Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

This family trip to Costa Rica had it all: adventure, learning, views, nature, rainforest, beach, ocean, river, hot springs, volcano, hikes, hanging bridges, zip lines, animals, waterfalls and FUN!!
We loved it!!
The program of activities each day was well balanced so we always had time to also explore a little more by ourselves and enjoy meeting locals and tasting delicious food. The weather was amazing in the sense that even though it was the rainy season we only had one rainy day and a couple of nights when it rained some, but this never held us back.

We loved Hotel Costa Verde in Manual Antonio. The guided tour in the park was top notch! We saw bats, sloths, hummingbirds, monkeys and different types of birds. Having a telescope to see the animals up close was the best! Our driver Kendall was very friendly and accommodating. We had him for 2 legs of the trip-San Jose to Manual Antonio and Manual Antonio to Arenal. Canyoning and whitewater rafting in La Fortuna was so much fun! We also enjoyed the zip lining in Monteverde.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Volcano Inn

Fortuna

The WiFi is terrible here. We couldn’t get a signal most of the time we were here. The pool and hot tub is nice. You have to make reservations to use the hot tub. The rooms are small and dated, but comfortable. The breakfast is a buffet and was the same each day. They would change out the protein, but everything else was the same. We loved the staff here! The restaurant serves delicious entrees for dinner. We didn’t have lunch there.

Authenticity & Character

Updating the rooms and restaurant.

Location

Closer to town. We had to take a taxi into the downtown area.

Staff

The young man working the buffet gave great customer service. He greeted everyone with a huge smile.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Gorgeous views of the coast! The staff is friendly and the property is beautiful. The walk to the beach was easy and we loved hanging out at the adults only pool with bar service. The free breakfast was very good! You ordered from a menu instead of eating off the buffet. Every morning we heard the howler monkeys and we saw a sloth and capuchin monkeys hanging out by the pool.

Authenticity & Character

The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The lighting is unique! It was nice having a full size refrigerator, microwave and sink in the room.

Location

Staff

The restaurant staff and bartender at the adults only pool.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

This lodge is charming. It isn’t close to town so it’s a hilly walk into the downtown area. Rooms lack air conditioning and it was quite stuffy and warm at night. We left the windows open but there wasn’t a cross breeze. I think ceiling fans would be a great addition. There’s no pool onsite, but we got to use the pool a Poco a Poco, which is very nice! I highly recommend going there to use their facilities. The room we were in was very small, but our kids were in a larger room. We were supposed to have a room with 3 beds for our 3 kids, but they gave us a room with only 2 beds. When we asked about correcting it, we were told our kids had to be in another building. We decided to keep them closer to us and the girls shared a bed. The food at their restaurant was the best we had on our trip. The breakfast buffet was ok but the food on their menu was delicious! The only other things was the water pressure in our shower was low. The water came out in a single steam and alternated between hot and cold temps. I would start the shower hot and while I was washing my hair, it would turn cold. Also you can’t flush toilet paper here. It’s a custom in many parts of the country, but I prefer to flush my toilet paper.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tamarindo Vista Villas (Best Western)

Tamarindo

There’s no reception/lobby area. You check in at a tiny stand alone that looks like it was a security guard office at one time. After check-in, no one helped us with our luggage, which required us to go up an unpaved driveway. Upon entering our room we were hit with an extremely strong chemical odor. We went back down to the office, they told us they just finished working on the bathroom tile and paint, which explained the strong smell. They immediately switched our room to another which didn’t have an odor. We had a nice view of Tamarindo beach. The ac in our kids’ room never worked properly. It never cut the humidity or cooled the room down. We asked maintenance to fix it but it was never fixed properly. It was slightly cooler but still sticky and humid in the room. Breakfast orders need to be placed the day before and indicate when you want to eat. We never had the free breakfast because we didn’t want to plan what and when we wanted to eat the day before! The pool is very large and nice to swim in. There’s a hot tub, but the water isn’t warm at all! There’s also a pool bar. Fair warning: there’s a party every Friday night in which there’s an open bar for 2 hrs. It’s open to guests and they charge for the public to enter. The hotel provides earplugs to guests knowing that the loud music from the band and DJ go on until 2-3 am!!! It’s a great party if you plan to dance until the early morning. Not so great if you have an early flight out the next day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Within walking distance to the center of town

Staff

Stop requiring guests to submit breakfast order the day before. We don’t know what we want or when we want to eat. We’re on vacation!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

Saw lots of wildlife through a telescope.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was fantastic! Super knowledgeable and enthusiastic!

Transport

Canyoning Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & EcoTermales Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

We didn’t care for the hike. It was boring and it rained on us.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal - Whitewater Rafting on the Sarapiquí River

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was a thrilling experience! We loved it!! Not for those who aren’t physically fit. Requires strong paddling and the ability to keep your body inside the raft. The rapids are rough and we saw other rafts turn over and people fell out of the rafts. Not recommended for young children under 13 yo.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde - Hanging Bridges Guided Hike & Zip-lining tour

Monteverde

We enjoyed the zip lining, but would skip the guided hike on the hanging bridges.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great vacation with the help of Sergio and his team.

We had to make changes due to weather and Sergio was able to rebook transfers and added an additional tour. It was so nice to be able to have all this done after a simple phone call.

We also had a medical issue, and Sergio was able to provide support.

Having someone local who can make arrangements behind the scenes was invaluable.

We called Sergio often, and he was always pleasant and helpful.

Dennis and the team at Green World Adventures were so hospitable to work with; I’m so glad we were put in touch through KimKim. They looked out for us while we were in Costa Rica, even adjusting our itinerary and booking us new accommodation and transfer when a tropical storm put a twist on our plans. All our accommodations met or exceeded our expectations, and the transfers were all comfortable. Shout out to Philippe from GWA for driving us some long distances but maintaining his friendliness and calm the whole time. I will definitely be recommending KimKim to friends for its ease and reliability and GWA for their professionalism and expertise in Costa Rica. Beautiful country and wonderful memories- Pura Vida!

Hotel Review

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Exploration of Tortuguero National Park

Tortuguero

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had on our trip to Costa Rica through KimKim. Charlotte made it so easy to help us plan an itinerary that was perfect for our family needs, interests, and desires. They provided such great advice, flexibility, and kindness both before the trip and during. We also had Sergio Amador as our professional guide while we were there and I must say we would not have had the same experience without him. His knowledge, expertise, and friendship helped make it a trip we will never forget. We already want to come back because of them! I would highly recommend you use Charlotte, Sergio, and their team for your trip to Costa Rica.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas

Guanacaste

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Canopy Zip line tour

Costa Rica

This was amazing. We felt like we had the whole rainforest to ourselves, and the guides made us feel so welcomed, safe, and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Nature Walk in Danaus Eco-Center

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Breathtaking views and hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sloth Observation Night Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Catamaran Sailing Tour

Costa Rica

Breathtaking views and amazing service from the staff on the catamaran.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an awesome trip... lifelong memories made!

The trip Olman planned way exceeded our expectations and he went above and beyond to accommodate our needs and requirements. Every single trip and transfer went smoothly, every hotel fitted our needs exactly and he planned a fun and fascinating variety of trips for our group (three adults and two young kids).

Hotel Tifakara was our favourite hotel overall - their beautiful gardens were bursting with wildlife! We saw toucans, a turtle, hummingbirds, dragonflies and so many frogs including of course the tree frogs, who we even found on our veranda. From there, we went on a hike around the Arenal volcano lava fields with Franklin, who told us so much about the plants and creatures that it took us 20 minutes to leave the car park! My budding David Attenborough son adored him and he even managed to time our hike to finish at the cafe exactly as the rain arrived!

We went in the May/June rainy season so did expect lots of rain... some days we were lucky, others not so. Our zip lining trip in Monteverde was disrupted by nearby lightning which meant we had to evacuate the course through the forest in the drenching rains. The guides were extremely professional and we felt absolutely safe throughout. We felt that it actually added to our experience with a properly adventurous jungle trek but if you don't fancy the extra adventure suggest zip lining earlier in the day before the rains come in.

We stayed in Espadilla Ocean Club villas in Manuel Antonio which was a lovely change from hotels and so close to the beach! The national park is beautiful and we saw two and three toes sloths, an anteater, howler and capuchin monkeys amongst many other things. It was a very easy trek, with water pipes along the way and a cafe too. Although it was busier than other places we visited, it didn't feel overcrowded.

From Manuel Antonio, Olman arranged an onward transfer to Sierpe as we had arranged a separate tour in Corcovado and then arranged our return trip to San Jose via a flight from Drake Bay.

I can't recommend Olman enough if you're planning a trip to Costa Rica. We'd approached several other travel agents and they just didn't seem to have the in depth local knowledge or flexibility required to put together a trip that suited our needs, wants and budgetary requirements so well. Thank you so much Olman!

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

We only stayed here for one night, on arrival in Costa Rica so we were somewhat jet lagged. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and the breakfast buffet was incredible!

Authenticity & Character

Not very characterful, that that wasn't what we were looking for

Location

Very close to the airport

Staff

All friendly and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless

Espadilla Ocean Club

Manuel Antonio

Beautifully designed, clean and comfortable. Lovely spot, very near the beach where you can hire loungers, get a massage etc. Cosy little private pool area where I wiled away a morning reading in the hammock and watching the capuchins eating mangos in the tree above. Note that breakfast is not included (we thought it was), but there is a supermarket nearby and the kitchen is fine but fairly basic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

No one around who spoke English until the last day and no instructions (would be useful to have things like wifi passwords, local restaurant recommendations, etc). Cleaning/ caretaking staff we saw were great, however.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Beautiful gardens. Loved seeing all the hummingbirds from the bar. Bungalows were clean and comfortable. The steak was incredible but the rest of the menu not so impressive.

Authenticity & Character

Very characterful

Location

Peaceful, great views.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tifakara Boutique Hotel

La Fortuna

Great food, lovely rooms and pool area, incredible gardens. If you want to spot a tree frog, this is the place to go! Loved the hot tubs as I could relax in there while the kids played in the pool.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like a unique place to stay

Location

Peaceful, walking distance to La Fortuna waterfall and a short taxi ride to the town

Staff

All friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable. Could do with more storage space in the rooms though.

Buena Vista Chic Hotel

Alajuela

Lovely hotel, great restaurant, friendly staff and they were very accommodating with our request for a late check out. It's up in the mountains so quite cool and the pool is unheated, plus we couldn't find anything to do within walking distance. This was supposed to be our pre-travel pool day so we altered our plans and went into San Jose instead. Entirely our fault as we asked to stay here but with hindsight, we'd have been better staying closer to San Jose or the airport

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little too far from the airport to be a transit hotel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Costa Rica

A great opportunity to see lots of the wildlife in captivity that we'd be seeing in the wild later on. All seemed ethical (rescue animals etc) and well kept.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Franklin was awesome and extremely knowledgable. I wish he'd come on all our trips as I felt like there was so much we were missing through lack of knowledge! The hot springs were amazing. Really clean and well designed. Start at the cooler end and enjoy a cocktail.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They rearranged our hike time to avoid the rain - it was more awkward for them but a much better experience for us.

Transport

Rainforest Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Daniella worked very hard to spot all sorts of interesting creatures for us - we even saw some surprisingly active sloths in the trees.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peñas Blancas River Floating Safari Adventure by Raft

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great experience, though we didn't spot quite as much wildlife as we'd hoped. The 'real' hot chocolate at the end was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Incredible zip lining over the forest canopy. The day started well but the rain set in half way around the course, followed by nearby lightning. We were separated from the rest of the group as we'd gone first and had to evacuate the course though the forest. The guides were very professional and we felt safe thoughout. They took great care of us and even lent their waterproofs to the kids (we were completely unprepared for a jungle trek in the rain!). I thought the kids (7 & 9) would have been frightened but they loved the adventure of it and it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole holiday!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They snapped from laid back fun mode to emergency mode when we had to evacuate. Not only kept us safe but made us feel safe too.

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Lovely park with lots of wildlife but busier than other areas so harder to see mobile wildlife

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Worked hard to spot larger wildlife for us. Would have been nice to have more explanation of the plants too.

Transport

I tried planning our trip to Costa Rica on my own but then someone told me about kim kim.com and what a fantastic tip that was! Brittany did an incredible job listening to what I was hoping for in this trip and then planning every detail to make it worry-free and even better than I'd dreamed! She organized all of our transportation and the service was impeccable with courteous, friendly and informative drivers who were always on time. Although I changed my mind a time or two prior to the trip on timing or excursion ideas, Brittany was very responsive and accommodating making it such a pleasure to work with her. And the excursions were so much fun! We absolutely loved our trip to Costa Rica and I'll never plan another big trip without KimKim. The pricing was fair and so worth every penny for peace of mind and the most well-executed vacation we've ever had. Thank you Brittany for your incredible expertise. We made memories to last a lifetime!

Activity Review

Shuttle Transfer with Rafting on the Sarapiqui River En Route

Costa Rica

This might be the BEST excursion of all during our trip to Costa Rica! Gabriel was so much fun and so skilled at whitewater rafting that we immensely enjoyed our exciting, thrilling trip down the river and none of us fell out of the raft! John was our driver from the hotel to the meeting place on the river as well as taking us to our hotel after the whitewater rafting. He shared with us so much history and insights about Costa Rica that made it interesting and informative plus he was also friendly and fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

The pineapple and watermelon on our fruit stop on the river tasted delicious! And the Costa Rican lunch after the rafting was so good - we loved it!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful 3-generation trip. The Rainforest Chocolate Tour in La Fortuna was really well done - engaging, informative, and not too slow or too fast. They were terrific with our kids (3 and 8), giving opportunities to participate, and everybody had a great time. We went ziplining with Vista Arenal and they were also really fantastic with the kids, who had to ride with guides due to their size. We all could have kept going all day (even the 3yo) and really enjoyed spotting toucans, sloths, and all kinds of ants. We visited Kalambu Hot Springs on our own and it was a lovely spot. It wasn't nearly as chaotic as some water parks we've seen elsewhere - the small kids' area was manageable, not overwhelming - and it was actually quite enjoyable to be in the hot springs during a rainy season downpour. We hiked the Arenal 1968 trail and it was beautiful, although we were aware we were missing many rainforest critters due to being unaccustomed to spotting them. During this time we stayed at the Red Frog. They had truly excellent food and coffee (probably the best of our whole trip) and the hosts were lovely warm people with adorable puppies. The rooms were great and the open-air living/dining/kitchen was an unexpectedly useful and comfortable home base. I would especially recommend Red Frog to families traveling together. In Monteverde we very much enjoyed the Cloud Forest (hanging bridges hike) and had an amazing 6:30 AM visit to the Cafe Colibri hummingbird feeders where we were 6 inches away from dozens and dozens of amazing birds. We stayed in Los Pinos which was a perfect way to keep all the generations rested and comfortable. On the way to Manuel Antonio, we went kayaking at Kayak Jaco, and again, they did a terrific job with our young kids. We had a great paddle to a tiny private beach where everybody went swimming and ate the fruit they'd brought along. We spotted monkeys along the way and they cut open green coconuts for the curious kids at the end. In Manuel Antonio, we had a wonderful guide, Luis, who did an incredible job spotting tiny creatures I could never, ever have seen on my own - like a mother bat carrying her baby about 30 meters up a huge tree, blending right in with the bark. We saw plenty of monkeys, lizards, bats, sloths, crabs, birds, and lots of insects. We spent the last few days hanging around the beach and enjoying the Costa Verde hotel - it was absolutely gorgeous, nestled into the jungle with ocean views. The howler monkeys did wake us up quite early but it was more than worth it to get outside at 5:30 AM and see the whole troop passing just a few feet by our porch. We also spotted lots of white-faced capuchins, two agoutis, dozens of bats, many kinds of birds, several large iguanas, geckos, and more.

Generally we ate breakfast at our hotels (Red Frog's was incredibly good), handled lunch ourselves via supers and went to local sodas for dinner. The food was tasty (still not tired of rice and beans). We did one "fancy" meal at a resort restaurant and while it was delicious, we found the resort vibe uncomfortable and preferred the smaller spots.

Hotel Reviews

Red Frog Hostel

La Fortuna

Red Frog was amazing. The owners are lovely people, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the open-air living/dining/kitchen areas was an unexpected bonus. Their food was the best of our trip. They were nice to our kids (3 and 8) let us pet their cute dogs. What more could you want? The air conditioner didn't really work but we found we didn't need it; the fans were enough.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Pinos - Cabañas & Jardines

Monteverde Costa Rica

Beautiful cabins. They have everything you could want inside and porches too. The pines are lovely. We visited the herb garden and saw lots of animals. No complaints whatsoever, and it was a lot easier to manage young kids in a place like this where you knew they wouldn't bother anyone if they were noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

By far the fanciest place we've ever stayed. It's absolutely stunning with meticulously maintained and lighted pathways through the jungle - we saw staff working on them multiple times a day. The rooms are large and have everything you would need and our large porch overlooking the jungle & ocean with a hammock and lounge chairs was as good as it gets. I can't think of a single problem; it was a joy just to hang out here and watch all the monkeys and birds. The food maybe wasn't the best, but it was tasty and good enough for sure. It veered closer to resort territory than I'm used to and I definitely felt "catered to" - I do speak Spanish but folks here tended to reply in English, and there were a lot of menu items clearly for tourists. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it's not my comfort zone and I felt it was a little harder to connect with people.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Canopy Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

These guys were absolutely fantastic. They were super sweet with our 3yo and 8yo (who had to ride with a guide each), showed us some great birds and animals, and were generally just great folks to chat with and learn from. We could have kept going all day. Everybody LOVED ziplining.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

This tour was even better than I had hoped. It was perfectly paced which was really helpful with young kids. We got to look at the cacao trees and learn about them a bit, taste some cacao fruit pulp, and then follow the cacao beans through the fermentation, drying, roasting, threshing, and grinding process. We (well, the kids especially) were able to participate in several of these steps and we all got to eat plenty of fresh chocolate with various toppings at the end. The perfect mix of education, participation and enjoyment.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bat Tour in The Bat Jungle

Monteverde

Nobody has ever been more passionate about bats and it was contagious. Great tour, tons of info. It was too slow paced for our kids (and maybe even too slow paced for the adults, to be perfectly honest) but I can't fault him for enthusiasm and I certainly learned a lot. Seeing the bats was pretty fun, although I was really hoping to use the advertised device that lets you listen to bat ultrasonic communication in an audible frequency and it wasn't available.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sea Kayak or Outrigger Tour in Playa Agujas

Costa Rica

We had a great paddle (about half an hour or so each way) to a beautiful empty beach with a little waterfall. The guides were warm, friendly guys who brought fruit to snack on and were kind to the kids. Great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sloth Observation Night Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was a beautiful nighttime walk. The guide found us sloths, lizards, frogs, birds, and many insects, and there was some tasty fruit at the end. We got the sense that maybe he was a little tired of this night-time job, or maybe just tired of tourists, and I don't blame him for either, but the mood was a bit muted.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We visited Costa Rica the last week of June for a family Vacation. We had a great time. Yuliana and her company were wonderful to work with and helped us and were very responsive even during the trip when we had some questions regarding schedule and travel.

Even before we started, they were GREAT to work with and helped customize the exact vacation we wanted and made changes to hotels/resorts that we wanted.

Great experience all around and I look forward to using Kimkim again for future travel planning

Wonderful experience planning and during the trip. Advisor was really responsive and accommodating! Loved the Bri Bri, cocoa and waterfall trip!! Breathless! The hotels were amazing! Xandari resort 9n outskirts of San Jose and Cariblue in Puerto Viejo, Caribbean side...really cool! Amazing food, places and people...and awesome animal experience at Jaguar Rescue Center!

Where do I start?! This was the most amazing vacation, ever, and I could not have done it without Yuliana and KimKim! This was a very intricate trip to Costa Rica. We loved not only the hotels we stayed at, but all our activities and private transport. Arsenal Volcano and our guide for the day, Franklin, Jose our driver with Quality Transfers, Leo our driver with Amazillia, and all the staff at The Tabacon, El Establo in Monteverde and The Parador in Manuel Antonio. We are experienced zip-liners, and had the most breath taking zip lining of our lives at Selvatura Park in Monteverde. Our night/nocturnal canopy forest walk and lastly our Catamaran tour with Planet Dolphin. We loved all the people we interacted with throughout our trip, the drivers, hotel staff, etc. , they were most welcoming and warm. I have never used travel planning/agent services before, and I won’t travel without them again!! Thank you so much for the wonderful experiences - everything was taken care of for us from door to door. I cannot recommend your services enough - I will most definitely use your services again. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Pura Vida!!

Hotel Reviews

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Quaint, gorgeous views, amazing staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Views - the small windy road leading to it was only downfall.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Turn down service!!!

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

The property is so vast - as are the rooms, which is a good thing, and buildings, but very dim and dark. The staff was wonderful. Gorgeous views!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

More lights in rooms, and more seating in rooms as they are huge but there was only one chair! Carpet needed a change. It really just needs a facelift on the inside of the rooms - but tons of space for the family!!

Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Fortuna

First class all the way. Loved the modern feel of the rooms, the hot springs were the best, and the restaurants simply delicious! Small and inviting, you feel like you’re in your own corner of the jungle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Franklin, our guide was the best!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Adventure with Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bryan was fantastic in organising our trip. The drivers were all excellent especially Pablo who took us from La Fortuna to Manual Antonio. Costa Verde was a very nice hotel with very nice front desk staff especially Marcella. All in all very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Brittany and the Kim Kim team were terrific!

Our 8 day itinerary was wonderful. The process was seamless; each hotel was prepared for our arrival and all of our drivers were on time! It was so nice to not have to worry about getting from one place to another and we could sit back and relax during our travels to each of our locations.

I will highly recommend your service to friends and family.

Special thank you to Brittany who helped move up our final pick up time. The local news was reporting an incoming storm and we wanted to get closer to the airport to avoid any travel delays due to heavy rains.

Pura Vida!
Carol

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Beautiful grounds! Loved the hot springs!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lush tropical environment!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Our room was beautiful and the location was spectacular!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Top of the world location, views were breathtaking. Restaurant food was excellent. My only note would be to mention in your site that there are no elevators. We had to carry bags up three flights of stairs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arenal Hanging Bridges & Baldi Hot Springs & Lunch

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great time and our guide Ronald (Jimenez) was terrific!

Quality of Experience

Food

Nice to have a snack at the end!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The perfect honeymoon.

My wife and I just recently arrived back from our amazing honeymoon in Costa Rica. We have never heard of KimKim before, and it was something we stumbled upon as we looked for ideas for our honeymoon. Costa Rica was the perfect destination, as it had plenty of adventure as well as the relaxation we needed. So we reached out with some ideas and we were paired with Olman, one of the local specialists for Costa Rica.

Everything, from hotels, shuttles between destinations, and the activities planned were just amazing and beautiful. Olman did an astounding job planning it all and was able to answer all our questions in a timely manner.

We cannot wait to book another trip to Costa Rica! Thank you so much for the best experience we could ever ask for.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín

Liberia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bosque del Mar

Playa Hermosa

The Hotel Bosque Del Mar in Playa Hermosa was our last stop on our honeymoon. Nestled in trees, right on the beach, it was the perfect last stop for us for some relaxation we needed from all the activities we did prior during our honeymoon. We stayed in our water front room, which was worth the splurge. The staff was very accommodating, helping us book additional activities they offered as well as any questions we had during our stay. We would highly recommend a stay here if you are in the area or looking for a nice beach to relax on.

Tips for future travelers

Book the waterfront room and Palo Verde Boat tour through the hotel, it was an amazing experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the beach, any room is steps away.

Staff

The staff were very nice, genuine, and helpful during our staying. They always asked how we were doing and if there was anything they could help us with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were very clean, house keeping would come once a day and make everything look nice and neat again.

Activity Reviews

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rincon de la Vieja National Park Hike & Oropendula Waterfall

Rincón de la Vieja

We had a private guided hike in the national park and to the Oropendula waterfall. Our guide was amazing, and he could easily spot animals and plants we would have never noticed if we just hiked it ourselves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

The best hike on our trip. The views of the volcano are amazing. Our private guided hike included lunch as well and our guide was awesome. Very knowledgeable about the hike, the volcano, and all the animals you could see during the hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

The kilometer long zip line at the end was such a rush! The hanging bridges were so cool to walk on and you got the best sights of the cloud forest. This was the only hike that was not guided and we did on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Sailing Excursion & Snorkeling

Costa Rica

This tour was so much fun! Food and drinks are included and they take you to a great spot to snorkel and see some of the beautiful fish! We even met another couple who were married on the same day as us and were also on their honeymoon. Overall a great experience and we would highly recommend taking this tour!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

So many good and positive things to say about this excellent trip to Costa Rica. Working with Randall on our itinerary and all other planning details was very easy, straight-forward, informative and FUN. We had some issues getting there and with our luggage via the airlines, no fault of Kim Kim whatsoever, but once we arrived at the San Jose airport it was smooth sailing all the way.

Our trip ran like clockwork with all Tour companies being at the right place at the right time to pick us up or drop us off for planned excursions & airport transfers. Very impressive! Everyone was so kind and helpful every step along the way. It was "Pura Vida", which I learned means so many things.

The excursions were amazing and exceeded our expectations. The lodgings were outstanding, our favorite is the Arenal Manoa with a fantastic view of the volcano right outside our floor to ceiling windows. Highly recommend this place as the whole site is filled with beauty everywhere you look, the staff is very nice and helpful, as well as patient with my "Spanglish" conversations. Just a short taxi ride away is the EkoThermales Hot Springs - a must see and do experience after morning excursions. And Manuel Antonio Park...WOW!...another superb lodging with view and excursions.

I could go on and on about this trip but the one thing everyone should know: Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful and should be on your list of places to visit. Highly recommend working with KimKim Travel as they have all the hooks in place for a safe, well-planned, flawless connections trip. I will work with them again in the future and hopefully with Randall - he was the best!

Thank You Randall & KimKim!

There is far too much to mention here in detail, so I'll summarize by saying that I can't recommend KimKim's services highly enough. It would be next to impossible to name a favorite day or activity, as everything was seamlessly organized and integrated into a perfect, once-in-a-lifetime experience. In short, it was the best introduction to the amazing beauty and culture that Costa Rica has to offer that I can possibly imagine. From hiking to adventurous activities and relaxation beyond any expectation, everything was top notch; locations, hotels, transportation, food, activities, guides, etc. There was nothing left out by our outstanding agent and the guides and drivers along the way, and plenty of room to keep things custom and personalized at every step. If you're considering the trip, don't hesitate another moment!

Usually, when we travel, I do all the research, book everything, etc. but, with two kids under four in the house and work schedule, I went ahead and checked out KimKim to book a trip to Costa Rica. We ended up using Bryan with Serendipity Adventures, which worked out quite well.

We stayed in Liberia for a couple days, a couple days a Rincon de la Vieja, and then a couple days at Playa Portero. Honestly, our least favorite part was Liberia. However, the night we arrived, Bryan arranged for us to have a coffee experience with Tierras Altas. This was incredible. It was informative and fun. We learned lots about the different type of beans, methods of brewing, and even the about the coffee industry world-wide. We have already ordered coffee beans from Tierras Altas back to the States. Rincon de la Vieja was action-packed- rappelling into canyons, tubing, zip-lining, horseback riding. And, then food was incredible! Those certainly were our favorite days. But, the accommodations at Bahia del Sol at Playa Portero were phenomenal: swim up bar, incredible beach access, and the rooms were great for us as a couple.

We loved Costa Rica! I'm thankful for Bryan putting this together. The best part of working with Bryan was that there were a few times during the week we wanted to make tweaks, and Bryan was quick to contact drivers to make sure we could get it all done. Bryan worked quickly and efficiently to make sure all was smooth.

Hotel Review

Bahia del Sol Hotel

Guanacaste

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coffee Experience in Liberia

Costa Rica

Informative, personal, casual

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palo Verde National Park Boat Exploration

Costa Rica

Half Day - Deep Sea Fishing Charter

Costa Rica

Brittany was amazing coordinating our trip in Costa Rica! When one tour accidentally picked us up a day early so we missed our planned tour - she was able to quickly rearrange our bookings. She recommended an upgrade to Tabacon Thermal Spa and that was such a relaxing and romantic start to our honeymoon. In Arenal the sloth tour was cool (saw 8 sloths!) the volcano hike was challenging yet beautiful and informative. The boat transfer across lake arenal was unique and felt very “local”. The car trip transfers are an adventure in & of themselves
The Don Juan coffee chocolate and sugar cane tour ended up an unexpected highlight. Zip lining was also a fun adrenaline rush to see the beauty of the canopy
Quepos was wonderful the staff from Tucanes was above and beyond! Our cooking class was just us so we really got involved and learned so much about the culture and people. They took time to really share their lives with us - we felt as though we were being welcomed to their home. The horseback ride was fun with a gorgeous waterfall and then we rounded our the trip with a day on the water including snorkeling and relaxing in the water.
We saw so many wildlife (due to the skill & knowledge of the staff) sloth, all 4 types of monkeys, birds, bats, crocodile, deer, frogs, tarantulas, iguana, morpho butterflies and coati & agouti!
We will definitely use Kim Kim again it made for stress-free coordination of the trip. It allowed for enough down time matched with adventure.

We just arrived back from an amazing vacation experience in Costa Rica. Yuliana planned the perfect trip for our family. We enjoyed the white-water rafting, amazing tours to see wildlife, zip-lining...really everything. The highest praise came from my husband who signed up with kimkim while we were in Costa Rica to travel to another destination! Thank you for the wonderful vacation!
Amy

My girlfriend and I work rather long days and by the time the night or weekends roll around, we don't want to be bothered with doing anything that requires effort. We made a few attempts at planning trips on our end (we both struggle to make decisions), kept going circles, months had passed, and finally we just decided to have someone else do all the work.

We found KimKim doing a quick google search, noticed that they wanted to ask you about what type of holiday you wanted, but then also had sample itineraries. We chose the first sample we saw for Costa Rica and was put in contact with Brittany. She reached out to us shortly after and was really responsive with any questions or concerns that we had.

She literally did everything for us including arranging our inbound transfer the day before our itinerary began and extending our stay one day beyond the planned itinerary.

I don't really remember any of the other guides names but I think Ride Costa Rica was the primary transportation provider that took us around. Each driver was punctual and chatty enough.

We would have missed quite a bit of the city of San Jose if we didn't choose to do the walking tour. The guy who took us around showed us several neighborhoods that we probably would not have found on our own.

All the hotels were nice. The hotel we chose in Arenal had individual hot tubs and a good restaurant on site. The hotel in Manuel Antonio had amazing views of the sea.

I can't really say I had a favorite place (each was as nice as the previous) but the ocean temperature was incredibly pleasant (I typically find most oceans to be too cold to swim in).

Overall, if you want someone else to do the legwork for you, consider booking with KimKim. We are already planning on booking another trip with them.

Thanks, Brittany!

Todd & Annie