Serendipity Adventures

Just returned from 12 days in Costa Rica. I was overwhelmed trying to plan it on my own and KimKiim was fantastic. We had to make some last minute changes in terms of pick up times and Serendipity Tours, the local Costa Rica team, was super-accommodating and always available through WhatsApp, even after hours and on weekends. Everything went seamlessly. We stayed in four spectacular hotels - Tabacon Resort in La Fortuna, Rio Celeste Hideaway, Korea in Monteverde and Capitan Suzan in Tamarindo. Never thought that we would try zip lining but Treetop in Monteverde was fantastic. We felt safe, the team told us what to expect and we spent more than an hour and a half zip lining with an option to Bungee jump afterwards. Fantastic trip.

Elena was fantastic and amazing to work with. She answered all of my questions rapidly and thoroughly. Her choice of hotels/resorts was spot on. As we requested, she kept us busy with fun activities. The Serendipity Adventures team gathered all of the details and communicated in an easy to follow manner -- the itinerary documentation was priceless. We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica and hope to be able to visit again.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Springs Resort

La Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Mariposa

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Night Walk at Children's Eternal Forest

Monteverde

The guide was extremely knowledgeable and showed us many subtle things. Fun and easy walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

My wife loved the Zip lines! I did not do that activity due to my fear of heights. The hanging bridges/jungles were beautiful. The Sloth conservation center, Butterfly exhibit, and Reptile/Amphibian exhibits were very good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Larger menu selection.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

Lots of fun. Beautiful scenery and sunset. Snorkeling was brief but fun. The staff were very nice and always willing to assist.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Damas Island Boat Tour

Manuel Antonio

The guide was great; Funny, knowledgeable, patient and very kind. Saw many species of birds and animals.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

For me, this was the highlight of the trip. The guide was phenomenal!!!!! He was extremely knowledgeable, able to spot amazing things, kind, and courteous. You could tell that he was highly respected by his colleagues. Probably the best guide I have ever worked with. We saw many birds, insects, plants and animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing guide!!!

Transport

Local Flavors Cooking Class

Costa Rica

This was lots of fun! Despite my reluctance, my wife wanted to do this -- I am glad we did! I'm a picky eater but preparing the food and eating it was special. The staff was so kind!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

The Arenal Volcano hike was fun and we saw many animals. The guide was fantastic -- very kind and knowledgeable. After the Arenal Volcano Hike (which was more strenuous than we expected), we were too tired to do the La Fortuna Waterfall walk. The local tour company, Flow Trips, was very kind and substituted a twilight float trip that was lots of fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Lots of fun and interesting. The guide was very good, and funny!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bryan and kimkim were enormously helpful when we decided, a month out, to spend the Christmas holidays in Costa Rica. They flagged that the Pacific side would be super crowded per our notes about enjoying more laid back and local experiences and advised us to explore the Caribbean side. We needed support in country for a few changes and an unexpected injury. Serendipity travel, who was our contact on the ground, was very responsive - even arranging a doctor to come to our hotel. We will definitely use kimkim again and hope to travel to Costa Rica again in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Laguna Lodge

Tortuguero

Fun, family oriented hotel. The hotel and staff were lovely, but food wasn't varied enough for our length of stay (3 nights).

Authenticity & Character

The campus and access to ocean and river

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Turire

Turrialba

Gorgeous building and setting with friendly and helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Cameleon Boutique Hotel

Puerto Viejo

Great location and amenities. It was a mixed scene with loud club music during the day but family friendly service across the board.

Authenticity & Character

It's very modern and Euro in a Costa Rican setting. A bit of a contradiction.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable and housekeeping was frequent.

Activity Reviews

Private Surf Lesson at Salsa Brava

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

The guide wasn't super family friendly. He was good with older kids but not really interested in helping those of use who weren't super confident (my daughter and me). He ended up going surfing with my husband and the other adults and leaving us on the beach when it was evident we weren't going to really go for it each time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Canyoning with Children

Turrialba

Cesar and Serendipity were awesome. Our 6 year old was too scared to do it by herself and he and his team took her down and also dealt with our older child quitting half way through. The lunch at Cesar's mom's house was such a lovely ending, too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to the Summit of Cerro Tortuguero

Tortuguero

Chito, one of the resort's guides was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Tour at the CATIE Botanical Gardens

Turrialba

The guide was awesome here, too, especially with some of us that were VERY scared of snakes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My college-age son and I had an incredible time!
La Paloma Lodge was a pearl -- accessible only by boat, it is nestled in the rain forest and the experience of staying there was both novel and comfortable. My leg was eaten by sand fleas at the local beach, but otherwise we had a wonderful tour of Corcovado National Park, and the Cano Island snorkeling was fun. The only thing I would comment on is that the snorkeling trip ends with lunch on a beach (we were at San Josecito Beach) but there is no bathroom available there (which was surprising). I was also stung by multiple jellyfish larvae while snorkeling, so that was a bit rough. I was itchy due to the sand fleas and larvae stings for a full week afterwards. I would have appreciated a heads up about these in advance, as I did not adequately protect myself.
Manuel Antonio was awesome, but in particular, our hotel (Hotel Mariposa) was spectacular. The resort is breathtakingly beautiful, and there are monkeys and macaws surrounding the property. I went for a daily swim in the pool because it was so beautiful and comfortable. The food at Le Papillon is a bit overpriced but it is delicious.
The Manuel Antonio hike with Andres (an ornithologist and naturalist) was incredible. He can spot a dragonfly from 100 feet away. It was a privilege to learn from him, and his powerful scope was instrumental in getting some incredible photos. We LOVED the whitewater rafting, even though water levels were low. In retrospect, I would have wanted to go in a full raft (not a raft for just the two of us and our guide), as the heavier raft leads to a bumpier ride. The guides at Amigos Del Rio were excellent.
The surf lesson with Sebastian (who works for Glen) was good, even if there was as much chatting as there was surfing. The Manuel Antonio beaches are perfect for learning to surf. The only unfortunate aspect was that our driver to and from the lesson never showed up so we had to rely on alternate mechanisms. Also our itinerary listed the lesson as "2 hours" in one place and "3 hours" in another place. Turns out it was only 2 hours, but that was plenty.
All in all, the team at Serendipity did a great job, and Adrian was accessible on WhatsApp at all times. That was hugely helpful.
Here are my suggestions:
1. More specificity on what to expect and where to be. It's great if a tour starts at 7:50am. Where should we be at 7:50am? Hotel reception? Security gate in front of hotel? Who should we look for? There are times when multiple tour guides approached us, but we were not the right clients. It would have helped for us to have a name/company to look for.
2. Lay out where we will and will not have access to internet. At La Paloma, there is no cell service, and the only WiFi provided is in the central restaurant.
3. Warn people of sand fleas and jellyfish (golden line) possibilities.
4. Recommend tours like the mangrove tours or the night tours. We did not book these in advance but word of mouth indicates that they were amazing.
All in all, we had a great time, and I appreciate Serendipity Travel very much for booking such excellent guides and experiences.

Serendipity gave me an itinerary that was responsive the needs for an intergenerational trip. I was planning for my children and their grandparents. I am used to doing everything on my own and it worked out great to work with pros in-country! the local advice was critical. When one is an outsider there is no way to distinguish who are the best service providers, guides, transfers, etc.

Serendipity booked us the most incredible MASTER guide in Monteverde who was greeted like a celebrity by the other guides. Without Bryan and his team's expertise we would have been rolling the dice. Serendipity also had access to hotels beyond the booking.com options which was critical when we were searching for lodging in peak Christmas season on the beach. Given that this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, it is great to have a local who knows what is good and worth it, depending on the travelers' profile.

I know this when I play host in my favourite cities- guidebooks and reviews are not enough and the options are overwhelming.

in country we had available and super-responsive support via WhatsApp.

This was the first time in a long time I used a travel agent or Kim-Kim but it saved me hours of time and all of their recommendations and timings of the day were great recs and worked out well. When decisions you make from you laptop don't line up it can be a bummer on vacation. My parents were super impressed.

Hotel Review

Fonda Vela Hotel

Monteverde

The Fonda Vela Hotel in Monteverde had its ups and downs. Initially, we were placed in less desirable rooms overlooking the parking lot, which lacked privacy and had a less pleasant view. However, we were able to resolve it due to speaking the local language, and eventually, we were moved to better rooms. The location of the hotel was beautiful, and the grounds were well-maintained. Service was good though the restaurant was overpriced and service slow. The New Year's Eve dinner was a letdown due to poor organization and long waits, despite being complimentary.

Activity Reviews

Private: Guided Walk at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

The private guided walk at Curi-Cancha Reserve was outstanding. Our guide was phenomenal, treating us with personal attention and engaging with our kids throughout the tour. He seemed like a celebrity, known by everyone at the site, and made the experience special. His ability to spot wildlife and engage us all made the tour unforgettable.

Treetopia: Tram, Zip Lines & Hanging Bridges

Monteverde

Treetopia adventure with zip lines and hanging bridges was exciting. Although my daughter felt the zip lines were too advanced, the hanging bridges were a great alternative, and we enjoyed the experience. The flexibility to change plans and enjoy different parts of the tour was appreciated, though I would have liked more specific guidance on choosing between this and other nearby attractions. Booking the first thing in the morning helped as we avoided the crowds.

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

The Coffee & Chocolate Tour was one of the highlights of our trip. It lived up to its sterling reviews, offering informative and enjoyable experiences surrounding two of our favorite indulgences.

Palo Verde National Park Boat Trip

Costa Rica

The Palo Verde National Park Boat Trip was an enjoyable excursion. It was a refreshing change of pace and presented Costa Rica's natural beauty from the water in a unique way.

Morning Sailing and Snorkeling Adventure

Costa Rica

The morning sailing and snorkeling adventure was great. The crew was fantastic, making the whole experience smooth and entertaining.