Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

Pros: Wonderful staff, great location, breakfast buffet, swim up bar, quiet Cons: dated premise, spotty Wifi (at checkout the credit card machine went offline), our bathroom had soap scum and hair, common areas are hot, quiet (we were here on a weekday so the vibe might pick up during the weekend idk) Our meals were fine at the hotel, very nice and friendly staff. We also ventured out and can recommend El Chante (low key 80/90's American pop music), Morpho Beach Bar (walkable) and El Avion (nice sunset views in an old airplane hanger)

We spent most our time off-site but we did enjoy the volcanic mud spa massage and little walking trail. Location was convenient for us, we had parking, breakfast buffet was good, enjoyed the rainforest showers and birds from our 'porch'. Close by recommendations: El Chante Verde, Rainbow Chocolate tour, Tiquicia - town is a 7 min drive We went to Paradise Hot Springs at night, the front desk was able to rearrange a pass on short notice.

This place was a dream. Don't leave during sunset, the views are amazing. We had the honeymoon suite, which was huge and the balcony made my life. We only had the breakfast buffet, which was great, bustling during pre-tour hours and the good variety. Treated to a spa massage, amazing. Wish we had more time here to check out the indoor pool and canopy tour but next time! Note: Take the hotel shuttle or drive, everything is uphill; or walk, your calves will look amazing afterwards.

All-inclusive with great view of the bay. Very kid-friendly. We stayed in the hotel section, which had it's own parking lot, view of the bay overlooking the main pool and buffet restaurant (dinner/breakfast was fine but they ran out of food so sometime you were waiting) Staff was nice, my Spanish is rusty so they were patient and kind. Cocktails were inconsistent but it's free so not complaining. They have a lot of on-site activities (like movie night by the pool, dancing lessons) and beach shuttle. Note: need to go to the pool by the wet bar to trade in your towel card, open til 5pm. In the hotel, we didn't see elevators, it's not hard to navigate the stairs but just a note if you have heavy suitcases :) Driving in Entrance is split by two booths, one for Condovac on the left and Villa Sol on the right.

Our guide, Luis, was so knowledgeable and set the bar pretty high for the rest of our trip. He balanced giving information, addressing questions, taking photos in a great pace. The tour walk is short in distance but I felt very satisfied in what we learned and saw. We spent some extra time in the park afterwards exploring the beaches and other trails, we definitely did not see much without Luis' trained eye :)

I was nervous about kayaking the ocean waves but our guide was kind and patient, he explained the schedule and we were off! It was basically a straight shot to the snorkel area, we had good time, it was a bit cloudy but we saw some cool fish and starfish. Our guide tried to point out as much as he could but it was a bit cloudy and here was just some fish (at the time, and I was admittedly a little distracted with the low tide and avoiding rocks). The snorkel gear was basic and I couldn't get my life jacket out of the way (lol) but it was a good kayak, swim, fruit snack, and then kayak back, hop in the shuttle and drove to the tour's restaurant for casado lunch.

Walking the dark trails were exciting, we loved the idea of being able to see the nocturnal nightlife. We saw a lot of bugs and an armadillo lol but it was still fun. Our guide had fun stories and good trivia facts. I enjoyed how the guides helped each other, communicated via radio and left sticks pointing to sleeping creatures. Wish we saw some more frogs and more animals but that's definitely not in the control of the our guide.

I'm terrified of heights and had to do the 7-course zipline! I would recommend the Sky Adventure Sky tram + Zipline tour, we had a nice ride up the skytram, where the guides made small talk about a little history of Arenal and some biodiversity facts. The only way down was going through the 7 ziplines (1 intro, 5 long, 1 short to the finish line), our group made it through fairly quickly and with ease. The guides did a great job distracting us during any hold ups or waiting on line. I felt very safe and comfortable, even when I was terrified. This was for sure a once in a lifetime experience for me, I even bought the photo package.

Kuna Vela was great time! The staff was helpful, they even took some photos on the beach and on the boat. Originally, when we booked it we thought we were going to a snorkeling site but with the recent rainstorms, they recommended going to Huevos Playa where we could check out the caves AND do some snorkeling. It was a great alternative. We spent an hour on the beach, checked out the cave (we didn't get to walk to the other beach but it was still good photo op and great timing cause after 45min there were waves and the tide was definitely coming in), they gave out some snorkel gear and noodles to float, some people saw a turtle, lots of fish. Then we took the dingy back to the sailboat, plenty of food, offered lots of drinks, relaxing sail back, saw some dolphins, flying fish, birds, birds, birds, and a manta ray.

Beautiful hotel. Reminds me of a bed and breakfast!

Windy because of the location. But the room - absolutely amazing! Must go!

Omg this hotel and the view is spectacular!

Beautiful hotel on beach!

Fantastic from the casita we had, the pool, the food, the hiking trails. It was genuinely a hideaway for a moment in our lives. We had wonderful love-making here!

This was my (Ellie's) favorite place - the breakfasts were wonderful, the room was high above the sea from which we could see for miles into the ocean, service was wonderful, the room was spacious with a lovely little deck to sit on when we felt like we wanted to be outside. We had wonderful love-making here, too!

Lovely setting outside the city of La Fortuna; we visited the community several times. The breakfasts were overly generous offerings with a beautiful view of a lagoon with dozens of white herons, our couple spa experience was fantastic, the grounds were beautiful. The staff was always ready to help and...we greatly enjoyed the Arenal Zip Line experience. and much more.

This hotel was a different, but enjoyable, experience. The casita was hidden away nicely with a path to breakfast readily available. The views from the restaurant were good, but not spectacular. The food was good, well prepared, and excellently served by the wait staff. Our experience was fewer opportunities to explore the mountains without going a ways out of town, though Monteverde itself was an interesting place to explore.

This was the most unusual location and surroundings of any of the hotels. Trogon Lodge is tucked away 'way down' into the valley, with roads that required some careful attention for driving (7 kilometers off Route 2 on a narrow, curve-filled drive). Nevertheless, the location was well-worth it! Note that it was cold (relatively) since it sits at roughly 7000 feet in altitude. The dining room was very nice with excellent food. and service. A beautiful river, with many waterfalls, runs directly through Trogon grounds with several trails to explore along the river. The casitas are also located such that you will follow one, two or more trails to get to your lodging. In this sense, a person with handicaps would be challenged, but could ask for a casita most closely located to necessities. Trogon Lodge is also fairly isolated, meaning no gas station or other convenience stores are within 20-30 kilometers. We didn't need them, though we had some concern about having only a quarter tank of gas. Not a problem, since the nearest gas was 31 kilometers away and well within reach. Though cold much of the day, we thoroughly enjoyed the natural setting and our stay (2 nights)!!

Amazing and fantastic, with a very helpful and entertaining crew!! This is a 12-platform zip line, one of which is a kilometer long in itself.

Excellent night walk!! Our guide was eager to show us all forms of frogs, snakes, birds! But the frosting on the cake was finding a Tapir (with four young ones) 'eating up the forest'. Yes, they feast on small trees and other fodder of the forest. We were able to get excellent video evidence of this experience.

This was an event set up by KimKim (Serendipity Adventures) with us. We had a good guide (Ian). He was able to show us several spectacular bird events. The most exciting was seeing a Quetzal perched in a tree. Through the guides monocular, we took several pictures we will treasure.

This worked well. The first distance down the mountain (Route 606) was ok. The main route (Routes 1 and 324) were ok, too. Keep in mind that the infrastructure of Costa Rica is not as clearly developed as we in the US, spoiled as we are, are used to. Most of our highway routes were two lane, with a few four lanes now and then. In some cases, as when we went to Trogon Lodge, the 7 kilometers to the Lodge were very curvy and narrow. But, hey, it's part of the experience!!!

This was a major highlight of our time in Costa Rica. The National Park is over the top, especially given that we had a guide who was informed, informative and responsive to questions. We learned much about all manner of wildlife. In addition, our guide was a historian of Latin America providing us wonderful detail about the creation and evolution of the National Park. Included in that, of course, was information about colonialism, the United Fruit Company and the history of America Central as opposed to Central America (the latter being the history with which many of us are familiar).

What's to say!! It was a genuine sunset cruise, on a 3-sail, wooden sail boat (according to our guide the only one in Costa Rica?). Food was excellent, staff, too. Opportunities for swimming and snorkeling were provided. Fun time and people!!

The cabin was lovely and very private. The breakfast buffet was expansive and high quality; the restaurants were both good, although the fine dining one was a bit overpriced.

We were very happy to be a bit away from the crowds at the beach. The view was amazing, the room was very comfortable. There’s no TV and we never missed it because we had the view and jungle/howler monkeys below. There are quite a few steps up and down the place which might be a problem for some people. The staff was super helpful and there are some great restaurants a minute or two walk away.

Everything was amazing. The room, the view, the staff, the food…. The only negative is we didn’t stay long enough to explore the grounds, restaurant and pool

The hotel was nice and staff were great, but everything does feel a little run down. The pool wasn’t fully operational and wifi was spotty or out.

Check in was easy and the staff was helpful in explaining how to get around town and in setting up a trip to a hot spring. Their spa, pool and breakfast were also great.

Pleasant kayak and snorkeling experience with a snack and lunch included.

It was nice to see and hear animals that are normally not visible during the day

Great experience on the zipline, helpful guides and ground staff. Great views of the volcano and lake from the deck.

The crew was very nice, informative, and quick to offer drinks/snacks.

Very basic rooms that are quite small. Walking distance from town is a big plus. Pool is nice.

Views were incredible, staff was extremely nice. The food was great and the grounds were great. Only downside is it's not walking distance to town.

Rooms were great and the grounds were super nice. Beautiful views. Not super close to the beach if that is important to you (need to take a shuttle to a public beach, which only runs 4 times a day). Food was good and pool was great.

Hanging bridges guides were great, helped see lots of wildlife. Got very lucky that it was sunny and you could see the volcano. Tabacon hot springs were incredible although meal was not provided. Absolutely worth the extra money for the Tabacon resort.

Everything went super smoothly, zip lining was great. Unlucky that it was too windy to do to the biggest line but definitely recommend doing the superman zip line at the end.

Guide was absolutely incredible and the chocolate part was great. Also included coffee tour for people who want to do that as well (no reason to book an extra coffee tour). Saw great and unique wildlife

Absolutely must have a guide as Manuel Antonio is a zoo (literally and figuratively). Lots of people, spend the extra time at the beach as it is not as crowded as the public beaches.

Not worth doing a private tour of the volcano hike or waterfall as these are extremely public areas to begin with. Easy to do both in a self guided fashion but our tour guide was still great and the transit was timely.

Location is great, hotel is basic

Clean and nice beach

You cannot see the volcano

The location of the hotel is amazing but it really needs renewal and more friendly staff at the frontdesk.

Our casita was lovely - the best of the trip. Gleaming wood floors, ceiling, and window frames. Great views. Our own jacuzzi. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Yoga was good and the facilities lovely. Nice but short trail for walking. Hard to get a long (as in 4 miles) walk in on the property though. The food was good but a bit overpriced. Loved sitting outside on the deck at the restaurant.

We were there only from 11pm to 10am. It was a beautiful hotel and the breakfast was wonderful.

Beautiful painting job of every wall, gate, and decoration - so colorful. The landscaping is gorgeous - really enjoyed walking through all the paths. Enjoyed the walk to the waterfalls. We had a big villa which was nice. There was a little mildew odor in the bathroom. The mattress was very hard - like a futon - and was uncomfortable. The pillows were also very stiff and too firm. This is a charming place - they just need to work on a few details in the rooms. Planes take off nearby but they are not constant and they didn't really bother us.

We had the best room - fantastic views. There was a huge, round bath tub in the room which we didn't use (would feel guilty using that much water!). It is a windy place and cool but that was fine. We enjoyed walking everywhere around the nature walks and to the beer garden. The nature path is very short - would have liked a longer path to walk. The road to the hotel is very steep so we never did walk into town. The restaurant is very nice and the staff were just great. One night we had live music which was fun.

Our room was too small - we wish we had booked the larger room. The only place to sit in a chair was out on the deck which was sometimes too hot. This is a beach experience and it was hot and humid. The pool near the reception area was particularly lovely. We enjoyed walking along the public beach which is longer. We are not ocean swimmers. We enjoyed the tour of the park but there were many people and we really didn't see that many animals. We liked our tour guide Raphael who was very knowledgeable. This hotel has a steep path from rooms/reception to the beach but they offer golf carts for those who don't want to walk. There is a short nature path. We didn't do as much hiking as we had planned because of the heat.

The guide, Eduardo, was excellent. He pointed out many animals and birds. He was very fit and animated. We enjoyed being with him.

This was a good challenging hike but could have been longer. They used to call it the burrito hike because they took you to make burritos but now they took us to chop vegetables and make empanadas. It was okay but we would have rather hiked more. We enjoyed the people we were with and the guide was great.

We loved this activity. There were 13 zip lines (some were very short). It was pretty and good to be in the fresh air. Felt very safe. The only negative is how many people there were - some long lines on occasion.

Fun activity, learned a lot. There were a lot of people - pretty touristy.

Very touristy. Tons of people everywhere. Waiting in lines. Actually walking on the hanging bridges was fun. The La Fortuna waterfall is a staircase that you walk down and then back up. Not a hike at all.

Very tame walk. We were in a group of 10. Not a lot of exercise. The guide was very good - Raphael. He knew a lot and was good at explaining. We didn't see that many animals due to the time of day and the crowds. Tons of tourists.

The rooms are really large. The breakfast was very good. The hot springs blew our minds. The only down side of this hotel is it's a $40 round trip taxi ride to get into town if you want to eat somewhere besides the hotel.

This was our favorite hotel during our stay in Costa Rica. The bird watching at the hotel was better than any of the nature reserves. Love the bungalow style rooms with the veranda. The views of the Pacific Ocean were incredible. The hotel also did a great job with accommodating my Celiac food allergy. The free laundry service was a major perk. We could walk to restaurants close by. We used the yoga room and weights a few times to work out. The restaurant at the hotel served a great breakfast and the dinner was one of the best meals we had the whole trip.

The driver was great and had snacks and drinks for us. La Paz was a nice way to break of the long drive. We spent a couple of hours exploring the waterfalls and wildlife and proceeded to our hotel.

The bird were great. The guide didn't speak English very well and was difficult to understand. Didn't love the experience but didn't regret it either.

Our guide was good but we finished the tour 30 minutes before the included lunch place even opened and we didn't want to wait around. The waterfall and swimming were definitely worth it.

This was our favorite tour of the trip. We saw 9 sloths and got amazing photos of them. Our guide was so helpful as we would have never been able to spot them without his expertise. The food afterwards was so yummy!

The weather was awful and the whole tour was cut short. We came back drenched and cold. Can't really see what would have been very interesting about the tour even if the weather had cooperated.

Our guide was great and found things we could have never seen. The forest was beautiful. He was very knowledgeable and his English was amazing.

This was so fun to see the forest come alive at night. We loved our guide and saw lots of interesting wildlife.

The guide was really hard to understand. The bridges were a bit of a let down. Nothing like advertised. The staff were all a bit rude and we felt rushed during the zip line. The forest and zip line was still fun but the rude staff put a damper on the whole experience. We also had to wait a full hour between activities and then almost another full hour after zip lining for our ride back to the hotel.

This hotel was great! A little hard to find. Tucked away behind another hotel. The room size was good for my husband and I and two teenagers. It was nice and quiet, aside from the birds in the morning:) We slept so well! Each morning, I sat on the patio outside and read my book while watching hummingbirds, and listening to the sounds of nature. Everyone was very friendly. Loved the pool area and the hot springs. The food by the pool was great. We had the nachos. The sushi was also delicious. Would definitely recommend this place to other family’s traveling to Costa Rica. We were very comfortable. The location was really good as well. We were close to La Fortuna, 10 minutes, and close to hanging bridges, which were 10 minutes the other way.

Out of our three hotels, this was our least favorite. We drove 3 1/2 hours from La Fortuna to Monteverde. We were tired from being in a cramped car. Our room was ready. Luckily when we got there. When we walked in the room was very small, no dresser or anywhere to put anything, and there was no air-conditioning and it was about 85° in the room. We went back to the front desk, but they had nothing else available. I don’t blame the hotel, but this is definitely, something Kim Kim should have told us. Apparently you can upgrade to a room with air-conditioning. At night time there was a breeze and it was cool so we had no trouble sleeping. We felt uncomfortable after complaining about the room. We kind of felt like all of the employees talked to each other about us, because we were ready to leave after realizing there was no air-conditioning.

Stunning views, amazing food, comfortable rooms and friendly staff. It was the perfect location, right in the center of Tamarindo.

The kids really enjoyed this night hike. We saw all types of animals: beetle, spiders, frogs, humming bird, pygmy frogs and tarantula! I was cool to hear all of the night sounds. Our guide was very knowledgeable, he studied environmental studies in college.

This was a very cool experience. The staff was very friendly. They pointed out wildlife on the way. We saw turtles mating on the way out to Catalina Island. we didn’t have much luck at our first two spots because of low visibility. On our third spot, we saw tons of fish: huge snapper, starfish, puffer fish, angel fish, parrot fish, a white tipped reef shark and other schools of fish. Andreas was so knowledgeable. He pointed out all types of fish and told us a little about them. They served cantaloupe and pineapple and they had packaged crackers and cookies. They also had water and iced tea. We were pretty hungry when we got back at 12.

Located right in the heart of La Fortuna. We never had to take a taxi to get to dinner or a bar. Breakfast was good. The room comes with access to their Sister Hotel's hot spring (Volcano Lodges) so no need to book an additional. The room itself was pretty basic, but it's a great option for a budget traveler

Really pretty hotel with excellent staff.

Huge rooms. Beach access is a bit of a hike from the upper rooms. Monkey's hang around the beach, and we saw a few sloths in town. We were able to walk to a few restaurants, and the staff was friendly and helpful.

Wonderful place in Bocas del Toro! Staying on Bastimentos Island was great! More peaceful and paradisiacal, with the bonus of picturesque water taxi rides whenever we wanted to go to Colon. Thank you Olman for choosing this magical hotel for us!

First tour was with Sky Tram, Sky Walk and Sky Trek with Sky Arenal Park. the Zip Lining was awesome and we followed it up with a forest hike and tour. I would have done a different forest hike maybe rather than just using the same company. Not that our guide was not knowledgeable, just that I had heard a lot about the 7 bridges hike and thought that was what we were doing.

My husband and I did the Safari Float on the Penas Blancas River. It was a rainy day, but still enjoyed the trip. Saw some Cayman, Howler Monkeys, a tree porcupine and many birds. Be prepared to paddle, not just float! After the tour, we were surprised with a snack, some moonshine and then followed up with an education about chocolate farming. Enjoyed it!

This was a fun activity for everyone. Not too strenuous, saw lots of spiders, poison dart frogs, cayman, turtles and butterflies. Felt safe while doing it. The only thing that I would have preferred would be for our tour group to be a little smaller.

Did the Catamaran Adventure from Ocean King. Stunning views, fun atmosphere. No reefs, but can still snorkel and look for fish, The boat is BIG. Maybe 200 people. Took a bit to get there because they stop halfway and everyone has to get off bus and then pay and get back on the bus.

My whole family (kids 9, 18, 20) loved this tour. Our guide was fun, funny, informative etc. We learned a lot and enjoyed the hands-on activities.

The zip lines were so fun and we loved it.

Hot spring pool Great service at the main desk for every need Spread out without being too spread out Great happy hour Delicious dinners

Our guide His passion for protecting animals