Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

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

Hotel Reviews

Buena Vista Chic Hotel

Alajuela

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Altos Resort

Manuel Antonio

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sport Fishing Inshore

Manuel Antonio

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking Adventure

Manuel Antonio

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

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Costa Rica

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

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

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

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

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scuba Diving Manuel Antonio

Costa Rica

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

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

I wanted to take the time to praise the experience we have had with Kim Kim Travel. The whole trip was seamless and amazing! We traveled to 4 destinations throughout the course of our vacation and the booked private transportation has been phenomenal! During the vacation, we made two small changes to the itinerary and Kim Kim made those changes happen without hesitation. I highly recommend using Kim Kim to book your next travel experience if you do not want to stress and worry about how to make the most of your vacation.

We had an amazing trip with KimKim’s help. All of our experiences were well planned and the travel was seamless. Our guide David on our volcano hike was extremely knowledgeable as were all of our guides. Planning couldn’t have been easier with Gustavo and Jessica’s advice and guidance.

Hotel Reviews

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arco Iris Lodge

Santa Elena

This place was amazing! So beautiful, clean, and conveniently located.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arenal Volcano Hike & Paradise Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved this! Our tour guide David was very knowledgeable and fun. The hot springs were the perfect too off after the hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed our trip! The kimkim team had everything lined up for us with no hiccups to the schedule. We enjoyed talking to all our guides ( Charlie, David, Junior, Julio just to name some). All the guides/drivers were really knowledgeable and provided amazing conversations and service. It was quite an adventure for our family and we will always remember the beautiful landscape, wildlife and people of Costa Rica.

Hotel Reviews

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arco Iris Lodge

Santa Elena

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges Adventure

Monteverde

I regret I can’t remember our guides name but she was extremely knowledgeable and excited to show us the wildlife of her country. Great with our kids, who loved seeing the Orange kneed tarantula and millipedes. The cloud forest is beautiful and we learned a lot on this short hike. The bridges are waaay up there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & Paradise Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

David was very knowledgeable and really passionate about the wildlife and landscape. He was great/patient with our kids, fielding a million questions. Really nice guy and provided a lot of information about the volcano and history of the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Experience and Nighttime Nature Walk

Monteverde

Junior was awesome. He was incredibly knowledgeable about coffee and proper brewing methods. Lots of history and conversation about coffee and chocolate. The tastings were amazing. The night walk through the jungle was really cool. We were surrounded by so much wildlife. My son finally got to see scorpions and tarantulas in the wild. Even a pit viper made an appearance. Highly recommend Junior and his coffee and jungle experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Children's Eternal Rainforest Preserve! Even from the moment we pulled into the parking lot and our guide was pointing out white faced monkeys, we enjoyed walking around and seeing nature. He showed us birds and many other creatures, including 2 tarantulas, frogs and other insects. As we walked back to our cars we saw a Kinkajou. I know seeing wildlife is hit or miss, and while I was hoping to see more animals, I enjoyed the hike a lot. I also enjoyed learning about the history behind the area, and the students that came together to preserve it. This is a must do activity if you are in Monteverde!

Activity Review

Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

We enjoyed having a guide on the trail with us- he was able to identify animals and insects that we would have missed otherwise.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I simply loved my trip to Costa Rica. My experience with KimKim was amazing. They really worked hard to work with my budget and created 3 different itineraries for me until I was finally happy. That to me is amazing. They were so quick to respond and they worked with me in a rush last minute to quickly book my stays and tours. ALL the tour guides were amazing! And I really appreciated that the tours were kept to small groups. It made my experience more intimate and enjoyable. It was my first time working with a travel agency and they did not disappoint. Thank you for making my trip an amazing one and accommodating my refunds quickly when 2 of my tours got cancelled due to matters out of our control. I look forward to working with you again and will recommend you to friends and family.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

This was my favorite stay out of the three I visited! The receptionist here is amazing! The food wasn't great, but there are so many restaurants literally 2 mins away walking. I loved the pool, breakfast was included, the bar was awesome, their laundry service is a fair price, and the ambience in general is really nice here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

walking distance from national park, the beach, and plenty of restaurants

Staff

The receptionist was my favorite person

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Luna Hotel & Spa

La Fortuna

The rooms and staff were really nice. The only negative would be that the hot tubs were definitely not hot. Although they were beautiful, we couldn't really enjoy them because of how cold we were.

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

This hotel is a very nice hotel. Only negative aspect is that there is no AC in the rooms & they make you sign off in renting their fans. However, the view from the rooms is amazing. I only stayed one night here so I can't really comment much on anything else.

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

Andres from Endemic Bird Expert was my favorite tour guide to have met. His knowledge of the animals and the jungle is incredible. His personality was just the most amazing. I felt like he was spotting so many animals that others weren't catching. I strongly recommend this tour with this particular guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andres from Endemic Bird had such an amazing personality!

Transport

Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike with Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our tour guide, Mariano from Serendipity Adventures, was AMAZING. He was so real and down to earth and had so much knowledge to share. He really made this an amazing experience. The restaurant he took us to was my favorite restaurant from the whole trip! Definitely an experience I would encourage others to take.

Quality of Experience

Food

This was the best restaurant I tried in my whole trip. I wish I could visit this restaurant again!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano from Serendipity Adventures was amazing. Great knowledge, great food recommendations, and great attraction recommendations.

Transport

We absolutely loved La Fortuna and Monteverde. We especially likes the tour guides with Desafio Tour company in La Fortuna. They were always on time, professional, very personable, friendly, accommodating, safety conscious, and best of all knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and really caring about the environment and climate change. Some of the awesome tour guides from Desafio were Samantha, Arturo, Ronnie, Hosea, and so many others. Loved the lunches, too. We extremely loved all the hikes, water fall, and canyoning!
The hotel was great, with a good breakfast, and convenient to all the restaurants and amenities in town. They were also very accommodating by creating a boxed breakfast for us because we had an early excursion one day.
We also loved Monteverde and and the beautiful country lodge. We has an awesome night hike with our knowledgeable guide, Brandon, who tried his best to find night life in the pouring rain. We loved the 2 mile jungle hike by a river. We felt like we really in deep rain forest. The El Trapiche Tour was awesome and beautiful. It was so much fun to taste all the stuff. I can't remember our guide's name but she was wonderful, knowledgeable, talked about how they try their best fairly pay and treat seasonal migrant workers, and the environment. She was also made the tour interesting and fun to listen to! We also were really impressed by our zip liners, Mauricio or Marco ?and his partner (forgot his name), who were very safe, patient, professional, helpful, and fun. We wished we would have brought more cash with us to buy the pictures. We were a bit disappointed That we didn't have enough cash to purchase any. Oh well, next time. Pura Vida!
Overall, the whole trip was well planned, organized, perfect to our liking ! Our drivers were also awesome and brought us to the perfect places to eat breakfast or lunch with good food and a place to walk, stretch, view the scenery, or shop around. Our drivers were all very professional ans excellent and safe drivers, but for some reason i can't remember all their names, except for our driver from La Fortuna to Monteverde, Rolando. I think the first driver from San Jose to La Fortuna was Mauricio ? Anyway, they were all wonderful! We had a memorable trip of a lifetime ! Thank you so much!
Warm regards,
Emelyn and Bob Judge

Hotel Reviews

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Love the location and environmentally beautiful place, land scaping, and great breakfast every morning. Very accommodating and friendly staff. The housekeeping people were great!

Authenticity & Character

The Place blends in well with the environment. Beautiful and peaceful and relaxing to be in.

Location

Love the location and environmentally beautiful place, land scaping, and great breakfast every morning.

Staff

Very friendly, professional, caring and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was great, with a nice window and porch, and view! The bed was comfortable and bathroom very nice. Great housekeepers !

La Fortuna Downtown Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna San Carlos

We really enjoyed that there was breakfast every morning. They also made a box breakfast for us one morning since we had an early excursion. The pool was nice and cool to go to after a long day. We had a nice view of the park, church, and side view of the Arenal Volcano. The place was a bit noisy at night but very convenient and walking distance to restaurants, and cafes. We really enjoyed our stay there. The staff were very accommodating and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Yes! A lot of character and nice lobby star with local arts and crafts.

Location

Great place to be if you want to be in downtown. Very convenient and walking distanceto restaurants, church, post office, pretty park with fountain, and stores.

Staff

I can't remember their names but the two ladies were helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed was comfortable. Nice window view. Bathroom needed a bit updating or remodeling. But still useful and the housekeepers did a great job keeping our room and the hotel clean and tidy.

Activity Reviews

Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Experience

Monteverde

Awesome and informative tour about Costa Rican coffee, chocolate, and sugar. Excellent knowledgeable and interesting guide. Beautiful farm, plantation, and views. Great info on Sustainable and ethical practices.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved our guide, Samantha! So knowledgeable, environmentally aware of climate change, and wild life viewing land really watched out for all of us. Loved that we were able to view sloths, and other flora and fauna. Love the beautiful Volcano hike, wished we could have hiked more. Also, the falls was very refreshing and just the right amount of time. Really enjoyed the snacks of fresh fruits and authentic lunch!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

Loved this hike! Carlos, our tour guide for the Monteverde Cloud Forest , was excellent, knowledgeable, and very interesting to listen to, and cared about climate change! I recommend this to everyone! You will learn a lot!

Quality of Experience

I also like the souvenir shop that supports the cloud forest and indigenous people.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very well planned. All our guides we top notch. It was a fantastic trip!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chira Glamping Monteverde

Puntarenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Very accommodating to our special needs diets (vegan, no gluten)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Studio Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Damas Island Mangrove Forest Kayak Tour

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Hike

Monteverde

Bernie was a very knowledgable guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Discovery Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide, Luis was outstanding!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano to El Castillo - Half Day Mountain Bike Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mambo Combo: Canyoning and Rafting

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of our guides were Amazing!
They were very knowledgeable and they Could literally spot animals from the boat and car.

First time working with kimkim and I loved it! Yuliana was my local specialist in Costa Rica who worked on all the details of my itinerary until I was happy with it. Answered all of my questions and concerns immediately. She booked the hotels, transportation and excursions and supplied me with confirmation numbers and all the specific details I needed so I didn’t worry about anything during the trip. The drivers were punctual, helpful and friendly, with A/C and clean vehicles. Hotels were great and we had the best time on all the activities/excursions. Definitely recommend.

Hotel Review

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Our family of four really enjoyed our stay here. Clean and spacious room with strong A/C and amazing view of the volcano. 2 main pools were really nice, although not as numerous as other nearby hotels, as only one pool was hot spring. Breakfast is amazing, we also ate lunch/dinner poolside and in the restaurant which has breathtaking views. Depending on your room location, you need to be prepared to walk a bit or call for shuttle service around the property.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful property, rooms are spread out

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable mattresses!

Activity Review

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

We did this tour in the rain but it still turned out great! We didn’t have flashlights so the guide provided us with some. A bit scary walking into the forest in the dark but we had our trusty guide who led the way and found us some amazing wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Saw things we never thought we’d see!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Drivers arrived on time.

Transport

Overall amazing trip planned by Randall. Would highly recommend. All the transports were almost flawless. My son even lost his suitcase at a restop and chris from kimkim found it and got it delivered to us.

First andlast night in san jose, hotel was great. We took a tour of san jose on our own which was nice.

Only major issue was Tortuguero. Hotel was horrible (no AC (sweltering hot temps) room full of bugs/lizards, stray dogs everywhere (including every meal) and kids hated the food). It was a cabin, not a hotel. Nobody slept for two nights due to heat and bugs. Worst part was that turtle nesting season not until July, so there was nothing to see.. was a horrible experience. We went kayaking on our own there which was fun.

Arenal was fantastic, the hiking tour to volcano was just average. The rio celeste tour was amazing. Wished we had gone tubing/rafting, many other families had done that.

Trasnfer to monteverde was interesting. A boat ride to a muddy area and we all dragged our luggage through puddles and mud to get to a bus. Monteverde was beautiful, hotel poco a poco was amazing. Zipline and night tour fun. We did a coffee/chocolate tour on our own which was great.

Manuel antonio was also beautiful. The hotel costa verde was fine. We paid for middle of the range hotels, so couldnt ask for anything amazing. The guided tour if national park was fun, but we had done so many hiking/walking tours that kids were a bit restless by the time we got to that tour.

We enjoyed an amazing family vacation in Costa Rica thanks to Fiorella's trip planning guidance. Our teenagers loved the adrenaline rush of white water rafting on the Pacaure River's long rapids, including a class IV section as well a howling with the howler monkeys while hiking on the Arenal 1968 Volcano hike. We saw a lot of wildlife in Manual Antonio, were surrounded by Capuchin monkeys, swam in the ocean under the Toucans, and with the help of our guide had some excellent views of sloths and roosting bats. My husband and I most enjoyed the biodiversity in the rugged Corcovado National Park. It took a boat ride through a mangrove forest to get there and a small plane to return to San Jose, but was worth the effort. Our guide Manfred with the Corcovado Wilderness Lodge was an excellent storyteller about the interdependence of the wildlife in the rainforest. Our family was lucky to spot an immense mother and tiny baby tapir on our gorgeous hike. Many great memories of our 12 day adventure.

Our trip to Costa Rica was even dreamier than I imagined. Our specialist provided a great itenerary, including several adjustments I requested and he also answered all my questions about logistics, the culture, expectations, etc. The lodging options we ultimately landed on were wonderful, really unique spaces with decent amenties, great food and high quality service. He provided a couple of different options for the hot springs near Arenal volcano and we opted for the more luxurious option for our anniversary, sooooo glad we did! He also recommended great sites to see like the Fortuna waterfall, and suggested a bike company to rent our own bikes since we didn't want to do any group tours and be on our own schedule. He was very patient and understanding through the planning process and we had absolutely no hiccups on our travels. The wildlife park in Manuel Antonio was also really cool, and the beaches there as spectacular as he described. It was truly a trip in paradise!

Hotel Reviews

Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

This place is VERY cool. It was slightly separated from the town La Fortuna, but only about 3 min. drive - wiht its own private road that leads you through the tropical forest and to a beautifull landscaped paradise. Each dwelling is a lovely mini house with 2 very comfy beds, tv, min fridge and coffee maker, many outlets including USB, good tv, big closet & drawers, AC, large bathroom with huge shower area and bidet. Best part is covered porches front and back with seating to observe the wildlife, view the volcano, eat and relax. There is also a nature trail at the end of the property into the forest, we saw toucans and heard the howler monkeys here! The pool with waterfall and big spa/jacuzzi is fantastic, the bar and restuarant was great with a tremendous breakfast buffet with both American and Costa Rican foods, pastries, custom chef bar, and fresh juices and fruits. Excellent service! We didn't have time to try the spa services but be sure you visit a hot springs at a neighboring hotel and also the Fortuna waterfall.

Authenticity & Character

submerged in local foliage that is well manicured

Location

secluded and lush surroundings, RIGHT at the base of the volcano with amazing views!

Staff

room was sparkling, front desk very nice, funny and great bartender

Cleanliness & Comfort

cozy beds, just enough amenities, private space

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

pretty standard for a hampton.

Authenticity & Character

Location

easy shuttles to the hotel, nearby resturants in walking distance.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Espadilla Ocean Club

Manuel Antonio

This place was really cool and unique. We had our own 2-story house, with AC, two bathrooms & bedrooms, outdoor shower and rinse areas to clean off after the beach, and full kitchen. There is a great covered patio in the back outdoor dining set, hammock and a fun, cool little splash pool with jets! Lovely local flora and well lendscaped yards in between the bulidings. Nice open, covered hangout pad with basket chairs, games, grill, and security. They even have onsite laundry machines for you to use. The trail leads right to the beach through a short forest path. We heard howler monkeys in the surrouding trees each morning.

Authenticity & Character

cool decor, very tropical feeling

Location

close to beach and restuarants, also walking distance to the national park

Staff

The host was amazing, giving us great dinner recommendations and ordering a taxi for us. Security greeted us every day, helped us park and made sure the gate was open/ closed when we needed it.

Cleanliness & Comfort

clean service daily, even did the dishes.

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

I like the local, unique feel of this hotel. The room was basic but nice and clean. The typical Costa Rica breakfast was decent. The surrounding streets in the area were a bit rough and it is near a busy/loud road, though we didn't hear it at night and they have locking gates/fence all around so we felt safe. We had a view of the town and mountainous backdrop from our room. There was a causal and tasty restaurant within walking distance, also a bank to exchange local currnecy

Authenticity & Character

older hotel but nicely maintained.

Location

in the center of several activites, near a big park with art museum

Staff

very nice and helpful people

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Visit Club Rio Hot Springs

Costa Rica

This place is TOTAL WOW!!! We lived like kings, enjoyed every single unique, beautiful and relaxing pool. The luxurious faclilites and amenities were out of this world and unlike anything we have experienced. Comfy seating and chairs everywhere, wide open spaces. We had a day pass and opted for the dinner package, the food was delicious. - a 3 course menu including dessert with plenty of tasty options. We orderd two differnt dishes and tasted eachothers, both were fantasitc. The swim up bar had good drinks, not too outrageous in cost and there were tvs everywhere. They also gave us second day access and we were happy to return.

Quality of Experience

This is a very special place, a windy road through the forest leads you here and reveals a world of luxury with views of the volcano and surrounded by lush forest.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

SkyTrek Monteverde: Wonderful! Transportation picked us up right on time. Check-in was easy and when my youngest was nervous about zip-lining they were supportive and kind. All the guides were excellent, instructions were clear, and safety measures were great. Zip-lining about the cloud forest, with a few birds flying near was beautiful. I only wish they had given notice in advance that the last zip line is tandem for anyone <200 pounds. My teenager was not excited to have to tandem ride with his mom ;)

Activity Review

Treetopia Zip Lines

Monteverde

Wonderful! Transportation picked us up on time. Check-in was easy and when my youngest was nervous about zip-lining they were supportive and kind. All the guides were excellent, instructions were clear, and safety measures were great. Zip-lining about the cloud forest, with a few birds flying near was beautiful. I only wish they had given notice in advance that the last zip line is tandem for anyone <200 pounds. My teenager was not excited to have to tandem ride with his mom ;)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wow--what an incredible holiday in Costa Rica! We had a wonderful experience and are very pleased with kimkim--we would definitely recommend working with their team again. Fio was attentive to our requests and connected us with a fantastic local travel agency and expert, Nancy (Serendipity Adventures). Both Fio and Nancy were prompt to answer questions and help facilitate our travel needs--even when we were in the middle of traveling.
-3Monkies transportation was excellent. Drivers were always on time (usually 5-10 minutes early). Vans were spotless. Drivers were all very friendly and willing to accommodate any unscheduled stops. They were knowledgeable local resources and could answer any questions we had.
-Hacienda Guachipelin was EXCELLENT. Accommodations were very comfortable, restaurant options and food were fantastic, staff was very friendly and helpful. It was so convenient to have the activity center on the property--there was absolutely no feeling of a "vacation factory" (as I had read ahead of time). The activities were well organized and were thoughtfully integrated into their natural settings. The zip line through he canyon was fantastic. Waterfalls felt like a Costa Rican Shangri-La. Edward was a fantastic guide on the Las Pailas loop hike. The tubing was a blast.
-Hotel Mosque del Mar and Playa Hermosa was lovely. The pool area felt like a jungle oasis...but was dense with mosquitos.
-Kuna Vela sailing was NOT a catamaran...but rather a very nice sailboat. Our reservation was incorrectly made for 2 (instead of all 4 of us), but the staff was very accommodating and welcomed us all aboard. We had some higher swells on our sail, so the kids stayed in the back of the boat with the captain. He-and the entire Kuna Vela staff-were so friendly helpful, they really made the trip a hit with our family.
-The estuary mangrove tour in Tamarindo was excellent. The naturalist/boat captain was very knowledgeable and was able to point out many birds, plants, and crocodiles that we would have missed! This was a great activity that felt off the beaten path.
-Coco tours transportation was also excellent. Our driver was able to make a great lunch recommendation for us in Tamarindo.
-Nummbu Bungalows on Playa Carrillo was absolutely beautiful. Hotel staff was very friendly. Unfortunately our stay coincided with a group fitness retreat that dominated the property for the weekend--including a late night, thumping DJ party. Not the vibe we were hoping for. We were told this retreat is annual, so keep this in mind when booking in early June.
-Isla Chora ocean kayaking and snorkeling with Samara Adventures was a highlight!! We loved the open-air ride to the beach. The paddle to Isla Chora was so fun--we had turtles popping up to greet us along the way. The guides were very safety oriented and friendly. This was a fantastic family excursion--would highly recommend this.
We had such a wonderful time--Costa Rica, the beauty of the land, ocean and people, is truly a treasure of this planet!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín

Liberia

Excellent!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nammbú Beachfront Bungalows

Sámara

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Isla Chora Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling Tour

Costa Rica

Mangrove & Estuary Safari by Boat

Costa Rica

Sunset Catamaran Sailing Tour

Costa Rica

This was NOT a catamaran tour, rather a sailboat

Hike to Las Pailas, Rincon de la Vieja National Park and La Oropendola Waterfall

Costa Rica

One Day of Adventure in Hacienda Guachipelin

Costa Rica

Sergio from kimkim and Charlotte (Lotta) from Serendipity Adventures were outstanding. I was so happy with all of the attention to details. Everything was on point.
Thank you so much for making our trip such an epic memory!

Hotel Reviews

Punta Uva Bungalows

Limon

Authenticity & Character

The beach/cove is beautiful, like a movie scene. Cleanest water.

Location

A good 15/20mins from Puerto Viejo town in the Tuk Tuk. $10 each way.

Staff

The restaurant staff was amazing. A little hard to communicate with the front desk staff but everyone was super kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

The view of the volcano from your villa is just breath taking. The breakfast is amazing. A quick cab ride into town.

Authenticity & Character

Fancy resort. The thermal springs pool with bar was heavenly.

Location

A quick cab ride into town!

Staff

Above and beyond staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Uber clean. There was a rainforest type feel in the bathroom. So healing and pretty!

Activity Reviews

Journey into the Mystical Costa Rica: Shaman, Medicinal Plants & Waterfall Adventure

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

From feeling the energy of the Bri Bri tribe medicinal shaman to grinding your own chocolate, this was an amazing day trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tirza was amazing!

Transport

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Amazing views! Got to see so many wildlife species. And the waterfall hike was worth it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainforest Immersion Massage and Tropical Facial

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

I was so impressed with the Jungle Spa! The ambiance and the skilled professionals really made the massage and facial remarkable. I would HIGHLY suggest adding this as a part of your trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tirza in PV was the best! She was so knowledgeable and full of life. I would recommend her company and services to everyone!

Transport

The charter plane worked out well! I do wish we didn’t have the 5.5 hr drive from Fortuna to PV. Felt like a whole day was wasted.

We had a fantastic trip to Costa Rica. All of the activities we reserved--white water rafting, hiking in Arenal, the cloud forest self-guided tour in Monteverde, and the sunset catamaran cruise with snorkeling--were so much fun and top-notch quality. Everything was very well-organized except for our arrival in San Jose. We had rented a car from the airport but we were sent information about meeting a driver upon arrival. There was no driver waiting for us and my father was extremely confused about where to go. Luckily we called the customer service number and they told us to go to the car rental desk. Any time we needed to call the customer service number they were very helpful.

Everybody was kind and considerate.
Our guide for one day was Wilbur. He was great and my wife and I were comfortable with our interactions.
Our guide for 3 days was Jose. He was beyond great. His wealth of knowledge was amazing and we really enjoyed our time spent with him.
All the people at every resort we stayed at was excellent. I have never enjoyed a vacation more then this one.

Hotel Reviews

Senda Monteverde Hotel

Monteverde

Senda Monteverde Boutique Hotel was lovely. The staff was attentive and went above and beyond to help when I lost my cell phone during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

San José

Our stay at Hotel Presidente San Jose City Center was pleasant. We enjoyed exploring the city, visiting museums, and picking up mementos to take home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aguila de Osa Rainforest & Marine Adventure Lodge

Drake Bay

Our stay at Aguila de Osa Inn was great. The staff was very accommodating and concerned when my wife came down with food poisoning. The resort was remote but beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

We loved our stay at Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs. The hot springs were relaxing, the food was excellent, and the staff was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Poas Volcano Lodge

Vara Blanca

Our stay at Poas Volcano Lodge was peaceful and quiet. The staff was incredibly kind and accommodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Chocolate & Night Hike Experience

Monteverde

The Chocolate & Night Hike Experience was enjoyable. We had a great time exploring and learning about chocolate.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caño Island Snorkeling Excursion

Corcovado National Park

I had fun snorkeling at Caño Island. The excursion was enjoyable, and I saw beautiful marine life.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Monteverde

Our visit to La Fortuna Waterfall, Hanging Bridges, and Arenal Volcano was incredible. The Hanging Bridges tour was one of the top experiences, and the wildlife we saw was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Poas Volcano

Costa Rica

I had an amazing time during the Poas Volcano tour. The guide, Wilbur, was really good, and the experience was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maurice our guide for hiking nearby La Fortuna / Arsenal was the high point of the trip., I recommend him highly bec his knowledge of the area flora and fauna was amazing. Now I know what really big Howlers (monkeys) sound like - not for the timid!
The La Fortuna Hotel was very nice but spartan (facial tissues?). Breakfast was very good, we chose the restaurants in town rather than than dinner at the resort. The weather was perfect all week and beautiful sunsets in Tamarindo and Monteverde. A little too warm in Monteverde but if you don’t mind bugs the night air is very cool with the huge sliding doors open. There are no screens on the doors so I recommend the hotels offer mosquito drapery around the bed to get a restful sleep.
Tamarindo was nice with the beaches and pools and we enjoyed the catamaran team that ran things - very friendly - I recommend folks use them. My daughter accompanied me and she had a great week.

It didn’t rain which was good and bad. Beautiful Weather. WAVE Adventures is a top-notch company with many guides who were very entertaining, I recommend them. But the whitewater rafting was disappointing from the low water flow, mostly class 1 with a couple class 2. I was also in Panama and whitewater rafting was much better.

PS: We rented a car as we used different airports and got to see more, driving off the beaten path had some beautiful sights but leave extra time as about 50% of the roads were paved. I personally enjoyed driving like the locals, you get around faster.

Hotel Reviews

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

On the ocean, great sunset views from the balcony patio

Authenticity & Character

Huge complex, we stayed in the older part close to the lobby and restaurant

Location

Staff

Just the nicest helpful people

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Beautiful complex of suites along the hillside, we stayed in the sunset rooms at the top and the views were worth it. Rolling back the huge glass doors allows the cool night breezes to make the rooms great for sunsets and sleeping. As there are no window or door screens, I recommend the Ficus Inn install mosquito netting drapes over / around each bed so patrons can enjoy a restful sleep with the lights out. Unless you love flying bugs keeping you company! A nice eco-friendly hotel at the edge of town at a steep uphill road. Good parking, breakfast, and wi-fi. Pleasant staff.

Authenticity & Character

Eco-friendly

Location

Sunset views. Sound of big rigs struggling up the hill was distracting, I guess that’s what earbuds are for.

Staff

More knowledgeable staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Netting around/ over beds to keep flying bugs out of your ears.

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

La Fortuna

Very good hotel and grounds for the middle-tier resort. You should walk everywhere and skip the shuttle - burn some calories as the resort is on a steep vertical hillside. The best feature is the landscaping and water features. Don’t expect rooms like a Marriott, it’s spartan so spend your time exploring the outdoors. Good breakfast every morning. The town is close by if you desire a dinner out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Maurice (guide) and Paloma (driver) were the high point of our trip

Quality of Experience

Small group, 4 people + guide was perfect size.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge imparted to us and seeing our guide show us so many plans and their uses.

Transport

Paloma the driver- and a very good singer!

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River Class II & III

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great bunch of guides. Unfortunately water level too low, mostly class 1 with a couple class 2

Quality of Experience

See above

Food

We were hungry! I liked the cookies and beer!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides

Olman did an excellent job planning a 10-day trip to Costa Rica that delivered the kind of experience my family of four (2 adults, 12 and 17 year olds) was looking for. We visited 3 locations (La Fortuna, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio) with a balance of nature-based adventure and relaxation. The recommended accomodations were great. The vendors for all tours were professional and experienced and the guides were top notch. Olman worked with me ahead of the trip to tweak the agenda to fit our needs. He was flexible and patient and provided so much information that I felt I knew exactly what we would be paying for prior to needing to send any money. I have never before worked with a travel provider to help plan my trips and I typically spend many hours over weaks and months putting together an itinerary. I was anxious about relying on someone else - but Olman made it easy, enjoyable and the delivered product was fantastic. For future travelers, my one recommendation is to start every day as early as possible. This will maximize your time enjoying what Costa Rica has to offer in the morning/early afternoon, avoid afternoon rainshowers and also allow late afternoon evenings for relaxing and meals (as well as early bed-times earned during adventurous mornings!). To that end, the only change I would have made to my schedule was that our zip-lining day in Monteverde did not commence until the vendor picked us up at 10:20 am- which kind of killed the whole day. I would highly recommend starting the day earlier - and driving yourself to the vendor's location so that you are not reliant upon their return transportation schedule.