Kimkim Trip Reviews

We are very active travelers- meaning we get off the overnight flight and go straight into tours…seeing as much as we can see in the time we are in wherever we are visiting.

All I had to do is tell Mieke that’s what we wanted, and that we didn’t want to think about anything but seeing as much possible, and boom— she delivered just this.

Every tour guide and every driver was always where they were supposed to be on time. Not one misstep or someone not showing up. They had all communicated with one another and literally the logistics of the entire thing were perfect.

The Netherlands were amazing!!!! Every single guide and driver were subperb.

Plan your trip with Mieke- she’s seriously the best!!! I

Our Chile tour specialist coordinator Lorena, she made our trip so amazing, in short 11 days she arranged most I want go place work with local tour company, everything is on time, and perfect guide, we really appreciate her and really recommend kimkim company to all my other friends!

Hotel Review

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Marble Caves Kayak Tour

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Rovaniemi, Finland was amazing! Moonika was so helpful and customized our trip with all of the adventures we wanted while in Lapland. I would highly recommend Kim Kim for folks who are interested in traveling, know what they want to do, but would like someone else to plan the logistics for them.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Guests and Staff communicate via What's App and they are at your service with anything that you may want!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nova Skyland Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

So convenient, right in the Santa's Village complex - Such a wonderful location!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Group Reindeer Safari and Farm Visit

Rovaniemi

Reindeer sledding was so much fun! We bundled up in a sleigh and off we rode. We had a snack and hot chocolate after we got to feed the reindeer and the family who ran the location were absolutely fabulous!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing two week, 10 person, guided van tour of New Zealand! Our driver and tour guide, Robert Miernik , was excellent! He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and kind, with a great sense of humor. Robert also anticipated our needs and had great ideas for sightseeing and dinners. Franck helped finalize our tour, which had been delayed three years due to COVID. Our tour included both north and south islands, from Auckland to Christchurch. We saw green, rolling countryside with grazing sheep, geysers, beautiful fjords and lakes, glaciers in Mt Cook National Park in the NZ Alps.
Highlights from our group: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, Rotorua with the incredible geysers, Maori Cultural Experience, Tongariro National Park, a helicopter ride to, and stepping out on, the Tasman Glacier, bike tour through beautiful wine country, bungee jumping, tram dinner in Christchurch.
It was a unforgettable trip!

Excellent and appropriately adventurous tour of Chilean alpine world, Patagonia (Torres del Paine, El Calafate, El Chaltan) and End of the World. Ana worked with two of us to identify great lodging and enriching experiences--all within our budget. Transport through two countries was seamless and all taxis were on time and well briefed. Also friendly and helpful in making adjustments to our schedule, booking internal flights, and suggesting places to eat and places to go at each locale. She's a pro!

Trip was reasonably priced overall and well worth it. Weather was uniformly good in destinations--despite forecasts and fears. Contact Kimkim or Ana for our itinerary, lodging, and activities. Wouldn't change a thing. Local contacts connected to us on What's App and local tour guides were fun, informative, and professional (except one who needed an attitude adjustment!).

We spend some eventful pre-trip days in Santiago/Valparaiso guided by a friend and some good times in Buenos Aires afterward. I've been to nearly 100 countries and will now put Chile and Argentina towards the top of my list. Naturally, there's plenty more to see and do there but our itinerary is a good start!

Thanks to Kimkim and Ana for making it happen!

Hotel Reviews

Cilene del Faro Suites

Ushuaia

Great location and staff. Gave us an upgrade on room. Good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Meraki Lofts

El Chalten

Good price.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Calafate Parque Hotel

El Calafate

Great location, helpful staff, nice amenities.

Hotel Bellavista

Puerto Varas

Great location, helpful staff, comfy rooms.

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

Rustic and comfortable. Good for relaxing after a trek and excellent meals. Friendly and helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Torres del Paine National Park

Puerto Natales

World class venue and experience. 22k to towers magnificent but challenging hike. Other hike to caves and between entries also excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Chiloe Island: Ancud, Castro & Dalcahue

Puerto Varas

Long ride to interesting locale. Local museum was great but towns not particularly interesting or charming.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Osorno Volcano & the Petrohue Falls

Puerto Varas

Nice environs and plenty of time to see volcano and walk around at your ability/discretion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigation to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Pleasant boat ride and interesting info on glaciers. See Glacier museum beforehand. Well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A huge thank you to Lacey and her entire team for making our trip to Thailand so special. We had very little time to plan, so left all of the details to Lacey. She did not disappoint. Everything -- from the hotels, to tours, to guides, to drivers -- was wonderful and so well coordinated that we got to enjoy the short time we had to spend in such a wonderful country. We specifically enjoyed our private guides, Pom in Bangkok and Frankie in Chiang Mai, who made the trip particularly interesting for our entire family, including our two teenage boys. We would easy use Lacey and Exotic Voyages again and recommend them to friends and family, without hesitation.

Again, thank you, Lacey.

Hotel Reviews

Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Samut Prakan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great for easy access to the airport.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is clean, but dated and in need of an update.

Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites

Phuket

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

U Chiang Mai Hotel

Chiang Mai

Loved this boutique hotel. Beautiful rooms, great location and wonderful drinks by the pool. The staff was also extremely friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the center of the old city in Chiang Mai.

Staff

They were so friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

John Gray's sea canoe - Hong by Starlight - Joining excursion

Phuket

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Encounter oriental gastronomy in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Frankie, was wonderful!

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Pom and our driver Sumit were excellent. Highly recommend both

Transport

Amazing service, well thought out itineraries, great bus drivers and amazing local guide in Medellin! Thank you so much!!!

Lacey was always very quick to answer and provided excellent service. She custom made an itinerary based on exactly what we requested. Local guides were helpful, at our service, and provided many helpful tips and guided our trip marvelously. We did need to check about being notified of flight changes within the itinerary as we were not the ones who had actually booked the flights. Hotel selections went from good, to better, to amazing.

Hotel Reviews

Cape Panwa Hotel

Phuket

Both a pool and lovely private beach! Breakfast selection was huge, although if you want an americano (or any coffee other than the regular drip) you have to pay extra. Many restaurants on site, and the free shuttle between the hotel and sister property was very handy. More food selection in town, including nightly street food vendors. The location is ideal, especially if you're looking for a quieter spot. I didn't check on diving, but there are many excursions the hotel can help you book.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thai Akara - Lanna Boutique Hotel

Chiang Mai

Great looking property. Rooms were huge - ours was adjacent to the pool. Service throughout was great and breakfast had a very good selection. The pool bar, for being a hotel bar, was very reasonably priced. The location was also amazing for the night market, and being within the "old fortress walls" meant the hotel was in the heart of the area, handy for the weekend night market.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

W22 by Burasari

Bangkok

Friendly service, stylish boutique hotel close to Chinatown. The rooms and housekeeping were fine. Corridors were not airconditioned, so they got quite warm. There is a very cool motorcycle museum on the ground floor. Breakfast selection was serviceable but not great. Coffee could have been stronger.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Afternoon session)

Chiang Mai

This is a life-changing activity! The ride there was long, and the road up to the sanctuary is a bit rough and winding, but it is well worth it! We learned how to greet elephants, then fed, bathed and helped put more mud on them (this helps prevent sunburn and helps them cool down!) We would have appreciated knowing we were in a red-truck taxi and not the airconditioned van. These are simply amazing creatures and your support helps to keep their sanctuary going. And NO RIDING!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Letting us know it is a red-truck taxi, no AC. And that it is a long trip there.

Our recent trip in last two weeks of March 2023 entailed travels to Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, and Osaka. The arrangement of the trip by our Guides Claudia, Xavier and Irish was superb in the form of being responsive to all our questions., queries and concerns. The selection of Hotels and their locations was great, well thought out, convenient and excellent. The itinerary was great. We did get to see a lot of Japan in variety of settings and it’s rich history and religious diversity and tolerance. The guides and people that we interacted were very helpful in all possible ways.

My only concern with the trip was that compared to travels around the world, travel in Japan entailed a lot of time was spent getting from point one to the next and I think about more than Thirty percent of stay involved in walking, finding the right train stations and connections. These train train stations are large and getting to the correct. Entrance point and exiting the correct exit was confusing at times and tiring to say the least. This cut down a lot of time that we could have spent on seeing things we were suppose to visit. The trains, train schedules, train stations and and exits were not just confusing for us but at times was also too much for the Local Guides who were accompanying us.

There is to be better way of getting around Japan than what we had encountered.

My last concern was getting back to Airport there was never any instructions about making reservations on Narita Express . Our assumption that we could get on the direct Narita Express from Tokyo made us almost miss our Flight. Trying to get to the JR Rail offices and getting reservation is almost exhausting and all the great fun and excitement of the trip kind of evaporated in the last hours.

This is not Kim Kim.s fault but I conclusion was that Japan after being shut off for three years is not ready for the onslaught of Tourists that seem to have converged during our visit. The staff at Japan Rail was significantly lacking in their knowledge to respond to the questions from Tourists not just us but people in front of us at all their offices or at Information centers was very obvious and added to the long queues.

Overall Thank you for making this great trip possible.

Kirti and Ila Patel

Day 1-Starting in San Jose, we were greeted by our driver, Mario with Ride CR for our transfer to La Fortuna and our hotel, Lavas Tacotal. On the way, we stopped at the La Paz waterfall for photos and for local fruit from a roadside vendor. We tried a caimito or milkfruit, it was delicious! Upon arrival at Lavas Tacotal we were directed to our bungalow which had a lovely view of Arenal. The room was very clean and the beds were comfortable. We really liked the separate rooms for the toilet area and the shower. Water pressure and temperature were also very good. It would have been nice to have a reading lamp in the room, however. There are two restaurants very close to the hotel. We chose the steakhouse across the street. The food was ok but not great.

Day 2- Our tour to Arenal was scheduled for 2:30pm on our agenda but we learned the the tour operator, Jacamar Tours, had us scheduled for a 3pm departure. Our tour guide took us on a moderate hike around Arenal where we spotted a howler monkey, montezuma oro birds, and a screech owl. After our hike we were transferred to Ecotermales for dinner and a soak. The buffet was very good and we really enjoyed our time relaxing in various pools.

Day 3-Tour operator, Ride CR picked us up for our transfer to Monteverde promptly at 8:30am. A brief car trip brought us to the shore of Lake Arenal for our boat transfer. Once on the other side of Lake Arenal, we were greeted by our driver Bryan who drove us for the remainder of the journey to Monteverde. We were not allowed to check into Hotel Heliconia until after 3pm so we chose to have lunch in the hotel restaurant and then walk into town and explore until check in time. The hotel's lobby and restaurant area have been recently renovated and were very clean and pleasant. Our room was clean and the beds were comfortable, however, again, a table lamp would have been nice for reading before bed. Water pressure in the shower was plentiful as was the hot water. We did notice a strange sewage like smell in the bathroom that seemed to be worse at certain times of the day. We enjoyed the complimentary coffee in the room and the quiet location. The breakfast offerings at the Hotel Heliconia were by far the best of the three hotels we stayed at. That evening we had a tour to the Children's Eternal Rain Forest with Ocotea Tours. Our guide Walter did his best to find animals hidden in the jungle but given the high winds the area was experiencing this proved difficult. We did see a side striped palm pit viper, an orange kneed tarantula, and some scorpions, however.

Day 4-An early start for our tour to the Cloud Forest with Ocotea Tours. Our guide, Daniel, was very knowledgeable and helped us spot a family of spider monkeys, a hummingbird in her nest, a black faced solitaire bird, and the resplendent quetzal (both male and female!). The hummingbird gallery after our hike was truly spectacular-a must see!

Day 5-We were greeted by our driver, Matthias, promptly at 7:45am for our private transfer to Quepos. The ride was long but Matthias made time for us to have a rest at a roadside restaurant and shopping area. Upon arrival to Karahe Beach Hotel we were too early for check in so we hiked up the hill for lunch at Rafael's Terraza's Restaurant. The hotel had assigned us a sea view room that was renovated but we learned that we had one bed and not the two we had anticipated. Our agent Brittany was helpful in securing us a small refund for our trouble which we appreciated. The hotel is broken up into two sections, the hill side and the beach side, separated by the main road. Our room was on the hillside. It was very clean and the bed was the best of the three hotels but were not able to use the safe, it was broken. One of the two table lamps stopped working on the second day. The water pressure and temperature here was not good. The A/C was very cold and welcomed for such a warm and humid destination. The last thing I would mention is that there was no tv in room-I did not care about this but wanted to mention it. It looked as though there were plans to add one because the one electrical outlet in the room (not even an outlet in the bathroom) was six feet up the wall. Luckily, we positioned a chair to balance our cell phones on but it made charging them a bit more complicated.

Day 6- The breakfast at this hotel was the worst of the three by far. It started after 7am which made it impossible for us to even get a cup of coffee before departing for our tour to Manual Antonio. The presentation of the food and the food quality was not good. We did enjoy having a beach bar and loungers on the beach for our use as hotel guests. That afternoon we were picked up by Tucanes Tours for our Damas Island Kayak trip. Our tour guide, Cesar was very nice. We did spot some white faced capuchin monkeys on the tour but nothing else. I am not sure I would recommend this tour again as I found it underwhelming and the water we kayaked in looked very polluted. Dinner was provided after kayaking at the Tucanes Tours restaurant rest stop. It was a classic Costa Rican casado which gets the job done but was overall pretty flavorless.

Day 7-We learned of a special bird watching area called Esquipulas and made a decision to change our tour from Caracara to Esquipulas. Tucanes Tours was kind enough to switch our tour for no additional charge. We were met by Carla at 5:00am for a private tour to this special bird watching area only around 30 minutes from Quepos. She was very enthusiastic and knowledgable! We saw so many birds! Esquipulas is a really lovely area and quite a bit cooler than Quepos. We spotted a stick bird and it's chick, two species of toucans, honey creepers, king vulture, wood peckers, and many others. It was a very good tour.

Day 8-
We were picked up by Olandro from Ride CR promptly at 6:30am for our transfer back to San Jose for our flight home. We made it to the airport for plenty of time to do last minute shopping and have brunch.

Overall, everything was just about what we expected. However, I would mention that Costa Rica is not a place for those who get car sick. The roads are very bumpy and often windy. Monteverde and Quepos are very hilly, so you should be in reasonably good shape to get around on foot. You also must be fit enough to bring your bags to your room up steep hills. And, having some Spanish speaking knowledge would be very useful! Luckily for me my travel companion is a pretty good Spanish speaker.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Heliconia

Monteverde

New restaurant has great food and lovely decor. Our room was clean and comfortable but if you like to read at night, there is no table lamp. Coffee maker with coffee in room was nice and the coffee was good. Bathroom had good water pressure and hot water. Strange sewer smell in bathroom but maybe that was just in our room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Being so close to town was great. Steep walk to get back to hotel, however.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Newly renovated room had the best bed with terrific pillows and linens. Safe in room was broken. Table lamp stopped working after first night, luckily there are two lamps in room. One electrical outlet in entire room-none in bathroom. AC was very good. Water pressure and temperature were subpar. View from room was very nice. Our room did not have a TV but that was not a problem for us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Across street from the beach with beach bar and loungers. Great restaurants close by.

Staff

We left the housekeeper a tip in the room and she did not take it. We had to chase her down to ask her to take the tip!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was the great. AC was very good.

Hotel Lavas Tacotal

Fortuna, San Carlos

Great views of Arenal, bungalow room was clean and beds were comfortable. Good water pressure and very hot water. The breakfast options were good but the coffee was just so so. There is no lamp in room so if you like to read at night this hotel might not be for you. No safe in room. Sushi restaurant near hotel and steakhouse across the street. You can walk to a traditional SODA in about ten minutes. All other restaurants are a taxi ride away.

Authenticity & Character

Location

View of Arenal

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Carara National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

I did not go on this tour.

Damas Island Kayaking

Manuel Antonio

This was just ok. Saw some monkeys at the beginning of the tour. The water appeared quite polluted.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was pretty bland.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cloud Forest Reserve Hike

Monteverde

This was one of our favorite hike. The cloud forest was so beautiful and we spotted so many animals and birds. The hummingbird gallery was so much fun. You will never see more hummingbirds in one place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Eternal Rainforest Night Walk

Monteverde

It was very windy when we were there and this made it hard to hear animals. This made the experience rather underwhelming but it's not a zoo so you have to expect that you might not see much. The guide did the best he could given circumstances.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano Hike & EcoTermales Hot Springs Visit with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Great buffet dinner and the pools at Eco Termales are wonderful!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip has been just brilliant-From airport pick up to airport drop. Picked up from the airport by our driver Mustafa with a placard with my name written on it(felt like a celebrity)🤣. Mustafa speaks English amazingly so no difficulty in communication. His driving skill is perfect as well. My partner is amazed by it🤣. We have different hotels every night so a total of 6 hotels for a week trip and all of them has been so comfy. Morocco trip has been comfortable and very much enjoyed. Sayid has been our guide in Marrakesh and he is good. Kamal our guide in Fes is very knowledgeable of the history and the streets in the Medina. He even took us to the secret market of leather that only happens for an hour every day. We were the only tourists in the secret market as not all guides knows about it. I can go on and on in this review but to wrap it all up—- THE TRIP WAS AMAZING 🤩

Hotel Review

Paradis Du Sahara

Merzouga

Comfort in the middle of the desert

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We felt like VIPs

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hot shower in the middle of the desert? Yes please

Activity Reviews

Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Incredible place. Just wow

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Morocco

Our guide Adbul has been so good. Old man with lots of energy and knowledge about the place.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

We would have been lost inside the Medina for thousands of years without Kamal. He was just brilliant and knowledgeable about everything in the Medina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erg Chebbi to Fes by way of the Atlas Mountains

Morocco

That visit to the wild monkeys was fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

Unforgettable

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Erg Chebbi

Morocco

Very comfortable ride with non stop of incredible views

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Sayid took us everywhere. Amazing day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Across Portugal planned the perfect trip, enabling us to experience all of the wonderful things Portugal has to offer! From staying in beautiful hotels in the right locations, to day trips to historic destinations and gorgeous coastal towns, to educational guided walking tours, to our amazing driver Paolo, the trip enabled us to immerse in the culture, history and beauty of Portugal. Our travel agent Joao was with us every step of the way through Whatsapp, giving us our daily itinerary, suggesting restaurants and ensuring we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. We just fell in love with the country and its people and plan to go back for an extended stay next year! Thank you KimKim and Across Portugal for this amazing experience!

Angulu and our porters were superb. We absolutely loved every minute of our trip to Gokyo. The views of Everest and the other 8000s from Gokyo Ri and Rengo La were stunning. At one point we thought we were going to need to turn back due to snow, but the team kindly waited a day and helped us move quickly when the weather cleared. The tea houses were cold but comfortable, and everyone was very kind.

Activity Reviews

Trek from Gokyo to Marlung (17,585 feet / 5360 m) via Renjo La Pass

Marlung

Acclimatization day, Climb Gokyo Ri (5357m)

Gokyo

Now I understand why they say Galapagos is the trip of a lifetime. It would be hard to go there under any circumstances and NOT have an amazing time, but arranging it through KimKim and specifically with our local expert Tamer made it a breeze. Tamer is a great listener and incredibly responsive and caring. He worked with me to ensure this trip for myself, my teenage daughter, and my elderly aunt with some health issues would be incredible for each of us, all the way down to the itinerary that would include seeing specific animals, making sure the ship's crew was aware of my aunt's food allergy, and having wetsuits reserved in case the water temp for snorkeling wasn't comfortable. Here's why I'll happily book through KimKim again in the future: 1. They arrange exactly the trip I want without my having to spend any time researching, 2. I don't have to think about a thing from start to finish, because transfers, accomodations, and tours are all arranged, 3. As a woman traveling with her daughter, I feel safe knowing drivers, guides, etc. are vetted, and 4. I get all that for a few hundred dollars more than if I planned the trip myself. What's not to love?

From the beginning Lacey pulled two vacation options for us. We settled on one and had a few revisions along the way. We were traveling with our 11 year old daughter and long time family friend visiting from the U.S. since we live in Singapore. I explained to Lacey the importance of 5-star accommodations and experiences. She did not disappoint. The suites and two villas were incredible!! She made sure we had first class private transportation and guides. The pre-arranged meals were out of this world and authentic with personal touches. Our first guide - Toto - was so much fun and full of personality. He was a true delight. Our second guide in Krabi - Aos - was very knowledgeable about all of the local trees, plants and was amazing through our jungle and hot springs hikes. When we decided not to do the 3rd adventure in the afternoon (as we wanted to enjoy our villa and private pool) it was no problem at all. Our last days in Phuket, Lacey made a last minute change in our request of private boat and island hopping/cave adventures. It was unbelievable. The staff and guides were just warm and fun personalities, completely customizing our day into the sunset. Our transport on the last day escorted us all the way through the airport, ensuring our easy access to the airline. We cannot wait to use KimKim again for our next vacation!

Chelsea called me before the trip and tailored it to capture exactly what I wanted! She was very knowledgeable about how long to stay at certain places and limited long driving days (mostly less than 4 hours)!
Our favorite spot on the itinerary was the Wilderness Lodge—getting time to hang with the NZ local owners Jerry & Anne was so special.

Margarita was a wonderful communicator and thoughtful travel coordinator, visiting us during two stops in the Bogota airport. All of the guides were kind, informed and prompt, making our trip seamless and easy (even with 5 children ages 1-8 included in our group). Lee in Medellin was especially wonderful, teaching us a lot of the Colombian culture and landscape. We can’t wait to use KimKim again for our travel planning!

I really can't say enough amazing things about Cathy and the whole team at Columbus Tours! They were so knowledgable about the culture and history of Guatemala. They were professional and made all of our excursions so fun. It was such a gift that we were able to learn from them and travel with them to Lake Atitlan, Antigua, and Pacaya Volcano. This team made our trip! Absolutely would recommend them to anyone!

Activity Review

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic, Private.

Guatemala

This hike was so much fun! We roasted marshmallows in a crater and enjoyed the entire hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family took its first trip to Costa Rica, opting for the 9 day itinerary to experience as much of the country during our children's winter break in the U.S. northeast. First, many thanks to our excellent KimKim travel planner Jessica for her responsiveness and advice pre-trip and the same availability and support during our trip. Over the 9 days we were able to cover the lush rain forest in La Fortuna/Arenal, the cloud forest high atop the mountains in Monteverde and the breathtaking Pacific coast beauty of tropical Manual Antonio. This itinerary allows you to fully experience each of the diverse climates in Costa Rica while traveling from the low altitudes in San Jose, up to the cooler and wind swept peaks and descend back down to finish the trip on sun drenched beaches.

RIDE CR provided all our transfers and we cannot recommend them enough for customer experience, timeliness and willingness to share history and knowledge of Costa Rica during our rides. To set expectations, the transfers between locations can be long ranging from 2-4 hours and often on windy roads with mind bogglingly steep inclines. If you are prone to motion sickness, it is worth preparing. This said, the long transfers are - ABSOLUTELY - worth every second and DO NOT let it deter you from making the journey.

The ride from San Jose took approximately 3 hours ascending through very windy and foggy roads (zero visibility at times) up the mountains and down into La Fortuna. In La Fortuna we stayed at the Tabacon Resort and Spa for 3 days. Tabacon's grounds are meticulously maintained and seemingly carved into the rain forest with perfect views of the breathtaking Arenal Volcano. Without a doubt, the gem of the Tabacon resort are the healing natural hot spas. Tabacon offers constant shuttles just around the corner to the spas only minutes away. I recommend walking to the spas (in your bathrobe ;)). The walk is 5-7 minutes and surrounded by gardens and the rain forest. The Tabacon hot spas are amazing, and it features many (often hidden) pools with an average temperature of approximately 98 degrees F. We elected to forgo an excursion to fully experience the spas for a day, even our teenage boys were happy with the decision. As a Tabacon guest you have access to ‘private’ pools in the Shangri La section of the hot spas. Less crowded and totally worth it.

Tabacon offers good options for food, but I recommend heading to downtown La Fortuna and eating at one of the local ‘sodas’. Eating at a ‘soda’ can feel like being invited into someone’s kitchen, the food is delicious and it’s a great experience, in addition to being much less costly than hotel restaurant prices. The Arenal Hanging Bridges tour is a must, and our tour guides were informative and greatly enhanced the experience by pointing out the flora and fauna. Walking the (6) hanging bridges is a ‘bucket list’ item and the spectacular views are inspiring.

On our 3rd day we left La Fortuna for a boat/bus trek across the man made lake surrounded by towering mountains and jungle, and up the mountain to Monteverde. The ride from La Fortuna to Monteverde is approximately 4 hours. Oscar from RIDE CR is a talented driver and navigated the impossible hills and turns in the bus effortlessly (at least it seemed that way). Oscar took a stop half way at a small soda in the mountains, where we got empanadas and stretched our legs. The stress of the grind quickly became a distant memory as we stood outside the soda surrounded by green mountains and deep valleys thousands of feet below.

Monteverde is special and worth every second of the journey to get there. Monteverde is windy (expected being a mile from sea level), and suggest packing some cool weather gear. The cooler temps of Monteverde is a welcome change from the more tropical climates below. Similar to La Fortuna, it is worth keeping a rain slicker in your backpack for the unexpected rain shower. Our original reservations were at Los Pinos - Cabanas & Jardines, but due to increased wind and fallen trees our cabin was no longer available. The staff at Los Pinos was extremely accommodating, found a room at another hotel and covered the cost. Our relocation was serendipitous, and we were fortunate to spend the next two wonderful days at Valle Escondido.

Valle Escondido offers 2 miles of cliff side trails with vistas of towering waterfalls and sheer cliffs. Access to the trails, the prime view to watch the sunset or endlessly stare miles away down the valley leading to the Pacific Ocean makes every moment at Valle Escondido precious. The onsite restaurant serves food made from ingredients grown on site, which also offers educational tours of the permaculture practice at the property. The food and the staff are excellent. While in Monteverde we visited Cloud Forest for a walking tour. Our guide Marvin was an encyclopedic compendium of information explaining the daily contributions many of the plants and inhabitants play in its life cycle. The Cloud Forest does contain a few hanging bridges, with equally stunning views as we experienced in Arenal. We were fortunate to see burrowing tarantulas sleeping during the day, millipedes slinking through the brush and toucanets eating on a branch.

With 4 days to go we left Monteverde trekking down the mountain to the ocean with our final stop in Manual Antonio. On our way down our driver stopped at the Tarcoles Bridge where you can view prehistoric crocodile sunbathing in the muddy beaches 40 feet below the bridge. The crocodiles are enormous and worth the stop (we also stopped on our way back to the airport from Monte Verde). At the Tarcoles Bridge there are a few options for food and souvenirs. The ride to Manual Antonio was short of 3 hours. We finished our trip at Tulemar in Manual Antonio, and we could not have asked for a better way to end an already amazing trip. Tulemar offers multi-level studios with full kitchens and multi room houses all carved into the steep jungle descent down to the warm Pacific Ocean.

Tulemar is fully immersed in the jungle, and we awoke each morning to have coffee on our deck to enjoy the views of the ocean, while watching a troop of 50 spider monkeys gather food for the day. The property is filled with wildlife including spider and howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, giant iguanas and capybaras. The beach is truly a hidden cove at the base of the hill below the resort. Tulemar offers shuttle service up and down the steep hill to the beach, but walking is a fine alternative and good exercise to work off the food and drinks. The downtown is fully accessible by foot from the hotel, with great grocery stores only minutes away. I recommend stocking up on snacks and making a daily trip to the grocery to cook in the more than adequate kitchens of each unit. Although we were on ‘vacation’, cooking meals in this gorgeous setting is a nice change and we enjoyed the ‘home away from home’ feel in such a special place. We spent 3 memorable days on the beach at Tulemar, and elected again to forgo some activities to soak in the beauty and vibe of Costa Rica.

The ride from Manual Antonio was a ‘quick’ two and half hour ride back to San Jose, which included a second stop at the Tarcoles Bridge.

The Pura Vida value of the Costa Rican people, the geography and simply stunning beauty of the country won my family’s heart and we fully intend to make this a recurring trip. I am counting the days to watch the sunset at Valle Escondido again. Truly appreciate KimKim and Jessica for organizing a great trip and all of our hosts in Costa Rica. Much love and Pura Vida!

Working with kimkim was absolutely fantastic. The trip was exactly what we were hoping for in terms of activities...we took our 17 yr old and his friend. There was a good balance between things they loved (ziplining, hiking, jet boating, and things we wanted to do (museums, cultural experiences) and we got a decent amount of downtime, given what we were trying to cram in two weeks! Ruth was awesome and took care of everything. When we ran into a ferry delay, our local contact was able to help us right away even thought it was early in the morning. I would highly recommend especially if you're traveling somewhere you're unfamiliar with.