Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

The trip designed by Sergio and his team was perfect.
A combination of active and relaxing areas, great hotel selection, and super high quality activities!
We couldn’t be happier with how our trip went.
We traveled to La Fortuna, Monterverde and Manuel Antonio, and got to discover a ton of wildlife and beautiful forests.

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Corin Thermal Water Spa & Resort - Adults Only

Fortuna

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

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide, Kenneth, was fantastic. We had him as our private guide for the days and he made our first contact with the rainforest and its wildlife fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Adventures Zip Lines

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Children's Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling Adventure

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, the tours we went on were absolutely amazing and we have a mostly positive experience. All the guides were great and very knowledgeable. Our guide for canyoning was hilarious and so fun. Our rafting guide did a great job with some inexperienced rafters. The hotel was also amazing - the service, the spa, the pool. I would recommend kimkim to other people overall, but we did have some issues that ended up being ok, but still caused some headache including:
- The emergency line isn't really an emergency line. It took over an hour to get a hold of someone due to last minute travel issues
- One of our tours was expecting 12 people rather than 6. Still not sure if we paid for 12 or 6 people
- I specifically asked for 2 king rooms and 1 double queen room but got 3 king rooms and the hotel could not make any last minute changes due to availability
- We changed our transportation plans for the last day of our trip about a week in advance but something happened and the company still showed up at the original time and seemed to be unaware of the change

Overall we experienced some inconviences, but our tours were amazing and we will remember them for a long long time!

Hotel Review

The Royal Corin Thermal Water Spa & Resort - Adults Only

Fortuna

Stay here!! We loved the pool, the spa, and the service. Food was decent overall.

Authenticity & Character

Location

View of Arenal, close to La Fortuna but not busy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Volunteer Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

The tour itself was very nice but the volunteer experience was incredible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lost Canyon Waterfalls & Rappelling Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Absolutely incredible experience! Would do this over and over! The guides were so great and it was so fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Arenal Volcano & 1968 Reserve Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a great intro to the area. You can do the hike alone but it was nice to learn more from the guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The coolest zip lines we have ever done and the guided hike was nice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

We got to see both types of sloths, which made walking in the rain for an hour absolutely worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks to Olman, our visit to Costa Rica was truly exceptional. Everything was perfectly organized, the choice of hotels was spot on, the planning was smooth, and we got to experience all the wonders that this incredible country has to offer. We'll use Kimkim for other trips in the future for sure!

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

An overall friendly, pleasant little hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Nice but not unique.

Location

The location is convenient but not spectacular.

Staff

Super friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect for a stopover.

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

This hotel feels like a mountain cabin.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not central but very accessible.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Lapas Rainforest Eco-Resort

Tárcoles

A resort-like hotel that is not very welcoming.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like a series of rooms for summer camp.

Location

Staff

Overwhelmed by the number of guests, busy and not very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Yara

Puntarenas

A unique small hotel with tons of character.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

Drake

The perfect place to disconnect from the world but still feel very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hilton Garden Inn, La Sabana

San José

A typical chain hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Noah's Forest by Tifakara

La Fortuna

A new, trendy hotel that feels like a resort. A tad expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Very crips and shiny, super green, but a bit too shiny and slick. Doesn't feel very authentic, more like a luxury resort.

Location

Once you know how to get there, it's not too isolated but not crowded either.

Staff

Friendly, helpful, very professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very comfortable and well maintained.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hike in itself is amazing but the whole group moves fast and doesn't allow much time to enjoy all there's to see and experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

An experience that should be thrilling but with many people on site, there's a lot of queuing and every zip line is super fast-paced. No time to enjoy the scenery.

Quality of Experience

Zip lines are a fun adventure, but they shouldn't be done so quick that you don't even have time to enjoy them.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jungle Crocodile Safari

Monteverde

Super thrilling experience with a great, knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no information on site that lunch was supposed to be included.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip was well thought out and planned according to what we like to do, see, and accomplish. Our guides were wonderful. Franklin at the Arenal Volcano was so passionate about everything nature. Karla at Manuel Antonio Park was great at spotting all of the wildlife. We even stopped the bus before the park because she and our bus driver George, spotted birds, sloths, and monkeys on our way. Jesus and Alexi were wonderful in the Mangroves. Again, so passionate about what they do. Our vehicle served us well up and down mountain roads. We feel like we got a good feel for different parts of Costa Rica...Waterfalls, Volcano, Rainforest, Beach, etc. Our accomodations were on point and all of the food provided was tasty and good quality. We are grateful that we went with Kim kim to plan our trip so that our time was spent enjoying the sites and beautiful country and people. Everywhere we went, things were smooth.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Wonderful views of the volcano when not in the clouds. Fabulous breakfast buffet and lovely dinner in the evening.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

our room view, breakfast, outdoor patia

Jungle Vista Boutique Hotel

Manuel Antonio

this was very close to the beach but right in the middle of the jungle. Monkeys everywhere. Beautiful pool areas. lovely bar and cocktails. Close to our favorite restaurant....Emilios cafe. We could walk there. Woke up to beautiful bird sounds and some Howler Monkeys. Umbrellas available in the lobby for the guests which were big and nice. We needed them a couple of times and it was nice to have such sturdy big umbrellas to use. Nice balcony off of room to enjoy the jungle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

view from balcony.....watching birds, monkeys

Staff

They were available for anything at anytime. Made sure we were happy with our drinks poolside. made fresh gaucamole for us poolside.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

San José to Arenal with visit to La Paz Waterfall

Costa Rica

this was a nice self guided tour of this park. The waterfalls are beautiful. You should take time to see all 5. We spent about 3 hours including lunch here. We did the longer hikes which were right in the middle of the greenest forest.

Quality of Experience

Food

Nice buffet lunch.

Transport

We drove ourselves which is up mountain roads. beautiful drive from San jose

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved our guide Franklin. It was just the four of us and Franklin on our guided hike. We learned a lot and loved his description and passion for everything he shared. The Volcano was hidden behind clouds but Franklin was positive we would see it 100 percent as we acsended on our hike. He was right, A glorious site!

Quality of Experience

The hike, learning about the plants, animals, insects, volcano, etc

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Franklin was very passionate, kind, engaging and experienced

Transport

Our bus driver did a great job.

Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

We went to this in the evening when it was dark. I would have loved seeing it during the day, but our experience was very cool. While we were in the Hot springs, we were also in a thunderstorm and rainstorm. We were in the Hot Springs for about 1 1/2 hours and then had a nice buffet dinner afterward. This reminded me a bit of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, commercialized but a fun night and experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Good quality food with many choices

Guides, Drivers and Staff

self guided

Transport

WE drove oursleves.....10 minutes from the hotel

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

This was a great place to see all of the wildlife. Since it is the busiest park in Costa rica, there were a lot of people there. Our guide had 4 couples, which we appreciated in order to see and hear our guide at all times. There were many other larger groups of people. All of the guides were friendly to each other and helped each other spot specific animals. the beach here was busy, so we just walked the beach and put our feet in and saved our beach day for another time.

Quality of Experience

Food

We were provided with fresh pineapple and watermelon after which was refreshing after our hot tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both our driver, George and our guide Karla were great.

Transport

George was as much on the hunt for wildlife as our guide

Damas Island Boat Tour

Manuel Antonio

this was other worldly. If you have not been in a Mangrove forest, it is so cool. We went late afternoon which was pretty nice for seeing birds, snakes, monkeys, etc. Even the bats at dusk were so cool to watch swooping close to the water

Quality of Experience

Food

We had dinner with our two tour guides after and it was a very nice simple delicious dinner.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had George our van driver, our boat driver and two guides for the 4 of us. They were all great.

Transport

We visited Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio and the whole trip was amazing. Many thanks to Alberto for booking everything- it was all perfect!

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Arenal Montechiari

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great guide and really interesting hike; only negative thing was the torrential rain for the whole walk!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

The hanging bridges walk was excellent and really interesting; the zip lining was lots of fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip and everything worked out wonderfully. Everything planned worked smoothly and on time. Here is a short review:
The car was delivered on time. We did not get to see a lot of Poas as it was very cloudy and raining heavily. The Arenal observatory lodge was great so was the complimentary breakfast and the dinner menu. The pool and hot tub are spectacular. It is 30 minutes away from the touristic La Fortuna area but that was just fine as the little that I did get to see of Lafortuna did not seem very authentic.
The private guide at Arenal was very enjoyable, especially at the beginning of the trip as we got to chat about different subjects and the country and as he pointed out and got us great pictures of animals and insects.
Monteverde was great and we enjoyed Selvatura park and canopy zip lining was very impressive.
All the hotels selected were clean and comfortable and the personnel friendly and helpful. The poco à poco hotel in Monteverde was comfortable and the breakfast very good, the room was clean and comfortable but thin walls and metal roofs made it noisy, although quiet at night. The personnel were nice and helpful and they even found a sweater I had forgotten in the selvatura shuttle and arranged to have it delivered to my hotel in Manuel Antonio.
We did not get a guide at Manuel Antonio which was fine because by that time we could move at our own pace and animals were more obvious than at Arenal. Since our last day activity was unfortunately cancelled (scuba diving) we visited playa dominical which we liked for its smaller local feel.

So overall it was a great experience, and everything worked out perfectly. We visited near the end of the rainy season, and it can rain quite a bit, sometimes all day and all night, the mornings are usually dryer and we managed to get one sunny day on the pacific coast.

We always planned to have plenty of time for travel between cities and that was very useful as the roads are narrow and we came across some traffic every time for different reasons so drivers should plan for extra time when driving just in case.

I had planned my trip to Costa Rica for February, but it had to be rescheduled for November. It was a great relief that the KimKim team assisted me and made all the changes easily and smoothly from the beginning until the end :).

My partner and I had an amazing time in Costa Rica! The whole trip was on-point, without any issues with the activities and transportation within the country (which was my biggest concern, since the roads are tricky to navigate). We arrived in San José and initiated the adventure in La Fortuna (which was one of my favorite places), then Monteverde, and finished in Manuel Antonio/Quepos.

Despite some rainy days, we had a fantastic time and all the activities were wonderful! I especially enjoyed La Fortuna Waterfall and Hanging Bridges Walk with Jacamar tours, in Monteverde the Cloud Forest Hike with Ocotea Tours was phenomenal <3. And if you're going to Quepos or Manuel Antonio, I'd recommend the Catamaran tour as well!
All the hotels that we booked were downtown so it was easy to walk to restaurants, shops, cafés, etc. But there are some great hotels in all towns if you're planning to have more chill and private time.

My only advice would be to check all locations in advance and maybe avoid traveling during the heavy rainy season since some roads get blocked and the distances are not that close between each town (ie. from La Fortuna - Monteverde there's a big hill to travel even if you're taking the shuttle).

Overall, it was a great experience because it made planning the trip a hundred times easier and we got great recommendations from drivers, tour guides, and locals. I'd definitely use KimKim in my next travel adventure! :)

Hotel Reviews

Arco Iris Lodge

Santa Elena

Great location in the downtown area. Easy access to restaurants, cafés, and shops. Super quiet and comfortable place. It feels like you're in the middle of the forest, but with an on-point location!

Authenticity & Character

Loved that is surrounded by nature and monkeys!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

Amazing location super close to all restaurants, cafés, and shops. Easy to walk around the area as well and found the best pizza nearby! The staff is super welcoming and helpful. The rooms are a bit small, but the bed is very comfortable and it's a great place to stay if you're planning on moving around the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best Western Hotel & Casino Kamuk

Quepos

Rooms are big, comfortable and with much light! The staff is great and super helpful! Very close to the Marina and restaurants (also if you're into CrossFit there's a box nearby) ;) My only issue was the the wifi was a bit slow and not very powerful in the rooms, other than that it's a good place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Express San Jose Airport

San Jose

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Loved the tour! 10/10 recommended! Our guide was super knowledgeable and we learned a lot! <3

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk

Monteverde

Would recommend the tour because the guide was super helpful and knowledgeable, but would check the weather if you're planning on taking the nature walk at night. Unfortunately, heavy rain doesn't let you see much. Other than that, I learned a lot about coffee :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved it! Got to see monkeys, birds, and some other cool flora and fauna! 10/10 would recommend Jacamar tours. A must for taking great pictures ;)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Adventure with Barbecue

Manuel Antonio

Great tour and staff. The food was delicious as well. The whole tour took around 3 hours, but it was probably because of the weather conditions that didn't allow us to stay longer.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timing

Excellent service provided by partners even with a few hiccups along the way. Wish we could have stayed longer!!!

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Riviera Hotel B&B

Heredia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lookout Tram, Ziplines, & Hanging Bridges Combination Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chocolate Factory Tour in Rainforest Chocolate Tour.

Arenal/La Fortuna

Sukia Nighttime Nature Walk

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San José Explorer City Tour

San José

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

La Fortuna Waterfall visit

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ecotermales Hotsprings

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When we chose Costa Rica as our honeymoon destination, we didn’t know that we would have the trip of a lifetime! From the first day to the last, Green World Adventures planned a fantastic trip for us! From a private rafting and bird watching tour to meeting people from different countries joining us on coffee and chocolate tour—each day unfolded into something special.

Every hotel we stayed at was a great experience, and they all were generous in surprising us with honeymoon champagne and chocolates. We want to visit again soon!

Hotel Reviews

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, San Jose Aeropuerto

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer San José to Arenal with Safari Float in Sarapiqui River.

San José

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & Tabacon Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth & Bird Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Celeste & Tenorio Volcano National Park Guided Rainforest Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling Adventure

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Can't express enough of how wonderful Sergio was in helping us plan our trip. Sergio easy to contact and there to answer all our silly questions and make changes when needed. He was even available during our trip and after we returned home. I will be returning to Costa Rica and will defiantly be using Sergio to help with planning. EVERYTHING was taken care of and we had zero issues. Best trip of my life.

Thank again!
Audrea Hiatt

Hotel Reviews

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Did not like walking up 4 floors to our room. Other then that the staff was nice and hotel was walking distance to the town. Food and shops were great as well.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lots of floors to walk up.

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Beautiful hotel, great views(pool, patio, ect), nice staff, town foods and shopping are over priced. Walking distance to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super super hard bed. Rooms are beautiful and big with small kitchen though.

Hotel Balmoral

San José

Okay hotel but didn't like San Jose. Had free breakfast and staff was friendly. A/C didn't work in our room the first night.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Luna Hotel & Spa

La Fortuna

AMAZING!!! AMAZING!!! AMAZING!!!! Beautiful hotel and staff. Everyone went above and beyond to make our stay one to remember. Can't wait to go back. Loved the town and the local people. Everyone was so nice and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Just beautiful. Sitting on the porch and watching all the wild life was amazing. I could sit there for hours.

Location

Great location, close to the town. $7 taxi ride into town. Felt very safe at this hotel.

Staff

Nice beautiful people. Even the lawn crew smiles and says hello and welcome.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very Clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

La Fortuna Waterfall, Hanging Bridges, Arenal Volcano, and Ecotermales Hotsprings

Costa Rica

Great experience, would do this again. It was raining very hard and we did not get to go down to the waterfall but we did go to the over look. Ecotermales hot springs was AMAZING! We got to swing in the hot spring and order drinks. Then had a nice all inclusive dinner. Must do if you visit La Fortuna.

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch was included at the hanging bridges and it was fantastic. We even had coffee and desert after. Dinner at the hot springs was amazing as well.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved our private tour guide Raul. He was very knowledgeable and we learned so much from him. He truly loves his job and teaching people everything he knows.

Transport

We had Raul as out pirvate tour guy for the day and it was worth the extra money.

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

We saw a momma and baby sloth. The tour guys great and were able to find sloths just driving down the road. We got to see 5 different sloths. Learned a lot about 2 and 3 toed sloths. We even saw other animals like a howler money. So cool!

Quality of Experience

Seeing a baby sloth with his momma.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So smart and ready to teach you everything they know.

Transport

Had water and umbrellas available for everyone.

Horseback Riding to Nauyaca Waterfalls

Costa Rica

Breath taking experience. Horses are so fun and make the travel to the falls so easy. You fall in love with your horse and get to know there personalities. Horse guides are fun and make you smile. Horse guides also teach you a lot about riding a horse. Lunch after visiting the falls is amazing as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch made by local woman was amazing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dennis was a super fun horse guide. He always had a smile you his face and answered all our questions.

Transport

Private transport stop at his house to give us fresh made ceviche his wife made. BEST CEVICHE EVER! Nicest couple you will ever meet. They would of invited us in for dinner and made us feel welcomed.

Private: Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

This was not on our visit at first. Then after arriving and speaking to the locals and visitors. We learned how amazing the national part was. We opted to do a private tour and it was better then we could of hoped for. Wish we would of had time to enjoy the park beach, but we will for sure next time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private tour guide was one of the best in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. His love for this area shows. He loves to teach and wants you to learn everything possible able the jungle.

Transport

100% Aventura Zip Line and Hanging Bridges Monteverde

Monteverde

Do it! I got to see flying toucans while ziplining.

Quality of Experience

Amazing! Was scared but I overcame my fear and I don't regret it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we are a family of four, and I have never booked with a travel agency before. My kids are now 12 and 13, and for our trip to Costa Rica, I thought I'd give it a try.

Yuliana was lovely. We went back and forth many times making little adjustments to the itinerary, and talking about possible activities. Typically, our family just lands somewhere, and then tries to figure out what to do, and we never do as much because we are sitting in a hotel room trying to figure it out as we go along.

This trip was so different. Everything was taken care of for us, and there was so little stress. Yuliana knows the country, and each of the hotels and "adventure" companies that are available, so I didn't have to worry, and research every single thing.

We will use these guys again. Why didn't we do this before??????? Give Kimkim a try!

Yenyi and Jessica were amazing! My mom and I planned this trip back in 2020. They checked in with us consistently until we were able to book again. The communication was fantastic, activities were perfect and the private transportation was just what we needed. My mom and I are extremely happy with all the accommodations they made for us. Everything was so thought out and planned great, We were able to participate in activities but also have private time to explore ourselves! Highly recommend and will be using them again!!

Hotel Reviews

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

The room was clean and perfect for my mom and I. The exclusive beach access was wonderful, it is a bit of a hike up to your rooms. But Costa Rica is very hilly. Service was wonderful and anytime we needed a taxi they would call and get one to us quickly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The beach access

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC is not very common, the room kind of smelled wet when we entered.

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Fantastic hotel. Very clean and aesthetically pleasing. Beds were soft and towels were soft, I would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right next to town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a very personal and delicious meal. My mom and I got a private lesson and our chef was very personal. She made us feel right at home! She also sent us the recipe to make! Loved it

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Children's Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

It was very very dark. I think I underestimated nature at night, but the guide was helpful. I don’t think I would’ve spotted any of the animals without him. We got to see a snake and birds. The hike was easy and our guide was very knowledgeable!

Quality of Experience

This is a great way to see sleeping birds

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide and driver were timely

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & Tabacon Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

I definitely recommend not skipping this event. The hike was fantastic, the Hot Springs were perfectly warm. We got to experience them in the evening followed by a dinner.

Quality of Experience

The Hot Springs were fantastic

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable about plants and animals

Transport

Veronica and her agency provided great service overall. Easy to work with, very responsive, considered our needs and desires and stayed within our budget. The ability to contact her “on the fly” was very reassuring and we utilized it more than once. This was our first experience using kimkim and this agency but definitely won’t be the last!

My family and I travelled to Costa Rica in October 2022. We had the best time! Sergio and his team made our experience completely seamless and yet adventureful. My husband and I are used to blazing our own trail when we travel, but this time having our 10 & 7 year old daughters along with us we wanted to capitalize on our time and have activities that they would find engaging and provide them opportunities to learn along the way. Sergio and the team at Serendipity provide this and so much more!

We visited Tortuguero, Turrialba and Puerto Viejo. Each location had well thought out activities that allowed us to explore the local culture and environment.

While in Tortuguero we enjoyed a canal tour and learnt about Costa Rica's conservation efforts and national parks. We watched a turtle lay her eggs on the beach and our highlight was an evening walk where a bunch of baby turtles were hatching and making their way to the ocean.
Our guide Jose engaged with the kids and made sure they felt safe, he also helped them spot some tree frogs and bull frogs by the pool at our hotel. It was a rainy couple of days but Jose showed up with ponchos, a sense of humor and a whole lot of fun!

On our 4th day we said goodbye to Tortuguero and met our driver Andres. Andreas was our driver for the duration of our stay in Turriabla and further to Puero Veijo. Andreas was such an amazing guide, he was incredibly knowledgably about Costa Rica and was very helpful translating for us when we needed some help. He safely delivered us to our hotels and always stayed to make sure we got checked in safely. He was wonderful with our kids and even had Disney radio cued up for them in his car!

In Turriabla we went rafting, canyoning and for a farm tour. Our guides while we were rafting, Jonathan and Poco were amazing! Jonathan had a great sense of humor and painted or faces with mud and taught us how to balance rocks on the shore line. The river was beautiful and warm. Poco was great to point out wild life along the shore. While were were rafting, Andres drove down stream and took some action shots of our family to share with us. Andreas also capped the day off by making us the most delicious and beautifully presented picnic we've ever had, he'd made pasta, salads, fresh fruit and even dessert!

The following day we enjoyed a canyoning trip and farm tour with our guides Ceasar and Sergio. They were also very knowledgeable. Our youngest was scared during canyoning and Sergio, who also has young kids got to her level and explained what would happen, how he would keep her safe and also confidently assisted her down the falls. But the last waterfall she was laughing and having the best day! We enjoyed lunch with Ceasar and Sergio at their family farm and then proceeded to a farm tour with Sergio, where we were able to sample fresh fruits and home made coffee. It was a day for the books!

Andreas safely delivered us to our final stop, Puerto Veijo, we were sad to say goodbye, over the last 3 days Andreas had become a trusted friend along our adventure. We arrived at Congo Bongo where we met the owner, Marisol, she was so welcoming and we felt like family instantly. She was an amazing host, providing free laundry service (which was much needed after a few days of rafting and canyoning!), farm fresh eggs, clean accommodations and an amazing eco-village for us to enjoy. Puerto Veijo was a great place to cap off our trip, it was laid back and we enjoy time playing in the ocean, walking to Manzanillo (If you're there check out Colores, the local Greek restaurant - great staff and good food!). Our days were enjoyed touring a chocolate tour at a local indigenous farm, our guide Theresa was incredibly caring. She spoke the local Bri Bri language which added so much value to our tour. We attended a cooking class with a local chef, Glenda and made a traditional Rondon Soup. The following day we went snorkling and on a light hike through the national park where we swam with a lemon shark, sting ray, a variety of fish and coral.

Our final stay before departure was at the Studio Hotel in San Jose. the roof top pool, art, food and Piano / Violin show we were treated to on our last night perfectly summed up our family vacation.

We came home with so many amazing memories and stories, we could never have planned a trip like this on our own. We met amazing people and experienced so much of Costa Rica! We are so grateful to Sergio and the Serendipity team for creating a memorable family vacation. If you are considering Costa Rica, reach out to Sergio, he will enhance your experience and take away the stress of traveling.

Sergio - Thank you for being a phone call or message away whenever we needed to adjust timing, ask advise and for easily rearranging activities based on the weather.

Pura Vida!
Jody

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

We weren't here very long, just slept and left, but the room was clean, the hotel was beautiful and the waiter at dinner was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Laguna Lodge

Tortuguero

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Jose and the tour guides were very helpful. The front desk staff was not overly friendly or helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Turire

Turrialba

Authenticity & Character

We loved the Cuban feel and 1950's vibe this space had

Location

Staff

The staff was so helpful, friendly and accomodating, they offered games for the kids and suggested local scenery to take in

Cleanliness & Comfort

Congo Bongo EcoVillage Costa Rica

Manzanillo, Limon

Authenticity & Character

Marisol has done an incredible job with this eco-village I found her entrepreneurial nature and creativity refreshing. The world needs more people like Marisol

Location

A close walk to Manzanillo, but about 15-20 min drive to Puerto Viejo. This was nice as it was quite and away from the business of Puerto Viejo, although if your looking to be closer to the action and restruants in Puerto Viejo you'll need to find transport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marisol cleaned our house every day and helped with our laundry. Thank you!!

Studio Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

The art, piano, violin players were all incredible!

Location

about 40 mins to the airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

A Journey into the History and Culture of Tortuguero Village

Tortuguero

Cute town, I wouldn't recommend going at night. No street lights and it would be very dark and unsafe.

Nighttime Turtle Nesting Tour

Tortuguero

Super cool experiance!

Guided Boat Excursion Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Private rafting on the Pejibaye River with children

Turrialba

Our guides were incredible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Best picnic lunch ever!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in Turrialba

Turrialba

Local Farm Experience

Turrialba

Dive into Afro-Caribbean Culture with Exquisite Cooking Classes

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Exploring the Underwater Wonders of Cahuita National Park

Costa Rica

Thank you so much for making the trip a wonderful adventure!
Everything was simple and easy thanks to the efforts of Brittany and the KimKim team to arrange all the travel details and transport.

Thanks !!

Top notch!
We went to Costa Rica for 6 nights, no hiccups, everything was great. The local tour guides were aways helpful and friendly. Kimkim chose great companies to work with.
The activities we did always met and surpassed our expectations.

P.S. if you fly into Liberia, I would recommend using Adobe car rental, they are super friendly and have a shuttle from the airport to their HQ. When you walk out of the airport you will be greeted by your shuttle driver holding a Adobe sign.
Don't pay attention to any other companies there or anyone in the airport.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kokoro Mineral Hot Springs

La Fortuna

Hotel Pasatiempo

Tamarindo

Activity Reviews

Coffee & Chocolate Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Sky Tram, Ziplines & Sky Walk Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Sunset Cruise with Wine & Cheese on Lake Arenal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Catamaran Sailing Adventure

Costa Rica

Rincón de la Vieja Full Day with Hot Springs Visits

Gulf of Papagayo

Snorkeling at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

First of all, Bryan was an amazing help in discussing our travel ideas and after confirming everything, he made an awesome job of scheduling the full holiday.

Every accommodation, activity, guide, travel, etc was smooth and punctual. The only thing we had to do was follow the itinerary and enjoy ourselves.

There were several times when arriving at the new accommodation, the guides were already there waiting for us, so we could go immediately if we feel like it, for example, the river tubing in Bijagua. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the name of our river tubing guide, but he was a really informative, friendly and good guide who made sure we enjoy the river tubing and hiking with him in Bijagua. The Casitas Tenorio B&B in Bijagua was a beautiful and calm resting place for us in the middle of our trip, where we could even spot howler monkeys a few meters away.

One of the most beautiful, calm and nature surrounded and favourite place we stayed at was the Caribbean side, the Congo Bongo EcoVillage Costa Rica in Puerto Viejo - Manzanillo. Here, you feel like you are inside the jungle, with monkeys above the house, with raccoons trying to steal your food remains in the night and hummingbirds buzzing and flying around you (less than a meter away) while you are chilling on the porch and sipping your coffee. It is beautiful.

In La Fortuna, I would strongly recommend that you would stay in the Tabacón Thermal Resort and Spa. While it is really not the cheapest (however not the most expensive either), it gives you a transcendental experience. Here, you will not have any other task just to unwind and relax. They are making sure you will have a perfect time there and nothing to worry about. I would really like to go back there, even if the level of pampering there were so new to me that I was sometimes a bit flustered. :)
I would like to mention two people from Tabacón who were extra friendly and helpful. Diego was one of the chefs (at least at the breakfasts) who made sure that you had everything you wanted, and was willing to go the extra mile to make something for you if you had any wishes.
The other person was Diane, who was the most friendly and cute person we ever had the chance to talk with. She was a joy to speak with. (most of the time she was in charge of greeting and sitting the people at the restaurant reception)

In Monteverde, while the accommodation we selected was nothing special (and even had some struggles to change rooms because the rooms randomly don't have safes), the area is wonderful and filled with animals. The coffee and chocolate tour with the Don Juan Tours was really informative and our guide was one of the funniest on the whole trip, always cracking us up. The next day, in Sky Adventures park, we had two really good guides. The hike in the park was really informative and after that I really enjoyed the Arboreal tree climbing experience. It was challenging and rewarding at the same time and had just enough trees to enjoy it.

And for last but not least, we visited Manuel Antonio and stayed in the Tico Tico Villa which was an another amazing and relaxing experience. It is just a small but well equipped nice apartment with swimming pool, BBQ and etc, meanwhile scarlet macaws are flying above you, iguanas relaxing on the porch, capuchin monkeys are travelling on the trees. The owner is the loveliest person we have met on the trip. This place in details was nothing special, however I would really recommend it because overall it is a beautiful and relaxing experience after travelling through the country.
In Manuel Antonio we went to kayaking in the Damas'Island mangrove forest which is a really nice, relaxing and unwinding experience where Emese even realised how much she likes kayaking.
The next morning, we went to the Manuel Antonio national park with Adrian from Paddle 9, who was one of our favourite guide. He was informative, friendly and helpful and through him, we could get to know a lot not just about nature but Costa Rica too. Later on the same day we had another trip with Paddle 9, however it was less successful. While the activity would have been perfect, unfortunately trying to learn to do Stand-up Paddle Boarding (SUP) on the ocean is not beginner friendly. Unfortunately our guide misjudged our level and we went to a shore where the waves were over our levels and had to cancel our activity, but I have to mention that they really did their best to let us hike out of that bay through the forest the safest and easiest. As a summary of this activity, it is a good fun, but be sure you are not a total beginner or if you are, you are a confident swimmer in a really good shape.

And for the end, I would like to thank Bryan and the Serendipity Adventures team again for their efforts to make sure we enjoyed this trip. Be it organising everything, giving us travel updates about larger road closures or trying to get back our lost belongings, they always did their best and we are really happy to recommend them. Thank you very much. This 19 days and 1500km round trip was a really amazing holiday.

Wow!!! I am speechless!!! My husband and I had the very best trip of our entire lives and we are absolutely convinced we will never go on another trip that could possibly be any better than this one!!! We love the outdoors and the jungle tour, the volcano hike, the waterfall excursion, rafting down the Blancas River, coffee tour, chocolate tour, cooking class, a volcano and the Howler Monkeys just outside our hotel room, the hotsprings, the beautiful hotel, the wonderful food!!! Anyone who loves the outdoors should take this exact trip!! Our tour guides were phenomenal!!! Alberto arranged the trip of a lifetime!!! We will never be the same!!! I miss my volcano and the sound of Howler Monkeys in the morning!!! Thanks to all who made our trip so special.
Tim and Lisa

Hotel Review

Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Fortuna

We know this hotel is the most beautiful one in the area with the best scenery!!! It was like being out in our own world because of the separation from town/other hotels. Room service was fabulous!!! The people who cleaned our room made the room spotless every day and even folded clothes we had draped over a bench. They made beautiful towel/flower jungle animals on our bed each morning after cleaning. All were very helpful and friendly at the front desk. Our included breakfast was phenomenal!!! Loved the rice and beans, the casava, the cheese, the French Toast, the freshly squeezed juice and fresh, local fruit, the beautiful view of the volcano with the huge windows wide open in the dining area as we ate. Loved the coffee too!!! I am convinced we stayed in the best hotel in the entire area!!! So beautiful!!! Such beautiful plants and flowers!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

A must do 8-hour tour for those who want to experience the jungle, volcano and waterfall! If you love the outdoors and walking, you will love it. We saw every kind of bird, insect, plant, flower!!! Our tour guide was amazing!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our first driver in from the airport told us to get up early to see the entire volcano every day before it clouds over and listen to the Howler Monkeys. We got up early every day and these experiences were some of the best part of our trip!!

Transport

so friendly, so concerned that you are comfortable, we asked one driver if he would take us a little out of the way to a bank machine as we were running low on funds. He acted like he would be happy to take us like he's used to this type of request everyday. Learned so much culture of Costa Rica from these drivers as every one grew up in Costa Rica.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

I never realized how hard people have to work to make coffee!!! The coffee tour will make me appreciate coffee from now on!!! We bought coffeee for absolutely everyone back at home and they all thought it was delicious!!! Our chocolate that we made did not taste very good, but it gave me a big appreciation for how chocolate was made. Saw a lot of interesting plants on this tour--baby pineapple plant, multiple kinds of coffee, vanilla plant, etc.. We saw an extremely active sloth on this tour as well!!! Our tour guide was phenomenal!!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Wow!!! What can we say???!!!! Kathy was an amazing instructor!!! We were with a couple on their honeymoon and we were on our 25th wedding anniversary trip. Kathy shared stories of her life growing up with her mom and told us about her daughter!!! We made a huge Costa Rican dinner and even made our own tortillas--my favorite thing we made. Kathy even emailed all of the recipes of everything we made, so we can try to replicate what we made there. Very nice addition to our trip and a suggestion by Alberto!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

I am certain this tour was my very favorite on the trip! We floated down the Penas Blancas River in our raft with our guide and saw monkeys, iguanas, bamboo trees, you name it. So peaceful!!! Our guide here was very funny!!! We stopped halfway down the river and he wanted to know if we would like any pineapple. He took out his knife and said this was the way he learned to cut up pineapples in prison (very funny!!!). He cut the pineapple in fourths and then cut the pineapple from the rind and then cut triangular pieces and pushed them out every other one and kept them in the rind for a beautiful way to serve pineapple. I will use that!!! Very cool and nothing like eating pineapple in the jungle!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip was absolutely fantastic. Randall did such an amazing job planning it for us. We took our family of ten and did many touristy things, such as a catamaran tour with snorkeling and soaking at Baldi Hot Springs, but we also wanted to get immersed in the culture. We had the opportunity to hike through the rainforest and learn about volcanos, tour a farm and learn how to cook traditional Costa Rican food, volunteer at an animal rescue facility, and get up close and personal with crocodiles and monkeys. It couldn't have been a better trip (unless we'd seen some sloths, but unfortunately they were shy on our hikes). The hotels were perfect, the people were kind, and the tour guides were informative and fun. I would highly recommend anyone visit this incredible country and use Randall to help them plan it!

Hotel Reviews

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Beautiful, peaceful, quiet, and the staff couldn't have been nicer!

Authenticity & Character

Cute little huts instead of typical hotel rooms and the flowers were amazingly beautiful.

Location

Great location close to many activities

Staff

Just the nicest people who were willing to help with anything. Especially the restaurant staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable.

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Well secured, great location, lots of amenities.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to a lot of great places. Right on the beach!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiking Waterfalls & River Swimming in La Fortuna

Arenal/La Fortuna

Gorgeous views!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & Baldi Hot Springs & Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very educational hike with incredible views! Relaxing in the hot springs was a great way to end the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer Hotel - Arenal Vida Campesina - Hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vida Campesina Cultural & Cooking Class

Arenal/La Fortuna

Really fun and educational experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer Hotel - Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rescue Center - Hotel

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Catamaran Sailing & Snorkeling Tour

Costa Rica

Fantastic trip! Beautiful sunset, snorkeling, delicious meal. Couldn't have been better.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Safari Cruise with Lunch

Costa Rica

Loved this adventure. The guides were great and helped us spot so many unique animals! The food was good and the pottery is beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Proyecto Asis Rescue Center Wildlife Tour + Volunteer

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a great place to visit and we highly recommend staying for the volunteer portion! It was my kids' favorite activity of the whole trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the best time!! Veronica was amazing planning and replanning due to the hurricane…
She did everything so perfect!! Every guide we had was wonderful as well!! They all made us feel so welcome and they were so helpful! The hotels were breath taking too. We had such a great experience and can’t wait to go back!
Pura Vida! 😊

Hotel Review

Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge

Manuel Antonio

This hotel was absolutely amazing! The view from our private balcony was breathtaking!!! The room was so beautiful and spacious. The grounds were so tropical and very well kept. All the workers were truly so welcoming and made sure we were having a great time!

Authenticity & Character

The room and grounds were stunning!!

Location

The view of the ocean

Staff

So happy, sweet, and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room and grounds were spotless

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Costa Rica

We had our own private guide nicknamed “Rooster” He was the best!!! Brought an amazing camera with him to help us see all the wonderful animals, and he was so knowledgeable!!!! He helped us get beautiful pictures and made sure we had a great time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Guided Walking Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was raining but that didn’t stop us from having a great time!! Our guide was so nice and so informative about the volcano. He looked out for our safety and was very helpful and had a great personality!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Cruise & Snorkeling/Lunch included

Manuel Antonio

So much fun!!!! The staff on the boat (who is a family) we’re so fun!!! The food for lunch was amazing!!!

Quality of Experience

Fun and beautiful views, funny staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So helpful and welcoming

Transport

Chocolate Farm Visit & Workshop

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our tour guide was so wonderful!! He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and great with kids! We had a wonderful time with him educating us on chocolate!

Quality of Experience

Everything from start to finish

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone was extremely friendly

Transport

They made it easy for us

Whitewater Rafting on the Pacuare River

Costa Rica

Wow, we were very impressed how organized they were with everything! They basically thought of it all! What a fun adventure we had! Our rafter guide on our boat was so knowledgeable of rafting, very helpful with my younger kids, and great personality!

Quality of Experience

Food

Wow, the women cooked us such a wonderful meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was timed so perfectly