Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

The entire experience of working with Kim Kim was terrific. I was able to customize a plan that included all of the activities my family wanted to do in Costa Rica. In country, every single driver, guide, etc was very punctual. We never had to wait for anything and all of the activities we planned were excellent. We loved stand up paddle boarding in Lake Arenal, zip lining in the cloud forest, and playing at the beach in Manual Antonio. The company Desafio was especially fun for our excursions in Arenal. Two out of the three hotels were great- clean, convenient, and comfortable. The third hotel was not exactly up to the standards we were hoping for so we were disappointed there. But overall, the trip was so memorable and I would recommend the use of Kim Kim to anyone wanting to plan a trip to Costa Rica.

The booking process was easy; Randall was very responsive and able to fulfill all our requests. All activities were well organized and transfers ran smoothly. Costa Rica's beauty takes your breath away! Our Tortuguero guide Rolando from the Laguna Lodge hotel was one of the best ones we've ever had. We even saw a giant sea turtle lay eggs - such a wonderful experience. Thank you!

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Costa Rica. I was looking for a nice blend of nature, adventure, beaches, nightlife and relaxation ... and this trip offered exactly what I was looking for. I booked with relatively short notice and didn't really have the time to research in advance. Fortunately, the local specialist Randall asked what I was looking for and customised an awesome trip. From the moment I arrived to the moment I left, everything was planned and scheduled (including pick-ups, drop offs, hotels, trips, meals etc). I was also given a detailed trip plan upon arrival meaning that I knew exactly where I had to be and when. In the end, I experienced many of the things Costa Rica had to offer and had a fantastic time. I would very much recommend kimkim.

Sofia was the person in charge of organising our 2 week trip to Costa Rica. She met all of our requirements excellently and all the hotels, guides and tours she had recommended were exceptionally good. She was caring throughout the whole trip and worried about us and solved any issues we could have - which were close to none.
Thank you for an amazing trip! We will most certainly take into account your travel agency for future holidays!!

Marina & Margarita.

Trip to Costa Rica - 7/17/18 - 8/2/18 for 7 people, 4 adults and 3 children (ages 10, 12 & 14)

This was our first trip using the KimKim service, which I found through online research. Overall the tools were easy to use and the communication worked great and without problems. I would recommend it and will use it again.
Our trip in country was planned by Sylvia and she did an outstanding job. We stayed 1 night in San Jose, then due to some Caribbean storms, she did a quick switch for us from Tortugero to Rancho Humo on the Nicoya Peninsula. We stayed there 2 nights and then went to Arenal for 3 nights, Monteverde for 3 nights and then 6 nights at the Westin n Playa Conchal. We did not want to be part of a large tour group, so Sylvia arranged for us to have our own transportation, drivers and tour guides for every part of the trip including 8 or 9 excursions which she did a great job with the planning. Every part of it went flawlessly and she even arranged to have a birthday cake delivered in Monteverde for our nephew who was turning 12! Every hotel met our expectations (Rancho Humo, Arena Manoa, La FondaVela, and the Westin) and we all felt that all the excursions were worth it and helped us learn more about Costa Rica. I would highly recommend Sylvia.

Sylvia is amazing! She is pleasant and easy to work with. We missed our flight and Sylvia rearranged pick-up and transfers from the airport with no fuss. She surprised us with a last minutes city tour of San Jose and dinner at Tiquicia Restaurant. The view of central valley from Tiquicia Restaurant was spectacular! It is truly a million-dollar view. The food was delicious and the traditional dance was fantastic.

Tabacon Resort , all I can I say is " Wow, wow, and wow " It is a thermal paradise! All of the staffs at the resort were wonderful. Do not miss this place.

Monteverde Cloud Forest - what an incredible place. I felt like I was in the movie Avatar. I saw so many wildlife - incredible experience. The sky walk, sky tram , and the zip lining was unbelievable. We had so much fun!

Manuel Antonio Nation Park - stunning park with amazing beaches. I'm so happy we did a guided tour of the park; otherwise, we would have missed out on the beautiful wildlife like the Sloth, rainbow grasshopper, and the colorful birds.

My daughter and I had an amazing time in Costa Rica. Thank you Sylvia .

XOXO
Seng

To be honest, I’d never heard of Kimkim, coast to coast adventures, or Randall. This made me a little bit wary of sending over a few thousand pounds and just assuming it would all be ok. Randall seemed very nice over email and we were keen to support local business in the country were visiting rather than some massive tour company, so we took the plunge.

I really didn’t need to worry at all.

We’ve had a stunning time in Costa Rica - truly the trip of a lifetime. Whatever words or photos just don’t do it justice so I won’t even try. What can be said for definite is that I’d totally trust Kimkim again and, above all Randall is a total legend who sorted everything out to perfection. All the cogs and wheels that needed to turn at the same time did like clockwork and it’s all gone without a hitch. We were met at the chaotic airport after a gruelling 10 hr flight with 2 tired kids, by a lovely friendly guy who got us to our hotel. The next day we started the 3 day tour of a lifetime to Tortuguero National Park, just as Randall had recommended, it was one of those life moments to never be forgotten - the moment lasted 3 days though.

Everywhere Randall has booked for us was expecting us and we just had to get ourselves to the agreed place to find everything ready, and taken care of for us. We found ourselves on the best trips with the best guides while others struggled in the heat.

It’s hard to know what else to say, other than Randall totally made this holiday, I can’t recommend him highly enough and if we come back, and we’d very much like to, I know who to get in touch with.

We had a truly amazing time in Costa Rica. Sylvia organised everything so well. It's hard to know what the highlights were as there was so much which was just fantastic, but here are some that stick most in our memory:

• The first very rainy boat trip through the rainforest to Laguna Lodge, with Clarence taking good care of us throughout.
• The butterfly garden at the back of the Selva Tropical restaurant
• Witnessing a giant turtle laying her eggs (so many of them)
• Mauricio the driver stopping the car to show us a toucan on a tree beside the road
• The sunset view of Arenal, with rainbow, from the amazing Tabacon Springs where we also enjoyed a very good supper
• Swimming in the river at the bottom of the waterfall at Arenal
• The hilarious chocolate-making lesson
• Everything about Monteverde - the night walk and Sky Trek/zip-lining day particularly. It's a very special place. We had a nice meal at the popular Tree House in Santa Elena if you need a recommendation for anyone else (although some other tourists spoke highly of Morpho which has just opened up a new restaurant slightly out of the centre).
• Stopping to see the crocodiles under the bridge on the way to Manuel Antonio
• The Costa Verde hotel at Manuel Antonio which was fantastic in every way. What a view for breakfast! Their restaurants across the road were great too.
• Iguana Tours were brilliant at Manuel Antonio. They seem to really enjoy what they do. Andrey was our guide in Manuel Antonio National Park and JJ led the rafting expedition. We also went on a boat trip with Iguana.They own their own smallish catamaran and looked after us really well. Good food. Live banjo music. And we even saw whales.

Sylvia worked with us to create a perfect trip that met our specific requests and budget. She was very responsive and checked in with us before the trip and a couple of times during it. Our flight in was delayed by 14 hours and Sylvia rearranged pick-up and transfers from the airport with no fuss.

We had a wonderful 18 day vacation thanks to John and his great organization of our trip. This was our first visit to Costa Rica and we experienced a bit of everything - diving, visiting rainforest parks, zipline, white water rafting, horse back riding. Communication with John was very fast and efficient--both when planning the trip as well as throughout our itinerary. He booked for us places that matched very well our travelling & vacation style. I would highly recommend using the services of his company when planning Costa Rica vacation.

We had a wonderful trip, my son LOVED the zip line and the horseback riding. We also booked a chocolate tour in La Fortuna, and a naturalist-led tour of the rainforest in Manuel Antonio. All of the hotels were great, in perfect locations. I was a single mom traveling with my 9 year old son, and I felt safe the entire time. Thank you for setting everything up for us, it will be a trip we never forget :)

Amazing trip ! Everything was perfect!
Good hotels selection .
Thanks a lot

Gaelle

Everything made by Sylvia was perfect there is nothing to say, perfect Is the word
I strongly recommend Sylvia for anything you want to plan in Costa Rica
thank you
Bernard

My girlfriend and I booked a week's vacation in Costa Rica through Sylvia. It was super easy and Sylvia customized a great trip for us! We flew into San Jose from Toronto on April 14 and spent time in 3 spots - San Jose, Arenal and Manuel Antonio. It was an amazing experience and I felt like we had 3 vacations in one! Everything including the transfers, hotels and excursions was organized and we just had to turn up! Our guides were all fun, knowledgeable and gave us an exciting and authentic experience. Our transfers were generally private so trips were relaxing and we got a lot of history enroute.

The cultural city tour with Abelardo was fascinating. We really enjoyed the National Museum and National Theatre. Arenal was gorgeous and our juniors suite has an incredible view of the volcano (thanks Sylvia). We had a little hiccup with the ziplining/hanging bridges excursion, and missed our transfer. Sylvia and Kimkim stepped up and covered the taxi to get us there and we had an awesome day. The intense hike trekking through the rainforest down the crater of an extinct volcano was incredible. The crater was heavily forested and had 3 lagoons in it. I swam in 2 of them and was the only person in the water! It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! This was finished off with a traditional lunch at a Costa Rican family's home with spectacular views of the rainforest. Our guide Andreas was amazing and pointed out wildlife as we went along.

Manuel Antonio was another incredible place with beautiful beaches and a national park teeming with wildlife. The tour we had in the park was truly amazing. We saw so much wildlife. We stayed in a hotel called Si Como No - a beautiful property was many rooms set in the hillside. Our balcony had an ocean and rainforest view (thanks again for this booking Sylvia!)

The vacation was capped off with a private tour of a coffee plantation - yet another highlight! There's lots more to tell, but you're gonna have to discover Costa Rica yourself.

This was one of the best vacations I've ever had, and I've travelled extensively. I would recommend both Costa Rica and Kimkim! Special thanks to Sylvia for arranging this fabulous vacation!

Great trip! Thanks for the change in transportation to Tamarindo as the ride was awesome with the forst half hour on the beach and the most of the rest on backroads thru the countryside. On reflection i would have stayed an extra day at Flor Blanca versus goign to Tamarindo which was too touristy for me but great for my 16 year old. Thanks for your help!

Sylvia was very patient and help us a lot with the tour. We had a great time and will use the service again in the future.

We have recently returned from two weeks in Costa Rica and we loved it!
From day one the communication with Randall was amazing. He got back to all of my messages within hours. His speed and kind way were really helpful. We booked the trip a few months ahead and Randall kept in touch with us leading up to it, a nice touch. 

When we arrived in Costa Rica, again everything was very well organised and Randall always kept us up to date with those couple of minor changes in flights or pick up times we encountered. Nothing ever seemed an inconvenience for him and it was great to know I could message him if needed.

In terms of the holiday itself, the places we visited were beautiful. Cloud forest, jungle, Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Lots of animals and activities everywhere plus time to relax. The holiday really ticked all the boxes.

Costa Rica is a stunning country and the way of life there is something I have taken home with me.. Pura Vida!!

I would wholeheartedly recommend kim kim and particularly Sylvia Durado.
My flight over to Costa Rica was delayed due to adverse weather conditions. Sylvia was a lifesaver, altering my booking accordingly. No stress, no hassle.
When i finally got to Costa Rica, everything was seamless!
I had an amazing trip and I cant wait to return!!

A great time was had in a wonderful country. We travelled from San Jose to Tortuguero national park where all arranged tour were perfect. The lodge we stayed in was great with good food. From there we were transferred to Arenal where the accommodation was wonderful and all tours again were perfect. From there we went to Monteverde with swinging bridge and night walk tours and again it went perfectly. We then went to Playa Hermosa for our final 5 nights and had a lovely time relaxing in our hotel which was right on the beach. Couldn’t fault the wonderful job Sylvia did organising this trip everything ran extremely smoothly. Would highly recommend.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country with extremely welcoming and genuinely nice people. Overall we had a nice vacation in Costa Rica but mostly because we were able to roll with the things we found disappointing. We found that all the tours/adventures booked for us by Randall were excellent. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and the tours/adventures themselves were well executed. The guides were always on time and went out of their way to be welcoming.

The accommodations were from OK to terrible. The Country Inn in San Jose was fine. There was no real restaurant to have dinner at night. The casino next door that did have dinner, was not an appropriate place to have my young son visit.

The hotel in La Fortuna, was serviceable. We did not enjoy the bunkhouse feel of the room. Although the grounds were nice, the hotel room was just ok. Again, there was no restaurant for dinner and we had to walk to town in the dark when we arrived, not knowing where we were going.

Finally, the hotel in Puerto Viejo, the Cariblue, was terrible. Even though we switched rooms, the second room had roaches, had a shower that didn't drain well, curtains that didn't provide privacy and was generally built with old shoddy materials. It was really depressing. And although it had views of the ocean, they were across a busy road with loud motorcycles, construction trucks and other vehicles. It was very loud all night. We did call Coast to Coast about our disappointment, but nothing was done. We felt trapped and frustrated.

I have to say that in my dealings with Randall prior to our trip, I felt he tried very hard to meet our expectations for our trip. However, we obviously were not on the same page (with him or Kim Kim) regarding what I wanted for our vacation in terms of accommodations and beach feel. We expected to stay at much higher quality hotels, like at the Tabacon where we enjoyed the hot springs. And, the Caribbean side was not what I was looking for during the "beach" portion of our vacation. We found the Caribbean much more suited to the "surfer" crowd and was not appropriate for the family vacation we wanted. It was a real party scene and not the tranquil wide open beaches we were hoping to relax on. Most of our tour guides told us that that would be found on the Pacific side. We were really upset that we spent most of our time on the Caribbean. Also we also did not realize that we would be in a van for over 12 hours (at least 4 hours through a congested commercial area that was not very attractive) getting from one location to another. I wished that had been made clear.

In terms of our dealings with Coast to Coast in Costa Rica, I have mixed reviews. Our driver, Jose, was always on time, was very knowledgeable and stopped at restaurants he knew along the way for lunch/snacks. We really appreciated that. However, we did not enjoy being in his older, loud van for 8 hours. We also found him to be an aggressive driver and he seemed upset when we told him to be more careful. We also found him moody, especially after the trip back to San Jose, after we had complained about our hotel to Randall. This made for an unpleasant ride back.

I put the blame on Kim Kim, Coast to Coast and myself for not discerning or appropriately communicating what we were getting/asking for. You should let your customers know that you provide middle of the road accommodations for a middle market. I will not recommend any of your companies to my friends.

Debra Hernandez

Randall has been very responsible in tailoring our tour according to my request, with many back and forth. It’s been a great pleasure to work with him on putting the tour together.