Yuliana Valverde

Before starting the planning of this trip I knew the destinations we wanted to cover. I was able to provide kimkim the general itinerary and booked them to help with the logistics and transportation. Parts of the booking went very smoothly and parts were somewhat bumpy. In more than one case I was told that they couldn’t do what I was asking (although I was able to do it on my own). I was very happy with, and very much enjoyed, the excursions that I booked through kimkim. Most of the drivers we had throughout our trip were excellent. I would particularly like to praise Leo, our driver from Amanzillo Travel. He was extremely knowledgeable, professional, & personable. Our biggest fiasco during our trip was when a driver (I can’t recall his name or company) left us at the ferry, “went to park,” and didn’t return. (I’m still not certain that we were refunded all we were due as a result of this.) Yuliana and kimkim were definitely helpful in planning this trip but I think that next time I will try doing it on my own.

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 Tour 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

Never would have been able to put this together myself. When I tried to determine where to go/what to do on my own I just got overwhelmed, but Yuliana put together an unforgettable trip. We had a great time with Mauricio (guide) and Fernando (transport). Really appreciate the expertise of all involved in planning and execution of this trip. Thanks so much!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Loved the atmosphere and the individual cabins. Walking the hills to the cabins was the only drawback, when you were already sore from hiking.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the atmosphere and the individual cabins

Location

seemed pretty centrally located to the activities that were planned

Staff

all were very kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

were very clean, beds creaked a little and the hills to walk to the cabins were a little steep when sore from hiking

Parador Resort and Spa

Manuel Antonio

Was everything you wanted in a vacation stay -- food, drinks, pool, beach access, central to other places you might want to visit

Authenticity & Character

It was very comfortable even for a large "upscale" environment

Location

Central to area places to visit

Staff

Very kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

Cute little hotel for an overnight stay. Didn't get the opportunity to explore the area, so unable to report anything outside of rooms, receptions, and restaurant. Rooms were a little small for the amount of furniture in the room, but not a significant negative, just an opinion. Dinner in the restaurant was REALLY GOOD!!

Authenticity & Character

Staff

kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Had a good night sleep and was clean

Activity Reviews

Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was my favorite feature although the steps to get there and return were intimidating, it was worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The amount of knowledge of the area and the history....it was an educational experience

Transport

Fernando our driver

Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hot springs were awesome and relaxing, especially after 2 days of hiking. Was less impressed with the Arenal 1968 Hike, if I had know what it was fully, I would not have opted to do it, but thought it was a "had to do" activity....spent most of the time watching my steps to make sure I didn't slip and fall so even if there was a lot to see (which I don't think there was) I wasn't seeing anything but my feet. One of the younger member of our group did fall

Quality of Experience

Hot Springs was fun; 1968 Hike, not so much

Food

Dinner was good, but wasn't fully ready for a 6pm dinner (we had not eaten since breakfast) and some items were not at a proper temperature.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mauricio and Fernando were great!

Transport

Catamaran Adventure with Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Always love these...so relaxing

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Costa Rica Animal Rescue Center

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Although it is stated that drivers may not be bilingual, if the tour group is not bilingual, would be great to try to be sure there was a way to communicate. Makes it difficult to know what is going on when you can't converse with the person driving you to and from locations.

Transport

There was a mishap with the transport from the hotel where we were ready to go at the designated time and got picked up 45 minutes later. I had the hotel call to find out what was going on and had we known we could have stayed in the air conditioned room vs waiting in the open air (pretty warm) reception area. That transport took us to the Rescue, then we changed to another transport that was unmarked -- a little creepy when neither driver was biligual and we were not, so we really didn't know what was going on.

The Costa Rican adventure for our family of four was great. We started in San Jose where we hit the Children’s Museum, then hit a Crocodile tour before spending two nights in Manuel Antonio where we enjoyed a guided hike of the park. We loved our hotel - La Vela Boutique Hotel. Great staff, great pool / lounge area, lots of resident wildlife. We then went to Osa Península and stayed at the Aguila de Osa, which had excellent service, beautiful accommodations, and wonderful day trip options. A highlight was snorkeling at Isla del Cano. We ended with a final night and morning in San Jose where we visited the market before driving to the airport.

Kimkim made this trip so easy… the transportation was seamless and on time! I felt we were able to maximize our experience due to the detailed planning. I wouldn’t have been able to arrange everything they did. Our kids (ages 5 and 8) had a great time.

Hotel Reviews

La Vela Boutique Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Park Inn San Jose by Radisson

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aguila de Osa Rainforest & Marine Adventure Lodge

Drake

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Jungle Crocodile Safari

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful time on our customized trip to Costa Rica. We loved the Los Lagos resort with the trails, butterflies, and hot spring pools. We added on a hike to the Sloth Park, what a great place! We enjoyed some of the restaurants in La Fortuna for fresh fish and seafood. We wished we would've known to bring swimwear to the La Fortuna waterfall. We jumped in with our clothes anyway. Monteverde was really unique. My favorite excursion here was the night hike! Don't skip it! We also loved the zip lining. We added on a tour of La Trapiche coffee, sugar cane, and chocolate. Lots of tasting and really enjoyable. Next we went to the Manuel Antonio area. Our hotel had a great location right outside the park with a 2 minute walk to the public beach. We really enjoyed the beach a lot. We added on a Mangrove boat tour here which we all loved. Our catamaran tour included snorkeling but we didn't see anything. I wouldnt recommed it. The water was cloudy and it was hard to swim because they didn't provide fins! Our drive to the San Jose Airport was uneventful except we didn't realize the car needed to be returned in a nearby town vs the airport. Once we figured that out the process was smooth.

Activity Review

Night Tour at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

This was my favorite excursion. Our guide was amazing and showed us so much. We saw 2 kinds of toucans and a toucanet, a mot-mot, other birds also. We also saw a tarantula hunting, 2 types of viper, and many interesting insects. I wouldn't skip this one!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very good at finding the wildlife and had a telescope to zoom in.

Transport

We had a very positive experience with our planning through Kim Kim. Our trip planner, Yuliana, was extremely responsive, and recommended interesting excursions, and good lodging. We visited San Jose, and really enjoyed the Museo Del Oro. We went to the waterfall Gardens at La Paz, and really enjoyed that. We visited the Arenal volcano and La Fortuna. We’d recommend a hotel in the town of La Fortuna to have access to more shopping and dinner options. We really enjoyed the sky adventures experience in Arenal. We went to the Monteverde cloud forest. Cute town nearby and we had great lodging. We enjoyed a sunset, horseback riding tour that we arranged on our own, and that was a really memorable experience. Then we went to Manuel Antonio and enjoyed the beach and the national park. That was where we saw the most animals. Overall, we had a tremendous trip, appreciated the ongoing support from the Kim Kim, and Amazilia ongoing Travel Support while we were in Costa Rica, and would definitely recommend their services and a visit to Costa Rica. The private transfers that they arranged were great and the drivers were always on time and very nice! Pura Vida!

Hotel Reviews

Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport

Alajuela

Good location, close to airport, easy shuttle to airport. Pool on site. Clean and comfortable rooms. Very serviceable. Recommend a top floor room because the hotel guests wake up early and make a lot of noise above you.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Shana By the Beach Resort

Manuel Antonio

Good hotel. Very steep climbs on premises. Access to the beach on a private trail. The beach is where all of the snorkel excursions take you, so you can just rent a kayak and snorkel on the beach and save yourself a lot of money. Nice breakfast. Rather expensive Dinner menu. Good pool including adult only pool. Lots of monkeys on the property (balconies). Lots of birds. We saw toucans on the property! The rooms were a little dated and in need of some maintenance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Difficult to get to restaurant options on foot, but the golf cart driver was able to shuttle us to the Korean BBQ restaurant, Carambola, up the hill. It was delicious.

Staff

When the air-conditioning didn’t work in our first room, it took quite a bit of negotiating to get a new room.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had two king beds for a family of four, which was nice.

Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco

Monteverde Costa Rica

Gorgeous grounds. Wonderful spacious room. Terrific restaurant. Made to order breakfast. Beautiful, well-maintained, short trail on the property. Lots of outdoor seating and picnic tables to enjoy the views. Extremely friendly and helpful staff. Very nice pool area. Our best hotel by far!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Extremely comfortable beds. Very clean. Immaculate property. Spacious room.

Montaña de Fuego Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

Far ($15 can ride) from La Fortuna. Very dated. Some amenities were closed. Hot springs pool needed to be skimmed cleaner. Nice breakfast buffet with omelette station.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

More of a hotel for business travelers. Didn’t have a swimming pool. But close to a nice park. If you’re going to spend time in San Jose, you may want to be closer to the town center where the museums are located. But the hotel was well maintained, comfortable beds, nice staff, and good breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to park but 30 minute walk to museums.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

The cloud forest was beautiful. However, we were underwhelmed by our guide. Expect to see more flora than fauna in the cloud forest. Spent too much time milling around the gift shop and café areas and then in the cloud forest.

Quality of Experience

More time in the park. Wish the guy had used his scope to point out more interesting flora and fauna.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Spent too much time milling around the gift shop and café areas and then in the cloud forest.

Transport

Zip Lining - Hanging Bridges & Aerial Tram

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great nature guide, beautiful scenery, amazing zip lining. Nice lunch included.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Costa Rica

Nice hike. We were self guided. Nice lunch buffet included. Enjoyed the waterfalls and animals.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This trip was supposed to happen in 2020 so it was big deal to us to finally make it happen in 2023! Partly because with our kids finishing school and schedules not likely to align easily again it could be our last chance to have a full family vacation. I can't say enough about the organizing and how completely all the details were handled which started with Yuliana. And once in Costa Rica we were also fully supported by our local contact, Graciela. We had the best time and I am so grateful to everyone who made this happen. We loved the hotels in Tamarindo and the Arenal region. We have nothing but praise for our drivers, Gustavo Lopez, Greivin, Fernando and Lee. Having someone else do the driving made the trip that much nicer and these guys know how to navigate Costa Rican traffic! A special thanks to Greiven for stopping to show us a Macaw, Sloths, Coati and Lake Arenal (where we also had a great lunch) along the drive.

The Hotel Tamarindo Diria was beautiful, with great staff and location. Each day we enjoyed the amazing breakfast while taking in the view over looking the ocean as well as from our room and while chilling on the cabana bed (!!!).

The Hotel Los Lagos in the Arenal region was also beautiful with its multiple pools and the walking path up to the observation point. In this area we went on a guided hike with Mauricio, who is a wealth of knowledge on local animal and plants and a lot of fun to hang out with too! That day was full of Howler Monkeys, Sloths, birds of all kinds and an unbelievable amount of edible plants! Mauricio is full of knowledge including historical and current information.

While in this area we also had a great day of Ziplining and White Water Rafting where we also saw wildlife including a Tucan, both of which were amazing, totally safe and done with incredibly friendly and knowledgeable guides.

We will go back, even if we won't all go together. We fell in love with the country and the people.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

Very beautiful property as well as location with the volcano in view and the natural hot springs.

Authenticity & Character

Great food and gardens.

Location

Wildlife around the property, walking paths including to Los Lagos and a view point for the volcano although you can see the volcano from practically anywhere on the property.

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were very clean and the beds were great. They even made up some great towel animals for us each day!

Tamarindo Diria Beach Resort

Tamarindo

Beautiful location, wonderful breakfast overlooking the ocean, great staff, awesome pools, cabanas and right on the beach!

Authenticity & Character

It's a lovely property with cool decorations as well.

Location

Right on the beach and in the heart of town.

Staff

So polite and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, nice rooms with everything you need.

Activity Reviews

Zip Lining Adventure & White Water Rafting Class II & III

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

The guide, Mauricio, is a wealth of knowledge, personable and fun to hang out with. The area was great to walk through, but with the guide, it became a real experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Eco Thermales buffet was awesome!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fernando was waiting for us at the end of each of the activities - no waiting and such a great singer too!

This was our first time using kimkim, and it worked out well. The trip was wonderful, and the activities and accommodations set up fit our family well based on our initial requests. Yuliana did a great job answering our questions and getting everything set up for us, and we just showed up and enjoyed everything!

Hotel Reviews

Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport

Alajuela

Great location for our early flight out the next morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Great location near the beach and with great views out over the ocean!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

We really liked this hotel; the setting was amazing, with a view of Arenal out our window and wildlife all around, especially birds. The included breakfast buffet was delicious, with many options, and the staff was all friendly and took great care of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was excellent, the only downside was walkability to other locations, but it was easy to get transportation.

Staff

All of the staff were wonderful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

This guided hike was so crowded that it wasn't our favorite. Our guide was excellent and knowledgeable about the wildlife and the park. The main trouble we had was that at every place along the trail where something was interesting to look at, there was a crowd of people and several guides, which made it hard to get in to take a look. With all of the people talking loudly, it was often hard to hear our guide to know what we were looking for up in the trees or off in the jungle. It seemed like there was a lot less wildlife than, especially birds, than there would normally be due to the sheer number and volume of the people as well. The main path is wide, which allowed the crowds to pass each other, but further on the trails get narrower, and the number of people walking along them made it hard to stop and look at any wildlife without people jostling by or asking to pass.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Birdwatching at Arenal Mundo Aventura Natural Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had a great morning looking at birds with our guide. This trip isn't a hard-core birding experience and is meant for a mixed group of birdwatchers, but we knew that ahead of time, and the guide pointed out many great birds and knew places to stop for specific species that they had pre-prepared. The guides had extra binoculars for anyone who didn't have them along.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hike portion was really great, our guide knew birds well and helped us find several that we were interested in. We could have spent all day on the hanging bridges looking at birds!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

We enjoyed this experience! Getting to see the wildlife from the water gave a whole different view and we saw some animals up close that would have been hard otherwise, including two types of owls. The food at the end was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The van driver and the river guides were all great! The folks who prepared the food at the end were also awesome!

Transport

My family and I had the most wonderful time in Costa Rica! Yuliana did a great job planning a week of activities and cities to visit. We loved our time there and can't wait to go back.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

This hotel is on the older end, and you can see it in the decor and rooms. The hot springs pools were nice and swim up bar was fun.

Authenticity & Character

Pretty generic hotel, decor was on the older side.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Koora at Monteverde

Monteverde

If you go to Monteverde, you must stay at Hotel Koora. The views, the staff and rooms are incredible.

Authenticity & Character

The rocking chairs, to the small gift they give you. It's an amazing place.

Location

The views are incredible.

Staff

They remembered our names and gave amazing service!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds are on the stiffer side but still an amazing room.

Hotel Trópico Latino

Cobano

This hotel was amazing for our family. We had comfortable beds, a huge bathroom and some of the best service I've ever received. The food is top notch and don't skip the mojitos, so good!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Combo Zip Lining, Villa Maleku & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

The staff here was amazing and we had a blast zip lining!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time! It was the perfect introductory trip. Yuliana was very responsive and flexible. All the guides were great and very knowledgeable.
Drivers were always prompt and courteous. We did have an issue with one vehicle but the driver handled the situation as well as he could.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country and the people are extremely friendly and helpful. The wildlife was incredible, and rainforest and beaches are beautiful.

Activity Reviews

Arenal Guided Hanging Bridges

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very knowledgeable guide who pointed out many interesting flora and fauna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak Adventure in the Arenal Lake

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide had amazing eyesight as pointed out many birds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Informative. Fun to make chocolate bars!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arsenal manoa was exceptional! Great food great atmosphere!all the staff were excellent the guides for trips were all outstanding : Franklin for the waterfall: Justin for the coffee chocolate tour, Winston for arenas
Volcano and Warner for kayaking and snorkeling. It was an excellent trip the transportation was great as well

Hotel Reviews

Espadilla Gardens Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

The grounds the hot springs

Location

Town transport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hanging Bridges Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal 1968 Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Not food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The whole experience was wonder and perfectly planned. Not a single issue for the entry week of multiple excursions, shuttles, and hotel. Great recommendations on hotel and excursions. We looked it. Thanks Yuliana

Everything was so amazing. The tours and the hotel just perfect. Everything was easy and well taken care of. Anytime I had a question it was responded to.

My first review did not go through. I did provide a review to Yuliana noting that everything was as represented, no surprises and all is good. KimKim, Amazilia, Yuliana, all transportation and excursions were excellent.

Contact Yuliana for my review.
Thanks
Bill Bennnett

We had a great couple of weeks in Costa Rica, all planned through Kimkim and their agent Yuliana with Amazilla Travel in Costa Rica. Yuliana did a great job planning the trip following our, and our friends from Canada traveling with us, input on what to see and things we were interested in doing.
We travelled from Liberia to Monteverde by private transportation and knowledgeable guide that explained points of interest during the ~ 3 hour drive.
The Zip Line organized by Yuliana was fantastic. It worked out very well starting in the north cloud forest region first as it was a bit cooler but still very conformable mid 60’s to 70’s then making our way to lower elevations and south as the trip progressed. The accommodations were clean, comfortable and nice throughout the trip. Other main places visited included, La Fortune, Manuel Antonio and San Jose. Highlights were the Zip Line, Los Lagos hot springs resort, planned tours and hikes to beautiful water falls. Tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable which made the trip that must more enjoyable.
We learned a lot about the country, regions, culture, parks and animals through the organized tours so very glad we took them. All in all, it was a great trip, saw and did lots of things and had the right amount of down time. Would do it again.

Lorenzo & Helen C

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Amazing view of the ocean. Located in the hillside and close to the beach. Walking distance if you're a walker that doesn't mind steep hills. Local bus passed and stops near the hotel and other places of interest. Hotel grounds are well kept and a number of pools and great views. Restaurants are close by. Rooms are clean, spacious and great A/C.

Authenticity & Character

Location

View of the ocean.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente San Jose City Center

San José

Well located in the heart of the city. Lots to see in within walking distance. As with many big cities, you will see some homeless people is some areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Good accommodations. Its on a hill so walking to stores and restaurants is very tough. Can take taxi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

This is a very nice resort with lots of hot spring pools, things to do and good restaurant. The rooms are spacious and clean as are the grounds and facilities. The town is easy to get to and Uber was a good mode of transportation. Great view of the volcano from the resort.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located at the foot of the volcano and 5 minute drive to the town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

San José City Tour

San José

City tour was informative and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking & Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Fun kayaking here. The guide was good and water calm.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Celeste & Tenorio Volcano National Park Guided Rainforest Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Timing was right, if too raining you won't see the turquoise color, we were lucky and it was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour in Monteverde

Monteverde

Fun and tasty. Learned a few things about coffee and chocolate too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

These were amazing zip lines, 13 in total. Some long some short. Well run and safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dear Yuliana,

We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica! Thank you for managing our itinerary and coordinating reservations. Our group was made up of myself, my mother and boyfriend. Ultimately, you and the KimKim team provided us time back to focus on being present for each other throughout each excursion. One of my favorites was the boat tour of Las Catalinas Islands where we each plunged into open sea waters in search of sea dwellers. It all was possible thanks to the customizable itinerary and flexibility. The thoughtful work allowed us to feel pampered, and taken care of throughout our adventure.

A

Costa Rica was magnificent! I’m so happy we went through KimKim as our travel agency - would definitely recommend and use them again in the future. All our pickups were timely and all we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves. Transportation between our destinations of La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio were seamless. All recommendations from KimKim were excellent. What enjoyable family trip - thanks Yuliana!

Hotel Reviews

Tulemar Resort

Manuel Antonio

Amazing location with wildlife and beach - would definitely recommend staying at Salty Breeze as monkey troops come through every single day. The amenities were top notch, but so was the price.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Hotel was literally on a mountain, but the transportation was very good up and down. Very minimalistic, but the view was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Would have preferred less mountainous terrain, but overall hotel was very clean.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Arenal Springs Resort & Spa

Fortuna

Loved the hotel and privacy of the hot springs. Would definitely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

Really enjoyed this tour - would have loved to have stayed longer. Very well organized and we saw a lot of wildlife. Flat trail was easy to navigate.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour in Monteverde

Monteverde

Excellent tour - we all loved it! Take this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hanging Bridges Hike

Monteverde

We loved this tour, but not as much as the rainforest tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Mixed reviews. 2 out of the 5 liked the tour. We saw a lot for the night tour, but it was very hilly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Excellent tour made even better because they also took us to a sugarcane processing plant/coffee tasting. Saw a lot of wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Great food for lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram & Sky Trek Adventure

Arenal/La Fortuna

Excellent excursion - very fun. Note that the trek is more mountainous than you might think. You have to be in decent shape. We saw so much in the rainforest - one of our best outings!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Maria was great!

Transport

Yuliana was terrific! Highly recommend her. She pays great attention to detail and returns emails and phone calls promptly. A+ service.

Incredible trip!!! Can’t wait to book the next with Kim Kim. My husband and I were a bit worried booking online but Yuliana did an incredible job.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Los Lagos Spa & Resort

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bosque del Mar Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rafting Balsa River Class III & IV

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Transport

Sky Tram & Sky Trek Adventure in Monteverde Cloud Forest

Monteverde

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

Coffee & Chocolate Tour in Monteverde

Monteverde

Catamaran Sailing Tour & Snorkeling

Costa Rica

This was my favorite part of the whole trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The only excursion we would not recommend is the kayak and snorkel tour in Manuel Antonio. The guide was horrible and the snorkeling was a total joke. I’ve never seen such dead coral. Apart from that everything else was fabulous!