First time visiting Costa Rica
Costa Rica | Jan 10 - Jan 19, 2023

A
Aaron M.
Portland, OR | Reviewed on Jan 21, 2023

We visited Costa Rica for the first time and spent 9 days in the country. We spent our first night in San Jose and then 2 nights each in Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, La Fortuna and Tamarindo. We wanted to see as much as possible on this trip and we feel like we got to see a lot of different places. Getting to these different places wasn't easy. My wife gets car sick and she really had a rough time on the roads. If I could do it again I would have considered flying from place to place when possible. The drive times were all longer than we expected. Most roads were paved but not all. And some roads had many potholes. Even when paved the winding roads made the drives feel extra long. Fortunately our drivers were one of the highlights of our trip. They were all personable and professional. They were excellent drivers and handled the challenging road conditions like true pro's. They were very hospitable. They answered our questions and let us practice our bad Spanish.
All of our guides were wonderful. They were all very knowledgeable and professional and friendly. You can tell they enjoy what they do.

Hotel Reviews
Holiday Inn San Jose Aurola
San José

This hotel wasn't "amazing" but it was fine and served it's purpose. We checked in at 10 at night and were gone the next day by 2. The rooms were dated and drab but everything worked. Great water pressure in the shower. We were hungry when we got in but didn't know where to find food at such a late hour. The person at the front desk let us know that we could order via Uber Eats. 45 minutes later we were eating Chinese food in our room. If he hadn't mentioned it, I'm not sure we would have thought of delivery. The breakfast in the morning was a good mix of hot foods and fruits. The waiter helped us when my wife overcooked her waffle in the waffle maker. The location of the hotel is very convenient to downtown San Jose. They held our bags as we went out to explore the city. Overall a solid choice for 1 night.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Karahé Beach Hotel
Manuel Antonio

We didn't have any hot water on our first night. Of course when the hotel sent someone to check on it the next morning the hot water was working. We had intermittent hot water for the rest of our stay. Besides the hot water, I don't have any complaints about the hotel. The room is simple and comfortable. Our 3rd floor room had a balcony overlooking the gardens. The restaurant served a yummy buffet breakfast. My favorite part of the property was the proximity to the beach. The beach is beautiful and only a few minutes from our room. We saw a sloth perched in the trees at the beach on our last day.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Beach access. 15 minute walk to Manuel Antonio park.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel & Spa Poco a Poco
Monteverde Costa Rica

This is a beautiful property. The landscaping is beautiful with a garden and walking trail. Didn't get to use the heated pool or hot tub but it looked like the perfect way to finish a long day. The rooms were modern and comfortable. Great shower water pressure. The front desk staff, especially Lilly, was very helpful and hospitable. The restaurant had a yummy ala carte style breakfast in the morning. My only complaint is that with high winds during our stay, the branches from the trees kept hitting the roof above our room making it very difficult to sleep. We should have said something after the first night. If you're on the 4th floor make sure the tree branches are clear of the roof.

Authenticity & Character
Simple and stylish
Location
Right across the street from a shopping plaza that includes a supermarket and several restaurants
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Paradise Hot Springs Thermal Water Resort
La Fortuna

Fantastic hotel. The combination of the various hot spring pools, surrounding vegetation and the view of the mountains made this property really impressive. I think there was 7 or 8 different pools/hot tubs to enjoy. My favorite part was the view of the pasture and mountain from the coffee shop. The property feels luxurious and natural at the same time. The breakfast buffet at the restaurant was my favorite breakfast of all the hotels we stayed at. Good selection of hot breakfast food and all the fruits you could want. The rooms were modern, spacious and comfortable. Staff was friendly. Kenneth helped us schedule a taxi and make a dinner reservation on our first night.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Beautiful location but not very walkable. Must taxi or drive to town or restaurants.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Pasatiempo
Tamarindo

We got to stay in the Villa. It was basically a one bedroom house with a full kitchen and living room and nice covered patio section. When we were escorted to the villa the sofa bed in the living room looked like it had been used and not cleaned and a coffee cup was in the sink. The hotel employee assisting us had somebody come and makeup the sofa while we were out at lunch. Not a huge deal but not a great first impression either. The shower water pressure was weak. The property is full of trees and animals. We saw an Iguana, monkeys, squirrels, lizards and cats. The breakfast was served a la carte and was delicious. The restaurant staff was very friendly. The pool was simple but very relaxing. Live music sounded good too.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Walking distance to beach and all you need in Tamarindo. Right across the street from a supermarket and ATM. Many restaurants within walking distance.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Damas Island Kayaking
Damas Island Kayaking
Manuel Antonio

This was a very peaceful and relaxing activity. Albi, our guide was very friendly and did a good job explaining the ecosystem. We saw a monkey, a tiger heron, a kingfisher and a Black Iguana. We kayaked for about 90 minutes. The kayaking was easy and we saw a few other guides doing tours at the same time. We then were taken to a restaurant for a small breakfast and then transported back to the hotel. We had hoped to see more animals but we still enjoyed our experience.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Monteverde

We were in a group of 6. Our guide Andre was very knowledgeable and showed us many things we would never have seen on our. We saw a tarantula, glowing mushroom, several sleeping birds, lizards and opossums. I thought we would see bigger animals but I was wrong.

Quality of Experience
Our guide was great.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Backroad Mountain Biking Around Lake Arenal
Backroad Mountain Biking Around Lake Arenal
Arenal/La Fortuna

Our guide, Otto was fantastic. We were the only 2 on the tour. Otto had great energy and was so nice. The bike ride lasted about 90 minutes. You bike the road around Lake Arenal. We saw birds, cows, horses. Lots of farmland and great views of the lake. Otto even stopped on the way out of town to show us a sloth. Biking was a fun way to experience the area and get some exercise. After the ride Otto cut up a pineapple for us to snack on. And on the way back to the hotel Otto serenaded us with romantic ballad in Spanish.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tamarindo Turtle Nesting Tour (Seasonal)
Tamarindo Turtle Nesting Tour (Seasonal)
Costa Rica

There were 21 of us on this tour, by far our most crowded tour of the trip. The ride to the beach took an hour and then it was a 20 minute walk to the beach. We waited for over an hour while our guide scouted the beach for turtles. There was only one turtle on the beach that night. We were able to observe the turtle nesting and laying it s eggs.

Quality of Experience
It felt a little unorganized when we got to the beach but really we were just sitting and waiting for turtles. The group also felt too big for one single guide.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Brittany McNamara
Brittany
Brittany McNamara
Local specialist in Colorado | Replied on Jan 23, 2023

Hi Aaron,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review! We really appreciate your feedback, as do our travelers. I'm glad to hear that overall, you had a great time, and that the upgrade transfers worked out better for your wife.

We hope you'll consider using kimkim again in the future,
Brittany