Kimkim Trip Reviews

I would like to thank Mohamed, Abdellah, and the team at KimKim and Original Travels for their effort in organizing the entire nine day trip my parents and I took in Morocco (we are from California, USA). Faisal, our driver and guide, was especially excellent and went out of his way to take care of my parents and I and catered each leg of the journey towards our preferences and needs. All the day tour guides, including Mohamed, Hanan, and Hashim, were extremely knowledgeable and helpful as well. The itinerary was written in detail for us prior to the trip, and the team ensured that we covered whatever essentials of Morocco we could within the timeframe we had. Camping in the Sahara Desert near Merzouga and Fes were our favorite parts! The only downside we experienced was our hotel in Fes which did not have hot water and a lack of advance communication about having to walk far into the medina with quite a few suitcases for one or two of the hotels. This was conveyed to the company, and they went out of their way to make alternative accommodations for us and were prompt in integrating our feedback. They were extremely friendly to interact with, almost like family, with excellent and timely service. I would definitely recommend to all my friends and family. Morocco is a beautiful country with warm, loving people, and we will be back at some point!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dar Mounir

Chefchaouen

We didn't know that the hotel was far from the street, but otherwise the food was excellent and amenities were sufficient!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great experience, higher up the stairs so may be harder for older travelers

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

Beautiful view and hotel! Staff was very nice and they went out of their way to ensure that we were comfortable and made food according to our dietary restrictions. 100% recommend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Ahmed and staff were absolutely amazing, the tent was extremely comfortable with fantastic amenities! The food was great too! Staying here is a must do for any Morocco trip, I can't wait to be back!

Authenticity & Character

Location

I liked it, but our camel ride was two hours (expected one hour), so would have appreciated to have known that. Otherwise great!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Ghita

Fes

Riad Ghita, the people were friendly and breakfast was well-arranged. However, there was no hot water in the room, and we had to go upstairs to shower to receive hot water, which was not a problem for me, but my parents who are older could not climb the stairs and were forced to take cold showers. The faucet and flush were also broken, which is completely unprofessional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was amazing, she was very knowledgeable regarding the history of Marrakech and the riad, and helped us in depth as we navigated bargaining in the souks. Highly recommend her for your Marrakech tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Fantastic experience! The only thing was the camel ride was two hours nonstop, which was difficult for my mom who is older and we were under the impression that it was one hour. Would have appreciated communication on that but otherwise it was the experience of a lifetime and highly recommend that anybody coming to Morocco does not miss this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dine with a Local Family

Morocco

The host family was so sweet, treating us as if we were part of their family. They made so much food, that I wish we had the stomach to fit everything! The Moroccan clothing with music and dance was a lot of fun!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Mohamed was an excellent guide, very informative tour with plenty of knowledge about Moroccan history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ATV Ride in the Dunes of Merzouga

Merzouga

So much fun!! Must do!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had such an amazing trip to Peru, thanks to KimKim. Our local specialist, Liz, listened to our preferences to build a memorable itinerary. We had a great mix of food/culture and adventure, between Lima, Huacachinca, Cusco, and Machu Picchu. On the trip itself all of the guides were very friendly and knowledgeable and provided private tours that felt very special. Our trip required a lot of logistics (I.e., many vans, buses, trains, and planes), and each transfer felt seamless and safe. Highly recommend!

Hotel Review

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Very cool and unique vibe with great food and drinks.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Ziplining & Via Ferrata in The Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Danny was great!

Transport

Shared tour to Pisac, Ollantaytambo & Train to Machu Picchu town

Peru

Quality of Experience

Pisac & Ollantaytambo were gorgeous, but our guide did not seem very knowledgeable so we missed out on all the history and other information that would have brought it all to life.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Huacachina Adventure: Buggies & Sand Boarding

Huacachina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Peruvian Food Tour in Artsy Barranco

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco

Peru

We LOVED our trip to Italy planned by Andrea! Our travel was seamless and well thought out, and our activities were perfectly aligned with our requests. Andrea was so helpful and responsive to our endless questions, and we really appreciated how quickly he replied. Our favorite things had to be the wonderful Podere Brizio in Tuscany, or the wine tasting near San Gimignano. They were such peaceful and lovely places.

We absolutely recommend Andrea and any (or all) of the places we went in Italy!

Hotel Review

Podere Brizio

Montalcino

Podere Brizio is a peaceful and wonderful place to stay near Montalcino. We loved everything about it and can't recommend it enough.

Tips for future travelers

No, just enjoy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Wine tasting in Tuscany countryside (1 winery)

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

What an epic adventure. Daniel made our trip one of the best we have ever experienced! He planned everything and made any adjustments where we wanted. He created such a beautiful experience tailored specifically to us. Not having to think about scheduling anything on our own, or getting taxis when we needed, or worrying about keeping track of flight tickets or time frames made this trip feel so luxurious. We started in Quito and had the best day ever riding around with Danny! Danny took us to the equator, a private cooking class, the statue of Mary, and walked us through multiple places in the historic district. He also stopped alongside the road to buy us yucca bread just because he loved it so much and wanted to share it with us. We then flew to Coca and took a motorized canoe down the Napo to the Napo Cultural Center. Mari, the general manager was so lovely and helpful. She explained how the eco lodge works and answered any questions we had. Venancio was beyond perfect as our guide while we were there. He loves sharing the culture and knowledge he has about his people, the birds, and teaching the native language to us. He was incredibly flexible and would take us anywhere we wanted to go, see anything we wanted to see, and spend as much time as we wanted enjoying the rainforest and giving us his time. He is so selfless and has a heart of gold. We got to see spider monkeys, golden tamarinds, and the howler monkeys put on a show right in front of our eyes while on the canoe trip. The birds are so beautiful and diverse. It was so special to see them and learn about them from Venancio. He makes sure to get you the best photos through his telescope. Living amongst the Kachiwa people was an experience I will never forget. The chefs were incredible! Feeding us gourmet meals three times a day! The fresh juices and cold towels made for a super refreshing end to any adventure we had for the day. Our bartender Lenin was great as well! He was so happy to share his knowledge of local beverages and culture as well. He helped teach us some phrases in the native language also. The housekeeping staff and our boat drivers were the best! I will definitely be back to Napo and Quito in the future. Daniel made sure that this trip was perfect, and he created such a special place in our hearts for Ecuador. 10/10 would recommend!!!

Hotel Reviews

Napo Cultural Center

Quito

The Napo Cultural Center is breathtakingly beautiful. The staff are the very best. We were so comfortable in our room and everywhere we went! I loved being able to live amongst the Kachiwa people and learn about the culture! I also loved stepping outside and viewing wildlife.

Tips for future travelers

Drink water! Use bug spray! Be thankful and appreciate all of the people and wildlife. You won’t regret this trip. It’s one in a million.

Authenticity & Character

You’re staying in a village. You’re surrounded by culture, history, and wisdom.

Location

The culture, the wildlife, the beauty of it all, how remote it is

Staff

They were are so great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was comfortable and clean

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

I love the Ikala Hotel! It is super clean, the rooms are so diverse and comfortable, the staff is super helpful and friendly, it’s quiet, and I would love to stay again!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely book your stay here. You will be happy to have the wonderful places to walk to and the staff are always willing to get you a quick taxi to anywhere you want to explore!

Authenticity & Character

The style and decor

Location

Being close to Mercando El Camino, Tres Gatos, and Abysma.

Staff

Clean rooms and shared spaces with great character and light

Cleanliness & Comfort

Firm beds, great water pressure, cleanliness, and balcony

Activity Reviews

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

Karen was amazing. We cooked with her in a treehouse amongst a beautiful garden of local ingredients. The food was incredible and we learned so much!

Quality of Experience

Local ingredients

Food

Empanadas, local fruit, and chocolate!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Karen and Danny were wonderful!

Transport

Quito - Coca - Napo Cultural Center

Ecuador

Venancio was the best guide! I loved exploring the rainforest and seeing all the wildlife!

Quality of Experience

The culture, the wildlife, and the beauty of the environment

Food

Gourmet meals and drinks!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything! They are perfect!

Transport

Timely, skilled, and friendly

Tummas ( both our guide and trip planner and owner of Heimdal Tours) did an amazing job. He put together an itinerary of hikes that were somewhat off the beaten track. Spectacular views . Very knowledgeable and personable.
Highly recommend his tour company if you are planning a trip to the Faroe Islands.

I had a wonderful trip to Morocco with my mom and dad. Arranging the trip was easy and painless, and Hakim listened thoughtfully to our needs and special requests. Our driver, Mohamad, was wonderful! He was a great guide and lovely company for our drive from Rabat to Chefchaouen, Fez, Meknes, and Marrakech. Mohamad provided helpful recommendations and was very conscientious of our needs during the trip. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

Hotel Review

La Mamounia

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Trip to Meknes & the Roman Ruins of Volubilis

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nika was wonderful, she listened to our feedback on the trip and adjusted perfectly. She was also available during our trip when rescheduling and timing changes needed to be made. We had such a fantastic honeymoon and would def use Kim Kim again depending on the country. One thing that would have been nice was to know of the local holidays beforehand so we could planned accordingly. There were several Slovenian holidays (where lots of attractions were closed) during our trip and a wine festival in Gredic that would have been fun to include if we had planned accordingly.

Hotel Review

Hotel Majer'ca

Bohinjsko jezero

Hands down our fav from our stay! It was cozy and the restaurant was absolutely superb! We ate there twice it was so great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Ljubljana Food Walking Tour (shared tour)

Ljubljana

Jashmin was a highlight of our trip! We are so glad that we took this tour at the start of our vacation. She was so kind, full of local info, and planned a well curated journey through Ljubljana.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was the third trip we have taken with Kimkim and by far this was the best! What made it so outstanding was our guide Robi, and the personalized attention he gave . Robi gave us a lot of options and detailed information which allowed us to see many hidden jewels in the wonderful country of Croatia. He also took time to meet with us personally and provide us an interesting history of the country. We always felt he was just a phone call or a text away should we have a question or a problem. We highly recommend both this trip and Robi as a guide as both were outstanding .

Hotel Review

Apartment Oyster paradise

Ston

This is a charming Airbnb in a hidden fishing village. Very quaint and relaxing. A real jewel. Off the beaten path and allows you to experience the actual flavor of Croatia

Authenticity & Character

Location

B

Staff

Y

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

Our 12 day trip to Greece for our honeymoon was amazing. We loved the diversity of experiences, landscapes and sights across Athens, Naxos, and Santorini. Harris crafted an itinerary that was well-tuned to our interests and balanced our desire to explore and relax. From a mythology tour around the Acropolis to learning about (and tasting) agricultural products on Naxos and Santorini, all of the experiences Harris set up for us were excellent. During our trip, we were grateful to have dedicated support from the kimkim team to handle shifts in our private transportation schedule, confirming dinner reservations, and responding to our questions.

Lorena developed an amazing itinerary that allowed us to experience as much as possible during our time in Chile. Beginning our trip at Gloria and Leo's home for an amazing dinner, ambience, and conversation was the perfect welcome. Our tour guide Felipe was a wealth of knowledge about the area, the history, and social issues impacting the country, which greatly added to our experience. We spent a day seeing the beautiful sights of Santiago and experiencing a signature Chilean completo for lunch, complete with talented street musicians playing in the background. We enjoyed a memorable day exploring the fun port city Valparaíso. Felipe and our van driver Gabriel worked together to make sure we could experience as much of the city in the time that we had, with the perfect combination of walking the narrow passageways and stone streets, riding the funiculars (hillside elevators), and driving. Our final day in the Maipo Valley didn’t go quite as planned because of traffic. However, Felipe quickly came up with an alternate plan to stop for ceviche and hike Mirador de Cóndores, which ended up being one of my daughter’s favorite experiences of the trip. We visited a couple of the breathtaking local wineries. The entire team expertly managed all the details and any last minute adjustments that needed to be made. For example, our flight was delayed, which was already being monitored by the team, and the necessary adjustments were made to our schedule. “Gabo” and Felipe were so personable and delightful. By the end of the trip we were able to enjoy a wonderful farewell dinner reminiscing and laughing about our adventures with our new Chileno friends. We made so many amazing memories on this trip and would highly recommend using this group.

Liz planned a perfect getaway, taking in consideration our timetable and price range. She also encouraged us to try new things like the Sidney Bridgeclimb and River Drift Snorkeling, we're grateful we did it. We'll reach out to Liz again for our next Australian adventure.

Kudos and more to William and Stephen! What a fabulous 2 week trip they put together for us in April. We started in London, travelled to Swanage and Lyme Regis, experienced Bath and the Cotswalds before returning to London. Our accomodations were charming and all prearranged tours were the best. It was so nice to have all of this plus transportation arranged in advance, as it allowed us to focus on the incredible sights and scenes and not stress about the details. All of the guides we met with were so informative and passionate about their specialties. These included a tour guide for the Albert and Victoria museum; a fossil expert at the Jurassic Coast; a Jane Austin devotee and Daniel, a local guide from Bath, who took us to probably my favorite spot, Castle Combe.
A final note: I don't know how they did it, but somehow William and Stephen arranged for 2 weeks of incredible weather, with not a drop of rain!!

Hotel Review

Eight

Bath

The staff here was so accomodating and pleasant. The breakfasts were 5 star and the rooms clean and updated. While there wasn't a lift, help with getting luggage in and out was provided. The little square our rooms looked out on had activity until @ 10pm, but earplugs were provided just in case.

Tips for future travelers

My only thought would be that guests be able to navigate the stairs without access to a lift. This wasn't a problem for us, and we're all in our late 60's.

Authenticity & Character

Location

So centrally located. The train station was within walking distance, and cabs were available at the top of the street

Staff

The best and so helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private transfer to your accommodation. Then check-in or bag-drop

London

The drivers were on time and the vehicles spotless.

Quality of Experience

Transport

My friend and I spent a week in Jordan and it was phenomenal.
Nada was great and accommodating given there were some unexpected issues that arose. All of our needs were met and the itinerary exceed expectations. We found that it was a smooth experience booking via Kimkim. Jordan is such a beautiful country with a beautiful culture and I highly recommend the trip.
I would also like to give a special thanks to our driver Emad Fraihat who was great throughout the whole trip. He ensured we were well-taken care of and we were safe and adjusted to our needs as the trip progressed.
In addition, he showed us the perfect places to eat, helped us to connect with the locals and local culture and taught us so much about Jordan. I would highly recommend Emad without a doubt.
Overall an excellent trip and a great experience.

Not only does Kimkim provide excellent service and immediate responses to any question, they listen to the type of traveler you are and the interests you have and match their suggestions for your itinerary to that. They are worth every penny they charge and we will use them again. Perhaps our experience was due to our lead planner Chris….he is stellar and goes above and beyond ….even booking a dental appointment in a small town when a tooth issue arose. He cares that you have a remarkable adventure and we did!
We highly recommend him and Kimkim.

Allesia was basically in charge of us for the entire trip even when she would turn us over to local guides. She was beyond amazing, we were taken care of from arrival in Venice to departure in
Rome. She kept in touch with us every evening no matter where we were. The information she shared with us was very good, especially since we have been in Venice a few times before.
The hotel in Venice was superb, Al Reali, a charming and comfortable hotel, well located with an impressive breakfast. Staff very welcoming and friendly.
On to the Amalfi Coast. The hotel Corallo was okay, staff was very good, breakfast was very good ,views were stunning. It is a very attractive hotel, but lacking certain amenities, like a coffee maker, readily available ice, make-up mirror. led to believe that hourly transit to the town was provided, and it was not that often. We also had an issue with noise from the lobby and a bathroom door that was difficult to open.. All of these issues were somewhat handled by the manager, but the issue with the door handle was never really fixed.
However we were lucky enough to have a wonderful driver,
carmine. We kept him for 3 days.
It was a pleasant stay but I would not go back there.

On to Rome. Perfection. HotelMartis Palace location was ideal. Hotel completely charming and the staff most accommodating. We would definitely go back there and recommend it to everyone. Great breakfast also. Lovely rooftop lounge overlooking the entire skyline. Louisa was a lovely guide for Rome . completely knowledgeable and very flexible to our schedule.

The trip was a great success thanks to Kimkim

Simon was very attentive and designed a wonderful trip for us. We visited Lyon, Avignon, the Luberon, and Marseille. It was a good balance of planned activities and free time for exploration on our own. Each stop had something memorable. In Lyon, the gastronomy walking tour peas our favorite. In Avingon, Pont de Gare and a side trip to Nimes. Both the cooking class and the e-bike tour were great, and staying in Roussillon was superb. We didn't have much time in Marseille so that was some place we'll have to return to on another trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hôtel de l’Horloge

Avignon

Great location in Avignon, central, near the Pope's Palace. Breakfast was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Omma Luberon (ex- Le Clos de la Glycine)

Roussillon

Roussillon is a stunning location and this hotel is right in the center of the town. Our room had a patio with a gorgeous view of the ochre cliffs and across the valley. It was a few weeks before prime lavender season but everything was lush and green. The room was spacious for the three of us. And breakfast on the terrace was delicious, plus the view...

Tips for future travelers

Our room had a hot tub (not all do), check so you can be prepared.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cultural and culinary walking tour

Lyon

Guide was amazing, very easy going, lots of interesting facts. He was also good at engaging the group. The tasting locations were all excellent as well. Learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The planning of my solo trip to Brazil was very organised from start to finish. Camille was very helpful in making recommendations and suggestions of places to visit in Brazil, what to do and where to visit and stay. She helped me to have a personalised planning experience with a trip catered specifically to me. She helped to coordinate and plan my holiday and ensuring I was completely satisfied with the final itinerary, tours and plan, and taking on board what i wanted to get out of the trip. I was then provided a very detailed itinerary with timings of pick ups, transport and tours before I flew out.

Every aspect of my trip went according to plan whilst out in Brazil. All guides and transport were prompt and very helpful and friendly.

My guide in Rio, Fernanda was very friendly, personable and gave me lots of information whilst on tours and travelling, whilst also suggesting great places to see. She kept on communication all the time and made my trip extra special and helped take amazing pictures in tourists spots such as Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, fun Samba carnival experience, local neighbourhoods and so many more. She really helped me to get a rich experience of Rio.

I also had other guides in Manaus and Ilha Grande - John-Paul and Carlos who were also very friendly, helpful and supportive to ensure I had a great trip.

My time in the Amazon was a lovely experience and this was a great recommendation as the staff at the Tariri lodge were amazing and the food was brilliant.

I also had great experiences in Ilha Grande, which is a beautiful island that Camille recommended to me as I wanted sun, sea and beaches during the final part of my holiday. This did not disappoint and I enjoyed Ilha Grande very much. My guide, Carlos gave great tips and information and recommendations of great food and restaurants to try and was helpful explaining good spots in the different beaches on the island. He also helped to take amazing photos for my memories during the boat tour. I also loved meeting new people from all over the world and also local Brazillians during my tours.

All of the guides were very helpful and knowledgeable and I appreciate their warmth and enthusiasm to make my trip feel special and also safe, as a solo traveller.
I was also able to get 24 hour emergency assistance when my domestic flights was delayed and they helped to reschedule my transport to ensure everything was taken care of.

I had an amazing trip and have fond memories, photos and stories that I have taken back and shared with friends and family.
I had great experiences and memories in Rio, The Amazon and Ilha Grande and would highly recommend Brazil Green Travel and Kim Kim to plan life-changing holiday experiences.

Thank you!

Thank you, Abdel, for organizing a trip of a lifetime! We are a well-traveled, adventurous couple seeking the perfect mix of culture and hiking. Abdel worked with us over email to arrange that perfect trip, which spanned 10 days and four locations - Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, Essaouira, and Casablanca. The trip planning process couldn’t have been easier. Abdel was always very responsive and able to tailor the trip to exactly what we were looking for. Our wonderful driver, Mohamed, expertly transported us from place to place and also served as an excellent DJ for the longer drives between cities. Our Marrakech tour guide, Hassan, was incredibly knowledgeable about the city and its history and went out of his way to make sure we hit all the highlights. He even stayed with us as we negotiated the purchase of some beautiful rugs for our home. During our hikes in the Atlas Mountains with our guide, Ismail, we stopped for lunch in local villages and experienced the beauty of the mountains at our own pace. Our driver and guides spoke English well, so we had no trouble communicating and felt very secure the whole time. The hotels were also absolutely lovely. We highly recommend Abdel for trips to Morocco and plan to use KimKim for future travels abroad.

Hotel Review

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Tour of Marrakech, the "Red City"

Marrakesh

Hassan is the best! Extremely knowledgeable, flawless English, and also a really delightful person.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I’m usually very sceptical about booking vacation packages, but i have to say that i was really impressed with Randall and his service!

Whenever i go somewhere i’ll always look up top things to do, things to see, places to visit etc… Costa Rica seemed to have many top attractions depending on if you’re going to be staying on the Caribbean side vs the Pacific side. Randall helped us decide & pick hotspots that fit what we wanted to do.

We went right between the transition from the dry season to the rain season so we came prepared with raincoats and extra shoes (i suggest you bring a raincoat because weather is quite unpredictable, especially in the Pacific coast) . Weather was hot & humid. Usually starting off the morning with a bit of rain, some sun throughout the day, rain again in the afternoon, and a calm night.

As for the excursions, they were well planned and the guides were super friendly.

For those who have time to fully plan your trip, i would say you can easily look up pre-made travel itineraries (and tbh, i think this is what we’ll do if we ever go back to Costa Rica), but if you’re tight on time, or simply want an expert to plan your trip, Kimkim is amazing.

Tips if you’re travelling to CR:
- rent a car… just do it. The drive through the mountains and the forest itself is worth it
- pay in colones
- don’t know expect things to be “cheap”
- bring a raincoat
- go to eat where the locals eat… if you go to your typical tourist traps, food is 2x-3x the price, for literally the same food
- Visit Manuel Antonio

Hotel Review

Arenal Country Inn

La Fortuna

Cozy bungalows with breakfast included. View of the volcano.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Arenal Volcano Hike & Baldi Hot Springs & Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had Pablo from Arenal Star pick us up from the airport, show us around, and take us on tours the first few days of our trip. He was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. He was wonderful! He brought us delicious fruit he grew himself, including a pineapple that took two years to grow! He also knew the best sodas to take us to eat. He had his friend, Victor take us on a hanging bridge tour that was amazing. We had a private tour, so could go slow , be quiet, and actually see animals instead of scaring them away or missing them. The other tour guides actually stopped to see what Victor was showing us. Victor had amazing spotting abilities. He actually saw a glass frog somehow on a leaf far away. The frog was transparent other than the eyes so he looked like an outline of a frog on a leaf. He showed us a red blue-jean dart frog, which was tiny, and a viper on a tree, which blended into the tree. We also saw bats and monkeys. Both Victor and Pablo helped us take pictures using their zoom scopes. Pablo showed us the only sloth we saw on our trip and got me a great photo of it. We wished we had Pablo for our whole trip. We also went on a safari raft trip. We saw bats, monkeys, owls, and of course lizards. Charlotte booked Los Lagos at Arenal for our first two nights and it was so nice. So many hot springs that we had our choice of many private. Breakfast was included and delicious. We were so lucky and got many pictures of the whole Arenal volcano! We even saw the top with steam clearly. Pablo also took us to a coffee tour that was great! He is a really good driver and a warm and caring person. We messed up on our ATV tour because we forgot we had locked our drivers licenses in the safe. It turned out ok though because they let us switch to an off road vehicle driven by a guide. It was fun and we saw some great mountain views but not much else. Our next transport driver and tour guide were Jose and Alejandro. We took a boat ride and saw Capuchin monkeys, bats, and many baby crocodiles. We ate at a hacienda on a sugar plantation which had a wonderful breeze, good views and great food. We asked for sangria and the server made it fresh for us. My only complaint is that I really wanted to stop at at least one local craft or artisan shop, but Alejandro said I could get that stuff at our resort on the beach. I explained that I wanted to buy from the artists and not a gift shop or mass produced, maybe not even Costa Rican made, type vendor. I said I wanted to buy wood crafts and maybe jewelry from a local place. There are those places, including a traditional pottery shop close to where we were. He insisted I would find it all on the beach. I had asked at the very beginning when they picked us up to make sure we had time, but I could tell he just didn't want to bother. I already know about pushy vendors on beaches and their string bracelets and trinkets and knew that's not what I wanted. The beach people were mostly pressuring us to get massages from them or to book a tour. The couple of vendors sold touristy beach scarves and cheap bracelets, just like I thought. I ended up buying a wood bowl at the gift shop for about $100 USD. I am disappointed because I was specifically looking for a jewelry box similar to a marked-up $540 USD one I saw in the hotel gift shop. Alejandro had binoculars he looked through to see things on the boat tour but used them for his own nature watching as if he were just another person on the tour. He pointed some things out but we really couldn't see them. The reason we saw anything up close was due to our boat driver pulling over and stopping. Maybe it was that Pablo and Victor set the bar high, but I wouldn't recommend Three Monkeys Tours (where Alejandro was from). I just felt like we were inconveniencing him. Our aereal tour was the worst of our tours, but not because of the tram, that was cool. It was just very strange. The guide would scare off frogs and then tell us what he had seen. We got a few glimpses. He stopped the tram to talk about the plants and trees even though he kept talking about the same ones. Then he took us through the medicinal and edible plants and did the same thing. He was nice, but he seemed like he didn't plan or know what was there. He would see a plant and say "oh another surprise" here is the such and such plant and then look around and randomly walk to and fro. Even at the top of the observation platform he said well you can see all the trees here, are you ready to go back down? At the end the gift shopped was closed, we weren't offered the option to grab snacks or drinks at their restaurant and we were not offered access to purchase the pictures they took of us. They obviously took the pictures to sell as they showed them on a screen and had a place you could buy them, but just shuffled us back onto the van. It was early in the day and there were only a handful of Zipliners there, so I am not sure why they wouldn't want to sell us souvenirs, pictures, snacks or beverages. The whole experience was strange, which everyone was saying on the van. The other two places we stayed were places we had booked. I would recommend KimKim to everyone because they listened to what we wanted and our limitations before our trip and helped us plan well, all our transportation was on time and reliable, Charlotte often checked on us throughout our trip, and we didn't have to worry about anything. The reviews I gave above really don't reflect on KimKim as they made sure we had the tours we asked for and made sure everything went smoothly.