Olman Romero

Staff was friendly and accommodating. Our air conditioner did not drop down to what I would consider cold, so we slept without a blanket. No big deal. Food was just ok, nothing to rave about. Had one issue with bar tender where he charged the gin and tonic separately.....After confirming with front desk that a gin and tonic is one drink and not two separate ones, they credited me back the difference. So no complaints. All and all it was a good hotel that was on the beach and a lovely staff. My only suggestion is that they get some more shade umbrellas around the pool lounge chairs. Shade from the sun is limited if you want to lounge around the pool.

Great hotel for families with old or young children, or couples. You can be social or private. This hotel caters to both. Its location is a true Costa Rican gem. Nestled at the base of the volcano, the views are amazing. It is just a short taxi ride to downtown Fortuna. The breakfast was a great mix of local cuisine with also tourist friendly options. My only negatrive comment was that that restaurant prices were slightly higher than i would like and the overall dinner was nothing extraoridinary.

It was A great experience, would definately recommend it to anyone looking for the adventure

We loved the El Silencio hike and our guide Monica. Ecotermales was a fun hot spring, but we’ve been to several so this was not new for us.

Hotel Presidente is centrally located, but that comes with heavy traffic—we had to be dropped off at the corner because the street was temporarily closed. The room we were assigned was also quite small, especially considering we were traveling as three people. Once we opened our suitcases, there was barely enough space to move around. The next day, I noticed that some of the rooms around us were much larger, so I’m not sure why we were given such a small room and bathroom. That said, the breakfast was very good, and the hotel itself has a unique charm in its design. We especially loved the rooftop patio and the abundance of plants and flowers throughout the property, which added a really nice touch. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Sibu Hotel was hands down the best hotel we stayed at during this entire trip—truly boutique, with incredible attention to detail, and absolutely deserving of more than a 3-star rating. The lobby alone feels like an art exhibit. The rooms are exceptionally well equipped, including a fully stocked minibar with drinks and snacks (complimentary on the first day), which was a really nice touch. We really appreciated the room for 3 having a third proper bed. They even had an ice machine—the only place we saw this—while at other hotels we had to request ice and water from the restaurant or bar. (Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, but it was a bit inconvenient filling a thermos from small sinks.) The room amenities were outstanding: custom toiletries, a travel toothbrush, sewing kit, shoe towel, and even a cosmetic mirror—everything thoughtfully provided. The hotel grounds are small but beautifully designed, with every corner carefully landscaped. There are cozy sitting areas throughout and even a fire pit outside—it’s just a beautiful, welcoming space. I would easily rate this hotel as a 4-star property. They also have sister hotels in the area, and I’d expect those to be just as impressive.

La Mariposa in Manuel Antonio has absolutely stunning views and beautiful pools, but the rooms felt somewhat basic compared to the other properties we stayed at, and we wouldn’t consider it a true 4-star experience. We had three people in the room, and the third bed was a small, squeaky bed with an uncomfortable mattress. In comparison, at Sibu Hotel—where we also had three in a room—the third bed was a full, proper bed, which made a big difference. The room itself was quite minimalistic, with basic wall-mounted dispensers for shampoo and conditioner (not even marked which one is which). That said, the view from the balcony was incredible, overlooking Espadilla Sur Beach and Manuel Antonio National Park. The wildlife on the property was also a highlight—we saw plenty of capuchin and spider monkeys, especially active in the mornings, eating mangoes from the nearby trees. There were often mangoes scattered right outside our door. Manuel Antonio is truly full of wildlife—you don’t even have to go far to see it. At one point, we were walking back from dinner and spotted a sloth in a tree just a few feet away. We were especially excited about this hotel since we had planned two days to relax by the pool and beach, and based on the photos and 4-star rating, we came in with high expectations. It’s possible we didn’t get one of their better rooms—there are several floors of rooms in the main building, and those may offer a different experience. We did enjoy the pools—they are very nice—and the overall setting is beautiful. We didn’t dine at the restaurant as it seemed pricey, though we did try the bar; drinks were on the expensive side but very good. The entire area is built on a hill with narrow roads. While it’s technically walkable to nearby restaurants, there are stretches without sidewalks, so we ended up using Uber a few times, which was very reasonable.

This Hotel has very nice rooms, spacious and comfortable. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel grounds overall are very beautiful (the flowers and landscape are amazingly beautiful). It has a short hike trail on the property. The breakfast was very good. If I would go to La Fortuna, I would definitely stay there again. Close to pretty much all attractions in the area.

Great location being downtown San Jose but not in the middle of the city. Good breakfast, room clean and decent size. Great Soda place right next to it.

Definitely a must-do. The guides communicate with each other and know exactly where to look for wildlife. They typically come equipped with professional tripods and binoculars and can even help take great photos using your phone. The park has strict rules about food and drinks, so even though the activity description mentioned a snack being provided, it’s unclear how that would be possible. Also, keep in mind that if you decide to stay in the park after the guided tour—either at Manuel Antonio Beach or Espadilla Sur (which are side by side and absolutely worth visiting for their beautiful sand and calm waters)—the guide will leave, and you’ll need to arrange your own transportation back to the hotel. The public bus runs every 20 minutes from the public Espadilla Beach (outside the park) for about $1 per ride, so getting back wasn’t too difficult.

One of the highlights of our trip—a definite must-do. The canopy views were absolutely breathtaking. Some of the ziplining runs are quite long, so try to relax and enjoy the experience. Definitely go for the Tarzan Swing! The hanging bridges were also very nice. Just take your time and enjoy the walk—it’s about 3 km long, not 3 miles (we made the mistake of thinking it would be longer and ended up rushing to get back in time for the next bus).

It was a great visit, and we learned a lot. Unfortunately, we happened to go on a day when it was raining heavily, with very little break between the tastings and walking to the next stations. The farm is clearly geared toward tourists and is more informational in nature, but they were transparent about the fact that coffee grown in that area isn’t considered the best due to the high amount of rainfall. Even so, we still gained a lot of insight into chocolate (cacao), coffee, and sugar cane production.

Of course, we traveled during the rainy season, which is outside of Kimkim’s control, and it did impact a couple of activities. For example, at Río Celeste the river didn’t have its famous blue color because of the heavy rain. At Tenorio National Park, we felt the guide was trying to shorten the hike due to the rainy conditions, but we asked to complete the full route since it was part of what we had booked. The lunch was nice, but no fruit snack as listed in the activity description. No biggie. I did appreciate though the driver pulling over to show us through his binoculars a sloth up in a tree. He took pictures with our camera.

These activities are definitely not for the faint of heart—especially the rappelling! We had a great time, and everything (organized by what seemed to be two different companies) was very well coordinated, including transportation. The lunch provided was very good, and we especially enjoyed the small cultural demonstration of sugar cane juice extraction. My husband opted out of canyoning and rafting, which ultimately turned out to be the right decision—he wouldn’t have been able to participate in these activities, and even tagging along with the driver wouldn’t have added much value. In hindsight, I wish we had clearly indicated from the start that only four of us would be participating, so we wouldn’t have paid for his activity and lunch.

We traveled during the rainy season, which is outside of Kimkim’s control, and it did impact a couple of activities. For example, during the Arenal Volcano hike we couldn’t see much due to the fog. That said, Franklin and his driver were excellent—friendly, professional, and very accommodating. We really enjoyed the insights Franklin shared about the local plants and vegetation throughout the hike. Even though the volcano was mostly covered in clouds, the viewpoint of Arenal was still beautiful in its own way. At the end of the hike, they provided fresh fruit, which we appreciated very much. We only wish we remembered all of their names so we could give them proper credit—they truly made the experience enjoyable despite the weather. The driver also took us to Ecotermales, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. The dinner there was fantastic, and everything was well coordinated—the driver returned later in the evening to pick us up and take us back to the hotel, making the entire experience seamless.

We saw a lot of frogs and butterfly’s. Joe shared his great pics with us on What’s App. He was very knowledgeable.

Our guide was great. I wish I could remember his name! He made sure we saw all the good animals including two snakes and several sloths. He helped us get great pictures of them too!

Our guide Val was great! She was so knowledgeable! Sadly, we didn’t get to see much of the volcano because we got caught in a huge rain storm. But that’s life in Costa Rica!

This was a great tour. We saw lots of animals and it was fun to be on the water. Our guide Lawrence, was great!

hey sweet little Hotel on the volcanic hillside at 8000 feet. The rooms were nice and the staff was very good.. had dinner and breakfast here which was good

A comfortable place to stay with good food options on site. Near the river with a nice bridge that goes over the river to go up on. A nice little pool Birdfeeders with fruit to attract birds

very wild experience would not suggest for with children

The food at this hotel in this isolated location could be better

This booked activity was an unnecessary expense. We had our own bird guide with us and he brought us around. So we never even went with the Hotel on their guided tour.

The description of this tour was to walk-through Land to find the Quetzal nest The Quetzal nest was right by the Road and we already had our own bird guide hired for the trip So paying for this additional activity seemed unnecessary. We could’ve easily gone with our own Guide and Car and been standing by the roadside

we thought we would do most of our birding on the grounds, but the tour kept is mostly we near the entry and parking lot. would’ve preferred to go further in to the land. this place is best for true bird fanatics. No feeders to attract birds.

Great restaurants there and loved the breakfast buffet!

We were moved to the Poco a Poco Hotel by the Monteverde Country Lodge which turned out to be fine since we think the Poco a Poco turned out to be a nicer hotel.

Loved this hotel and we were lucky to get the honeymoon suite.

This hotel was conveniently located in LaFortuna. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The negatives were that the walls were pretty thin and we could hear the neighbors quite loudly. Also, the breakfast was kind of weak, not a lot of options.

Nice hotel but only gave us two bath towels when booked for three people. Could not get anyone to answer the phone for an extra towel. Gym was really good.

Loved the complete disconnection. This is camping … no electricity, no wifi and no hot water which was all good but wish we knew this in advance to set our expectations. Best sleep listening to the river.

Excellent gym - comfortable beds / room and the breakfast was amazing. Very large hotel campus on steep mountain so you cannot get around unless you order a shuttle. It is open air - open windows as it’s very cool in Monteverde. Due to that you do hear other guests as they walk in the hall … Really enjoyed but it was a bit too big of a hotel campus for me.

Amazing experience and our guides were amazing cooks…. best food we ate during our vacation