Perhaps the best vacation we've ever had!!!
Costa Rica
|
Aug 20 - Aug 27, 2022
We had the BEST time visiting Costa Rica thanks to KimKim.com! I highly recommend this country and the experience it has to offer. Not only is the country lush and beautiful, the people are so hospitable and genuinely seem to appreciate your visit. In fact the local tour company that KimKim.com arranged greeted us with a note thanking us to contributing to the social-economic involvement of their local communities and said that we were all making our world a better place. You truly notice the local sense of community they share. And the people of Costa Rica make good/right decisions that avoid the kind of exploitation you see in much of the world. (For example, if a baby sloth falls from its momma, you won’t find tourists holding it, passing it around and taking photos for money. Instead, one wildlife specialist is assigned to raise the baby. This person is the only one allowed to interact with it and it will eventually be reintegrated into the forest ecosystem.) There are so many thrilling things to do in this country. In the short amount of time we were there, KimKim.com arranged for us to go white water rafting (Balsa River), zip lining (Sky Adventures Zip Lines), embark on a catamaran tour with snorkeling, take a guided hike to La Fortuna Waterfall (excellent guide, wish I could remember his name), and take another guided hike/tour through Manual Antonio National Park spotting animals, reptiles, and insects along the way (special thanks to our amazing guide Andrey Obando). My daughter wanted me to add that the local food was yummy - healthy and flavorful. We used KimKim.com to book our trip and they orchestrated everything through the local Costa Rica tour company Greenworld Adventures. KimKim.com assigned a local planner (Veronica - who was excellent!) and they were in touch with us through Whatsapp during the trip. We had every activity and transfer planned and did not have to worry about a single thing. It was like having a vacation concierge. Specifically the hotels we stayed in included the Grand de Oro Hotel in San Jose (first night only when we arrived late), Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa in Arenal/La Fortuna for three nights, and Los Altos Resort Private Reserve and Beach in Manuel Antonio for three nights. It was a vacation of a lifetime exceeding our expectations with so amazing memories. I cannot recommend KimKim.com enough.
Hotel Reviews
Very quirky and interesting hotel. We only stayed one night and used them because we arrived late in San Jose and were transferring early the next morning. I only wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy it more.
Great location. Lovely pool area. The rooms were enormous! It was like having our own apartment. I think our room may have even had more square footage than our own house.
Simply beautiful. This is an elegant hotel. The hot spring fed pools were amazing. The restaurants were delicious. The views and location could not be beat.
Activity Reviews
The guides were amazing! We had a thrilling time. We did this river with our 10 year old daughter who'd never been before. They took us to an appropriate stretch of river for her age. The rapids were thrilling but age appropriate for her. This was an amazing way to travel from one destination to another.
This was maybe the highlight of our trip. It just so happened we had a massive rain storm during our hike which made the water fall all the more thrilling. We got to see a second water fall form. Our guide said he'd never been there at that exact moment and you could tell just how excited he was too!!
Far more than I expected! I thought zip lining in Costa Rica would be cliche (because everyone does it) but it was well worth it. Very high and long lines. Totally thrilling. We'd never done anything like it. I'm mildly scared of heights so had to conquer my fear a little, but doing so was invigorating.
It was POURING down rain when we woke up for this tour, but we pressed on and so glad we did. The lead crew member ensured us we'd have a great time and the conditions were safe and he was not wrong! They made a big effort to make sure we also saw humpback whales.
So much nature. Animals, reptiles, insects... I thought this was just a hike but it was more like living a real life national geographic expedition. My 10 year old daughter had her mind blown and literally came home and made her own documentary about how amazing this tour was. Special thanks to Andrey Obando who I think is the best guide there is. He made a special effort to connect to our daughter and she was just thrilled (as were we) with the whole experience. You also end up at one of the most beautiful beaches around.
Dear Blair,
Reading this review and looking at the pictures makes me feel so happy and fulfilled!! Thank you so much for your words, thank you for choosing Costa Rica as your destination and Green World Adventures as your Touroperator!!
Do not forget to share with everyone the "Pura Vida" lifestyle🤙🏻🇨🇷
Veronica - Green World Adventures