Holden Ketchum

Super communication.

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Belmar

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nayara Springs - Adults Only

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So available and friendly and helpful every minute of our stay.

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the overall most amazing places I have ever stayed.

Activity Reviews

Private San Jose Walking Tour

San José

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mocha Tour: Chocolate & Coffee

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Transport

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A little rushed by guide that day.

Transport

All of our guides and drivers were on time and did a great job of driving in a very mountainous country with narrow roads. Our guide to our visit to the cloud forest was very informative. We booked an optional night tour through our hotel. It was also excellent. You might consider adding that to your itineraries.
Our guide through the rain forest seemed to be in a hurry. This was a once in a lifetime visit for us. I would have liked to hear more about the flora surrounding us. All of our other guides had a lot to say about what we were seeing.

Hotel Review

Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Curio Collection by Hilton

San José

Excellent accommodations centrally located. Good food but expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private San Jose Walking Tour

San José

The guide was very knowledgeable. We enjoyed the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Guide was in a hurry and really did not have much to say. I loved the rain forest walk. What a magical place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very informative.

Transport

Private Safari Float on the Peñas Blancas River

Arenal/La Fortuna

We found this to be disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driving and promptness was fine.

Transport

Rafts were uncomfortable for anyone with back issues.

Mocha Tour: Chocolate & Coffee

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fun place. Caesar was a great presenter. He made it fun with his energy and command of the subject.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide Marino was amazing. He added so many details that we would have walked right by. He was flexible to our needs.

Activity Review

Private Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano Park 1968

Arenal/La Fortuna

Weather was very bad which hampered the experience.

We had a wonderful trip. The Serendipity guides were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The accommodation was excellent and ending the trip by the beach was just perfect.

Wow! What an incredible adventure into the rainforest and beautiful Pacific coast. Holden planned our trip with so many amazing experiences: Safari float down a river in the rainforest, night hike to see cool frogs, the most unusual snakes and a sloth, a cooking class, a hike in the Arenal Volcano area and hike through the Hanging Bridges. Our guide from Serendipity was a local named Mariono. He was amazing! Shared so much of what we were seeing on our hikes, the history, culture and so much fun. The logistics were smooth with no problems. What a great way to see a country and experience its treasures without wasting time on logistics of where to go or where to have dinner. Our hotels were fantastic. The Arenal Manoa Hotel hot spring pools were beautiful and fun to relax in. The lushness of the vegetation around our rooms were also unique and cozy. The Bosque del Mar hotel at Playa Hermosa was beautiful and right on the beach. Our drivers got us everywhere we needed to be on time. I am so impressed with the trip this team put together for us! Thank you!!!!

The overall trip was amazing. Borinquen was fun. We loved our hotel. The ziplining was truly fun. Monteverde was beautiful, with our hike being a highlight. The guide, Andy was VERY amazing and super fun. The dinner in the glass room was one of the best food experiences we have ever done. The waiter was amazing :). Finally, Tamarindo was warm, relaxing, and a great way to end our trip. The only thing we would say is for the Panache catamaran dinner cruise, be sure to let everyone know that pickup was 12:45 (on time), but you do not return until 7pm or later. The schedule said 12:45-4:45.

Hotel Reviews

Borinquen Thermal Resort

Guanacaste

Great place, enjoyed the hot springs, ziplining, and food was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capitán Suizo Beachfront Boutique Hotel

Tamarindo

Great location, right at the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Koora Hotel

Monteverde

Beautiful area. It was peaceful and serene. Staff very friendly

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Introduction to Rincón de la Vieja

Rincón de la Vieja

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Natural High Expedition Tour at Borinquen

Rincón de la Vieja

Great hike, saw lots of birds and enjoyed our guide, Oskar.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canopy Tour at Borinquen Thermal Resort

Rincón de la Vieja

Super fun, our guides were amazing, fun, and full of life

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Andy was so well educated on the plants, area, and animals. We learned so much from him. We even had lunch with him at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Lucas Treetop Dining Experience - Wine Pairing

Monteverde

One of the top food experiences EVER. Beautiful, food amazing, our waiting was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Catamaran Tour

Costa Rica

Really fun, great food, great staff.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our group of 4, thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day trip to Costa Rica. Holden did an excellent job helping us plan a memorable trip. He was always quick to respond to questions during the planning phase as well as during the trip itself. I can't say enough good things about how everything was organized from the drivers being on time, the tour guides being informative and fun to be around and the activities we participated in.
We flew into Liberia and were driven to La Fortuna. The driver was so kind and informative and provided us with bottled water and chips. He stopped in order for us to take photos of beautiful areas. We checked into the Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs Resort. The grounds and hot springs are exceptional. The rooms are ok. There is no chairs to sit in and it's a bit dated. The resort staff are welcoming and helpful. The breakfast buffet is huge and I appreciated the gluten free designated section.
We did the coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour. The tastings were delicious and we learned a lot. Later, we had a guide, Mariano, give us a private tour of the Arenal Volcano and The La Fortuna Waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful even though we had to climb over 500 stairs each way. You are allowed to swim at the bottom by the waterfall but it is very rocky and would be hard to navigate your way to get into the water. Mariano did a great job on our Arenal Volcano hike and taught us a lot about the area. Mariano was also our guide for the Arenal Hanging Bridges Tour. It was fun and it's a very pretty area. Mariano was always on the look out for wildlife and even found some sloths and toucans for us to see. Mariano had a great sense of humor and we enjoyed his tours. One person in our group doesn't like heights so skipped the Hanging Bridges and went on a sloth tour. He loved it and got some amazing pictures.
We had a blast Whitewater Rafting and our guide Axel was great. It's exhilarating but be prepared to get wet which was part of the fun.
The boat ride and transfer to Monteverde was a beautiful way to see that area. It's a gorgeous area and our guide, Andy, was so informative and knowledgeable as he guided us through the cloud forest. The Cloud Forest Lodge was our favorite hotel. Everything was recently renovated. The rooms and bathroom are large and comfortable. The restaurant is delicious and has beautiful views. We saw some amazing birds during our stay there.
Upon arrival to the Wyndham Hotel in Tamarindo the lobby and views of the Pacific Ocean are stunning. The pool area and restaurant are very nice and also provide excellent views. The rooms were a bit run down and the bathroom incredibly small. The balcony however was great. While in Tamarindo we did a Wetlands Boat Tour. This was excellent and our first opportunity to see monkeys. The guide, Henry, did a wonderful job getting us as close as possible to see the wildlife. The beaches in Tamarindo are beautiful and we appreciated the free shuttle from the hotel to the beach and downtown area.
Overall the trip was excellent and we truly appreciated everything Holden, Nancy and Adrian did from KimKim and Serendipity Adventures. It was well planned and everything went great. I can't say enough positive things about everyone involved in planning a very memorable trip!

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

The Hot Springs, Pool and Resort grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The hotel room is a bit dated and it would be nice to have a chair in the room to sit on. The patio is very nice and the views of the volcano are beautiful. The breakfast buffet offers a huge selection and a made to order omelet station. I appreciated the designated gluten free section.

Authenticity & Character

Resort is beautiful. Landscaping, pool and hot springs are great.

Location

Close to the activities we chose to participate in.

Staff

Everyone was kind, helpful and more than willing to assist with anything. We appreciated the staff giving us rides in the resort area as it is quite large.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms could use some updating. The mattress was lumpy and chair in the room would be helpful. It is very clean and the resort area is beautiful and well maintained.

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

The rooms have been renovated. Everything is new and well maintained. Large room, large bathroom and large deck. The views from the restaurant are gorgeous and attracts a lot of different birds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's elevation is very high so the views are awesome.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham

Tamarindo

The lobby, views of the Pacific Ocean, pool, and restaurant are all wonderful. The rooms could use a fresh coat of paint as they are a bit scraped up. The bathroom is incredibly small. You can hardly move in there it is so tight. The balcony and views of ocean are beautiful.

Location

Beautiful views and shuttle service to town and beach.

Staff

Some staff were awesome and some were aloof. When we checked in we were on a floor that was only accessed by climbing a staircase. No-one mentioned that and no-one helped us carry all our luggage upstairs. Most rooms are accessed by elevator but ours was not.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms need improvement and some of the common areas could be cleaned up better.

Activity Reviews

Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Farm Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Well done, learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and chocolate tastings.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was a lot of fun. He was very knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful tour.

Transport

Mariano was on time and drove us everywhere we needed to go. His jeep was a bit tight for 5 people, especially for the person who sat in the middle of the back seat.

Private Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

It's a beautiful well maintained area. The paths are in great shape. There is a good amount of hiking up and down. If you do not like heights then you probably should skip this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was great guide and very knowledgeable.

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Loved this activity. So much fun and our guide Axel was great!

Quality of Experience

It was a level 2-3 rafting trip and it was fun

Food

Half way through the rafting we stopped to take a break and all the guides cut up fresh fruit for the attendees, which was great. We had lunch afterwards at a local restaurant and the food was very good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Axel had a good sense of humor and great leader/navigator down the river

Transport

Wetlands Boat Ride and Rum Tasting at Hacienda El Viejo

Costa Rica

The Wetlands Boat Ride is where we finally saw monkeys. Henry, the guide, and the boat driver were great at spotting wildlife. They made the effort to get us as close as possible. Henry also helped people take better photographs. We also saw crocodiles and various birds.

Quality of Experience

The boat ride was the highlight

Food

The cook grilled me a separate chicken breast since I am gluten free.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Henry was great and very helpful.

Transport

We had a private driver transport us from the hotel to this tour.

Cloud Forest Reserve Privately Guided Hike

Monteverde

Andy, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and an awesome tour guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Catamaran Tour

Costa Rica

It was a beautiful day to be on the catamaran. They don't allow shoes on the boat but the floor is very hot on your feet. It was smooth sailing and stopped to swim which was refreshing. The open bar was nice and the dinner was decent. I was impressed they had a separate box with a gluten free meal which I'm sure KimKim and Serendipity Adventures arranged for.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Organic Cooking Class

Arenal/La Fortuna

First we got a tour of the organic farm and the history behind it which was interesting. We picked ingredients that was to be used in our cooking class. Our host, Uber, made us 2 non-alcoholic drinks using sugar cane and sugar cane with various fresh spices and veggies that were delicious. We worked together to make dinner with Uber's mother. It was also delicious and a good way to learn about local cuisine and local culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mariano switched to a van so it was much more comfortable.

Sloth Observation - Day or Night Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

The guide was knowledgeable and they had a system for identifying where the sloths were located. They also used a telescope for spotting the sloths and allowing tourists to take pictures through the scope to get some awesome pictures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport