costa rica family vacatioin
Costa Rica | Apr 11 - Apr 19, 2019

S
Scott K.
Merion, PA | Reviewed on Apr 21, 2019

I liked the interface--communication was very easy and consistent.

Yenyi did a great job setting up the overall plan and activities in Costa Rica.

Monica coordinated the travel plans locally and solved a couple of minor problems along the way. Our rides were always on time for pickup, the drivers were cautious, and the drivers and guides were always friendly.

Our favorite activities were the float on Penas Blanca river, the hikes in Monteverde, and the tour of Manuel Antonio National Park (and beach), though we also loved Campesina Vida farm and the chocolate tours!

We would suggest that the timing of the events should be more explicit. For example, we were scheduled for a tour in the morning and a tour in the afternoon. The planned pickup times were indicated, but the duration or return time was not consistently indicated. As a result, we were sometimes stressed about the transitions between activities and had to change clothes and/or devour a meal in very little time. We also missed one activity because our transfer took longer than planned. They were kind enough to offer to reschedule, but it just didn't work out for us. (I know that we asked to push back our early morning schedules because of the children, but we relied on your advice about how much flexibility there was.)

The hotels, Arenal Springs and Parador in Manuel Antonio, were both terrific. However, Los Pinos in Monteverde was really not ideal for us. The staff there was incredibly kind and helpful, but the cabin was just too challenging for a group of 6 that included 2 grandparents and 2 children. It was up a steep hill, cramped quarters, small and somewhat uncomfortable beds, poor water pressure in the showers, and no food options on the premises.

Lastly, it would be helpful if the roadbook included all the information in the kimkim trip summary. The two components have complementary information and it would be more useful if all the info could be available in one place.

Overall, I would be glad to use kimkim again, but would more carefully review the timing and other details before the trip.

Local specialist: Mónica Meneses
Mónica
Mónica Meneses
Local specialist in Costa Rica | Replied on May 17, 2019
Hi Scott, Thank you so much for your review and helpful feedback. I'm glad that your overall experience was good and that you had great times with several of the activities we booked for you! Concerning the activity you missed, I originally advised leaving earlier to avoid exactly this situation. As you insisted to delay it as much as possible, I managed to do it by still giving you some spare time in case of delays. Unfortunately, traffic can be quite unpredictable and it was out of my... Read more

Hi Scott,

Thank you so much for your review and helpful feedback. I'm glad that your overall experience was good and that you had great times with several of the activities we booked for you!

Concerning the activity you missed, I originally advised leaving earlier to avoid exactly this situation. As you insisted to delay it as much as possible, I managed to do it by still giving you some spare time in case of delays. Unfortunately, traffic can be quite unpredictable and it was out of my hands to control this situation.

As per your comment of Los Pinos, we would have liked if you had informed us about your complaints during your trip. We would have looked for the best solution to make your stay in Monteverde as great as in the other hotels.

I would also like to let you know that we are working to improve our roadbook as we take seriously each comment you made and we agree that details like the ones you mentioned need to be more explicit.

We thank you again for your positive feedback and we'll be happy to have you again for another adventure in Costa Rica!

Best regards,
Mónica