Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

We booked a trip to Costa Rica to check out the Caribbean coast, and it was fantastic! Our local specialist, Olman, set everything up and all we had to do was show up. We were picked up at the airport and driven to our hotel in San Jose for the first afternoon, where we did a little sightseeing downtown. The next morning we got picked up and driven on a nice bus across the mountains to board a boat to the lodge in Tortuguero. The resort was very nice and laid back, with lots of wildlife to see. The next day we returned to the mainland and picked up a rental car to drive south to Puerta Viejo de Talamanca for a couple of nights. Here we enjoyed the beach, saw the wild sloth staying at our hotel, hiked in the national park, and checked out the local nightlife. After our stay, we drove back to San Jose for one more night before flying out.

The best thing about this trip was that everything was arranged in advance (except my navigation skills on the self-driving part). We didn't have to hassle with arranging tours or getting reservations, and they even delivered our rental car to the lodge's restaurant. When I left my ID at the boarding area for the boat, Olman worked a minor miracle and arranged for me to pick it up on our return.

Everyone we met on the trip was helpful and friendly; the tour guides were great all around. Next trip like this we take, I will definitely book this way again.

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Great location right in the middle of downtown. Everything worked, the room was very nice and very clean, and the breakfast was great.

Authenticity & Character

I don't know about "authenticity", but it's a modern hotel with the normal amenities.

Location

Staff

Super friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, nicely appointed.

Mawamba Lodge

Tortuguero

The individual lodges were a little spartan, but nice enough, and it added a little bit of charm. We really only used our room to store our stuff and sleep. They had nice porches with hammocks. The grounds are pretty cool, with some short nature trails and easy access to the beach, though the beaches apparently have strong currents and are not great for swimming. You can use the beach to walk to the town to pick up souvenirs or have dinner and drinks on the lagoon. The restaurant/bar was excellent. It is not a buffet style, and there was a wide selection. A few specialty items had upcharges (fresh seafood choices). The boat tour we took was great, and our tour guide was hilarious in at least 5 languages.

Authenticity & Character

I loved the atmosphere of the lodge; you can be as active as you'd like to be, but if not, it's relaxing and laid back.

Location

You have to travel there by boat, which was an adventure. The scenery is amazing.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room amenities were less than you would get in a super luxury resort, but that wasn't what we were looking for. There's no AC in the rooms, though it was pleasant at night and we didn't spend much of our day in the room.

Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel

Puerto Viejo

This is a very modern-design hotel. It's got an open space in the middle with a nice pool and a hot tub, and each room has balconies looking into the jungle. The rooms open into large stairwells that lead directly to the pool area. The restaurant is right across the road and has indoor and outdoor seating with beach access. We really liked Le Cameleon!

Authenticity & Character

There is a sloth that came to visit the hotel!

Location

Everything

Staff

Friendly, efficient

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our only issue was that the water on our side of the hotel kept going out, but they were keeping an eye on the situation and got it fixed pretty quickly each time.

Activity Reviews

San Jose - Tortuguero

Costa Rica

We were picked up at the hotel right on time, and we joined a group of other people for the ride to Tortuguero. The drive was through the mountains and across the eastern side of the country; the driver was excellent and our guide was entertaining. He pointed out the sights and gave some commentary, but left plenty of time for napping and watching the scenery. Lunch was provided at the Mawamba lodge restaurant in Guapiles. The boat ride to Tortuguero was fun. We saw lots of wildlife on the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Boat Tour in Tortuguero

Tortuguero

Spent the morning on a boat cruising around the lagoons. Our guide and boat pilot were excellent at spotting wildlife, including a crocodile, monkeys, turtles, iguanas, etc. Our guide was really funny and spoke something like 6 languages.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It leaves from the lodge, no transport needed.

Guided Hike in Cahuita National Park

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Cahuita tours provides several different packages. We did only the nature hike (about 2 miles). Some of our group did snorkeling for part of the morning and met us for the hike back, but on the way out it was just us. Our guide was really good at spotting animals and was very knowledgeable. She was really friendly and didn't mind our tourist questions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Local restaurant, good food, good beer.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Got picked up at the hotel and driven in a van to the park (~20 minutes).

Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

The drive to the Jaguar Rescue Center took us about 45 minutes, except that we were driving to the wrong place (I blame my phone map). The actual Jaguar Rescue Center was literally next to our hotel. We ended up running about 5 minutes late to the tour after figuring out our mistake, but the staff understood and we got connected to the tour group. We saw a baby sloth, and a bunch of other animals. Definitely worth taking the tour to see some of the wildlife up close. The rescue center is a legit rescue operation, not a zoo, which was important to us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were so pleased with how easy it was to book our trip w/KimKim. Loved how it was all done online, easy breezy. Our guide, Olman, was so responsive and quick to make adjustments as requested. He curated the perfect trip for our family of 4 (two kids 10 and 7), and when my son had an unexpected accident, they were SO incredibly helpful and accessible at all hours.

Day 1: Arrived late night into SJC and as promised our ride was ready and waiting to take us to our hotel, The Radisson, not too far from the airport. Perfectly adequate for an overnight stay. We literally just slept. Hotel breakfast was meh, but again adequate.

Day 2 (sorry, it's long, but relevant): Radisson hotel breakfast was just meh, but fine. Our driver was ready and on time for the 4 hour drive to Puerto Viejo. Note that the drive feels LONG. Much of the road is under construction so it isn't particularly pretty, and because there are so many trucks, the fumes were annoying. We were so excited to reach our hotel, Le Cameleon, which was lovely. Very boutique, though we weren't so thrilled with the service of the one young woman that seemed to always be working the front desk. So unhelpful. I really wish I could remember her name. Never smiled. Never followed through when we made a request (a box of tissue in our room, that the hotel jacuzzi be turned on..). Because our room wasn't ready when we arrived, we went to the hotel restaurant on the beach which was very pretty, but VERY SLOW, so plan accordingly if you have a tour to catch. We weren't actually able to eat our breakfast the next morning, because our driver was on-time and breakfast (despite having a reservation 90 minutes before our pick up time), had to be packed to-go. Anyway, back to today and our unfortunate incident. The restaurant had aerial trapeze ribbons freely dangling from the trees (they offer lessons), which many children were playing on, so of course our kids joined in. Moments later, our son fell HARD from the ribbons and as we found our later, he broke his collarbone. No one from the restaurant acknowledged the injury or helped in any way. The woman at the fort trek was SO unhelpful when we asked about a doctor. She have us a business card and said that they "may or may not be open." Didn;t offer to call or anything, while my son is sitting there in pain, saying he's going to throw up and sweating profusely. She eventually burdened herself enough to call a taxi for us. While there are private doctors in Puerto Viejo, the only doctor open did not have an x-ray machine, so after being seen by him, we drove 90 minutes into Limon via taxi to be seen at the public hospital. BUT, here's where KimKim was great! I called them to find out what would happen if we needed to cancel our trip which had only just begun. They were SO nice and reassuring, They offered to translate with the doctors at the hospital (apparently there aren't many English speaking doctors at the public hospitals) and assured us that IF we needed to cancel that they would help us to reschedule or get refunds. Fortunately, his injury did not require cancellation, but we did have to alter some of the activities in our itinerary, which they happily did, still taking our interests into account. When we finally returned to the hotel, there was ONE bright light--a young man named Daniel that was SO helpful and concerned. He checked in on us for the rest of our stay and was so kind to our son. Thank you Daniel!

Day 3: Believe it or not, our son was a total trooper and wearing his sling, we were able to do the Hike at Cahuita National Park. A MUST DO. We saw SO many animals (boa contrictor, golden viper, howlers monkeys, golden orb spiders everywhere, sloths, very curious raccoons). Be sure to eat a great breakfast, bring water, snacks and a swim suit. It's a long hike and comes with a late lunch so snacks are good.

Day 4: Jaguar Nature Preserve. Super cool experience. Up close and personal and the volunteers are really knowledgable. Go and support a good cause. Oh, when we arrived, they had our reservation, but said they never received payment. I immediately called KimKim and they immediately called the preserve and it was cleared up within moments. This was the only scheduling snafu we encountered. After the tour of the preserve, our driver picked us up at the hotel for the FIVE hour drive to Arenal and The Springs hotel. OMG, did we NEED this beautiful hotel after the stressful injury and all of the driving. It was just stunning. Five-star all the way.

Day 5: Picked up early from the hotel and headed for a boat cruise. This wasn't;t on our original itinerary, but the La Fortuna waterfall hike was out of the question given our sons injury. It actually worked out great. The boat was lovely and again, SO many animal sightings. Monkeys, Caiman, Basilisk lizards, etc.

Day 6: Just enjoyed THE Springs. Needed this relaxation day for sure. Tropical drinks, beautiful hot springs and a stunning volcano. Be sure to go down to the Adventure Center and soak in those Springs. It was a total highlight.

Day 7: On our way to Montverde Lodge and Spa via van, boat, and van again. Pretty cool. The Lodge was great, though several areas are under construction. We LOVED the mid-century modern architecture in the middle of the rain forest. Even if you don't stay at the Lodge, PLEASE do yourself a favor and eat at the restaurant. My husband is a chef and total foodie (so complains alot), but this place was INCREDIBLE. We usually stay away from the hotel restaurants and try to eat more locally, but this place was killer! If you do stay at the Lodge be sure to have breakfast in the Orchid room. So pretty. Here we did a night hike. Didn't get so lucky with the animal sightings, but it's still pretty cool to hike through the rainforest at night.

Day 8: Zip lining, butterfly garden and sloth sanctuary all in one place. This was one of our favorite days. Getting up close with the sloths was a highlight and the zip lining was a kid favorite. My son was even able to go with his sling, they just had a guide accompany him, which was great. The lunch at the restaurant was also pretty delicious.

Day 8: Sadly back to San Jose and the Hampton Inn. We arrived in the early afternoon so we had some time to explore San Jose. The hotel is directly across the street from the airport, so a super convenient option.

All in all, we really loved our trip to Costa Rica and HIGHLY recommend using Kimkim to plan. They were so easy and so helpful. Our guide was fantastic. Thank you OLMAN (and sorry it took me so long to finally write a review ;-)!!!

Thanks so much to Randall and team for designing our holiday to Costa Rica, and being so responsive to any requests or changes we had. It was our first time using Kimkim and they were very patient and understanding. They recommended a great mix of locations and activities for us and we managed to fit a lot into 2 weeks. All of the transfers went really smoothly and we felt really well supported throughout the whole trip. Pura Vida!!

Hotel Reviews

Jaguarundi Lodge

Monteverde

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Activity Reviews

Canyoning Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Monteverde - Hanging Bridges Guided Hike & Zip-lining tour

Monteverde

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

First time KimKim user and will now be an evangelist. I highly recommend KimKim if you lack time to plan a trip yourself. Bryan was our local specialist, and he helped arrange an excellent introduction of Costa Rica for us, with a detailed itinerary that made our trip entirely stress free. We had a quiet trip that focused on short, guided hikes introducing us to the forests. We loved our two cities (La Fortuna and Quepos/Manuel Antonio Park), though in the future we might look for a more remote beach (we were right outside of the park, which was nice, but that part of Quepos wasn't so interesting). One of our favorite parts of the trip was getting to meet all of the different guides, who each had their own way of showing off their country. We look forward to using KimKim in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel San Bada Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Right outside the Manuel Antonio Park entrance, and thus to the park beaches which are incredible. Couldn't be closer, or have better location. We also went to the hotel sushi restaurant and booked a couples massage at the hotel. We enjoyed both experiences.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Incredible.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Canopy Zip Lining Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Good experience, a nice view of the canopies, a bit of adrenaline for those with acrophobia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Very interesting

Quality of Experience

The guide was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

loved this park!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was one of the most knowledgeable guides we had our entire trip; he was also weirdly an anti-Darwin evangelist for Intelligent Design, but that just added some character to the trip.

Transport

we were right next door to the park! Couldn't have better transportation.

Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide Kenneth was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Bird-Watching Hike with Breakfast

Arenal/La Fortuna

Amazing diversity of birds

Quality of Experience

Food

I think in future might have been nice to have coffee snack *before* starting (it's 530am!) and then get back for hotel breakfast after birding.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was great!

Really enjoyed how seamless the process was. Our trip was exactly what we wanted. Our rides all showed up on time, the drivers were all fantastic. Our guides were local, knowledgeable. Not associated with any company, which we liked.

Manoa Arenal - oh my god. What an amazing hotel. Stunning. Beautiful. Great service. Would go back.
San Bada in Manuel Antonio - Not my favorite. It sells itself as very convenient as it is attached to the national park. However, this puts you right in the middle of the tourism central, which isn't the relaxing beach vibe I was looking for. Kinda tacky and stressful. It definitely sells itself as more of a party location, and the facilities are a little run down. Service was excellent. Maybe a good choice for some, but looking back I wish I had spent the money for something a little nicer, especially with the convenient bus system.

9/10 great visit to costa rica, will be back
will use kimkim again

:)

I had such an amazing trip! Tortuguero was beautiful. Staying in the rainforest and seeing all kinds of wildlife was so great. I saw so many sloths I lost count! Watching the sea turtles lay eggs on the beach was life changing. I could’ve stayed there for my entire trip, but I am also so glad I visited Puerto Viejo and San Jose. All of the tour guides and drivers arranged for my trip were knowledgeable and friendly. As a female solo traveler I was nervous for my first experience going alone, but Brittany and Ryan- my kimkim specialists were so helpful in the planning and coordination. Everything was seamless!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Balmoral

San José

Worked for what I needed but not worth the money. Location is great, right downtown. Not very clean or comfortable. Lots of people up making noise after the bars. Can hear everything from your room. Didn’t have the food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Evergreen Lodge

Tortuguero

Amazing place to stay, right in the middle of the rainforest. Staff was super friendly. Activities were amazing, and coordinated well. Food was good, however you are forced to eat at specific times and found myself wanting to eat when food was not being served. Also, since you are secluded and can only get to places by boat, you can’t just go find a place to buy snacks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Nice and clean, staff were great. Location is good but not quite close enough to walk to downtown area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Banana Azul

Limón, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Great hotel. Clean and comfortable rooms, friendly staff, and great food. Some rooms are right above the dining area so they don’t feel very private. The beach is beautiful and they offer food and drinks from the beach. Location for me was perfect but it is not close to the town of Puerto Viejo, you would need a taxi or tuktuk to get there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Tour: Kayak Adventure & Rainforest Hike in Punta Uva

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Highly recommend, especially as a private tour. My guide Rodrigo was great. Super knowledgeable and shared a perceptive of how traveling impacts small communities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Boat Tour Through the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

I was part of a small group for this tour and couldn’t have been happier. Our tour guide, Noel, was amazing. He was pointing out so many animals on this trip that I could barely keep track. The area is absolutely beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tortuguero Village Visit

Tortuguero

I loved the town. I would’ve liked to have been able to travel here by myself to grab food or drinks, but unfortunately since it is part of your hotel stay you can’t just make arrangements and have to go when they arrange it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: Costa Rican Culture & Cuisine – Nighttime Guided Walk in San José

San José

Had an amazing tour guide, Luc. She was really knowledgeable about the city, the history of Costa Rica, and even took me by some amazing art when I mentioned I had a teen son at home who loved graffiti, so that I could take pictures to send to him. I learned so much more than just talking about food, it was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From start to finish working with Olman was an absolute pleasure. His extensive knowledge of Costa Rica coupled with his lovely demeanor and exquisite attention to detail all aided in us having an incredible trip. Because of our short stay Olman suggested that we visit two different locales. And then he provided lovely accommodation options and day trip options. After we confirmed our choices he arranged everything and all we had to do was just show up. What a joy!! We fell in love with beautiful Costa Rica and miss it already!!!

Had a very good trip to Costa Rica. If you're interested in wildlife viewing above almost everything else, I would greatly recommend spending a lot of time in La Fortuna. I myself brought my 600mm telephoto lens and had a blast with the very colorful wildlife of the area!

I'm terrible with names–but the bird watching and night walk I had on the same day with the same guide from EcoTerra Costa Rica were stellar. For sloths, having a guide is a must–these things are almost invisible to the untrained eye.

The Danaus Eco-Center in La Fortuna was one of my favorite places to go to. I could barely say a word of Spanish, but the person attending the butterflies was excited to show them to me anyway. The area is very well maintained and I probably spent upwards of 4 hours on the tiny trail! (I was going _very_ slowly, almost obsessively slowly, so YMMV if that's not your thing.)

For wildlife viewing, I found that the Los Lagos resort was an excellent place to stay at. The resort property is huge and there's trails and nature areas that you can walk to freely with quite decent animals to spot.

If I had to do this trip again, I would spend less time in Tamarindo and more time surfing there. The surf lesson with Kurt from Iguana Surf, my first, was very successful and I'd love to do it again!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Presidente

San José

Stayed only one night. Hotel was perfectly decent, except that the drawers in my room would spontaneously open? A mere curiosity more than an annoyance.

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Not incredibly expensive and very fun to stay at. Cool little wildlife installations around the main resort. Big plot of land that has a lot of exploration opportunities. Food at the resort restaurant is priced similarly to US restaurants, while food in La Fortuna proper is distinctly cheaper. If you go without a car, the resort restaurant ends up being cheaper because of transportation costs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Don't leave doors open at night or a ton of bugs will get into your room.

Hotel Mahayana

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Tamarindo is fairly small, the Mahayana is a 10ish minute walk to the beach. Some hotels, including many of the more expensive ones, are more remote.

Staff

The two hotel tenders were extremely personable and eager to ensure that we had a good stay.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Río Balsa Whitewater Rafting Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

The guide was fun and the river was refreshing. We got wet!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Roads are rough at the moment.

Palo Verde National Park Safari Cruise with Lunch

Costa Rica

We saw several cool animals, but in the end we missed several 'poster animals' (although I might have had my hopes a little too high). The second part with the artisanal village was a lot more interesting than I expected.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Given that this is a wildlife tour, it was fun that the bus was willing to stop on the route to point to various Costa Rican animals.

Sloth & Bird Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

We were able to spot 5 or 6 sloths during our walk. I wouldn't have seen a single one on my own without a guide as these animals camouflage very well, so make sure that you go with one. The wooden area houses some number of toucans, although in terms of sheer diversity, the best spot is at the feeders at the start of the hike. Tons of various tanagers and honeycreepers and great Kiskadees and other birds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Bird-Watching Hike with Breakfast

Arenal/La Fortuna

Beautiful birds! My guide was knowledgeable with bird identification. The area, Mundo Aventura Park, was a good location for birds, especially as the tour is allowed to begin before the park normally opens for visitors.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ryan and Brittany were great, always in communication during both planning of trip, as it reached closer to dates of departure to Costa Rica and when I reached out during my visit to Costa Rica. We had a mix of beach, rainforests and volcanoes - I wouldn't of changed it a bit. I highly recommend KimKim, they are a A+ in my book. Thanks KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Arenal Country Inn

La Fortuna

Not my favorite, very dated and rustic. Rooms were tiny.

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk & EcoTermales Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

This was truly a vacation that was filled with fun, adventure, delicious food, wonderful people, beautiful nature and animals, peace of mind, and memories to last a lifetime! Thank you KimKim and especially Sergio for making this such a wonderful experience. I truly appreciated Sergio’s patience and perseverance as we carefully refined our itinerary!

When we landed at San Jose’ we found our driver easily. After a red-eye flight it was a treat to be driven to our first destination, Nayara Springs! We were greeted by Andreas and escorted to a comfortable chair in the lobby where we enjoyed a cool cloth to refresh and a sample of their delicious drinks. Here is where we checked in to our room and were introduced to the many amenities of this beautiful hotel. We enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the Arenal Volcano and infinity pool. Our room was more like a luxury apartment! Their were two vanity areas in the bathroom, an indoor shower, private outdoor shower, large bedroom and sitting area, private patio complete with lounge bed, table & chairs, hammock, plunge pool, and the most beautiful landscape complete with birds and other creatures that graced us with their presence! Our stay here was outstanding! All of the hotel staff were super friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The head chef was friendly & made creative dishes. It was here that we had some of the most unique and delicious meals, and the service was exceptional! Above the lobby is where I was able to get some of my first Costa Rican Coffee! Amazing! Andreas was always available to help us and even found the sloth we so wanted to see! The hotel even surprised me with a happy birthday decoration, card, and champagne in our room when we arrived home from our first tour.

Kenneth Arenal Guide was awesome! He and Pablo (great driver) provided us with our Arenal Volcano Private Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall Tour. Kenneth was truly amazing as he shared his knowledge of Costa Rica and guided us to the base of the volcano. He brought his scope along and was very talented at taking photos and videos through it to share with us. Kenneth has a passion for his work and has an incredible ability to seek out all kinds of wildlife. We had a delicious snack that Pablo had prepared for us at the end of the hike, and then we headed for the Waterfall. The 500 steps down with the cool mist of the fall was peaceful, and we stopped to take more photos of course! Kenneth was always patient, helpful, and never rushed us. What a way to begin our tour experience! I highly recommend Kenneth and also left him a 5star review on Costa Rica Travel.

Safari Float at the Penas Blancas River was also a fun. We grabbed our paddles and enjoyed a float with a small group to observe more wildlife. The guides on this float were fun, informative, and also had a great ability to find alligators, iguanas, herons, and so much more! After, we enjoyed lunch and had our first intro into extracting the juice from the sugar cane. Lots of pictures! Lots of Fun!

The transfer to Monteverde I would categorize as fun! Our driver had a new vehicle which he took pride in, and was kind enough to make a couple of stops for us to get coffee. We were enjoying the music he played as he expertly avoided as many pot holes as possible. At one point we were all singing the Queen song “Don’t Stop Me Now” at the top of our lungs… we were truly “having such a good time”. :)

Senda Monteverde Hotel was like being nestled in a little mountain cabin. Again we were offered drinks when we arrived and the friendly staff checked us into our room. The rain that was promised finally arrived! We had quite a down pour, but we were thrilled to be safe in our room and enjoyed watching the rain. After all it was a perfect time to relax after our long drive. By the way… I give this hotel the “Softest Robe Award”! Truly the softest and coziest robes of all the places we stayed. There were even hot water bottles at night and complimentary snacks in our room. The bartender and servers here were so friendly that we enjoyed all of our meals here!

Sky Adventures Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges - YES! YES! YES! This is a definite must if one visits the Monteverde area. We definitely chose to enjoy the hanging bridges with a guide. Again the guide was instrumental to finding interesting creatures and fully enjoying the experience above the jungle canopy. The zip lines were truly exhilarating! What an adventure! Again - lots of photos…. Lots of laughs! The staff here works hard to make this a safe and fun experience.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour - Very enjoyable! It was nice to be in a small group. Our guide was so informative and we learned so much about coffee and chocolate. It was here where I felt I was able to learn more about the culture and people who work in these areas as well. Yes, we bought lots of coffee and chocolate for gifts … and ourselves too!

Transfer to Gulf of Papagayo - again another wonderful driver. He was super kind and stopped to show us monkeys and picked a small orchid for me along the roadside. At one stop we were able to see some beautiful McCaws too!

Casa Chameleon Hotel Las Catalinas was another gorgeous hotel with an incredible view of the ocean. Again we were welcomed with a refreshing cloth and special drink. Our luggage was carried to our room for us… thankfully! Fortunately we enjoy walking and hiking and the 75 steps down to our room … and back up….well… let’s just say we stayed in shape! Our room was well decorated, complimentary snacks and drinks, and even hot tea and treats were left at night! Here we experienced still more amazing staff, food, and scenery! The servers all work so hard! I looked forward to the delicious fruit plate, coffee, specialty juice, and pastries that were served every morning. There was also entertainment at night, and they made a delicious Negroni too! William at the front desk helped me to pack some gifts that I purchased there to take home safely. There were so many extra touches… ones that might go unnoticed… such as something as simple as insuring that when we were leaving for a tour that we were notified when the driver arrived and confirmed that it was the correct one. We really appreciated all of the kindness and thoughtfulness of the staff!

Wetlands Boat Ride and Rum Tasting at Hacienda El Viejo - loved this tour too for so many reasons. Carlos/Charlie was our driver and was friendly, patient, & thoughtful too! We enjoyed our time with him in the car and also at the Hacienda El Viejo. Our guide (Daniel, I think) was exceptional as well. Helping us to find more wildlife as we toured the wetlands by boat. After we took a side tour through another section not often traveled and were able to spot so many more birds and even a rare Jabiru’! After another delicious lunch we walked down to meet our tour guide Roberto for the Rum Tasting. Roberto was also passionate about his work and shared so much information with us. We even got to blend our own rum to take home! I definitely would go back here on another visit. Hacienda El Viejo is such a beautiful place with such history, and I hear that they are adding beer tasting room soon too!

Our last tour was the Sunset Catamaran Sailing Tour. The crew was awesome and worked hard to insure everyone had a great time. Drinks were served right away and the sailing began. We even spotted turtles in the water as we sailed. When we reached a cove the crew offered snorkeling, paddle boarding, and kayaking. They were so helpful providing equipment and assisting all of the passengers. I enjoyed kayaking and just relaxing on the boat realizing this was our last full day in Costa Rica. The crew provided some delicious snacks/dinner too! We saw a beautiful sunset and then returned to shore. Although we really enjoyed this tour, I think we would have enjoyed a more romantic type sunset cruise for our last evening here.

Thank you for helping to make this trip to Costa Rica so memorable! Even the weather was wonderful. We were expecting lots of rain, and we only experienced it a few times - once in Monteverde and then a couple of evenings in Nayara Springs. We are so grateful!

My husband and I had the most impeccably organized 13-day honeymoon planned by Veronica. She made sure we were able to do everything we wanted and everything was planned with love and top notch detail. Everything from transportation, local recommendations, and tours with knowledgeable and courteous organizations, made this trip truly unforgettable. We’ll never forget our memories of hiking through the Cloud Forest and rappelling down waterfalls near Arenal Volcano. Thank you Veronica and GWA for making our honeymoon the trip of a lifetime and showing us the true Costa Rican experience. Pura Vida!

Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our Costa Rica trip. All the planning of our activities and places to visit was done in conjunction with Yuliana and she was able to set us up with very comfortable, inviting and clean accommodations at every stop. All the hotels provided excellent breakfasts so we were well fortified for our activities
Our trip started in San Jose, then a private transportation to La Fortuna/Arenal area, boat transportation to Monteverdi area and finally a private car trip to Tamarindo, a beautiful beach town on the Pacific Ocean.
We had excellent guides for all our activities which included hiking near The Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna water falls, riding class 3-4 rapids on the Balsa River, exploring Hanging Bridges and The Monteverde Cloud Forests, Ziplining and finally kayaking in the Pacific Ocean. We were able to see many flora and fauna, including the beautiful Quetzal, Howler monkeys and sleepy Sloths!
The whole trip was amazing, stress free with the excellent planning of Yuliana and her team at kimkim. Would highly recommend planning a trip with them.

Activity Reviews

Tamarindo Estuary Boat Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kayak & Snorkel Tour in Tamarindo Bay

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River Class II & III

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sky Walk, Sky Tram & Sky Trek Zip Line Adventure

Monteverde

Daniel, our guide for the hanging bridges tour was extremely knowledgeable, patient and had great communication skills. The whole group of assistants working on the 7 different Ziplines were professional, caring and reassuring those who were a little scared of the Ziplines.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I'd like to split my review into 2, our experience with kimkim and the serendipity team, and Costa Rica overall:
1. We knew nothing about CR prior to this trip, Bryan and the serendipity team built a perfect itinerary for us, adjusted it multiple times based on our preferences and were fast and efficient. Before but also during our trip and sometimes in a very short notice, they were always attentive, available and flexible, this trip could not have been so successful if it wasn't for Bryan and the team, THANK YOU 🙏
2. Costa Rica - how can you not fall in love with this country? Starting with the warm and welcoming people of CR and continue with the amazing nature, and finally the different attractions and things to do, we enjoyed every bit of it, our guides (Kenneth and Pablo in Arenal, Edson in the Sloth territory, Hector and David at Rio Celeste horseback riding, Andy at Monteverde, Juan at Damas) all were absolutely amazing!
We will definitely come back to CR following this great vacation.
Thank you, Pura Vida!
Motti and the family

Sergio was terrific in helping plan a trip for my husband and myself to Costa Rica. We were to be in CR for about two weeks and he had to work out an itinerary that involved a commitment in Playa Hermosa, near Santa Teresa. The arrangements were ideal and proceeded seamlessly with an abundance of good suggestions. Accommodations were all excellent. Throughout the trip, Sergio was available to help or answer questions and was always accommodating. He is also very knowledgeable and knows his country extremely well.

We flew from Denver to Liberia, where we were met by our driver, who took us to Monteverde, which was fantastic. Sergio convinced me to do the zipline above the cloud forest, and I was happy he did. Our privately guided hike was perfect with an extremely knowledgable fellow, who managed to find exotic birds, even one quetzecoatl.

Drivers were arranged to and from our assorted destinations, always punctual, and excellent and friendly. Our stay in Playa Hermosa (near Santa Teresa) was independent and I do not especially recommend that nor Santa Teresa unless the objective is to surf. Getting around means negotiating mud during rainy season and flying dry sand in summers with the smell of gasoline from zooming dune buggy vehicles.

Our driver picked us up from Playa Hermosa and drove us to a private island to Isla Chiquita, which is a fabulous resort with kayaking, whale watching, and a host of other activities. It was great and I would not mind returning.

So all and all a superb holiday with Sergio making ideal choices that were efficient and made the best use of time as he needed to plan around Playa Hermosa.

Hotel Reviews

Isla Chiquita

This is a private glamping hotel off on a tiny island, which is leased from the government. It is quite top notch with lots of staff always available and doing their utmost to make sure your stay is perfect and wonderful, which it was. The glamping tent was beautiful, roomy, spotless, and very private surrounded by jungle--quite idyllic. There were plenty activities to keep us busy for four days. The hotel is immaculately maintained with gorgeous plantings and flowers everywhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Isla Chiquita is in the middle of a jungle and extremely safe, not a thing to worry about. No need to lock up anything.

Staff

Staff was always there wanting to be sure that we were happy and doing everything we wanted. They bent over backwards. Everyone seemed happy, calm, and never rushed,

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Lodge & Gardens

Monteverde

The hotel is well situated with beautiful surroundings. Not a luxury hotel, but adequate. The staff was always available and very helpful. I was quite happy with the restaurant and menu choices.

Authenticity & Character

A pretty hotel with stunning grounds.

Location

Short distance to all of the sites and forests.

Staff

They were available and did their best to make you comfortable and to address any concerns.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Accommodations were roomy and pretty

Activity Reviews

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Our guide, Andreas, was great and very interesting. He is extremely knowledgeable about all of the plants, vegetation, and wildlife in his region, as well as the history. He loves what he does and loves sharing information, which is obvious. It is great to have a guide to provide information about plants and their habitats and can spot birds and animals which are camouflaged in trees.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isla Chiquita Optional Activities

Isla Jesusita

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bioluminescence & Sea Life Tour

Isla Jesusita

Totally enjoyable and a fun thing to do in the evening. We even saw a manta ray.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

This was totally fun. I can't think of improvements other than the hanging bridges are kind of sketchy for overweight people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They all had a good sense of humor and made everything fun.

Transport

We had a private driver to take us there and to our next destination, and I recommend that.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

This was great, entertaining, and educational. I will be ordering chocolates and coffee directly from Don Juan. I never knew anything about coffee making processes, the holy coffee, in particular. And their chocolates are fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the BEST time visiting Costa Rica thanks to KimKim.com! I highly recommend this country and the experience it has to offer. Not only is the country lush and beautiful, the people are so hospitable and genuinely seem to appreciate your visit. In fact the local tour company that KimKim.com arranged greeted us with a note thanking us to contributing to the social-economic involvement of their local communities and said that we were all making our world a better place. You truly notice the local sense of community they share. And the people of Costa Rica make good/right decisions that avoid the kind of exploitation you see in much of the world. (For example, if a baby sloth falls from its momma, you won’t find tourists holding it, passing it around and taking photos for money. Instead, one wildlife specialist is assigned to raise the baby. This person is the only one allowed to interact with it and it will eventually be reintegrated into the forest ecosystem.) There are so many thrilling things to do in this country. In the short amount of time we were there, KimKim.com arranged for us to go white water rafting (Balsa River), zip lining (Sky Adventures Zip Lines), embark on a catamaran tour with snorkeling, take a guided hike to La Fortuna Waterfall (excellent guide, wish I could remember his name), and take another guided hike/tour through Manual Antonio National Park spotting animals, reptiles, and insects along the way (special thanks to our amazing guide Andrey Obando). My daughter wanted me to add that the local food was yummy - healthy and flavorful. We used KimKim.com to book our trip and they orchestrated everything through the local Costa Rica tour company Greenworld Adventures. KimKim.com assigned a local planner (Veronica - who was excellent!) and they were in touch with us through Whatsapp during the trip. We had every activity and transfer planned and did not have to worry about a single thing. It was like having a vacation concierge. Specifically the hotels we stayed in included the Grand de Oro Hotel in San Jose (first night only when we arrived late), Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa in Arenal/La Fortuna for three nights, and Los Altos Resort Private Reserve and Beach in Manuel Antonio for three nights. It was a vacation of a lifetime exceeding our expectations with so amazing memories. I cannot recommend KimKim.com enough.

Hotel Reviews

Grano de Oro Hotel

San José

Very quirky and interesting hotel. We only stayed one night and used them because we arrived late in San Jose and were transferring early the next morning. I only wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy it more.

Authenticity & Character

One of the more original hotels I've ever seen. Very unique.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Altos Resort

Manuel Antonio

Great location. Lovely pool area. The rooms were enormous! It was like having our own apartment. I think our room may have even had more square footage than our own house.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Simply beautiful. This is an elegant hotel. The hot spring fed pools were amazing. The restaurants were delicious. The views and location could not be beat.

Authenticity & Character

Very simple and zen like. Lovely taste.

Location

View of the volcano!

Staff

So polite and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfection.

Activity Reviews

Transfer San José to Arenal with Rafting on the Balsa River en Route (Class II & III)

Costa Rica

The guides were amazing! We had a thrilling time. We did this river with our 10 year old daughter who'd never been before. They took us to an appropriate stretch of river for her age. The rapids were thrilling but age appropriate for her. This was an amazing way to travel from one destination to another.

Quality of Experience

So glad we did it!

Food

Very authentic local Costa Rica cuisine and delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The people make it! All our guides from the shuttle driver to the river guides were wonderful.

Transport

La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hiking Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was maybe the highlight of our trip. It just so happened we had a massive rain storm during our hike which made the water fall all the more thrilling. We got to see a second water fall form. Our guide said he'd never been there at that exact moment and you could tell just how excited he was too!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I wish I could remember our particular guide's name because he was a gem.

Transport

Sky Adventures Zip Lines

Arenal/La Fortuna

Far more than I expected! I thought zip lining in Costa Rica would be cliche (because everyone does it) but it was well worth it. Very high and long lines. Totally thrilling. We'd never done anything like it. I'm mildly scared of heights so had to conquer my fear a little, but doing so was invigorating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Cruise & Snorkeling/Lunch included

Manuel Antonio

It was POURING down rain when we woke up for this tour, but we pressed on and so glad we did. The lead crew member ensured us we'd have a great time and the conditions were safe and he was not wrong! They made a big effort to make sure we also saw humpback whales.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

You could tell the crew member on the ship in charge of taking care of the guest was making a huge effort to ensure everyone had a great time.

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

So much nature. Animals, reptiles, insects... I thought this was just a hike but it was more like living a real life national geographic expedition. My 10 year old daughter had her mind blown and literally came home and made her own documentary about how amazing this tour was. Special thanks to Andrey Obando who I think is the best guide there is. He made a special effort to connect to our daughter and she was just thrilled (as were we) with the whole experience. You also end up at one of the most beautiful beaches around.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrey Obando was our favorite guide of our entire trip (which is saying a lot because they were all great).

Transport

Right from the start KimKim were just so amazing, Brittany really took the time to go back and forth and help us design our perfect holiday. She helped us with activities and with budgets, it made the process fun and easy. Once we were on holiday, we had delays and cancellations with our flights, KimKim were great here as well. Ryan called us on the phone and helped organise new transfers at our destination and kept in touch the whole time to help us out. It really went above and beyond. The level of care and consideration was beyond expectations and we will definitely be using KimKim again as we had such a fantastic time. We had some fantastic guides and met some great local people as a result of our activities and accommodations. La Baula Lodge was outstanding in its service, I would definitely recommend anyone stay there in Tortuguero. Charlie and Andrea felt like friends after our stay there. Shana Hotel in Manuel Antonio was brilliant as well, and the amount of sloths we saw at the national park was mindblowing. We loved every second of the trip and wish we had stayed another week. Thank you so much to the KimKim team for all your help!

Hotel Reviews

La Baula Lodge

Tortuguero

The staff here are so lovely! The food served is amazing and the location is beautiful. This was such a great place to stay and I couldn't recommend it highly enough!

Authenticity & Character

Charming and authentic

Location

Sitting by the water on rocking chairs was so peaceful.

Staff

Charlie and Andrea became like friends, such wonderful people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Always clean, but you do get what you pay for and it is not luxury, but it is comfortable!

Suites & Villas Calathea

Monteverde

The rooms had a musty smell, a lot of humidity and that affected our stay quite a bit. The staff were really nice but management present a long list of rules that are a bit over the top. I'd probably recommend finding a different hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shana By the Beach Resort

Manuel Antonio

Fantastic hotel, great facilities and lovely atmosphere. I'd recommend an ocean view room. It was spectacular watching the sun go down from our balcony. There's a private beach that's great to spend the day on (just take cash). I'd really recommend staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lavas Tacotal

Fortuna, San Carlos

The grounds of the hotel are just gorgeous. The staff are really friendly and breakfast was good. We had a gorgeous room with a volcano view, very comfortable bed and a jacuzzi bath.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great views of volcano, there's a shop and restaurant nearby. Uber works well to get around here.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Night Hike

Tortuguero

Mau was a great guide. This was fun, informative and entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & Tabacon Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hike itself was a bit disappointing. The views were spectacular but our guide didn't show us any wildlife and we were hoping for more of that, he did not know a lot about the volcano itself which was interesting. The hot springs are amazing! They were a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Hike

Monteverde

This was speculator. So beautiful and the guide was lovely!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TreeTram, Hanging Bridges & Zipline Adventure

Monteverde

Fantastic! I was a bit scared but the staff know what they're doing and it was an experience of a lifetime!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canoeing the Tortuguero Canals

Tortuguero

Fantastic experience, we saw so much wildlife and our guide Mau was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

The park is so beautiful and there are so many sloths!! The beaches are stunning! Our guide Danny was great, such a lovely man.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was INCREDIBLE! Adriana and Yuliana were BEYOND helpful and had wonderful suggestions to make our holiday even more special! As a single
mom this was a very special trip and we felt safe and participated in EVERY adventure possible from ziplining to rafting to animal walks, a volcano hike, hot springs, surfing, parasailing, whale and dolphin watching to suspension bridges….
THANK YOU!
Carolyn

The trip Bryan planned was great. Overall, we had professional tour guides and felt like the locations we visited were the best for what we were looking for. Pablo, our driver and guide for our first day, was exceptional, had great energy, and left us with many tips that other tourists did not know about. (ie. Soda's are family owned restaurants!)

One room for improvement would be to communicate with local excursions/drivers/and us/tourist if there is a cancellation. For example, our driver picked us up and drove us to the excursion location (50 min away from Nosara to Samara) and back to the hotel upon learning of the cancellation of our diving excursion due to ocean conditions. We thankfully received a refund for the cancellation of the excursion.

Thank you to Bryan and the Serendipity Adventures team for the lovely holiday. Our wonderful trip leaves us with a want to return Costa Rica again in the future.

We had an incredible time traveling with our children to Costa Rica. The accommodations were incredible places we wouldn’t have been able to find in our own and the transport was so seamless. We are so thankful for our amazing time.

Everything about the trip was amazing.
Bryan chose excellent hotels and all the activities that we took part in were amazing ways to explore the rich Biodiversity you can find in Costa Rica . Our only regret is that we couldn’t have added an additional week to explore more of the country.
The guides were excellent and incredibly knowledgeable and happy to accommodate anything we wanted to focus on in our trip. The locals are so friendly and genuinely want you to enjoy their country and appreciate all the wonderful fauna and flora as well as the delicious food and of course the coffee. We weren’t bothered in any way to buy any of the souvenirs or take part in additional activities. If you’re planning a trip definitely pack for two very different climates, sunshine and bouts of heavy rainfall (it gets very humid at times) but the rain is always refreshing. Definitely recommend the hike around Arenal, the hanging bridges and zip wire in Monteverde, as well as the catamaran trip. Sensoria was amazing too and the opportunity to bathe in the hot springs was a fantastic way to finish the hike around the rainforest and waterfalls. This is one trip we will truly cherish and we hope to return to Central America and use the services of KimKim again to help organise our trip. Nilima