on-site hot springs at the front of the resort. Again, the food was quite expensive at the hotel, so we dined nearby in La Fortuna frequently. All the food, both at the hotel and in town, was genuinely excellent. There were always options for the kids, too.

Our first private excursion in Arenal was zip-lining at the Vista Arenal Adventure Park and this was a family favourite. The equipment was great with good fitting harnesses and each of our kids had their own guide, Daniel and Tiago, who did each zip line with them to control the speed and breaking. There were fourteen platforms high in the forest near the base of the volcano. We zoomed through the canopy and over a river with incredible views. The kids were never scared and loved the thrill of the ride. Our main guide, Isaac, was very informative and discussed the wildlife and vegetation that we saw.

After a break at the hotel we went to the Hanging Bridges, which is very beautiful, but unfortunately it rained very heavily and we couldn't enjoy this to its fullest. It was neat to experience a rainforest in its full, rainy state, but it was also rather cold and limited views. What we did see was very impressive with beautiful pathways through the jungle and lots of different birds. We even saw a pack of peccary (feral pigs) wandering about.

The next day we went spelunking at the Venado Caves; this was the kids' favourite activity! They were a bit nervous starting the walk though the river in the caves, but after passing through some tight crawl-throughs, they explored with enthusiasm. One of our headlamps ran out of batteries midway through the spelunking, which is a bit disconcerting, but with the larger group (there were 7 of us) it was OK. This excursion included a transfer from our hotel, but this wasn't really needed and we would have preferred to drive ourselves as we would have stopped for food on our way home.

Our next day, we lounged at the hotel to rest in the morning and hang out at the pools while enjoying oven roasted pizzas that were popular at the resort. Then, we were picked up by Callidryas Tours for a sloth viewing expedition. For this tour, you do need the guides driving because they search for sloths in the wild while driving the local streets! They have amazing eyes to pick them out of the trees and we stopped multiple times to view the sloths in their natural environment through telescopes. We were able to see both two toed and three toed sloths and also found moms and their babies!

On our final day, we chose to stop at the Centro de Rescate Las Pumas, a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center between Arenal and the airport in Liberia. This was additional to our KimKim itinerary but we note it here because it was nice to see a few of the rarer local animals that we hadn't already encountered and to break up the drive for the kids. Plus, they're doing great work for the local animal populations. The car return was super easy, over in about 3 minutes followed by a 5-minute shuttle to the airport terminal, where we enjoyed a final meal before our flight.

Altogether this was a great trip, well-organized, well executed, and worry free. Thanks to everyone for helping us!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Our stay at the Bosque Del Mar was great. We had a large ocean view room with a separate bedroom and large balcony. The food on site (additional) was relatively expensive but delicious, but the service was good and it was very quiet at night (except for the occasional howler monkey!). The kids loved the pool, the beach, and the full-size pool table in the lounge, where we enjoyed the 2-for-1 daily happy hour and great views from the second floor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fantastic beach

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Our room at the Manoa was beautifully appointed and situated at the back of the resort, surrounded by dense trees, flowers, and many, many birds. The room was large and was kept very clean throughout our stay; the maid even left little treats and towel sculptures for the kids each day. Our room was close to the restaurant and the regular pool, though a bit of a walk to the on-site hot springs at the front of the resort. Again, the food was quite expensive at the hotel, so we dined nearby in La Fortuna frequently. All the food at the hotel was genuinely excellent. There were good options for the kids, too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great views of the volcano and close to La Fortuna

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coastal SCUBA Diving in Northern Guanacaste

Costa Rica

We went SCUBA diving for 3 days, leaving from Playas del Coco (15-minute drive from the hotel). We found the service at Deep Blue Diving to be quite good for a PADI-certified site. The equipment was maintained (few minor air leaks in the rental BCD's) and the dive masters and the boat captains were attentive and safe, including extra safety equipment and plenty of food and water on-board. Everything was on time with no delays. The dive sites had about 20-30 feet visibility with very calm surface conditions (minimal wind each day) and a great variety of underwater life

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very attentive to safety

Transport

2 Tank Scuba Diving at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

Better visibility at this site as it is further from the beach areas and less sandy debris in the water. The wreck at Tortuga was small but amusing to see and had an eel living in it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very helpful with the gear organization and distributing water and pineapple during the breaks.

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration

Costa Rica

We drove to the Hacienda El Viejo, where we had a good lunch of local cuisine and then went on a private river boat excursion in the Palo Verde National Park. Our guide seemed a bit more interested in talking with the boat captain than with us during the exploration but we did see alligators, a Jesus Christ lizard, a variety of monkeys and many birds. When we got back to the hacienda our guide asked us to give him a ride home. While that was a bit unexpected it's understandable given the distance from the remote park to his home and that it was in-line with our next destination. We were happy to help, too, since the rural roads were not paved and some routes shown on Google Maps were closed or weren't the standard local way to navigate. As we drove him to a drop-off point to catch a bus he pointed out additional wildlife from the car that we wouldn't have otherwise known to look for.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Given that this was a private tour, I was expecting a bit more about the history of the Hacienda and the family or some more info about the surrounding vegetation and wildlife.

Transport

Private Canopy Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a private excursion at the Vista Arenal Adventure Park and this was a family favourite. The equipment was great with good fitting harnesses and each of our kids had their own guide, Daniel and Tiago, who did each zip line with them to control the speed and breaking. There were fourteen platforms high in the forest near the base of the volcano. We zoomed through the canopy and over a river with incredible views. The kids were never scared and loved the thrill of the ride. Our main guide, Isaac, was very informative and discussed the wildlife and vegetation that we saw.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Isaac was very conscientious of checking the harnesses and equipment of our kids (and us) at each platform to ensure safety. I was never concerned.

Transport

Venado Cave Spelunking & Exploring

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was the kids' favourite activity! They were a bit nervous starting the walk though the river in the caves, but after passing through some tight crawl-throughs, they explored with enthusiasm. One of our headlamps ran out of batteries midway through the spelunking, which is a bit disconcerting, but with the larger group (there were 7 of us) it was OK. This excursion included a transfer from our hotel, but this wasn't really needed and we would have preferred to drive ourselves as we would have stopped for food on our way home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very informative about the limestones formations and fossils found in the cave

Transport

We could have driving ourselves and likely would have preferred this.

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

We were picked up by Callidryas Tours for a sloth viewing expedition. For this tour, you do need the guides driving because they search for sloths in the wild while driving the local streets! They have amazing eyes to pick them out of the trees and we stopped multiple times to view the sloths in their natural environment through telescopes. We were able to see both two toed and three toed sloths and also found moms and their babies!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing driving while also picking our sloths!!!

Transport