Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

The seven of us - three generations - drove our van from San Jose to Arenal to Monteverde to Manuel Antonio over nine days without a problem. Our accommodations in each location were lovely and well-situated near attractions and activities (for example, within walking distance of Manuel Antonio National Park entrance). Every guide was personable, knowledgeable, bilingual, very compatible and on time. All meals in the restaurants were excellent. Highlights of the trip included: Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari, Eco Termales Hot Springs, Doka Coffee Farm tour, ziplining at Selvatura, and beach time at Manuel Antonio. Although we never needed it, we knew we had kimkim support via phone or email. We wanted our grandsons to have a fun, positive travel experience for their first time in a foreign country, and they did!

Hotel Reviews

Park Inn San José by Radisson

San José

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ficus Sunset Suites

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Rooms large, airy feel, spacious bathrooms.

Location

Set up in hills with beautiful view to the west towards Gulf of Nicoya and Nicoya peninsula. A short drive to Selvatura Park.

Staff

From desk to restaurant, staff was very friendly, warm and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms wonderfully quiet. Beds very comfortable.

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

What really appealed to the younger members of the group was the nearby river warm enough for swimming.

Authenticity & Character

Excellent dinners and breakfast buffet.

Location

Very close to Arenal volcano hike. A quiet location not in the heart of town, which we preferred.

Staff

Brandon was very helpful with suggestions. Jorge took time to show us two hummingbird nests and a sloth in the forest nearby. All staff friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Creative towel sculptures on beds each morning. :-)

Hotel Playa Espadilla

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Two lovely, warm pools and very good breakfast buffet included.

Location

A block from the beach. A block from the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park. Many restaurants nearby. Perfect!

Staff

Friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We appreciated the beach towels provided!

Activity Reviews

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge Boat Safari

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was fun! We saw more wildlife here than anywhere else on our trip. Our guide and boat driver were patient and skilled observers. The buffet lunch on sight was delicious, and there were not hoards of tourists.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Arenal - Doka Coffee Tour

Costa Rica

El Silencio Volcano Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Of course, this was a must-do for our grandsons, and was really a great experience. The young men manning the zip lines took their jobs seriously and treated each traveler with respect and humor.

Quality of Experience

A very well-run operation.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everyone very friendly.

Transport

We drove ourselves to the attraction. Road a bit rough in places.

We had an excellent trip to Costa Rica planned by serendipity Adventures. Representatives Elena, Nancy, and William were wonderful. We could’ve never planned the trip ourselves and would not have felt comfortable planning all the activities without knowing the area.
We stayed at La Mariposa, which was quaint, quiet, secluded, and beautiful in Manuel Antonio. We also stayed at Baldi Springs in La Fortuna, which was quite opposite and a bit more like a Disney World hotel, but nice. It was super busy with daily buses of guests to use the hot springs. The hot volcano Springs were amazing.
Our scheduled events included a volcano, hiking tour, swinging bridges, zip lining, Whitewater rafting, Manuel Antonio National Park with monkeys, sloths, and toucans, waterfalls, and a dinner sunset boat ride with snorkeling. All were great.
Would recommend doing only one hiking day with swinging bridges. Two days of hiking with swinging bridges was too much repetition. We skipped the Trek hiking & swinging bridges after zip lining. The zip lining was no joke. We have zip lined many times in the states and have never been on lines that high or that far. The white water rafting was one of my favorites. We did the 3/4 rapids and loved it.
The drive from Manuel Antonio to La Fortuna was long, with curvy parts, and took up a day. But it was worth it to see two different beautiful areas of Costa Rica. The ride from La Fortuna to the San Jose airport was very curvy if you get car sick, pack some Dramamine.
The people of Costa Rico were kind, hospitable, and very prideful. The drivers and activity hosts were kind, hospitable, and fun! We enjoyed getting to know each of them. We felt safe and taken care of the entire time.
We had one hiccup at the second hotel at check-in with five people in our family. However, we notified serendipity and they took care of everything the next morning with a favorable outcome.

We would definitely use serendipity adventures again for a future vacation for our family. We felt the price was reasonable, and the trip was stress-free already planned out with our family preferences

Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Lovely hotel- quaint, charming, modern, and beautiful! Was perfect for a family of five with two adjacent rooms that shared one large balcony. The view was amazing from the room and from the outdoor restaurant restaurant balcony area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could walk to shops, restaurants, and market.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Baldi Hot Springs Resort, Hotel & Spa

Fortuna

The hotel was nice and the volcano springs were amazing. The hotel was very busy though and reminded us of a Disney World hotel here in Orlando Florida. Several daily buses unloaded with guests for daily use of the Hot Springs. It made the hotel and springs very busy. They also charged us an additional $100 a day for a 5th person. We booked two rooms both with double beds and one with a pullout couch. However, when we went to check in, they charged us $100 for every night to have the third person in one of the rooms even though there was bedding for the 3 people. I thought this was a rip off and unnecessary. They insisted on the charge and would not budge. We had no choice but to pay it.

Authenticity & Character

It was like a Disney World hotel

Location

We took Ubers to downtown for dinners and to shop. The Ubers were about five dollars and very convenient. However they only have Ubers for 4 people. This was a bit tricky with a family of 5.

Staff

Michael was amazing! He was so helpful and always around when we needed assistance or got lost on the property.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

We loved this hike. Our guide was very knowledgeable, kind and professional. We were able to see howling monkeys, white face, monkeys, slots, and various birds, lizards, and bats.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting Sarapiqui River (Class III-IV)

Costa Rica

Family of five had an amazing experience on the 3 to 4 rapids white water rafting. Congo was a trip! We enjoyed getting to know him and had a lot of fun. We felt safe the entire time. The nature was beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing Cruise on the Brisa Elegante

Manuel Antonio

The boat ride was nice. The workers were kind and fun! The food was fair. The drinks were good! The water was unclear the day we went , so the snorkeling was not good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Tram, Sky Trek & Sky Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

The zip line was no joke. We have zip line many times in the United States and have never been that high or gone that far. The staff was nice, kind, and professional. The kids loved it. It was quite an experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

The hiking of the volcano was fair. Our toy guide was great. He shared a lot of information with us. He was kind, hospitable, and professional. We enjoyed getting to know him. We also enjoyed learning from him.

Quality of Experience

Food

Our driver took us to a restaurant for lunch. The food was amazing. We enjoyed the lunch!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our second trip to Costa Rica with Bryan as our local planning specialist. As the first time, Bryan and the entire kimkim were excellent to deal with. Our three days in Corcovado were exciting and memorable. The Corcovado Wilderness Lodge had incredible and dedicated staff. I'd like to mention Luis, Borman, and Orlando as being extraordinary, although everyone there was wonderful. The hikes and snorkeling to Cano Island were the highlights of the trip. Then we were off to Uvita where we stayed at the beautiful Golden Pineapple. The staff which included Marlin, Marlin, Pablo, and Leo were all very accommodating and attentive. The only negative was that we really weren't given the option of planning excursions ahead of time in Uvita even though we inquired about this in our planning phase of the trip. What this meant in practical terms is that when we arrived in Uvita around noon we had to scramble to make plans for the afternoon and the next day. Our arrival day, Tuesday, was disappointing. We went to Whaletail Beach and it was ok, but we didn't need to spend an afternoon there. Wednesday was much better because we went to the Nauyaca falls. Overall, we had to do much too much work at this stop and it was very hit or miss. The Dantica Cloud Forrest Trail was invigorating and challenging and we enjoyed it very much. The drivers, pickups, and drop-offs were impeccable as we've come to expect of kimkim. Wilman at Serendipity Adventures was literally in touch with us daily making certain that everything was going well. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with. Also, a quick shout-out to our driver Alex who drove us from Dantica Cloud Lodge to the San Jose Airport. I enjoyed speaking with him and he made the 2.5 hour drive pass quickly. Overall it was a great vacation with the exception of the lack of planning in Uvita. I definitely recommend kimkim and Serendipity Adventures highly.

Myself and my wife arranged a trip to CostaRica via Kimkim and Serendipity Adventures. We had a great time. Our experience was wonderful. All our arrangements including all stays, transportations and trips were done very well. We didn’t have to worry about any of these. They stayed in touch throughout the trip to ensure everything went smoothly. All the staff we encountered were extremely nice . Thank you !

We had a really great time Tamarindo Diriá is a very good resort easy to access everything of interest. We were there just to get warm
from cold weather and relax and we were able to da that. The sun sets are great and we stayed in sunset rooms 2 nights . next 3 nights we stayed Tropicana rooms very nice and worth staying in. Breakfast was very good on both beach side and on tropicana side. Pick up from the Airport in Liberia and pick to return to the airport for Tamarindo Diria simple and efficient. I recommend reading up on and watching some YouTubes about the place , the culture and people it will be a much better vacation for people who have never been to Latin America. I think Americans have a bad time when
they think everything should work like the United States and it's completely different. Tamarindo is a tourist town and multi cultural have an open mind and be patient. The Costa Rica people are very nice but be very nice back and you will have a great time in that country Pura Vida Yall

We spent a week in Costa Rica in March 2025 and had an amazing time.
Right from the time we landed, we knew we were in great hands with our knowledgeable and kind driver, Alex who was a wealth of information about Costa Rica- people, culture, food etc.
We had our local tour organizer, Wilman checking on us everyday which was great.
We had excellent tour guides notably Byron at Rio Celeste and Andres at Manuel Antonio.
Our favorite was the Tapir night hike as it was the first time we were experiencing a hike in the darkness.
Overall, we loved Costa Rica and we will definitely visit again!!

Hotel Reviews

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tulemar Resort

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

We had an absolutely fantastic trip to Costa Rica! This is our second time using KimKim to help plan a trip, and they knocked it out of the park. We spent time in Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo. Our hotels were beautiful. Our activities were just what we wanted…very active, lots of hiking and wildlife viewing and scuba diving. All of the guides were professional and enthusiastic. The trip was organized with Serendipty Adventires and they were great. I was able to communicate via what’s app for things like dining suggestions and the like. It was a fabulous trip and can’t wait to plan our next adventure with KimKim.

We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and fabulous experience from start to finish with Elena Mora, our local specialist, as well as with the Serendipity team, Nancy and Wilman. Elena customized the perfect trip for our family of 5 (including 3 tweens/teens). She answered all messages in a super timely fashion and was very receptive to adjusting our trip dates early on. We went to La Fortuna/Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The Cloud Forest Lodge in Monteverde and La Mariposo hotel in Manuel Antonio exceeded expectations. All of our transfers and guides were on time and fantastic. We were able to communicate easily via the KimKIm portal and via What's App with the Serendipity team in real time. They were very proactive and receptive in making dining recommendations, answering any questions and offering additional suggestions for activities and assisting with bookings and reservations on the fly. It truly was an unforgettable family vacation. I highly recommend KimKim and Serendipity. We hope to use their services again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Beautiful piece of property and lodge. The view, trails and wildlife are amazing. My favorite part was sitting on the deck eating a delicous, healthy breakfast watching the hummingbirds, other birds and coatis. We hope to return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff in the restaurant were particularly friendly and upbeaet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

The views are unbeatable. The food is delicious, especially the tres leche dessert. The corner rooms provide a view you won't ever forget. Sunsets in the infinity pool are to die for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

I really enjoyed all of these activities but the rest of my family felt a little bit too rushed. It is 3 separate activities and you drive with your guide from one to the next. Lunch was at the end of it all. The hanging bridges were probably my favorite part and the waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Monteverde

This experience was very good, but it is not actually in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve but rather the Children's Eternal Forest. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We saw some beautiful birds - Lesson's MotMot, as well as tarantulas, leafcutter ants, frogs and a variety of other flora and fauna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

We loved our day at Selvatura. We had tickets to all of the activities and did them all, although we were a little pressed for time. It takes about 6-8 hours to do everything (zipline, hanging bridges, sit down lunch, exhibits (must go with a tour guide) - sloth, butterflies, amphibians/reptiles. Don't skip the Sloth Sanctuary. We got to see 13 sloths up close, many were eating and moving around.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Our guide was fantastic. The park is crowded but definitely worth going to. Plan to wear your bathing suit and swim while there. We saw 5 sloths, white faced monkeys, lizards, lots of birds and much more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

The staff was friendly, upbeat and attentive. The catamaran was very nice. There were about 30-40 people and it did not feel crowded. The scenery was gorgeous. We saw lots of dolphins. The food was really quite delicious. The only negative was the snorkeling - pretty murky, one small rock with some more few that you could see, but it was still fun to get in the water and swim around. The slides and jump deck were fun. Spectacular sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Kimkim planned an amazing and affordable Costa Rican getaway to La Fortuna. Every detail was arranged from outings to transportation and went off without a hitch. Will definitely use Kimkim for future trips.

Our trip to Costa Rica was nothing short of extraordinary, filled with unforgettable wildlife encounters, stunning views, and an incredible team that made every moment special. From the moment we arrived, the natural beauty of the country swept us away, and it felt like we were in another world.

Our hotel, perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, offered some of the most breathtaking views imaginable. Each morning, we woke up to the sound of the ocean waves crashing below, and the sun casting golden hues over the water. It felt like paradise, as we enjoyed meals on the terrace, watching the colors change as the day unfolded. It was truly an oasis that allowed us to feel connected to the land in a way we never have before.

One of the highlights of our adventure was our guide, Diego. It was clear from the start that he was not just a guide, but someone who had a deep, almost spiritual connection to the land. Diego was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, always pointing out things we would have never noticed on our own – from the smallest hummingbird to hidden sloths high up in the trees. He explained the delicate balance of Costa Rica's ecosystem and the importance of conservation, leaving us with a profound appreciation for the land.

Our driver, Alex, was a joy to travel with. He was not just a driver, but a passionate ambassador for Costa Rica, eager to share his love for his country. As we drove through the lush landscapes, Alex shared stories of the country’s history, culture, and customs. His pride for Costa Rica was contagious, and we felt so fortunate to have someone so personable and knowledgeable guiding us along the way.

We also had the pleasure of traveling with Oscar, our driver for one of the longer rides. Despite the long hours, Oscar kept us entertained and laughing with his witty humor and charming personality. He had a way of making even the most grueling five-hour journey feel like a fun adventure, keeping us in high spirits the entire way.

And then there was Elena, the mastermind behind our entire trip. She was nothing short of amazing. Elena meticulously planned every detail, ensuring that our trip was seamless and stress-free. When I fell ill before our first planned trip and had to postpone, she didn’t hesitate to reschedule everything for us without a second thought. She worked tirelessly to accommodate us, even adjusting our itinerary with Serendipity after we arrived exhausted, so that we could rest and fully enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica. Elena’s attention to detail and unwavering dedication made this trip unforgettable.

Between the wildlife encounters—like seeing monkeys swinging through the trees, iguanas basking in the sun, and the incredible birdlife—and the stunning vistas, this was a trip that will live in our hearts forever. Costa Rica’s beauty, combined with the genuine warmth and hospitality of the team, made it an experience that we will treasure for a lifetime. We left feeling inspired, grateful, and with a newfound love for this beautiful country.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

The views were spectacular! Like nothing we have experienced. One worker, Oscar, was the only negative and reason for only 4 stars. He failed to tell us that we needed $300 cash to book the excursion, so we scheduled it but when we went to pay, he said it had to be cash. We had our credit card info stolen in La Fortuna so we had used almost all of our cash and could not pay this in cash. He was incredibly rude to use and wouldn't stop telling us that now the guide would have to pay out of pocket because of us. We paid a fortune for this trip so we obviously have no problem paying for our experiences, but this was not explained to us and sadly our last day, he continued to harass us about this even after we added a day because we did not want to leave this beautiful paradise.

Authenticity & Character

unique

Location

breathtaking views

Staff

everyone was wonderful except oscar at front desk, rude as explained above

Cleanliness & Comfort

perfection

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Gorgeous and surrounded by nature. However, if paying to stay at hotel, I don't think we should have to deal with busses full of day pass people using the facilities we are paying for- the crowds were very disappointing and would not have been a thing if the hotel just focused on its guests rather than allowing bus after bus to bring hundreds of people to use the hot springs that should be for hotel guests only. sadly we only got in the springs once due to the crowds

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Beautiful- had hoped to see more wildlife

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

oscar was the best driver! we hated to even say goodbye to him. loved him!

Transport

oscar was the best! we hated to even say goodbye to him. loved him!

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

lovely views/fun vibe

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stephen was incredible

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Most breathtaking views, guide, Diego was incredible and taught us so much

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diego was one with nature- he taught us so much.

Transport

Alex is a doll

The planning was easy to do and adjust as needed and the 2 hotels we stayed at were awesome. We stayed 3 nights at Arenal Manoa near La Fortuna. Our room was spacious, but somewhat dated. But the grounds were gorgeous as was the pool with the swim up bar. There were plenty of thermal pools on the premises, but none of them were really warm. Breakfast was full of plenty of delicious items to eat including an omelette bar.

The second place we stayed at was La Mariposa, which did live up to its fame of the most gorgeous view. The infinity pool was huge and so refreshing. They also had a good breakfast spread. We thought it was strange though that they had no body wash for guests (we ended up buying a large soap) and they were still using little plastic containers for the amenities which does not feel very eco-friendly at all. There was an older gentleman at the front desk when we checked in that was very rude and I have seen other comments about how they were poorly treated upon check in. All the other people who worked there were lovely though.

As far as our time with serendipity adventures, who was the local tour company, the drivers were where they needed to be when we needed them, but unfortunately, they obviously do not take good care of their vehicles because our first car broke down halfway through our ride to La Fortuna. We had to wait over an hour for another driver to show up and finish the way in another car. Then the driver that was going to take us back to the airport in San Jose, shows up with a flat tire. They did make good and found a driver for us about a half hour later and we were fine for our flight but that would be my one criticism. All of the guides we had for rainforest tours were very knowledgeable and friendly. If you do have a guide going through the rainforest, though, make sure they have binoculars or a telephoto lens so you can really get a close up of the animals. Our first guide, unfortunately, had neither nor did he have his laser pointer to actually show us what he was looking at so that made it more difficult but the second guy had what we needed.

I thought I already let you know my thoughts, but I will repeat them here.
While Costa Rica is an amazing country that I have visited four times, this trip had serious problems with transportation. The van that was supposed to be handicapped accessible was totally unsafe and uncomfortable. Even though your company tried to make adjustments, it was still a problem. There was one night when we were all stuck on a narrow, winding road for over 20 minutes. It was dangerous and frightening, as well as jostling. There were other times when the van couldn't make its destination. The first tour we took had several stairs that were not wheel-chair accessible also.
I feel like you should not be calling yourself a company that can serve handicapped (wheel-chair) clients.
In the future you should let people know the limitations and give better advice about where to travel within the country. I know the road conditions are not your fault, but it is your responsibility to let travelers know the situation.
In a positive note, the people and the hotels were wonderful!

Activity Review

Private Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Overall, planning was great with Brian and team. We were trying to stay within a certain budget and with some tweaking we got there. Both hotels were very nice overall with amazing views. More on that later. As for the tours, the Danaus rainforest tour was underwhelming especially after the hanging bridges guided tour that we added on after we got to La Fortuna. Traveling to and from our destinations was a different story. On our way from SJO to La Fortuna, our driver’s car broke down in the middle of nowhere on a dark winding road (dead battery) Fortunately there was a local restaurant that was open not too far up a hill where we could wait for another driver. We waited another 1 1/2 hours which made for a very long trip to our first destination. Then on our final trip from Manuel Antonio back to SJO our driver showed up at the planned departure time of 8am with a flat tire. Again we had to wait over an hour for a new driver/vehicle making for a very stressful drive to catch our flight given the heavy traffic. We understand things happen but would expect greater reliability and better maintenance of the vehicles used to transport guests. Finally, while we did love La Mariposa hotel in Manuel Antonio we would strongly suggest letting guests know that they should bring their own toiletries and towels. We actually had to go and buy our own soap, shampoo, kleenix, etc., since they only provided small sample sizes of shampoo, soap and some lotion which was barely enough for one person per night. In addition for 2 people they give you 2 bath towels and only one hand towel to share? Anything beyond that they charged $5 per towel! We have never seen anything like that anywhere. Not to mention what you have to go through just to get a towel for the pool! For what we paid and given how ecologically conscious the country is we were surprised by all the waste of plastic containers they go through as opposed to other local hotels that use stationary refillable containers.

Hotel Reviews

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Great hotel with lots of nice amenities. Rooms were a little dated.

Authenticity & Character

Views and grounds were beautiful and greatly amenities such as pool, hot springs and breakfast which was amazing!!

Location

Staff

Very friendly and accomodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Only issue was that rooms are a bit dated.

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Amazing views and nice large rooms but amenities are sorely lacking.

Authenticity & Character

The views and setting

Location

Beautiful setting, grounds and view.

Staff

Staff was fine with the exception of one gentleman who was extremely rude!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was clean but bring your own toiletries and towels. They provide only sample size soap, shampoo and lotion barely enough for 1 person staying 1 night. They only provide one bath towel per person and 1 hand towel to share? Anything more is $5 per towel!!

Activity Reviews

Ecocentro Danaus Guided Rainforest Walk (without Transportation)

Arenal/La Fortuna

Underwhelming. While pretty it was a very short hike and would recommend other tours instead.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were great! Staff was mixed.

Transport

Our transportation broke down upon arrival and departure

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

Beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Had to hurry through the last part after guide spent a little too much time time in the beginning of the tour

Transport

Highlight of our trip this year was the Osa Peninsula. The Drake Bay Wilderness Lodge was a wonderful place where we stayed for 5 days/4 nights.
The food was excellent: a culinary and aesthetic delight. Cudos to the chef cook!
The heart of the whole place is "Henry" the waiter. He is a natural talent and his welcoming and friendly and kind attitude makes the stay at the Lodge special.
For the 3rd Tour we didn't want the Cano Island and were given the advice to go to see an⁶ Animal Farm including a Nightwalk."
What it turned out to be was the so-called "Tapir Trail", a great trail, but definetly in the category of strenuous with a lot of exposure. A small trail , steep, partly slippery ending up at a waterfall. We didn't put on the rubber boots which we were offered - without explanation- at the Entrance but the guide assured us that we could keep on our (Keen) hiking shoes.
Glad that we did that, since it gave us a better footage on the trail versus oversized rubber boots..Again, a great hike, but it would be very advisable if the Manager at the Lodge would give his customers ( also considering the age group and the temperature of the day)detailed information about this hike ( and not naming it an Animal Farm Tour).
After return , in the evening, we had to remove some tics from our body!
We signed up for 3 tours: the Corcovado NP and the Mangrove Tour were each excellent Vincent was a great naturalist guide and the captain was superb.

Overall: a wonderful place to stay.
Sure, if the manager or the person in charge there, would have an attitude like Henry the place would even be better.

Overall Transportation from one place to another was always on time, with friendly drivers and very good vans! Big plus!

Alex, the captain , who brought us to Sierpe for the transfer to Manual Antonio, was a real professional and seasoned captain.

Manual Antonio: Ariel was a very good guide in the National Rainforest there.

Karake Hotel: good location. We were there in 2024.

Drive to La Fortuna: Oskar was an excellent driver on these windy roads.

Hanging Bridges Tour a must and great experience. Guide David was very good.

Ecotermales: great place. Have been there in 2024.
The issue with the wrong time on the clock of the piscinas was discussed with Greg
and resolved.

Again: all together a wonderful trip for us.
A big Thanks!
A big Thanks also to Greg ( and Gustavo) who helped us getting the trip together on short notice. Greg was in touch with us along the trip and made sure that everything was happening smoothly what it did indead! Great customer service!

Hotel Reviews

Delta Hotels by Marriott San José Aurola

San José

A good place to stay. Downtown. But be aware of robbery on the streets, as we have heard from fellow guests. Restaurant: good. But we had to wait a very long time before being served because a group was there ( came even after us). I talked to the manager after ~ 2 hours waiting ( not even water was served) and he apologized and reimbursed our dinner. Lesson learned: go in restaurant when no group is there.

Authenticity & Character

Restaurant waiting time

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lavas Tacotal

Fortuna, San Carlos

A nice place outside of La Fortuna. More in the country side. We enjoyed that is was not in the center of Fortuna and more quiet. It is a rather big place, but the individual Bungalows are well placed and provide privacy. Nice landscaping with native plants and trees. Had the Deluxe Garden Bungalow which was huge and something smaller would have been good enough for us. Nice swimming pool. Restaurant: since it is basically a very big place, we had to decide about a time slot for breakfast ( every 15 minutes). So it is a very busy and a rather crowded breakfast situation. Not for a relaxed breakfast. We were in La Fortuna in 2024 and stayed at the Campos Hotel. We learned that kimkim is not working anymore with this place. We loved it! Spacious room had a very special character, unlike seen anywhere else. Great swimming pool a little separate from the building. Good location. Good breakfast. Breakfast room not crowded. 10 minute walk to town with panderias on the way. There was a bridge beeing repaired, so cars had to take a detour. Maybe that is why it was taken off the list. I highly recommend adding it again. We would have loved to stay there this year also.

Authenticity & Character

Location of Bungalows and landscaping

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast situation not ideal. Outside of La Fortuna for people like us who want to avoid the huzzle and buzzle of the city and be more in nature. Free laundry when you stay 3 nights.

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Ariel was a great guide. Park was happily less crowded then last year. Had afternoon tour. Overall it is certainly advisable to go as early as possible to have the chance to see more animals.

Quality of Experience

How intuitively Ariel discovered animals!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time, friendly driver

EcoTermales Hot Springs Experience with Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Were there in 2024. This year we choose the morning spot and could enjoy the surrounding nature. At the evening spot it is dark outside! Different pools with different temperatures . Bring your own watch to observe the time since the official watch gave the wrong time .

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Hanging Bridges Guided Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Hanging bridges Tour is a must. Would have liked to learn how they were built. Maybe showing a video of the construction process, since it it so unbelievable! David was a great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning and booking our trip to Costa Rica was very easy, as planning always is on kimkim. Olman was fantastic but upon traveling, we were passed to someone else who wasn't as responsive. We had a few questions/issues and needed a quick response and waited a bit for those.

Our trip was really great except we were quite disappointed in one of our hotels. (In Monteverde.) The hotel overall was old and outdated, it overall felt outdated and we weren't even comfortable showering there. The staff was quite unwelcoming and parking was horrible at that hotel. It made our time in Monteverde frustrating.

We had a few kinks in our trip that we just didn't catch until we were already traveling (we had a 4 hour national park tour on the day we were also set to drive 4 hours to San Jose and late checkout wasn't set up) but overall it was an amazing trip and we will continue to use kimkim for future trips.

Hotel Reviews

Parque del Lago Boutique Hotel

San José

Staff was friendly, beds were comfortable. Room felt very small and was quite noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Seemed to be in the middle of the city with a lot around it.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dreams Lodge Monteverde

Santa Elena

We really didn't enjoy this hotel. The room was very small, as was the bathroom. It also felt very old and like it needed a good deep clean and maintenance. The bathroom was very, very small and didn't feel clean. It was a "don't walk barefoot on the floor" kind of a hotel. The staff wasn't friendly or welcoming at all and parking was terrible. We disliked this hotel so much that within 2 hours of arriving, we were looking for other accommodations to pay for outside of our package. We ended up staying because the other hotels were sold out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

This hotel was INCREDIBLE! The staff was so friendly and welcoming and made us all feel like we were VIP guests. The location is just amazing and the view from our room was stunning. The grounds of the property are lush and beautiful and the pool was also lovely. Breakfast with a view every morning was a huge plus and it was quite delicious. Our room and bathroom were really spacious and we could spread out and were quite comfortable. The patio was spacious and we never, ever felt cramped or crowded. We had an absolutely wonderful time at this hotel and actually wished our whole trip was focused here because of this hotel. We would recommend this hotel to anyone staying near La Fortuna.

Authenticity & Character

We loved everything about this hotel. It's very well maintained while being true to the natural setting.

Location

If you love nature, animals, tropical vegetation and a volcano view...then this is the location for you! Going into town was 5-10 min and an easy, easy drive.

Staff

Every member of the staff we encountered was so friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room/bathroom was very spacious. The room was clean and beds were comfortable. AC worked wonderfully and the whole cabin was very clean. There were many spots for bugs/spiders to be if the cabin wasn't maintained and we saw none.

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Nice hotel in a good location. The only issue we had is that we were given a beachfront room but it's not at all beachfront. It's a walk to beach and no view of the beach, which was a bit disappointing. Breakfast was also a bit disappointing with exactly the same thing served daily. The room was very spacious and comfortable enough and was cleaned daily. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sloth Trail Watching Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Fantastic tour! We were able to see/observe several sloths. I believe we encounter 8 on this tour. Our guide was very, very patient with us and made sure that our 9 year old had a chance to observe everything as well. This meant he had to constantly lower the telescope for her and he was so patient and accommodating. He spent time explaining details about all of the animals we saw, answering questions we had and pointing out all sorts of other animals to us. This was a wonderful tour and one we will not soon forget.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainforest Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Nice tour, very informative. Was able to taste chocolate and guides were very friendly and helpful. We saw several animals on the tour and had a great time!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Costa Rica

We loved this tour! We saw plenty of animals and enjoyed our time immensely. There are some things we wish we would have known prior to going.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide Lisandro was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!1

Transport

El Silencio Hike & Visit to Ecotermales Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was good experience but it was different than we expected. It was listed as a 0.6 mile hike but it absolutely felt longer and was solid uphill. When we looked the trail up online, it said it was an easy hike but it felt a little harder than easy. If we did this trip again, we would skip the hike and do just the hot springs. We didn't like the food on the buffet, at all.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food just wasn't good. It was poor quality, not hot and wasn't a good selection.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our pickup transport was great and so friendly. We weren't aware we would have a different driver after the springs and that driver wasn't friendly at all. His car was tiny and we actually weren't sure he was really our driver at first.

Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Volunteer Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

We loved this experience and had a great time! Our guide was very informative and patient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit El Choyin Thermal River Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

We chose to skip this experience and simply rest.

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

Wonderful experience and saw a lot of really fun animals and plants. The walk was easy enough and we had no issues. The guide was really wonderful and very patient with our group. (We were paired with a couple that had a 3 and 5 year old.)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From San José, we went to Tortuguero, Pachira Lodge and Fernando as our guide, it was not a small groupe (49 pax) but it was well organised.
We had rented a mini van and it was great, even if the roads are not so good. We had fun. We drove to Arenal at the Lavas Tacotel with an amazing view of the volcano, We watch the birds early in the morning with Ronald, it was spectacular.
We drove to Monteverde and discovered the coffee, cacao and cane sugar. We spent a wonderfull day in Salvatura parc with ziplines, bridges and annimals. We drove to Manuel Antonio, and enjoyed the beach and the national park, which was fantastic.
People were kind, activities were great, accomodations were good.
We enjoyed our trip a lot.

Kimkim planned a wonderful vacation for us and worked through a local company Serendipity that was great. They were friendly and responsive throughout the planning process. During our vacation I felt they went above and beyond multiple times to make sure we had a great vacation. For example, we got the time for one of our tours wrong and missed our pickup. Serendipity contacted us to let us know and communicated with the tour company to make sure we could still make it to our sunset sailing tour (which we did). They made traveling to a country we had never been to before feel easy with minimal effort on our part. The selection of tours and accommodations was really great. Overall we had a really good vacation that enabled us to relax and not worry about things going wrong or choosing less good experiences.

Hotel Reviews

Hampton by Hilton San José Airport

Alajuela

Excellent option to be nearby the airport. The 24/7 shuttle was super convenient as was the option to pick up and drop off the car rental.

Authenticity & Character

Pretty standard hotel

Location

Good for early/late airport transfers

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Useful to have snack/fast grocery in hotel and outlets near bed

Hotel Lomas del Volcán

Fortuna

Great breakfast. Fun having individual bungalows. Amazing heated pool!! Helpful staff. Great to have outlets near the bed on both sides.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit far away for walking into town but meant it was great view. And with a car not a big deal.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monteverde Country Lodge

Monteverde

Good breakfast and nice touch to have welcome beverages. Cleaning staff were a little pushy. Clean and comfortable. Missing outlets near the bed. Portable air conditioner required regular emptying (roughly every 8hr) to be used.

Authenticity & Character

Very beautiful landscaping

Location

Very close by to town and there is a sidewalk if wanted to walk though distance to main centre a bit far for that.

Staff

Cleaning staff attempted to come in to clean while we were about ti shower and were rather pushy about it. They didn't return later in day though that might have been a misunderstanding due to language barrier.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness was great, but we were missing outlets near the bed, had to frequently empty the portable air conditioner, and also had a table right outside our shower where people could be listening/watching (there was a bit of a cover for the window but can see someone's outline of their head if it is dark out with lights on inside and they are tall.

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Hotel room smelled very musty the entire time, was missing basics like a coffee machine/tea and phone, and no outlets by the bed. The breakfast was good quality though minimal compared to some other stays. The overall best feature was location beach side, and the private beach seating with shade cover - this part was 5/5 in addition to very nice and accommodating staff.

Activity Reviews

Big Arenal Mundo Aventura Zipline + Tractor

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very fun! Felt very safe as well, which was a concern for one of our party :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Excursion in Rainforest and Wild Frog Sanctuary

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was so great, one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide was super knowledgeable of the local floral and fauna. He also asked if there was anything we wanted to see explicitly and he found them for us! Namely a sloth (saw two!). He also took pictures for us and shared them afterwards. The guides were very collaborative so found more things for us to see throughout the walk.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Ended up with private tour! Our guide was truly excellent in terms of knowledge, having a great monocular, and taking super pictures on our phones through it. Also by far the experience with most wildlife seen which was very cool.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arenal Volcano & 1968 Reserve Guided Hike

Arenal/La Fortuna

This was a nice walk where we got to see great views of the Volcano and learn a bit about its history inclduing past eruption. Took a lot less time than allotted and appreciated the bit of fresh fruit at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides English could have been better but overall learned the important points.

Transport

EcoTermales Hot Springs & Meal

Arenal/La Fortuna

Overall very nice and relaxing pools with excellent food. Had a good experience on the whole. There was a different expectation issue where we were told we could enter at any time after 5pm by the tour company but when we arrived at 530 we were told we had to wait until 6, at which point we had to first eat dinner then could go to the pools.

Quality of Experience

Food

Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Farm Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Our experience and guide was excellent! Cesar was funny and very knowledgeable. We had a great time learning about the coffee, sugar and chocolate production process and tasting along the way. Clever set up with stations throughout the property.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Guided Hike

Monteverde

We ended up having a private guided tour which was awesome. Our guide Chris was super knowledgeable especially about birds and plants which was great! We got to see some neat wildlife and plants. It was an odd time because there were no clouds but that couldn't be helped!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When we arrived we needed to pay extra for parking and it took a while for the staff to find our reservation.

Sunset Sailing Cruise on the Brisa Elegante

Manuel Antonio

Fun experience, cool ship, really awesome to get to swim in the amazing water, sunset views were amazing, food was excellent, crew was very nice. On the whole it was great! Only downside was not enough seating in shade.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Holden, from Serendipity, was extremely helpful in planning our trip to Costa Rica. He had many good suggestions where to go and arranging guides to take us on amazing hikes. Holden was very good about answering all our questions very promptly. His attention to detail was outstanding.

Wilman, our local contact for Serendipity, was amazing. We contacted him several times during our trip, and he was very responsive, usually within minutes! We were impressed with his service.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge

The Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge was outstanding. The location was perfect, right in the middle of nature, making the experience truly unforgettable. The staff were wonderful and immediately made us feel welcome. The accommodations were just as we hoped they would be: clean, comfortable, and beautifully integrated with the surroundings. I have absolutely no complaints.

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Our stay at the Cloud Forest Lodge in Monteverde was amazing. The highlight was the restaurant - every single meal from appetizers to dessert was incredible. The food was fresh, light, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. Even though we typically eat light while traveling, we couldn't resist indulging here. The quality of the meals would make me want to return to Monteverde just for the food. The hotel itself was also fantastic, truly a great experience.

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

Staying at the Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort was a fabulous experience. Everything about this place was great - from the accommodations to the staff, I felt well taken care of. It was a wonderful end to our trip, and I would highly recommend anyone visiting Bijagua/Rio Celeste to stay here.

Hotel Presidente

San José

Hotel Presidente in San José was a nice stay overall. The staff were great, and the hotel was clean and well-situated. However, we experienced significant noise from the water pipes in our guest room throughout the night, which disrupted our sleep. It's an older hotel, so I understand these things can happen, but it affected our comfort during the stay. Had it not been for the noise, it would have been a perfect stay.

Activity Reviews

Sirena Park Station Private Tour

Drake Bay

We had a great hike around the Sirena Park Station. Our guide, Maria, was outstanding. If she wasn't with us, we would not have seen any wildlife. It was amazing how she could spot all the animals high in the trees! Using her monocular allowed us to see the animals in detail. We saw a tapir, anteater, sloth, squirrel monkeys, and many birds.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corcovado National Park Hike from San Pedrillo Ranger Station

Drake Bay

Our guide, Maria, was amazing. She made this a great hike. She is very knowledgeable. She could find animals high in the trees that we never would have seen on our own. We saw spider monkeys, a lot of colorful Macaws. a lot of other birds, and on our way back to our lodge, she found a puma!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rio Celeste & Tenorio Volcano Private Hike

Bijagua / Rio Celeste

The Rio Celeste river, Blue Lagoon and Waterfall were gorgeous. The blue color of the water was amazing, unlike anything else we have ever seen. Our guide, Mariano, was great! He was very knowledgeable and made this a very enjoyable hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mariano was an outstanding guide.

Transport

Tapir Valley Nature Reserve Night Walk

Bijagua / Rio Celeste

This night tour was a great way to see tapirs. It also allowed us to see other animals that we hadn't seen elsewhere on our trip to Costa Rica, such as the red-eyed green tree frog, and a night owl. It was nice to see the wildlife up close. This was a unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jess was a great guide.

Transport

Alex is the best driver!

I cannot recommend Yuliana enough! From the very first email exchange to the final details of our trip, she was an absolute pleasure to work with. She took the time to understand exactly what my partner and I were looking for—a perfect balance of adventure, cultural exploration, and a relaxing beach day—and she delivered beyond our expectations.

Yuliana was incredibly responsive, always quick to answer our questions and provide thoughtful suggestions. She crafted an itinerary that suited our budget without sacrificing quality, and every hotel she recommended was fantastic. Thanks to her expertise, our trip to Costa Rica was seamless, stress-free, and absolutely unforgettable.

Every moment felt perfectly curated, from thrilling activities to immersive cultural experiences, and just the right amount of downtime. I truly loved every minute of it! If you're looking for a travel agent who listens, personalizes, and ensures an amazing experience, Yuliana is the one. I will absolutely be reaching out to her for future trips! 🌟🌎✈️

Activity Reviews

Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Farm Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zip Lining & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Adventure with Snorkeling

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fun times in Costa Rica. We covered a lot of ground in a eeek and everything was well laid out.
Everyday was a new adventure. Costa Rica is beautiful and the people are extremely friendly