Amazing trip to Costa Rica!
Costa Rica | Apr 3 - Apr 10, 2026

Skye
Skye C.
Seattle, WA | Reviewed on Apr 24, 2026

Our experience with KimKim and specifically the local specialist team, Serendipity Adventures, was great. Elena and the rest of the Serendipity Adventures team, Nancy, and Adrian, and others, helped plan, organize, and manage my trip. They also worked diligently during our trip to make sure everything ran smoothly for my family.

Based on my responses to the KimKim survey, Elena planned a great vacation including all the activities we wanted to see/do while in Costa Rica. What I really appreciated was that Elena used her expertise/experience to not let me plan too busy of a trip :) I wanted to go to 3 locations but Elena very nicely suggested that, based on the length of our trip, we only do 2 locations so that we were not rushed and could really experience each location more fully. That was the right call!

The hotels Elena/team picked were amazing. The guided tours they set up had the best guides! The guide we had for our private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park was AMAZING. 23 years of experience.

What I want to note is that I feel the true test of a team's customer service and support is when things don't go quite right. I am happy to say that the Serendipity Adventures local team was very available to help when there were occasional small problems or I had a question. An example was the pick up time for our tour of Manuel Antonio park changed from 7:10 am to 11am. However, the driver still arrived at 7am. So, I messaged Adrian via WhatsApp at 7:20 in the morning when I got the call from the front desk of the hotel letting me know the driver was there and Adrian immediately responded to my message and sorted it all.

My husband and I visited Costa Rica 14 years ago and loved it. I had told Elena that we wanted to show the beautifulness of Costa Rica to our almost 13 year old daughter. Elena understood and delivered a trip we will always remember. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews
Hampton by Hilton San José Airport
Alajuela

We stayed here for 1 night at the beginning of the trip. It was a nice hotel. I will have to say though there was a bit of a problem the morning of our check out. Our driver asked the front desk if we had checked in the night before and was told we hadn't! So, that caused a bit of confusion...but it got sorted.

Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel La Mariposa
Manuel Antonio

In general, the hotel is beautiful and really showcased the beauty that is Costa Rica. One time when we were in the beautiful pool, a whole troop of Spider Monkeys moved through the trees right next to the pool! Probably 40 or so. We saw up close all the mommy's with their babies jumping from branch to branch! it was so cool. A few little things - one of the front desk team members really wasn't very friendly. I was surprised. And, the other thing that sticks out was on our last day, we had not checked out yet, a maintenance man just sorta came into our room - no knock or anything. It was really odd. But, other than that, really wonderful hotel with amazing views.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Most of the staff were great. One of the front desk helpers was not very welcoming/engaging. Also, on our last day, a maintenance man just opened our door to our room before we had checked out. It was odd.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Baldi Hot Springs Resort, Hotel & Spa
Fortuna

Such a cool hotel. Very neat to get to stay right there with the hot springs. Couple of notes: - There are 4 water slides - 2 of them are really pretty aggressive. - You are going to laugh but, bring ear plugs for sleeping! There was either frogs or crickets that cricked all night! I mean, so much fun but also pretty loud at night. ha ha.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
One of the servers we had in the main restaurant was just not very good with regard to customer service. Forgot to bring us things we ordered, didn't check in. That was a bit frustrating..but other than that, the staff was great and very friendly and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall
Arenal Volcano Hike & La Fortuna Waterfall
Arenal/La Fortuna

Well, the weather did not cooperate for us on this. It was very cloud/overcast and VERY rainy. But, we made the best of it. It was a bit interesting, the tour guide picked us up in a van from our hotel. Turns out the battery on the van decided to stop working that morning and he didn't have time to fix it. So, the two times we had to start the van to go to the next stop, we had to push it so it rolled and then could jump it bc it was a manual. lol. So, that added some unexpected excitement to our day.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike
Private Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike
Costa Rica

So amazing! Our guide was fantastic. 23 years of experience. He saw SO many animals...and he knew how to use our iPhone cameras expertly so we got amazing pictures that he took with our phone :)

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk
Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk
Arenal/La Fortuna

It was all very nice. The zip line part was very legit. The tour was nice - the bridges were cool and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and nice. The guest area was nice also - you can get lunch and see the amazing view.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Catamaran Tour with Meal
Catamaran Tour with Meal
Costa Rica

A lot of fun. We met/talked to a ton of the other guests which was a lot of fun. The dinner was soo good. Swimming was very nice and the sunset was amazing.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Elena Mora
Elena
Elena Mora
Local specialist in Cartago, Turrialba | Replied on Apr 24, 2026
Hello Skye, Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it truly means a lot to us! It was an absolute pleasure working with you to plan your family’s trip to Costa Rica. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the itinerary, the hotels, and the guided experiences, especially your time in Manuel Antonio. Your kind words about our guides and team are greatly appreciated. I’m especially grateful for your recognition of our support during the trip. As you mentioned, those... Read more

Hello Skye,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it truly means a lot to us!

It was an absolute pleasure working with you to plan your family’s trip to Costa Rica. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the itinerary, the hotels, and the guided experiences, especially your time in Manuel Antonio. Your kind words about our guides and team are greatly appreciated.

I’m especially grateful for your recognition of our support during the trip. As you mentioned, those moments are where we truly aim to make a difference, and I’m glad Adrian and the team were able to assist you quickly when needed.

It means so much to know that we were able to help you create such a special experience for your family, and that your daughter could discover the beauty of Costa Rica in a meaningful way. That was exactly our goal from the beginning.

Thank you again for trusting us with your trip. We would be absolutely delighted to assist you again in the future!

Pura Vida! 🌴

Warm regards,
Elena Mora
Serendipity Adventures Costa Rica🦋🐒🦥